>> "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. 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." >> pakistan's most militant regencies a sudden increase in don't attacks -- in drone attacks. action against austerity -- workers across europe marshall for rallies and strikes. france is given a deadline to obey european rules on deportations and freedom of movement. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs in america and around the globe. coming up later, relatives of the trapped miners and chile celebrate as the rescue operations reach a key point. there can only be one winner -- or can there? the communication calamity as "america's next top model"

reaches its climax. the talk from intelligence sources is of a major al qaeda plot on the scale of the mumbai attacks two years ago. western agents have uncovered early stages of a plan aimed at european targets banks to surveillance the militants in north waziristan. strikes by unmanned american dorones have reached their highest intensity in 10 years. >> could the mumbai model of the attacks of 2008 be repeated in europe? the plot uncovered this summer would suggest it could be. small, well-armed teams of gunmen attacking buildings and slaughtering civilians in britain, france, and germany. the plan is still being tracked.

for al qaeda leaders, this is a different tactic. why the change? >> it is obvious that mumbai will have given security planners thought. my understanding is that a lot of work has been done to look at this in the context of a wider initiative to look at the security of crowded places. >> the plot has been trace to pakistan's tribal areas, where much of al qaeda's leadership has been hiding since 2001. interception tipoffs by informants have revealed details contact in europe. they are coming under pressure from both the pakistan military and cia drones. strikes have crippled this month in response to the perceived heightened threat from al qaeda and its affiliates.

>> al qaeda continues to be targeting the west including plans against europe as well as the homeland. >> france is on heightened alert. the eiffel tower was evacuated for a second time yesterday after another hoax bomb threat. the biggest worry for the french is thought to be from north african militants. in britain, the government has decided to keep the national threat level at its second highest, meaning a terrorist attack is thought highly likely. u.k. officials say neither a tax nor arrests are expected imminently. frank gardner, bbc news. >> workers have taken to the streets across europe in a day of protest against the austerity measures being imposed by national governments. there have been demonstrations in ireland, greece, and latvia. there were marches on european union headquarters. in spain, there is a general strike. >> before dawn, strikers were at

the madrid transport depot, trying to prevent buses leaving. the spanish unions were determined to shut down the capital and so demonstrate that the people were against spending cuts. later, columns of strikers marched around the city center. when they found stores that were defying calls for a general strike, they pushed inside, insisting the owners closed for the day. the police often intervened, but still the shutters came down. working people are seeing their wages cut and their benefits reduced to pay for a recession caused by the banks. >> we spent 100 years earning the rights we have as workers in this country, and i do not think the first thing we need to do is lose them. the banks should be the ones who are paying for this crisis. >> this bank needed to be opened with a metal cutter. strikers had glued shut the doors. this man said people had the

right to strike but not to prevent him working. strikers are going from store to store, trying to close them down. even so, in the side streets there are a lot of people still trying to have a normal day's work. people like these women, who taunted the strikers, saying they wanted to work. it was clear the country was divided over supporting the strike. in brussels, thousands of protesters from all over europe demonstrated, carrying banners that said "no to austerity." many said the cuts were unfair and risked pushing iraq back into recession. >> i hope people realize the boys of workers is saying do not go for austerity. -- the boys of workers is saying do not go for austerity -- the voice of workers is saying do not go for austerity. do not make the mistake of the 1930's. >> a powerful earthquake has

struck waters outside of indonesia, sparking a tsunami warning. no reports of injuries or damage so far. the tsunami warning was lifted 90 minutes after the quake. italian prime minister silvio battle is going -- berlusconi has won a vote of confidence. that could allow him to stay in office for the remainder of his term, until 2013. the vote follows weeks of argument with one of his main coalition partners. india has launched a nationwide biometric id scheme which will log details of more than a billion citizens on a central database. it will be what india thinks is the world's biggest national database, a unique identification program aimed at helping those in poor, marginalized communities who find it difficult to act as public services. the french government and the

european commission have been at loggerheads over the deportation from france of hundreds of roma migrants. the european commission says they failed to respect european rules on freedom of movement. they have two weeks to change their policy or be referred to the european court of justice. >> president sarkozy ordered the clearance of roma camps in france back in july, saying they have become breeding grounds for crime, people trafficking, and child exploitation. more than 1000 were deported from france, most to bulgaria and romania. the european union's unjust as commissioner has announced further investigations of french actions and the country's insistence that there were not discriminatory. it could still lead to full legal action. >> the commission has found that france has not properly applied in its french law the procedure of guarantee, which are foreseen

for all e.u. citizens in the european directive. that is why this needs to be corrected, and that is why we have to act on this. >> the main complaint from brussels is that france is not guaranteeing the freedom of movement of eu citizens and does not incorporate those rights in french law. france argues it can deport people who are judged a public security risk. the roma argue the european commission is doing too little to protect them. >> i am not surprised by the fact that the eu is for the moment extremely weak in the process. politicians from brussels have to understand they have no right to take compromise, any compromise regarding anybody even sarkozy. that means abandoning principles, and principals have no right to die. -- principles have no right to

die. >> this has poisoned relations between france and the european commission. if you weeks ago, commissioner redding compared the actions to mass deportations by the nazis. >> this is a situation i thought europe would not have to witness again after the second world war. >> the french president was infuriated. >> everyone here was deeply shocked, especially given our wartime history. these words were deeply wounding and insulting to my fellow countrymen. >> the european commission has stopped short of immediate legal action over the treatment of roma migrants, but brussels is threatening legal sanctions against france if the country does not fall into line within the next two weeks. >> it now looks pretty certain that north correa's ailing leader, kim jong il, has led the

groundwork for the transition of power to his senior -- to his emerson. he was made a military general earlier in the week. from south korea, our reporter. >> the north korean government controls all newspapers, so it is difficult to know whether ordinary north koreans know the significance of the rare party conference taking place in p'yongyang. but it has shown the outside world to important things -- that kim jong il is in good enough health to attend and for the moment still holding onto power, and that he has almost certainly decided who will replace him as the leader of this isolated fledgling nuclear power. it is a remarkable story, even by the standards of one of the world's most totalitarian states, and the details are making the front pages on this side of the border in the south. here is can ill son, the founder

of north korea. -- kim il sung, the founder of north korea. here is his son, kim jong il. and here is his son, the man who has gone from political nobody to a very big somebody in a matter of days. first, just hours before the conference, he was promoted to the rank of four-star military general. now we learn he has been named vice chairman of the workers' party central military commission and a member of its central committee. there can now be little doubt that he is the chosen successor. the party conference has made other appointments, all seemingly designed to allow the ruling family to hold onto power for another generation. kim jong il's sister is in attendance, having also just been promoted to the rank of military general. it is thought she will guide her nephew to the difficult power transition. perhaps at some point over the

next few days, officials photos will be published of him and the world will get its first real glimpse of a young man who has just been handed a weighty legacy. bbc news, seoul. >> still to come, why a fifth of the world's plant species are now in danger of disappearing forever. >> she is said to be one of the most photographed people on our planet. a new exhibition of photographs document the life of britain's queen elizabeth in pictures. many were taken by her late sister's husband, the photographer lord snowden. >> on her right, mr. anthony armstrong jones. >> he was a society photographer who took pictures of the royals and then became one. tony armstrong jones's wedding to the queen's younger sister,

princess margaret, was the society event of 1960. although he was not a member of the royal family, lord snowden continue to work as a professional photographer, and alongside his documentary work was often called on to photograph the queen. many of his photographs have been included in a new exhibition of photographic portraits of the queen. here are the monarch and her husband in the kind of formal pose you might expect. the queen caught by a range of photographers' didn't rather less orthodox surroundings. the photographs and charts her life from her childhood. snowden photograph turned regularly from the late '50s. this was her set up for a portrait which wound up on postage stamps. this in more recent photograph for her 80th birthday, taken at lord snowden pep home. >> she goes out of her way to help make it easy. i try to do them as simply as possible. >> many of the pictures project

powerful images, from cecil powerful- beatonb's image on -- beaton's powerful image, to this of are enjoying a joke. >> i am always relief that they come out. -- relieved that they come out. >> the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." security agencies have uncovered what they believe is a major terror plot in european citizens. street demonstrations have been taken across europe in protest of austerity measures and spending cuts. a fifth of the world's plant species could be in danger of extinction. the biggest threat is the clearing of rain forest for farming. a major study led by the royal

botanic garden in london comes ahead of a conference in japan next month to discuss targets for conserving nature, including plants, and how they end up being missed. >> that are the foundation of life on earth, but plans are often taken for granted. the latest research shows how many we are at risk of losing. providers of fuel, food, and oxygen. we now know how many are under threat. research led by q gardens in london assessed 4000 species -- led by kew gardens in london assessed 4000 species. >> each plant species is potentially a important part of the ecosystem that might collapse. in the future, our current foods might no longer be feasible. it is potentially a cure for a disease that has not yet become

a problem. it is all about potential that is locked up in millions of years of evolution that we are looking at throwing away in a generation. >> one of the world's largest trees bites the dust. this is the rain forest in gone up. each loss is another blow to the range of plant life along the world. tropical jungles are the hardest hit. much of the work was done in this huge collection of plants. what the researchers have found is that one in five species is threatened with extinction, like this one, a type of olive tree now lost forever. the fear is thousands more could go the same way. bbc news at kew gardens. >> nigeria marks 50 years of independence this week and faces a defining presidential vote. traditional rulers from local

village chiefs to the mayors in the north excerpt enormous influence on government and people. in our special coverage of nigeria at 50, this report. >> this is one of the most powerful traditional rulers in nigeria. he was not elected by popular vote, yet no politician is wise to seek office without his blessing. politicians jostle for power and seek a popular mandate, but it is the backing of rich and powerful benefactors that is the real key to success. away from the royal court, it is election season in nigeria. the question is how much power and influence these traditional rulers have on the electorate, and the choices they make during elections. >> i trust them more than the politicians. >> why? >> they tell the truth. they will tell you something and they will do it.

>> traditional rulers are better. they know our problems. they are dealing with us directly, so they know our problems. >> they are very careful with that. traditional rulers like to protect their personality. they tell you they will make sure. >> over the years, under both military and civilian rule, the power of these cheats and scammers has steadily been eroding. how did they continue -- the power of these chiefs and emirs has steadily been eroding. how do they continue their hold on power? >> date rule along with traditional institutions. it is not set in the media, but it is there. there are signs it will always be there and the people will always follow through on what

the traditional institutions want. >> the history and culture of this place dates back centuries and little has changed in terms of tradition. i have come to meet an eim mir, granted a special audience. >> we do not order people to vote for anybody. all we do is ensure that our subjects do abide by the rule of the election. we do that to further the rule of the government. there should not be any discrimination politically. >> nigeria has seen turbulent times throughout its half century of independence. but so often its traditional families have remained a bedrock of stability. despite all its different cultures and religions, they are a source of unity. bbc news, northern nigeria.

>> it is worth mentioning you will find more coverage of nigeria's 50th birthday on our bbc news website. lots on their including an article asking about what it means to be nigerian. there is an assessment of the country's economic growth and the state of the health system. rescue trains -- teams in chile have reached a critical point in trying to save miners who have been trapped underground for two months. these were the jubilant scenes as relatives visiting the site were told the diggers have reached 300 meters. it is hoped the men will be pulled up nearly a month ahead of the official schedule. tim wilcox is there for us. a bit of good news. civil proceedings are about to kick off. >> criminal proceedings have already started, actually, against the mine owners here. but what we are hearing is that

tomorrows civil proceedings will start. i have just been speaking to the mayor of calvera, 30 kilometers away from here. four makers have gotten together to represent 27 of the families here. they are going to demand at least $1 million for each family for the suffering they have had whilst being underground. i said to her $1 million -- is that enough? she said that is the absolute minimum, but they wanted to start the process now. the complication is that the company that owns the san jose mine is going to be fighting for bankruptcy for this particular mine. how that affects any compensation and nebraska settled litigation is unclear. -- and any civil litigation is unclear. plan b, the rig and drill in the middle of the picture, reached

300 meters. that is symbolic. it is not even halfway down. but things are really motoring. when they hit that 300 figure, all of the sirens and clack sons on that we started going. people came rushing up the street, chanting and shouting for the rescue teams. we are learning so much more about how this rescue operation is continuing now. we have daily briefings from people saying that they are communicating with the miners, clearing all this rubble out from the bottom of the drill. the drillers can carry on working. i have been speaking to a specialist physician, a sports physician, who is helping the miners keep their muscles together to be prepared for being called up in that rescue capsule. the miners are doing this. there is a jim down there. he is sending down a little videos of himself. he is not a portly man.

the miners have said, "do you mind getting a gym instructoress? we would have an easier time if we had a pretty girl to look at." >> the powers of mining are pretty clear. the powers of live television -- you have to feel that the presenter of the show "australia's next top model," and the lucky winner who was halfway to her acceptance speech when it became clear there was a horrible mistake. >> the winner, and australia's next top model for 2010, is -- >> two models. tens of thousands of viewers watching at home. a live television era that will soon be seen by millions on the web. >> it is you, kelsey. >> she thought she had been

awarded the coveted title of australia's top model. there were fireworks, the promise of run my fame, even a victory speech. >> i want to thank the crew and the judges. without them, there would be no show. this is crazy. >> but the 19-year-old was about to become fashion's latest victim. >> i do not know what to say right now. i am feeling about -- a bit sick about this. >> the bearer of the bad news, sarah murdoch, the doctor in law of the media baron, rupert. >> it is a complete accident. it is amanda. i am so sorry. >> it is all right. it is ok. >> oh god. >> this book had been a squeak or two. so close there had been a miscommunication between the producers backstage and the presenter on it. [applause]

the crown was transferred to the rightful winner, amanda webb. kelsey had to make do with a cash consolation prize. but she was top model for a brief few moments, but at least the recipient of 15 minutes of fame. nick brown, bbc news, sydney. >> just briefly, our main story -- an al qaeda plot to carry out coordinated attacks in the u.k., france, and germany has been uncovered according to western intelligence sources. small teams were to seize and kill hostages, according to reports, in a similar way to the 2008 attacks in mumbai. recent american drone raids in pakistan have targeted the militants who inspired those plans. officials in the uk tel as the plot has not been stopped but an attack is not expected imminently. you will find more online on

bbc.com/news. you will find us on twitter and facebook as well. thank you for watching bbc world news. >> 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 was 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 financial strength 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. >> 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.