>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> protests erupt into violence and three deaths as a bank is firebombed in athens. will today be gored in brown's last as prime minister? we follow the three party leaders campaigning up to the wire to win over britain's dozens of undecided voters. more details emerge on the man who has allegedly admitted trying to bomb times square. what do pakistanis think that another apparent plot is linked to their country? welcome to "bbc world news", broadcasting our viewers on pbs in america, also of around the globe. my name is mike embly. coming up later, return of the ash. hundreds of flights canceled in northern ireland, and warnings and volcanic plume could affect other parts of europe again. and a new challenge for the government in kyrgystan. look at the growing divisions between ethnic groups.

hello to you. blood was shed in the greek capital today as popular anger boiled over at the cuts being demanded in return for international aid promised to help rescue the country's economy. tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets. a general strike, power lines, transport links, and three people died in a bank, set on fire by a petrol bomb. at least two government buildings also burned as demonstrators tried to storm parliament. >> burning buildings in the center of the greek capital on what should have been a peaceful day of protest. for hours, the demonstrators clashed with police as entire city blocks were engulfed by the violence. the air, lapful of tear gas, the

roar of hand grenades. fires were started across athens. cars, even emergency vehicles were caught up in the chaos. but the violence would soon turned to tragedy as this bank was set on fire by a petrol bomb. inside, two men and a woman, all bank employees, died. trapped by the flames coming ambulance could not get near enough to help them. the greek prime minister, speaking in parliament, said the debts amounted to murder. -- the deaths amounted to murder. >> we are all deeply shocked by the unjust debts of three of our citizens, victims of a rock, murderous act. that is what uncontrolled violence leads to. that is what political irresponsibility leads to. >> above the bank, more drama. this terrified woman had to edge her way along the balcony to safety.

the protesters say enforced pay cuts, retirement, and increases taxes have led to this -- later retirement. >> these protesters are clashing with riot police of year, who are returning fire would stun grenades and tear gas. it is exactly what the greek government did not want to happen. there is chaos on the streets, and these protesters blamed the austerity measures for their payload. >> the plan, put in place by the imf and other european governments, has unleashed anger by ordinary people. it has also under the market -- unnerved the market. >> what you have just been seeing is a brutal illustration of how hard it can be for a country to sustain deep cuts in public spending in the face of strong opposition. european stock markets have

reacted with sharper declines in share prices and the value of the bureau against the dollar. the dow jones just closed down 58.5, about 0.5%, and concern is growing that greece would not be the only european country hit by a debt crisis. the credit ratings agency moody's has put portugal's bond rating on review. portuguese stocks and bonds have slumped. shares in madrid fell more than 2% on top of tuesday's 5% slump. spain is seen as vulnerable, still in recession. european union officials must point out that spain and portugal have absolutely nothing to do with grease. with me in the studio is our business correspondent. help us understand what is happening on the market. is this effectively concluding that greece is already a basket case, that it cannot do what it has agreed to do, and sooner or later with the fall? if so, what are the implications about it? >> what we're seeing at the

moment is fears are driving investors. there is no doubt about that. they're concerned firstly that the bailout has taken too long to come about, and there are still hurdles to be gone through before it is actually enacted, greece is not yet have the money. there are also concerns that if and when greece gets the money, can it do the things being required of it? can it, in other words, increased taxes and bring about these draconian cuts that are being requested? and if it cannot, what is the future for greece class are looking at a situation like we have seen in countries like argentina? that is a worst-case scenario that investors are looking at. then, add to that what could happen beyond. in other words, could other countries that basically have five problems with debt levels, be in a similar situation? that is where you get the contagions years, and that is what is really driving markets at the moment on currencies, oil

prices. >> thank you very much. in just a matter of hours, britain's will go to the polls to vote in the most closely fought election in decades. leaders are campaigning, right up to the last minute. polls show there's still a large number of people in keep marginal seats who are undecided, said there is genuinely everything to play for. it is also possible that turn out to be considerably higher than the last election. at the moment, it is still a three-horse race with no obvious winner. this report from the d.c.'s political editor. >> it is never too late to persuade the undecided, never too late to convince people to have trust in you, never too late for yet another campaign stop. david cameron campaign right through the night. after all, who needs sleep? >> we have darling, wakefield, wills, we are going all through

the night consistently making stops, and there are breaks in between. a little bit of a cup of tea or a little bit of sleep. >> polls say that more people than ever before have yet to make up their minds, so the tory leader posies surprise should read it. he was in a warehouse. 5:30, in grimsby. if only landing boats was as easy as landing fish. down the road, gordon brown had slipped a bit before heading to the market traders said don. >> when did you start? >> about 3:00 this morning. >> when do you finish? >> i will get away about 9:00. at 10:00 tomorrow, it will all be too late. before this campaign began, the prime minister was told he could not wait. in the final hours of this campaign, it is clear that he refuses to believe that.

do you still think it possible? >> we're making a difference by talking to people. making a difference with the speech of about to make. >> nick clegg either likes to sleep or is just confident. hall all of this activity because they need you to do what is that they believe in. more people are coming out and saying to us that they really want to -- not only we offer the real difference that people want. >> in his campaign, he knows he faces a squeeze. the only vote accounts, it is believed that cameron or brown. the start of this election has not been the leaders. -- the star of this election has been the leaders. they have been the great undecided.

bbc news, bristol. >> somali pirates have hijacked a russian-owned tanker loaded with oil bound for china. the vessel was seized about 900 kilowatt is off the somali coast. as reported the crew have locked themselves in a control room. pirates in the area are now believed to be holding in total about 400 hostages. an anti-terrorist court in pakistan has acquitted four men charged with involvement in the bombing of the marriott hotel, a year-and-a-half ago. the court said there was insufficient evidence. at least 50 people were killed. more than 200 injured. a truck packed with explosives blew up in front of the hotel in islamabad. the governor of the afghan province says six people were killed when his compound was storm. nine militants wearing suicide best attack the compound in a border town, and a gun battle that followed, eight attacker's blow themselves up. one was killed by security forces.

with the man who reportedly tried to detonate a car bomb in times square now facing terrorism charges, questions are focusing on the links between the alleged bomb plot native pakistan. he became a u.s. citizen last year. >> according to court papers, this man has admitted he was involved in the failed attack in new york and that he got his bomb-making training in pakistan. police have been questioning those thought to have been close to him. there is a sense of embarrassment amongst many here that another militant plot has been linked to their country. >> what he did will cause problems for muslims around the world. it would damage the image of our country. >> the pakistani government says it is cooperating as much

as possible but also that as an american -- that since he was an american citizen, u.s. authorities have the responsibility to monitor his activities. >> he was a student. he gets americanized. he gets married, living with his wife. so it has happened in the u.s.. primarily, it is the duty of that particular authority to keep an eye. >> in america itself, there are questions being asked as to how this man was able to buy a ticket and board a plane bound to do by -- dubai when he'd been added to a government no-fly list, but there are much bigger questions as to how an individual could just come to pakistan and access militant training, as which seems to be of the case, and why an ad from a well-to-do background want to carry out an attack like this in the first place -- why a man from a well-to-do background

want to carry out an attack like this. >> engineers working for bp oil company has succeeded in blocking one of the leaks, which has caused that massive oil slick. there are still two weeks and still oil is spilling into the sea at a rate of almost 800,000 liters a day. later on when engineers plan to move a huge specially constructed metal dome over the site, adam brooks reports. >> the weather in the gulf of mexico has improved, and that means more can be done to disperse the slick, more controlled burning and skimming of the oil on the sea surface. but the slick is still growing. its outer edges are lapping at the louisiana shore line, but the worst is still out to sea. >> that has the potential to absolutely jeopardize louisiana's way of life. is not just about stopping the league and cleaning up the oil. it is also about restoring our fisheries, these barrier islands, restoring our way to earn a living out here. >> this is today's big hope, a

collection dome, the first of several just now being deployed. it will be lower on to the oil leaking into the seabed. the dome will contain the oil, it is hoped, and then funnel it to the surface to be sucked up. there's a lot going on under the water. chemicals are being sprayed into the oil thousands of feet down in hopes of dispersing it before it comes to the surface. robot submarines have capped one of several weeks. but in coastal towns like biloxi, mississippi, and resort that has only just recovered from hurricane katrina, the mood is grim, if resolute. and you start to hear about volunteers calling the red cross, and that is terrific. let's get everybody on board. they are hiring people. you see the ads in local area for hires, for people to do cleanup work. i know people are going to be ready. >> and there are occasional

forebodings. wildlife choke with oil starting to appear along the coast. >> it has now reached our barrier island, and killing animals already. it is pretty nasty. >> it is hoped this will provide a long-term solution by drilling a relief well to cut off the flow far below the seabed. that is months away. now, the oil continues to leak into the ocean with an estimated 200,000 gallons a day, and the gulf coast holds its breath. >> stay with us if you can on "bbc world news." still to come, as the 10 heads for a general election, we will look at how south africa views its former colonial master. first, though, a painting of pablo picasso created in just one day that set a world auction record.

it was the highlight of a collection by a los angeles a leather vest and sold by christie's in new york. >> it has been exhibited in public just once over the past four decades. but that did not stop picasso's piece from drawing huge interest. created in 1932, the colorful and syrian paging depicts picasso's mistress, and it seems she was a major draw for this crowd at christie's auction house in new york. >> $5 million. now is your chance, sir, and $95 million. >> six people with deep pockets can add to bid for the painting. christie's had expected it would fetch upwards of $70 million, but in the end, it was an unidentified telephone buyer who clinched the prize, setting a new world record for an art piece. sold at $106 million, our dealers are hoping that the worst of the global financial crisis is over.

>> we have seeing it for a little while, and i think it is rather strong and index. >> all eyes will now be on the sale of another picasso portrait next month. expected to sell for half the price of this masterpiece, it is not for the faint hearted. >> briefly, preparations for the cannes film festival have been thrown into turmoil by waves up to 6 feet high which have battered the french riviera. the industry's big stars have been damaged. cleanup has begun. the hope is everything will be ready in time for the film world's biggest annual binge. it starts in a week and runs for 12 days, bringing in some 10,000 movie types at about $4,000 per head. latest headlines for you -- three people have been killed in

a firebombed bank in athens. an opinion polls in the u.k. are keeping everyone guessing. britain's main party leaders have been campaigning up to the wire in the most unpredictable election in about 30 years. more now on that. we're looking at britain's place in the world. south africa is the u.k.'s biggest african business partner. bilateral trade is worth at least 6.3 billion u.s. dollars. britain's supermarket stocked with kate white, and many engagement rings here is for a south african diamonds. how does the country to its former colonial master as it heads for a general election? >> made in britain, sales in south africa. his luxury yacht is a symbol of our relationship i incurred in history, language, and culture with nearly 500,000 britons visiting south africa every

year. >> we drive on the same side of the road. the signboards are in english. the architecture is english. there's lots of edwardian and jordan styles. one really feels at from home at times. >> remember when britain claimed to rule the waves? it is no longer alone. once south africa's biggest investor, is now among the top five. plenty more fish in the sea. south africa is the gateway for the rest of the continent, but britain still takes more from africa and it gives back in terms of trade. now which stiff competition going in from the east, south africa is looking for a more equal partnership with its former colonial master. president zuma's recent visit to britain was packed with pageantry. he even got a ride in the royal carriage, but with the keys to number 10 out of for grabs, leaders cannot rely on the past

to secure deals for the future. the club in johannesburg, it has at times stood still, a faded reminder of when settlers came to exploit south africa's gold wealth. now, for britain to remain belloc -- relevant, it needs fresh alliances with a post- mandela generation. >> if you do not establish a relationship with that generation, i think london's relationship will be minuscule. >> the kind of man britain wants to do business with is the manager of one of the first black-owned wine firms. he has already receive british grants to make his business grow. britain is the biggest export market for south african wine. little wonder, then, that the possibility parliament thousands of miles away is being talked about right here. >> with the home government, it

might slow down progress. >> whatever robert intakes politically, south africa will remain a key partner, even if it has its sights set on new horizons. >> iceland's cloud of volcanic ash has made an unwelcome return to the skies above the u.k. airport is closed. hundreds of flights have been canceled in scotland and northern ireland, and forecasters are warning the cloud may drift towards northern england and wales. >> a fresh plume of volcanic ash in iceland stretching thousands of feet into the air. the volcano has been erupting for weeks, but once again, it has just got worse, and the winds have been blown that heavier ash cloud in our direction, causing yet another day of disruption to thousands of travelers year.

the main scottish airports have face restrictions. belfast and dublin have also been closed for much of the day because of the ash. in the irish capital, more than 30,000 passengers have already been affected, and authorities there say they will ground all flights until 4:00 tomorrow morning. the long list of cancellations is a reminder of the massive disruption passengers faced last month. this time, though, where possible, airlines have been able to act quickly to try to keep passengers on the move. >> for much of the day, the only people who have been checking up here and airports in the north of england, which have remained open. >> they are heading for manchester. >> although delayed, these passengers will eventually be getting away for their holidays abroad, but as long as icelands volcanic is erupting, there is an ongoing threat of disruption and grounded planes. for now, a change of wind

direction tomorrow could push the ash clouds way out. >> consent has been growing about ensure-ethnic tension in kyrgystan since april's uprising for -- concern has been growing about anti-ethnic tension. >> distraction and chaos. this is the scene which the residents of a turkish community returned to after running away from violence. two weeks after the popular uprising in 2010, the village was attacked by an angry mob numbering in the thousands. five people were killed and several homes destroyed. most of the properties belong to ethnic turks. >> this man's home was burned down. it is difficult for him to cope.

>> piles of hay are still burning. it will take a long time for people to forget about the violence which took place here just recently. across kyrgystan, there are thousands of villages just like this one where people with different ethnicities and live side-by-side, and their main concern is it is to happen at their doorstep, who is going to protect them? sources deny it was an ethnic class and say they tried to stop the violence. >> my units were simply out numbered. we had to get reinforcements. we later returned to the village and detained 130 people. >> in nearby farmland, much of it owned by residents, dozens of rural poor are claiming a loss of land. they came here after their recent uprising in kyrgystan. they want their interim

government to give them land. residents blame these people for attacking their village, but they deny any involvement. >> the kyrgystans have gathered here. turks have seized our lead, but the land is ours. i have been renting a flat for many years, and we have demanded the land be given to us. >> it is not clear. some believe it might have been provoked by supporters of the government. >> triggering stability for ethnic clashes is one of the most feared man in the incident in this village since a worrying message, that there is a risk of injury-ethnic violence -- inter- ethnic violence here the government has a big job ahead

to ensure safety for its people, but it must ensure its citizens that it can bring peaceful change to the country. >> briefly, let's remind you of the main news -- violence has erupted on the streets of the greek capital. protests over government spending cuts. the price of an international aid package to rescue the country's economy. it left three people dead. agree presidents as the country is on the edge of this. he said it is the responsibility of all greeks not to take a step into the void. three died were incited bank in athens which was set on fire by a petrol bomb. it was also in a tent to storm parliament, and then these two government buildings were set on fire. you will find more on that and all the international news online anytime you want it, on our website, bbc.com/news. you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. you can see we are working on our facebook page, facebook.com

/bbcworld news. >> hello and welcome. for >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. good to bbc.com and/user experience the in depth expert reporting a bbc news online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global

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