rachel harvey, bbc news, bangkok. >> it feels like a fast-moving story. if you want more on burma's decision to release these dissidents, had to our web site -- head to our website, bbc.com/news. now to some of the other stories making headlines around the world. it may seem odd for the parliament of a democratic country to hold a vote supporting the democratic system, but that the tactic adopted by pakistan's prime minister yousuf raza gilani as his government battles with the military to maintain control of the reins of power. the motion amounts to a vote of confidence. has publicly criticized the army chief and sect the defense minister, who he thought was too close to the generals bbc.com/new -- the generals. what lies behind this unusual tactic? >> the government feels it is cornered at the moment. it has the army on one side. it has the supreme court, which can also bring this government down with the decision having to do with corruption charges against president asif ali zardari. it also has opposition politicians, as well. the calculation yousuf

rachel harvey, "bbc world news." >> now to some of the other stories making headlines around the world. at least 30 people have been killed in a series of bomb explosions across iraq. dozens were injured when the explosive devices, most of them roadside bombs, were detonated. joining me from baghdad is the rafid jabboori. there was a fifth one. can you give us details about that? >> there was a fifth attack in the southern iraqi city. initial reports are that there were seven people and more than 60 injured. the target was one of the police checkpoints, according to one of the reports. a gathering of shi'ite pilgrims -- as we know, this is the extended season of mourning for the shiite muslims. the official total was seven killed and more than 60 injured. you take that attack and the four attacks in baghdad, are we seeing full- blown sectarian violence as a result of the political crisis? >> we cannot make that early link between the two. almost everyone i talk to, whether they are among the iraqi public or the politicians, they agree that there is a link between the political crisis a

our correspondent rachel harvey has been following his visit in rangoon. >> the atmosphere, the moodn the streets has changed dramatically in the past year. when i have come here before, people have always been polite, very friendly, but there has also been a fearful lest that speaking to a foreigner might land and in trouble. but now, people are beginning to believe that the changes that have begun in the country might actually be will judy reel. william hague says he believes there is a genuine momentum to the reforms and his government is sincere about its desire to change. the question of where it is all going to leave, how far these reforms might go, because there are sanctions still in place. and although william hague talked about the potential burma has if the trend continues, unless there is investment, unless the economy picks up, and ordinary people will not feel the benefits. but sanctions will not be lifted until there is more concrete steps toward reform. that has been the clear message from william hague and from other visiting diplomats. the whole idea is to try to co

we can go live to bangkok and speak to the bbc's rachel harvey. why now and why these people? >> this has been long anticipated and, of course, demands for this kind of scale of release has been growing, not just from international diplomats that have been visiting, but also, crucially, from the opposition movement and aung san suu kyi within burma. so the "why now" is because the pressure had been growing and because the government itself had long promised to do this, privately and occasionally in public. some ministers have said we will do this, we will free these prisoners, but we just have to get the timing right. why precisely today, that we don't know. but it does come ahead of scheduled elections on april 1. so it could be a kind of confidence-building measure ahead of that, but it's up to the burmese government to explain, really, why they're doing this. it is a crucial step. it is significant, not just in terms of the numbers that are being released today, but the names of those being released. prominent political activists, prominent members of the 1988 student prote

rachel harvey, bbc news, bangkok. >> still to come on tonight's program. moscow, we have a problem. russia's mission ends in failure and part of it could be reining back to earth this weekend. it is a message we have been hearing over and over. processed meats are not good for your health. a new study suggests people who need the equivalent of three sausages per day increase their risk of pancreatic cancer by 75%. dominic use reports. -- hughes reports. >> connections between bowel cancer and processed meats, but now scientists at from sweden said there could be linked with pancreatic cancer. is a report they say should be taken seriously. >> about a dozen people year to get this kind of cancer. -- about 1000 people a year get this kind of cancer. they do have lower survival. if we can figure out what affects the rest it would be good. >> what it says is around 50 grams of processed meat, equivalent to two rations of taken, if eaten every day, could increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 20%. pancreatic cancer is rare, but often deadly. craig wood died just 10 weeks after being d

the bbc has been given access to the country and regional party has been -- rachel harvey has been to a film festival in rangoon. >> this is the fourth day of a film festival in rangoon, an extraordinary event. it is enormous to watch uncensored films. the festival is backed by some very high-profile names, not least the woman who is keen on giving support to young filmmakers and burma, encourage them to find a bond that threatens them. another high profile name that has been pushing hard ever since he was released is the comedian, who was only set free in october. they feel this is a really good way to test the small space that may be opening for freedom of expression. and there is a huge appetite for this kind of thing. >> we have never had freedom like this before, so this is a really important event. surprised this was allowed to go ahead, but it is a new government and things are changing. what really surprises me is how many people are here. >> the films being shown seems slightly more provocative. it is extraordinary this film is shown in public at all. the images show the 2007

for more on this, rachel harvey joins me from the main city of rangoon. in a rare move, the burmese authorities have allowed us in. it is significant that your reporting from there, and this. by william hague. >> yes, britain being the former colonial power, there is a huge amount of history between parmalat and britain, but there has not been any dialogue in that relationship for decades. that is what william hague wants to change. he is here, in his own words, to encourage steps towards reform. many western governments say they're pleased with what they have seen so far, the changes that seem to be under way, but the want to see a lot more, not the least of which is the release of all political prisoners and the improvement of human rights and freedoms. the messages we are here to support you in trying to speed up this process of reform. it is a process the government describes as a move towards democratization. the question is, how far and how fast that process will go. >> apart from leading burmese leaders, is william had also set to meet the oppositi