>> "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 offers unique insight and expertise in a range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> bloodshed and turmoil in kyrgyzstan. the opposition says it has set up an interim government to restore law and order. >> thousands of protesters have gathered here. police were firing stun grenades, but also bullets, which resulted in one person being killed. >> a state of emergency declared in bangkok as thailand's redshirts said politicians fleeing. rare footage of what is driving people to break blockades in

gaza. very warm welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america and also of around the globe. coming up later, a crackdown on corruption -- how china is trying to get to grips with racketeering. and having fun in the sun as solar power prototype planes take to the air. hello to you. mass demonstrations kyrgyzstan's current president to power, but the lack of democratic change since, coupled with rising energy prices and corruption have now brought the protests back. at least 40 people are dead. more than 400 injured. the opposition says it has set

up an interim government in this former soviet state where moscow and washington are still jostling for influence. kyrgyzstan is on a key supply route for western military in afghanistan. >> there were no holds barred. security forces tried to put down the protests. demonstrators furious at corruption, rising prices, and the president posy of authoritarian rule did the president's authoritarian rule. here and elsewhere in the country, they stormed buildings. some wore on. symbols of the state were attacked, police cars overturned and burned. a bbc colleague witnessed the day's thematic events. >> this is the main square where thousands of protesters have gathered. police were firing stun grenades but also bullets. we just saw one person being

killed. >> this is the man who was gunned down. the love today, the growing number of dead and injured only fueled the anger -- throughout the day. >> people are not happy. look here -- we are all poor with no jobs. they are shooting at people. you can see for yourselves. i think there will be blood for blood. >> the riots began yesterday. by this morning, it had spread. kyrgyzstan maybe a little-known former soviet state, but it is strategically important. both russia and the u.s. have military bases in the country. americans used there to supply forces fighting in afghanistan. they have been watching today's turmoil with consent. and calls for which -- they have been watching today's turmoil with concern and calls for restraint. in the chaos that has gripped this country, it is not clear exactly who is in control.

>> a state of emergency is now in place in and around thailand's capital. the latest balance of the so- called redshirts have now lasted for almost four weeks. rachel's harvey reports from bangkok -- rachel harvey. >> another redshirt rate. this time, their target was the thai parliament. police were waiting apparently ready for action, but when it came, the police seemed unable or unwilling to hold their lines. when they could not get passed, the protesters climbed over, breaking through the security cordons to get to the grounds of the security parliament building. some jubilant, some confrontation, but no real violence intent behind the pushing and shoving, but it was enough to send politicians

scurrying for safety. some down a ladder, and others evacuated by army helicopter. the parliamentary session aborted. for the red shirts, mission accomplished. that at the protesters' base camp, for celebrations. they hold this key piece of ground in the commercial part of bangkok. they have been at this for 26 days. and they are in no mood to give up now. yesterday, the government [unintelligible] today, many of those same leaders have been back on this stage, defiantly delivering their speeches. today, the prime minister said he was determined to restore peace to thai society. today, he was forced to flee parliament. this can is technically illegal, but the army and police say they will not use force to evict the protesters. the prime minister's response -- to declare a state of emergency on the capital.

this crisis is escalating, each side upping the stakes. >> one of the most gruesome massacres of the second world war -- 20,000 polish officers murdered by soviet secret services who blamed the atrocity on the nazis, the only of knowledge of the soviet crime was in 1990. today, for the first time, leaders of both russia and poland attended the joint memorial ceremony. they stood silently, and relatives of victims looked on. a judge known for inventing osama bin laden and the former chilean leader has himself been charged with abuse of power. stan's supreme court has charged him with investigation into atrocities during the spanish civil war in the 1930's. the obama administration has authorized the cia to hunt down

and kill an american-born muslim cleric, who they allege is a militant hiding in. he is accused of helping plan attacks, including the attempted bombing of a u.s.-bound airliner and the shooting of an american army base. in afghanistan, president karzai fired the man in charge of preventing election fraud. this in the midst of international concern about the conduct of last year's presidential elections. the electoral commission came under criticism for failing to deal with the allegations of wide scale fraud in the boat won by the president karzai -- tehe vote won by president karzai. >> president karzai may rely on foreign helicopters to make any moves of safety in his own country and foreign funding for 90% of his government spending, but he sometimes speak only to put his foreign paymasters, repeating his claim that

foreigners almost stole the election from him last year. >> what i said about the election was all true. this was to clarify that afghanistan is a country, and it belongs to afghans. them of the president may need more than spiritual guidance to win back international trust -- >> the president may be more than spiritual guidance to win back international trust. >> the president even said that its international interference does not stop, that might justify the taliban insurgency. this is about more than the disputed election. after session, he has now removed two controversial elected officials, but he still wants to block foreign influence in elections to afghan parliament later this year, and in response, the white house has even threatened to withdraw an invitation to president karzai

to visit the white house next month. >> they take steps to root out corruption, then the president will say kind words. when leaders need to hear some language from this administration about the consequences of not acting, we will do that as well. >> it is a long way from the easy french of only four years ago, before the war came such a hard fight and the taliban return with such force -- before the war became such a hard fight. with an intensive police presence at check points on almost every city corner, it feels more than ever to be under siege, and the daily threat of attacks from the taliban. this is not call it was supposed to look in their rejoicing in the government fell in 2001. washington, who now wants to sort this plays out, president karzai is beginning to look more part of the problem and not the solution -- to washington, who

wants to sort this place out. >> three days of mourning have been declared by the governor of rio de janeiro. at least 100 people are known to have died in floods there. huge mudslides swept away homes in shantytowns, and main roads have been flooded by the most torrential downpour in decades. >> the rain made the -- be fading, but the risk of landslides remains high because the soil is extremely wet and unstable. this is the site of one of the landslides that happened during the night. there was a three-story house of their that collapsed, and up to 10 bodies may be buried under the blood. firefighters are working here, but people decided to take matters into their own hands, working with whatever tools they may have. this is not a new problem. every rainy season, houses collapsed, and people die, but not on the same scale as it

happened this time. the problem is that many of the shantytowns are built on hillsides where the soil is extremely unstable, so heavy rain may be a recipe for tragedy, and heavy rain was exactly what rio has had for the last 48 hours. it has not rained so much in such a short space of time since the mid-1960's. >> the boss a strip has been under israeli and egyptian blockade for almost three years -- the gaza strip. israel says the blockade is needed to stop weapons being smuggled to palestinian militants. our gaza correspondent has obtain rare footage of coal cars being brought in. >> deep underground on the gaza-

egypt border, the latest product to be some of on and shows the scale of the tunneling operation. these features broadcasts for the first time were filmed on mobile phones last month by tom a vigorous -- by tunnel diggers. but in the light of day, this is what you get -- a brand new car, a rarity in gaza, one of only around 200 smuggled in. its owner paid $38,000 for the privilege, $10,000 for going to the tunnel operators. >> what can i do? i cannot do anything. i have to have a new car, but there are no new cars in gaza. >> he knows he is lucky. israel and egypt's three-year blockade and forced to stop weapons being smuggled in means most cars here have seen better days.

most have been touched up in an effort to make them seem like new. this is the show room of the main mercedes dealership in gaza city, but the fact is they have only actually got one car, this huge limousine taxi. it is probably not to everyone's taste, but the owner says he has had his car for seven years. he has had many opportunities to buy it, but he does not want to sell it because it is the only new car he has got to put on display. >> we used to import every year 100, 120 cars. two years ago or three years ago, we did not import need their cars nor spare parts -- neither cars nor spare parts because they have blocked the entrance of cars and spare parts and a lot of items to gaza. >> others have resorted to restore and classic cars, this

one over 50 years old, but the blockade means parts have to be smuggled in through the tunnels. millions of dollars worth of goods coming in underground through egypt. for many, it is the only way gaza can keep moving. >> stay with us if you can on "bbc world news." marching to the beat of the election from -- a special report from southern sudan as polling day approaches -- much into the of the electric drum. and as the salvage operation under way -- a massive salvage operation under way at the great barrier reef. >> before any intent can be made of refloating the chinese call carrier, salvage crews need to pump heavy fuel oil, which could spill into the sea and damage the great barrier reef. a maritime safety vessel, the

pacific responder, is also set in a v shape around the ship, in the hope of containing any potential spill. while there is hope that it could break up, so the crews have benefited from hopeful -- salvage crews have benefited from hopeful weather conditions. the australian government is considering tightening up its maritime laws. it still wants to know why such a heavy cargo ship was traveling so far off course in a channel that was so hard to navigate. >> it is still to be outrageous that this chinese ship in broad daylight to be 12 kilometers of course in the middle of the great barrier reef. let's just call a spade a spade. >> the oil has already leaked into the sea from a punctured fuel tank has broken up following the use of chemical dispersants, and none of this has reached for short, but tourists have stressed --

expressed concern for the great barrier reef, one of australia's natural attractions. >> we do not have anything like that in germany, not at all. it is just a joy. >> maritime authorities plan to tow the ship to clear waters where divers can inspect the damage, but there is still no timetable for this delicate operation. >> latest headlines for you this hour on "bbc world news" -- it has been a day of deadly clashes between security forces and protesters in kyrgyzstan. it is not clear who now controls the country. the thai government declared a state of emergency in and around bangkok. anti-government demonstrators forced parliament to be evacuated. safety fears have forced the european union to withdraw its election observers from sudan in

the western region of darfur just days before voting is due to start. this election is key to sustaining the peace deal of 2005, which ended more than two decades of civil war, and yet, the violence goes on. >> cycle singing in the capital of southern sudan -- tribal singing. it is part of a public campaign to encourage people to cast their ballots. the government is banking on a high turnout, but here, they are only really marching to 110 -- the government -- the governing party is certain of victory. in the last five years, the city has changed beyond recognition. from a ghost town, it has been transformed by a construction boom. >> development -- across the

world, not only in southern sudan -- can only if progress in an environment that is stable, lead, conflict-free. our one hope is that elections go as smoothly as possible and people of southern sudan exercise there will. >> wondering a round -- wondering -- wandering around the shanty dwellings, one wonders if people here have any confidence in their future. this woman tells me her children do not have enough to eat and she cannot afford to send them to school. what is the president's response? >> it is true these things can happen, but i do not think the poverty could have been evaded just by the government. for that matter, it is not the only party in southern sudan.

>> the irony is this campaign poster says, "vote for him, vote for change." has been in power for five years. if you get the distinct impression that one results are out, it will be pretty much business as usual, and the woman in a shantytown will still be saying that nobody really helps. >> one of the world's biggest crackdowns on corruption is happening in southwest china. 12 people have just gone on trial, accused of racketeering, but there is more to come. the city has 30 million inhabitants, and a new leader has taken on the local mafia and other criminal gangs. from there, johnson's this special report. >> this place has grown so fast it is scary. only 10 years ago, it was still medium-size. now, it is a mega-mitropoulos.

and yet, the outside world has scarcely even heard of it. development means big money, and big money also means big corruption. over there is the supreme court, and almost directly opposite is the hotel where the city's biggest illegal gambling casino used to be, run by a woman known as the godmother. the bridge between the two is known by local people as corruption bridge. this is the godmother in court together with friends and fellow accused. the sentence came last november of 18 years in jail for illegal gambling, bribery, and drug deals fury she was pretty well connected. her brother-in-law was the head of the justice department. his trial is still going on.

but corruption here has met its match in this man, a national figure sent down from beijing to sort the place out. that is exactly what he is doing. the goal is -- he is a tough and ambitious characters, and he is communist aristocracy. but he is the new china. he said his son to oxford. >> only the people can decide whether my campaign against corruption and organized crime is a success. it is not whether i'm satisfied. the public has the final verdict. >> some people think he harbors further political ambitions. sometimes, the enthusiasm he generates can get a bit out of hand. he took of singing after he gave up his day job in a factory.

but he stands accused of cutting corners in order to stamp out corruption. the defense lawyer for one of the main people on trial here, who has now been sentenced to death, claims his client was tortured. >> it has been very important for city officials to win this case, but we are worried because we have seen some serious violations of the legal process. before the trial, the only access i had with my client was under police supervision. >> this place is very much the new china. as a big collection problem and it tough political boss not to bother how he stands in out, get he has also got lawyers -- yet, it has also got lawyers willing to speak out against abuses. overall, it is getting rich. very rich. >> still in china, and human rights lawyer whose disappearance last year caused

international concern has resurfaced in beijing, saying he will no longer criticize the government. in one single interview, the lawyer has said he has been some -- through some cool experiences, but he wants now to be reunited with his family and have some control over his future. french car maker renault and its partner nissan have announced cooperation with daimler. the companies are working together on new engines and small cars. a former tennis champion has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. during her career, she won 18 grand slam singles titles, nine of them at wimbledon. at 53 years old, she said that it was written 50 detected early thanks to a routine -- she said that it was detected early thanks to a routine mammogram and the diagnosis is excellent. it put a tight solar-powered plane has made its debut in switzerland -- a prototype solar-powered plane.

>> it has the wingspan of a jumbo jet but weighs less than the average family car, and the solar impulse does not need a single drop of aviation fuel. instead, those giant wings are covered by 12,000 solar cells, which power four motorists fourmotors. -- four motors. today, a successful test flight lasting an hour and a half, followed by a slow but very smooth landing. the plane is the brainchild of this misadventure, who in 1999 became the first man to fly nonstop around the world -- the brainchild of a swiss adventurer. >> it is a milestone. it is the moment that we were able to verify everything we

have done in the past seven years was right. >> his next challenge is to take the solar impulsive around the world. the flight is planned for 2012, but it will not be nonstop. solar power plants are unlikely to replace conventional air travel anytime soon -- solar powered planes. the solar temple's flies of just 70 kilometers an hour and can carry only two people -- the solar impuls flies just 70 kilometers an hour. >> i say the word spider-man, you probably know who i mean. he has killed all 36 floors, all 185 meters of a building in the business district of paris during he has already climbed of world pages climbed up -- climbed up world tourist

attractions including the empire state building and the eiffel tower. police were not impressed. you will find much more on that story and all the international news online on our website, bbc.com/news. you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, and you can see what we're working on on our facebook page. thanks for being with us. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vrmont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.

>> union bank offers unique insight and expertise in a range of industries. what can we do for you? >> i'm julia stiles. >> i'm kevin bacon. >> i'm kim cattrall. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.