vermont, and honolulu. 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." >> a call for tougher sanctions, europe posing new plan to tackle the debt crisis. the white house defends its

response to the massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico. talks to prevent five days of strike action resume as british airways recurred -- records its worst losses since privatization. welcome the bbc news broadcast our viewers on pbs in america and also around the world. coming up on the program. a former rebel leader is sworn in as president of southern sudan is independent. -- is independence the next step? and political leaders hold talks at the roman catholic church. welcome to bbc news, good to have you with us. european union countries have been continuing attempts to

shore up the bureau -- the euro. the german parliament has approved the decision to contribute about 1/5 of the $938 billion rescue package. finance ministers have also been discussing measures to control that. -- debt. >> shockwave from athens are being felt in berlin and in the capital of the european union. the vote today by german politicians authorizing $185 billion of loan guarantees to any member struggling to raise money in international markets as part of a bigger $550 billion facility designed to support the ailing currency bloc. >> it was a very important day for the german parliament today.

i am happy we managed to get a package to stabilize the euro. >> the vote in berlin as a positive signal -- is a positive signal that germany is committed to help. finance ministers are trying to work out so that it never gets to that stage again. >> the idea was to have a brainstorming session on how to monitor the economies of individual states and punish those that rack up too much debt. >> one of the conclusions of the debate is that it was very clear that there is a broad consensus on the principles of having sanctions, financial sanctions. >> one of the proposals by the commission is to organize a scoreboard. i suggest that it also be a tool box so that member states to have access to what others have been doing. it will take what it will take.

we need to be part of the same club and apply the same rules, narrowing the competitive discount. >> of the things we can do best in the framework of the current framework, we will look to do it quickly. in the future, we will look at issues that require an amendment of the treaty. first, we will do what we can without changes. we will do that independently. we will be very pragmatic and goal oriented. europeans may be out to find a better way to manage the economy. the real challenge is to ensure individual economies can grow their way out of the current difficulties. how that will happen is a question this yet to be answered. >> david cameron has insisted that britain will not be joining

in a tree that supports the euro. the prime minister said that it is in the uk's interest, that there is a strong and stable zone, but [unintelligible] the obama administration has been defending its response to the massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico, rejecting accusations that it has -- bp says it is siphoning off and containing a little over 2,000 barrels of oil a day, down from 5000. worrell has reached the shore on the louisiana coast. >> foul smelling oil has threatened rare birds, mammals, and marine life. >> of the oil is very thick and sticky and has adhered to all of the plant material. we have been out into the barrier islands as well, watch the birds nesting on the islands.

as far as i know, those nests are in tact. the birds are hunting and fishing out here in the open water areas. they are very much at risk. >> while fishing boats sit idle, further along the coast is a 7 mile stretch of beach that has been closed. oil washed up on the shore. these close-up images of the immediate aftermath of the explosion have emerged more than a monthrise and oil rig sank ine ocean killing 11 workers. the video came to light after questions were raised on how to open bp had been about the scale of the disaster. >> pursuant to the clean water act, we're asking for them to provide the data, put it on a web site, update the web site daily, provide whatever access they have to video to both fully

the government and the public. >> bp is estimating that it is spewing up to 5,000 barrels of oil a day. an attempt to stem the flow will be made early next week. the true extent of the disaster is yet to be felt. >> a car bomb in northern iraq has injured more than 50 people. it was in front of a couch -- in front of a coffee shop. >> right around 7:30 in the evening, local time, the son of gone down and people would be relaxing in doing a bit of shopping. it is about 80 kilometers northeast of baghdad, the car was parked outside a busy cafe, right in the heart of the market. it was obviously aimed at killing as many people as possible.

that has been the pattern of a lot of recent violence, including bombs. more than 50 people were killed. it seems to be directed, as it was, several years ago, to promote a reaction. militants that are being blamed for these attacks are a mainly shi'ite aras. -- areas. a few years ago, there was violence that took the country to the brink of civil war. >> the prime minister of thailand says the order has been restored to the capital bank. he made his announcement after weeks of anti-government protest that left more than 50 people dead. in a tv address, he said he would continue to try

reconciliation but made -- made no mention of elections, the protesters main demands. >> we have been able to do this with the cooperation of government officials, all volunteers, and the people of thailand. we will continue to move swiftly to restore normalcy, and we recognize that as we move ahead, there are huge challenges ahead of us, particularly the challenge of overcoming the divisions that have occurred in this country. >> nato has announced that may shake up the command structure in afghanistan. headquarters will be split into two to affect the increase in forces. the bulk of british troops will now come under american command at least until there is rotation. the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has arrived in china or she is expected to try to persuade the government to

take a more critical approach to north korea with a sinking of a south korea worship. there was overwhelming evidence that north korea and torpedoes sank the ship. it was on a week-long tour of asia. the israeli military has killed two palestinian gunmen that infiltrated from the gaza strip. they spotted the men close to the border. security officials did clash with soldiers near the border. the u.n. secretary-general has said they hoped iran pose a deal to send some of the syringe uranian -- of its enriched uranium -- and the agreement they reached on monday with turkey and brazil was an important initiative in resolving international tension by peaceful means.

british airways managers will meet during the day later in an attempt to avert a fresh wave of industrial action. the five day strike is due to begin on monday after they won an appeal against an injunction. there was further bad news for the airline announcing record losses of 531 million pounds in the last year. its biggest since privatization more than 20 years ago. our business editor has more. >> bad news definitely comes in threes. the worst recession is all the lovely if you like quiet aircraft terminals. it could not get many of its planes in the air because of this yet to be settled disputes with cabin crew. and this stuff has also been pretty disruptive. no surprise that losses soared to 531 million pounds and 932

million pounds over two years. because revenue has slumped by 1 billion pounds. >> 932 million over two years. it can't go on like this, can it? >> no, it can't. i think that is what will surprise the market. our cost performance has been much better than people have expected. >> the drive to reduce costs has called for a cabin crew strike due to start again on monday. >> you brought a fundamental changes that you wanted. you're arguing about whether perks should be reinstated and whether individuals should be disciplined. why have not settled? -- and why have you not settled? >> unfortunately, they have not been able to influence the grand center of this dispute to get them to accept that these changes are necessary.

>> this deal is a difficult one. it needs work and it needs people. but we would try to do that, but it is difficult to do that when there is this atmosphere of intimidation and fear. >> the other charges that your secret plan is to break the trade union. is that right? >> i don't think they would invite someone from the trade union for a cup of coffee and spent two hours there. these are not the actions of somebody that is trying to -- and the actions of somebody trying to work with the trade union. >> when it comes to destruction, he is less conciliatory. >> the ash cloud caused the closure of u.k. aerospace. i did not accept the risk existed.

this was an unnecessary decision. it was a gross overreaction, incompetency. choose any word you like. the skies over the u.k. should not have been closed. >> at the furniture -- the future was supposed to be a merger sharing routes with american airlines. what does this mean for the british business? >> there will always be a british airways brand. we recognize and value the strength of that brand. >> a bumpy ride? oh yes. they are still in the storm. >> still to come, cuban leaders have extensive talks with the roman catholic church. but first, nine people have been killed and thousands more evacuated in poland in the worst

flooding in more than a century. since last weekend, to run trains have much of the south of the country under water. it is now making its way north. a city of 2 million have urged people to stay alert. for more, we have this report. >> more than two months, one day last weekend. rivers overflowed. many parts of southern poland, communities have been turned into lakes. >> normal means of transportation no longer suffice. residents have sought higher ground to as great -- to escape the daily news. the prime minister has called for flooding along the country's main vista, the worst in history. poland has sent out an urgent request to neighboring

countries. the government estimates the damage so far of more than $3 billion. they have been touring affected areas are urging people to evacuate their homes. some have no word ago and are reluctant to leave, fearing their houses could become the target of burglars. the government has called in the army to help rescue stranded people. the floodwaters are now heading north. city authorities have president's not going near the river where water levels are centimeter short of reaching the dikes. officials say that even if the flood barriers are not breached, water levels can remain high for several days. you are watching bbc news, let's bring your reminder of your headlines this hour.

the european union finance minister has supported a german call for tougher sanctions against countries that don't adhere to the budget rules. the white house defends its response to the massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico. and talks to prevent five days of strike action are to resume. british airways reports its largest losses since privatization. the former leader of the southern levels -- rebels has been sworn in as the first elected president of southern sudan. he won a landslide last month and will lead the region on a referendum next january. >> a moment many southern sudan ese never saw what happened. taking office, his transition from guerrilla leader to elected official is complete.

the head of the former southern rebels used his speech to criticize enemies of the north. in january, southerners will vote on possible independence. >> time as practically run out. in a sense of panic has seemed to said and as the people realize that the battle for unity is about to be lost. >> as well as the former kenyan had a state, there were among the personalities that gave way to the ceremony. less than a year, they may be back to welcome a new country. it is unknown if southerners will vote for independence. >> [unintelligible]

>> of the 21-year north-south civil war that came to an end was one of the most destructive in african history. an estimated 2 million people died, and many more displaced. others have felt marginalized since colonial times. there are several outstanding issues to resolve before the referendum can take place, including the demarcation of the north and south borders. many believe that he will not let the south ago, which is rich in oil, despite his promises. it is undoubtedly a historic moment for southern sudan. the focus turns to that -- it turns to the referendum. in a nation might be born next january. >> britain's four and secretary has flown to afghanistan for talks of the government in kabul. he would give the u.k. strategy

in afghanistan the time and support to succeed. he added that the question of how support the efforts of the afghan government and the nato parties -- partners there, not whether to support them. the bbc has learned that he feels the taliban is a growing threat. while he is accepted the need for certain u.s. forces to confront the insurgency, he hopes some troops will soon be withdrawn. >> the people -- we're all very realistic. because of the failure of the afghan government, we're not there. at the same time, michael to the u.s. and ministration would be to get its act right with the site. make sure that from one side, a

surge of troops and resources, and from the other side, a failing partner that has not been able to deliver since the operation. once in the point that the people could be more hopeful. >> a former executive at u.s. investment firm has been jailed for 27 months for insider trading fraud. he is the first person to be sentenced in what the judge was the largest in the history of hedge funds. as well as a prison term, he agreed to forfeit the $900,000 profit he made. the british woman who was found with her two dead children is charged with their murder. from there, we report. >> she was led into a spanish prison tonight after being charged with murdering her two

children. there is no chance of bail. she has confessed to killing them. the judge saw the evidence the police gathered against her. she was arrested after the bodies of 5-year-old rebecca and her baby brother were discovered in the hotel room. spanish newspapers have reported that she did attempt to commit suicide before yours arrested and brought into police custody. police can't confirm that, but they are concerned about her state of mind. if they are keeping an extremely close eye on her. the family was known at civil services as far as three years ago. this month, there were discovered living in barcelona. the father was arrested. on the day of his extradition, his partner was found at the resort where she had led -- alerted authorities that her children were dead.

she is charged with 13 child sex offenses. she was taken to the family's apartment as part of the murder inquiry. this is where her partner was arrested after more than two years on the run. an interview soon after, she said she did not now how she had cope alone with the children. after a six-hour hearing, they emerged from court. they gave no motive for the killings and no details of how the children died. the judge has confirmed that tests showed her to be elusive. -- as lucid. >> in cuba, signs appear to be emerging of a new era in church- state relations. the head of the roman catholic church has called for the release of some of the island's 200 political prisoners. the move follows a rare and

expensive meeting with president castro ahead of of the visit next month by the foreign secretary. this report, from havana. >> church-state relations have improved significantly in recent years. religious leaders intended to avoid becoming directly embroiled in politics. all that appears to be changing. writing in the archdiocese magazine, the head of the catholic church said that the island was a crisis and criticized the authorities for moving too slowly on economic reforms and mistreating dissidents. for his part, president castro appealed to the charges for help in persuading people to join his fight against corruption. >> earlier this week, he held an unprecedented four-hour meeting with catholic leaders, and a

picture of the encounter was plastered across the front page of the official communist party newspaper. >> i think that the dialogue we are now having is new and distinctive. it has opened the door to dialogue about the realities of cuba today. and at the heart of the discussion, human-rights. earlier this month, cardinal ortega intervened to end the harassment of female relatives. the ladies in white has been reversed. the fate of their husbands is also under discussion. the government continues to deny that they are political prisoners, calling them mercenaries paid by the united states to undermine the system.

>> we're talking about prisoners. i can't offer any concrete details about dates when things might happen, but the authorities are taking the subject seriously. that i can say. >> the vatican's foreign minister is due here next month. yet another indication of the growing acceptance and a possible influence of the church in cuba. bbc news, havana. >> european union finance ministers have supported a german call for tougher sanctions. these are countries that don't stick to the budget. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online.

>> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. 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? >> there is one stage that is the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid

flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center. >> check, one, two. >> and a club in austin. [woman vocalizing] >> it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. >> the top of the world, and i'm there, i'm home. >> pbs -- the great american stage that fits in every living room. your support of pbs brings the arts home. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.