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, union bank, and siemens. >> 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? >> 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." >> the battle for the arctic, can all the countries vying for the oil and riches beneath the polar ice cap release strike a deal in moscow? the sense of crisis pros for the deadly commonwealth games but the bbc for minister tells us that his country will be ready. >> conducted according to

international standards. >> deeply divided over afghanistan, the new book that is embarrassing president obama. welcome to bbc world news. coming up later for you, 30 years from the start of the iran of rock war, we look back at the -- iran -- iran and iraq war, we look back at the bloody generation. are the issues that you wear footing you in danger on the open road -- are the issues -- are the shoes that you wear putting you in danger on the open road? negotiators from six countries are arguing with each other at a

major conference in moscow. the scramble has come center stage. the arctic holds vast untapped fields of oil and gas, becoming more accessible as global warming melts more and more arctic ice. russia is claiming almost half of a million square miles of extra territory. several others have staked a claim. the moscow conference is intended to build cooperation but the competition is so fierce, some people fear another cold war. >> a record breaking voyage through the shrinking size of the arctic sea. this, the largest oil tanker to be taken to the northeast package -- to be taken to the pacific ocean. a new, faster route for russian

energy exploits. we were taken on board the nuclear-powered icebreaker, which had led the way. the russians, keen to publicize how quickly they are exploiting the effects of climate change in the arctic. >> at the moment this and the other icebreakers are meant to deliver safely through the northeast package. over the next 20 years there will be no ice at all. this could become an extremely busy shipping lane. part of the ambitious plan for the arctic. three years ago these many submarines made an epic dive down to the sea bed at the north pole to plot the russian flag. at stake in the arctic are the

vast reserves of oil and gas. russia wants to extend, claiming more than 1 million square kilometers of extra territory all of the way to the north pole. russia does not -- >> russia does not want conflict, but naturally no one wants to give up their territory. russia will make a huge effort to hang on to the territory that we think belongs to russia. >> they are already preparing for the big push towards the north pole. due to be deployed in the arctic to provide electricity and heating. >> these reactors have great potential, making it possible to explore the arctic shelf. with rival energy supplies in

extreme conditions. >> with all of this hard work, the goal of russia seems clear, to control the bulk of the arctic rich resources. >> more of the main news for you, 10 people have died in a bombing attack in northwest iran. it was in a kurdish city, no one is admitting responsibility so far. an iranian human right -- human- rights campaigner has been sentenced to six years. convicted of engaging in propaganda against the islamic system, he is still free pending an appeal. the cleanup is underway in canada where hurricane igor has brought flooding to some areas that are 20 centimeters of rain

in a few hours. a tropical storm warning was lifted on wednesday and igor was downgraded to a post-tropical storm. the sense of crisis surrounding the commonwealth games seems to be deepening, despite official reassurances. the president has requested a meeting. five national teams have complained about the accommodations in delhi. the scottish party has delayed its arrival. >> images of games to remember, it may have to be canceled. 11 days ago and teams have not even figured out how to agree to compete. the cleanup operation is under way following the collapse of a foot bridge along the main stadium. the tarnished reputation of the game will be harder to repair. lurking from one problem to the

not -- to the other. >> we will see to it that commonwealth games are conducted according to international standards as we have come to participate in these games. quite happy about these emissions. >> the scottish games have already been decided. wales will consider their position overnight. due to fly on monday, traveling as scheduled tomorrow. >> certainly they are on a nice bit -- a knife's edge and the things that could change involve the safety and significant improvement in the quality of the village accommodation. >> long before these latest

developments, games were hit by a number of rules. pulling out to focus on the european championship with winter training programs, we now have athletes pulling out because of safety concerns. the world travel jump champion is one, but it is not just trip -- british competitors. samuel standards cited too many hazards to her health and her life. many others are still committed to competing. >> i have a lot of different stories about india and hopefully they will get everything sorted and ready for how they arrived. >> the humiliation of the games, if they were canceled, would be immense. there is no disguising the work

that needs to be done. >> a group of experts appointed by the united nations says that israeli forces violated international law in may. the fact-finding mission found that the conduct of the military demonstrated levels that were unnecessary in terms of violence. nine people were killed as the jet tried to breach a blockade. israel says that the soldiers acted in self-defense. the u.n. has launched a $40 billion campaign to save the lives of 16 million mothers and children. the global strategy for women and children health is a response to what was said one decade ago. anti-rhino poaching marking the end of the world wildlife rhino month. south african police arrested nine people that were members of

a syndicate approaching. a police spokesman said that the people were there for research. because copies of a book due to be published in the u.s. next week say that president obama's administration is deeply divided over the strategy in afghanistan. written by the veteran journalist, bob woodward, top advisers doubted whether increased troops set to the country -- sent to the country would work. steve king and -- steve kingston is in washington forced out. how significant is this? quite significant in the sense that on a deeper level it reveals what we already know, there were difficult decisions involved in sending more troops to afghanistan in terms of personality clashes.

the most obvious is from richard holbrooke, the pakistan and afghanistan specialty adviser, referring to a afghanistan troops strategy. no comments today confirming nor denying it, i would be interested and it does show the world is deep division in the policy debate. >> the white house is not quarrelling with any of this substance, as i understand. particularly from general petraeus and a sense of frustration on all sides. >> what comes across is the president, according to bob woodward, everything being hidden. the president has set july of next year as the date at which

he wants to begin the drawdown of some american troops. the really interesting thing, i think, is the president has everyone as part of that discussion and they are signed up to race it's paid to document. agreeing on what they would would not do, giving bob woodward access, making it available to the rest of the world. the generals being on the same page as the president. stay with us on bbc world news. still become, britain has announced a replacement for the armored vehicle that others call a mobile copy. first, the chinese prime minister is threatening further action against japan unless they release the chinese see captain earlier this month.

>> the chinese premier arrived in new york to the usual the dramatic courtesy. the dispute over the detention of a sea captain was on his agenda. speaking publicly about the issue, he threatened further action. the japanese government said they were happy to talk. >> i have not confirmed how he said what he said, but if he threatened us we would need hired dialogue as soon as possible. >> japan maintained that they collided with patrols for it -- patrol ships. last weekend a court extended his detention for 10 days.

both countries claimed the island in the china sea. china has already suspended senior government context, authorities allowed for this protest outside the embassy in beijing. called extreme nationalism, analysts found more behind the dispute and energy resources. with considerable mutual trade interest at stake, the question remains how far each country will want to bring this standoff. >> given the latest headlines, with six countries are doing in moscow, the top officials said

that it would expand control in the region, putting the national interest further. with troubled commonwealth games, the prime minister has been telling the bbc that they will be ready. violent clashes in parts of east jerusalem where a palestinian man was shot and killed by an east jerusalem guard. israeli police also went into the elevated area around the mosque that have now left. developments have been monitored from jerusalem. >> dozens of palestinian youths rioted and threw stones at israeli police around the east jerusalem neighborhood. according to palestinian reports, the father of five were shot dead in the early hours of

the morning. israeli police said they only opened fire when the shooting was condemned. >> the killing of the representative represents a very dangerous israeli violence and escalation. they can, if continued, defeat the agenda. >> the trouble escalated as the dead man was buried later in the day. angry palestinians followed the funeral procession. tensions remained high. israeli police crowd protesters into the area around the mosque. >> this erupted after there was an incident earlier in the morning where security guards

fired warning shots into the air and as a result a local was killed. >> the status is one of the most contentious issues. both sides claim the capital, east jerusalem, occupied since 1967, have erupted from the scene of clashes. still, one in particular is a frequent flashpoint because of a number of jewish settlers that have moved into the neighborhood. >> on this day 30 years ago, iraq invaded iran, starting a bitter war that destabilize the region. starting over a border dispute but had its roots in eight regional rivalry, a war with

wall -- with no winners. consequences still in their -- iendure. >> one of the crashing points for the saddam hussein incursion off in 1980. years after the war ended, most of the recent fighting between the neighbors has been revisited. >> the witness will of the bloodiest battles between iranian and iraqi soldiers. -- they witnessed one of the bloodiest battles between iranian and iraqi soldiers. it is very difficult. >> 19 when he was called to join the iraqi army, he was sent to the front line.

>> i remember seeing a lot of soldiers lying on the ground. people were crying out, but no one would help. people were wounded by shrapnel. >> my cousin was one of them. i could not help him. he died in front of me. he does not even have a grave. >> the conflict was triggered by a border dispute and bitter rivalries in clay. the ayatollah came to power one year before. saddam hussein believe that iran was in turmoil and that his forces could achieve a quick victory for the catastrophic misjudgment, nearly

destabilizing the middle east. in 1982 he was captured by iranian forces and taken as a prisoner of war. 10 years later he finally returned home. >> when i came back, i could not afford to feed myself. how could i make a life with the family. our generation is a lost generation. many of us have not even been able to get married. >> it is believed that 1.5 million soldiers or civilians were killed or wounded. 50 years on, the wounds from the bloody war brought generations

later. bbc news, northern iraq. >> land rovers in -- used by british troops are to be replaced. a far better defense against roadside bombs. jonathan beals reports. >> these are just some of the faces of the 35 british soldiers died in iraq and afghanistan while traveling in a snatched land rover. among them, according gentle, iraq in 2004. troops were given a better equipped vehicle. >> they should never have been used.

>> deployed for counterinsurgency operations. giving troops a lower profile, for seeing service in northern ireland. ideal for riots, not for this. the roadside bomb, the single biggest killer of soldiers in afghanistan. only equipped with light armor, later fitted with electronic countermeasures to trigger any that were coming up. in contrast, the replacement as a v-shaped hole designed to protect the blast, giving troops better protection with stronger armor. the ocelot, already undergoing trials for the army, coming into service in afghanistan by next year.

>> there is a requirement to go to a number of areas, which some of the better protected vehicles cannot go to. the challenge, it seems, is to try to find the level of protective armor that those others never had. >> there has already been a dispute as to who should pay the cost. >> france is saying that it has mobilized a full-scale diplomatic and intelligence operation. working at a uranium mine, they have not ruled out military action.

should we think about changing our shoes? a survey by motoring organizations suggest that one out of four drivers have not been in full control of their vehicles depending on what is on their feet. >> before you step into your car, how hard do you think about what you are wearing on your feet? questioning over 18,000 riot -- drivers, the suspects behind the wheels. over one-quarter of people have said that they have lost control of their car because of what they were wearing on their feet. 4% of people admitted that wedges cause problems behind the wheel. that walking boots had made them feel not completely in control. the flip flops can out the worst. >> a worrying set of findings,

having the wrong shoes on that could lead to an accident. >> exactly how is the wrong issue affecting the way you drive? at this crash center, we went for a beret of footwear, measuring the critical fall where. in this test vehicle we simulated driving, taking just under half of a second to hit the brake. stilettos were a bit slower. flip-flops' faired significantly worse. wellington boots had a slow 6.6 seconds, wedges came out at the bottom. while it is not illegal to ride in this footwear, the advice of taking a spare pair could prevent an accident.

>> also on the web site as we have just been looking at it, last-minute steering errors, the helmsman misunderstood and headed to the right of the iceberg. all of that and more on bbc.com. thank you for being with us. >> 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.