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>> somewhere in america, there's a doctor who can peer into the future. there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital is working together, there's a family who can breathe easy right now. somewhere in america we've already answered some of the nation's toughest health-care questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> crunch time for the common wealth gained organizers in india. many nations threatened to pull out. israel has displayed an unacceptable brutality in a gaza 8 flotilla says the report. a new book details fighting over

strategy and afghanistan. welcome to "bbc world news." we will -- $14 billion pledge to help the world's poorest women and children as the un looks at new approaches to aid. >> the organizers of the commonwealth games are now facing the threat of a walkout by athletes after concerns continue to grow. eight competing nations have written a letter asking for conditions to be met. the indian government said the games will meet international standards and insisting they will be one of the most successful. the new zealand olympic

committee advised its athletes holding off on going to the games until september 28. >> the big push to rescue the commonwealth games continued as pressure grew on organizers. a number of nations remain unhappy, particularly with the state of the athletes' village. unless they can produce a sprint to the finish line, then a walk out remains a threat. >> it is certainly on a knife edge. the things that can change our guarantees about the safety of the -- improvement in the quality of the accommodations. >> eight nations turned up the heat on delhi following a meeting at the athletes' village, a joint letter was sent to organizers. they want reassurance the athletes' village will be

brought up to these standards. they want guarantees over the safety of the venues. >> let me assure you on behalf of india that we will see to it the commonwealth games are conducted according to international standards and the athletes who participate will be quite happy about the conditions. >> despite reassurances, the home nations are still cautious. scotland's athletes has been put back. northern ireland is monitoring progress carefully. athletes will21 leave tomorrow as planned. one of those packing is a member of the england hockey team. he says the game's still matter even though other competitors

are less enthusiastic. >> [unintelligible] suggesting things may not be ready, but we are looking forward to going. >> delhi -- it would be difficult for teams to boycott. glass co-host's the game's next and -- glasgow hosts the game's next. >> i was involved in the athens games. everyone believed that was having problems. they pulled it together at the last minute. >> the commonwealth games was supposed to present india's modern face for the world. instead, this has exposed old problems the country was trying to leave behind. >> new zealand has delayed the

departure over athletes. we spoke to the chief executive of the swimming organization. he outlines the team's plans. >> [unintelligible] we have gone to dubai for a training camp. i think if the unthinkable happens and the games are canceled, then one of the things we need to look at is is there another competition these bodies could pull together to organize? >> how likely is the unthinkable happening? we are getting reports there are concerns about hygiene and safety. the indian government is doing a desperate time to maintain faith among participants. >> from my point of view i am

trying to keep the glass half full. the new zealand olympic committee has a couple of people in delhi. we are waiting to hear from them on what their assessment is. yes, if you listen to the reports we are hearing, then you are right. >> what could be an alternative venue? >> we have not had any concrete discussions about alternative then use. -- alternative venues. we could get together to have a discussion. it is important that we do that because not only is swimming but all the other sports -- the athletes have put a lot of time and effort into preparing. it is important we give them an

opportunity to perform. >> this man is the president of the commonwealth games canada. he said there are a number of issues to be addressed. >> we have to be assured by our staff we are not compromising the safety or adequacy of the accommodations for our team. we are monitoring that on a day- by-day basis. we have delayed the initial departure of the first members of our team. we are pleased with the some progress our staff has made in delhi in terms of overseeing the preparation of the apartments, but this remains a day to day process. we are being diligent in monitoring what is happening there. >> what improvements are being made on the ground?

>> our staff reported that today a number of units have been brought up to standard , so we do have some rooms that will be available. we are optimistic progress is being made, but is incomprehensible the officials despite months of warning have been so indifferent for the need of the effectiveness in terms of preparing these facilities. this seems to border on the intransitive. we will not put our athletes in anything less than proper circumstances, despite the fact that the commonwealth games are a canadian intervention. the first games were held in canada so we are committed to making these games a success. >> you sound very disappointed with the authorities.

had you express this to them? >> absolutely, and it means we have spoken quite thoughtfully -- in meeting we have spoken quite thoughtfully pointing out the need for expertise to be brought in, the need for a thrust to keep things on track. all of those messages and comments have fallen on deaf ears. >> for a view of the singapore team i spoke to the secretary general of the commonwealth games of singapore. >> i have just arrived, so i am here to try to meet the chairmen of the organizing committee to hear from him what remedies will

be taken. [unintelligible] it is not just about security, it is about hygiene. bridges collapsing, so all in all its is a worrying report. we are having a meeting after meeting. >> even though you have not seen the facilities there has been something from the indian authorities saying they believed standards of hygiene will be acceptable. do you believe this will happen? >> i must confess i have seen the report. the people of my commission have been on the ground.

workers were frantically trying to clean up the mess in the block where they are supposed to house athletes, but if we need to bring professional cleaner is then we will have to. time is running out. [unintelligible] or whether we will come at all. it is critical. >> there has been some speculation singapore could be an alternative venue if india does not raise its standards. do you have any comment? >> that is a new one. i think we were stretched already, so i don't think we will have the commonwealth games. >> earlier i asked our correspondent from sydney why australia seems a gun held in its attitude towards the

attending the games. -- seem so gung ho/ >> what they seem less concerned about is the facilities of the athletes' village. the head of the australian commonwealth games is in daily looking at those facilities. he says minor work needs to be done which could be done in time before athletes start arriving. he is downplaying these concerns that have been raised by other nations, but the austrian government is more concerned about the security situation rather than the dilapidated state of the facilities. >> in is interesting the different levels of reactions. austria seems to be less concerned.

>> they are less concerned about the facilities. but they are worried about the security situation. the former prime minister in the new government highlighted the heightened warning issued from his department about the possibility of a terrorist attack during the games. australian athletes will be in lockdown when they were in delhi. they will go from the athletes' village to the venue. but australian officials have not discussed the possibility of athletes withdrawing. >> in other news there was international outrage in may when israeli forces raided a flotilla trying to take an aid

ship to gaza. nine palestinian activists were killed. the israeli military used disproportionate force and displayed an unacceptable level of brutality in the attack. >> this report pulls few punches. it describes the naval blockade as unlawful because of the humanitarian crisis. referring to the attack -- the report says a series of violations of international law was committed by israeli forces during the detention of passengers in israel. nine turkish activists were killed and many more were injured. the israeli government issued a stern bottle even before it was

published. a terse statement said israel was conducting its own independent inquiry. israel saw no reason to cooperate with it. >> you are watching "bbc world news." the rescue operation continues for the trapped miners in chile. we have an update. british police believe a couple found dead in a car had only just met after making contact through the internet. it is thought that joanne lee and stephen used chemicals to kill themselves. >> the woman's family described her as shy and thoughtful. it appears she took her own life here with a complete stranger. her body and that of steve were

found inside a car filled with a toxic gas. they left a sign in the window warning others of the poison. it appears joanne wanted to die but not alone. a web posting says i have not got the strength to do this on my own. i have all the ingredients and would like to do it asap. tothis man's son responded her posting, making a pact they would die together even though they had never met. >> it was not any indication these websites [unintelligible] it finally got him to do what he did. >> after what happened here charities have warned about the dangers of suicide websites. there are separate concerns

from emergency services about the dangerous chemicals used. >> this was a growing suicide trend in japan and america, so we had anticipated it but not quite so quickly. >> emergency workers believe had they not known about the poison in the car, it could have cost the lives of others, too. >> you are watching "bbc world news." the word incisors of the commonwealth games are facing -- the organizers of the commonwealth games are facing a walkout by athletes. the u.n. human rights council accused the israeli military of using disproportionate force and displaying an unacceptable level of brutality on the raid on the gowns that aid flotilla.

the white house has defended president obama's handling of the war of afghanistan and it claims of divisions among his senior advisers. a new book by bob woodward portrays a president determined to find an exit strategy. our north american editor reports. >> the white house says the intermit portrait of the team in action pan's obama as analytical and decisive. the book suggests months of meetings were dominated by the president's demand for exit strategy and said i am not doing 10 years, i am not spending $1 trillion. his reasons were partly political. it says the president was frustrated by the military's desire to expand the mission.

there were clashes with general petraeus who told staff to the administration is [bleeping] with the wrong guy. he says i am done doing this. but richard holbrooke said it cannot work. this picture of the president worries some republicans. >> it shows he is taking great concern about his political base. i would far prefer him to be thinking about the war first rather than what keeps his base in line with the democratic party. >> the book is by bob woodward. he broke the watergate scandal that brought down president nixon. bush was his most recent target, the telling examinations of how he made a decision of war.

his latest work is taken very seriously in washington. officials have confirmed one claimed the cia is running a force of 3000 afghans to capture taliban targets for interrogation. they have not denied that they believe hamid karzai is an -- is a manic depressive. nearly 40 years after watergate, bob woodward is still making waves. >> [unintelligible] have mobilized an intelligence operation to secure the release of hostages kidnapped. troops are already in the region. officials believe the seven hostages are alive. they were working at the mine when they bring abducted by al qaeda last week.

french trade unions have launched their second strike in a month to try to halt president sarkozy's attempt to increase the retirement age to 62. widespread in russia and -- widespread interruption. the vatican says the decision by the italian prosecutors to place two officials at the vatican bank under investigation is due to a misunderstanding. officials are accused of failing to comply with laws relating to money laundering. president obama has called for a new approach to aid and development. speaking at the millennium summitt in new york, he said the u.s. was changing its own policy towards an approach that tended to deliver sustainable development.

the un has unveiled a new plan focusing on the health of women and children. >> times square in the heart of new york city. this week even hear you cannot get away from the un's poverty message. side by side with the stock reports, a billboard -- [unintelligible] >> if you are a woman in a rural africa, you would say it is more broken promises. [unintelligible] >> this afternoon a pledging ceremony to do something about it headed by the un secretary general. leaders and celebrities promised $40 billion to help fill the gap and meet the target of helping mothers and infants. hillary clinton spoke to the

news consortiums of the u.s. come by u.k. and australia. >> this is a day we have waited for. >> aimed at giving health care to 100 million women by 2015, her commitment endorsed by the u.k. prime minister. >> we have five years to deliver the promises we made in 2000. we must get on with it. >> late in the afternoon excitement with the rival -- with the arrival of the u.s. president. he brought with him a radical rethinking to the american approach. >> today i am announcing our new u.s. global policy, the first by an american administration. consider the millions of people who have relied on food assistance, that is not development, that is dependence. it is a cycle we need to break. we have to offer nation's eighth

half out of poverty. >> two conflicting emotions bring this summit to an end, and anxious concern that some of the new pledges will not be met. but a thoughtful optimism that the world is shifting on its axis. whether by aid or collaboration, tackling poverty head on is possible. >> it is nearly seven weeks since minors became trapped underground in chile. their story of their survival has impressed many around the world. we have the latest from the mine site. >> 3 drills digging three separate escape tunnels. which ever reaches the men burst will be used to bring them to the surface. this is working steadily but slowly.

the second one is -- part of it fell down into the shelter. it was a reminder that things could still go wrong. finally, the third drill is the most powerful. it has only just started work but is expected to be quick. with each passing day the timetable appears to be shortening. some engineers are already saying it could reach a conclusion as early as next month. finally ending the agonizing wait for the miners relatives. this is the granddaughter of one of the trapped men. it was her birthday on wednesday. all she wanted as a present -- >> i want my granddad to come out. >> the organizers of the

commonwealth games in india are facing rising the threat of a massive walkout by athletes. concerns grow over the safety and hygiene. eight nations have written a letter demanding the conditions be met or they will refuse to compete. the un human rights council accused the israeli military of using disproportionate force and displaying an unacceptable level of brutality on the gaza eighth flotilla. you are watching "bbc world news." >> 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 financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. 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. >> a commitment to journalism. >> 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.