♪ ♪ [funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and therine 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? >> now bbc "world news." >> the right decision for the right reasons. gordon brown defends brynn's appearance in the invasion of iraq. and the last day of campaigning for the parliamentary election. is this what would put the country on the road to stability. >> and the wealth gap grows and mounting inequality. >> and "world news," and broadcast to our viewers on pbs and america. coming up later for you. turning a page, ukraine's new president visiting moscow views to end years of acrimony with russia and the gutsy granny, the 90-year-old celebrating her birthday with a spot of white water rastic. ♪ hello, at the london inquiry, a serving of british prime minister has faced four hours of intense scrutiny but gordon brown insisted the decision to go to war was the right one. like his predecessor tony blair expressed no regrets like his role in the war. unlike mr. blair he acknowledged the human cost. he was the finance minister at the time and he denied suggestions he withheld equipment from the military to cut costs. and nicolas is at the inquiry. >> for gordon brown a journey in the recent past and four hours of careful navigation, and supporting a predecessor's war while hinting he may not have been fully aware of everything that led to it. and denying that he then gordon brown with held money for military quickment. mr. r mr. brown put himself squarely in support of the decision to go to war, despite the lives that were lost. >> it was the right decision and it was for the right reasons but i do want at the onset to pay my respects to all of the soldiers and members of our armed forces who served with great courage and distinction in iraq for the loss of life and the sacrifices that they have made. >> for gordon brown, the toppling of saddam hussein wasn't about regime change, it was the assertion of international order on a dictator he said had been a serial violater of the united nations. >> 14 revolutions have been violate add ignored by iraq and it was our responsibility to make sure that the international order could work for the future. >> so, gordon brown was if support of going to war but he had really been in the loop in the runup to it. he insisted tony blair kept him fully informed. yet mr. brown couldn't recall seeing an options paper or never saw the blair letters and most important, he didn't know in detail that the then attorney general had only cloo concluded the war was lawful at very late stage. >> this way. >> and for the man who was in charge of the treasury at the time of the war the officers studied most closely concerned the financing of the armed forces. mr. brown said he insisted at the start that funding for war should not be restrained. >> i said immediately to the prime minister that the military options that were under discussion, there should be no sense that there was a financial restraint that prevented us doing what was bess for the military. >> and mr. brown insisted that that meant there was sufficient money from military equipment. yet the inquiry is well aware of the widespread belief that shortages of things like properly armored vehicles did place british forces at unnecessary risk and costs many lives. >> and mr. brown said the lessons of the iraq war had to be learned. he said government prours had been too informal before the invasion, reconstruction had been disappointing after it. and gordon brown ended as he began, with words of appreciation for all of those whose lives were lost. >> the soldiers and the civilian who is gave the -- their lives in iraq, they deserve both our sympathy and our debt of gratitude. >> it hadn't been his war, though he fully supported it. gordon brown's testimony today lacked the passion of tony blair's evidence, and yet it recognized more explicitly than his predecessor, the human cost that that war had exacted. nicolas switchal at the iraq inquiry. >> in iraq itself, both shiite and sunni leaders have urged warshippers to vote in the parliamentary elections. the final days of campaign have been marred by suicide bombings and there's concerns about electoral fraud. and the bbc world's affair editor is in iraq and he represents on what is at stake onsunday. >> this is still one of the most violent places on earth. the baghdad more cherry receives an average of eight victims of violence each day. it may not be civil war any longer but there's an epidemic of bombings and drive by killings. the battle between sunni and shia muslims which began after the british and american invasion of iraq hasn't gone away. and in the once dangerous suburb ofed a mere, now relatively peaceful, i came it visit local sunni grandy. before the envision the shiekh was a big purr broker. but the sunnis are a minority in iraq and democratic elections have handed power to the shia majority. they would like to see reconciliation here but he doesn't really think it'll happen. and he's come to terms with the country's new masters, but many sunni muslims find that very hard to do. and until recently, it was extreme my dangerous to cross this bridge. at the other end is the suburb of doria, the fiercest of the sunni-muslim no go areas where al qaeda operated freely. even now the police insist on escorting us but the atmosphere is completely different. the americans won over the moderate sunnis here and they got rid of the extremists. in spite of the continuing violence, everyone i spoke to said things were better. christians like this woman had a hard time when the islamic extremists ran dora. >> the problem. and i drive my car and this uniform and -- all about that. and nothing, it is dangerous now. >> so this is a success story, but only in terms of every day life. the big questions about the country's future are still unanswered. iraq is -- as a whole can only succeed if the sunnis who lost so much power can be made to feel they have got a stake in the country once again. and this sunday's elections won't do that. they'll simply entrench the power of the shiites all the more. but it is a problem that is going to have to be faced at some stage if this country is to prosper. jon sim son, bbc news dora. >> and the senior white house official has said the obama administration has an understanding with congress, that last night's resolution describing the mass killings of ar meanians by thank you, in world war i as genocide won't go to a full vote. the turkish foreign minister, turkey is a vital ally urged the white house to block the move. 12 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a convoy carrying civilians. the blast near a station in province injured more 30. around 3,000 people have demonstrated outside the serbish embassies and against the arrests in london. and the former bosnian vice president is wanted on war crimes charges under a serbian warrant. his lawyers say he's a victim of a mill witch-hunt. >> and growth and a society fairer for all. that was the pledge from china's premier. and that was if his annual state of the nation address. opening the national people's congress. this 10-day event is the most important in china's political calendar and as the bbc's correspondent represents, it is very much a stage managed event. >> for many delegates being here is about getting your picture taken. >> and china's military occupies nearly one of 10 of the seats. >> and after all of the fuss, nobody expect anyone to oppose the leadership. and still the national people's congress is china's biggest political events of the year. and diplomats and others come for a rare insight interest what china's leaders are thinking. and the premier began his state of the nation address with a net 0 of self-congratulations and that china's economy was the first to emerge from the financial kice sis. china's communist leaders, the way they navigated their country through the global downturn, perhaps better than every other major economy have been a considerable success. on the international stage they, and appear assertive. here at home, there's concerns. to keep the economy growing and to neutralize threats they see to the hold on power. >> and looming large among these is growing discontent of china's increasing inequality. >> we must always remember that developing the economy is inseparable from improving people's well-being. we must slr that all of the people share in the fruits of reform and development. he promised to revaries the growing income gap, to spend more on education and health care. and to crack down on corruption. and it wasn't enough to keep some awake. and there won't be much real debate here. because for all of its success, building the economy, the communist party silences true critics. >> and he's been told by police, he can't heave his tiny apartment while the congress is running. and a democracy activist, he spent 16 years in prison trying to distribute the square massacre. and these nearby watch him. cameras film his every move. >> the root of the problem, is we have a corrupt regime. they fear that people like me will expose them for what they really are. they sut us up and kaenel us. cage us. the 10 days of the congress, and they will have their freedoms restwricted. the delegates meanwhile are whisked away in fleets of buses. and passengers with little power to influence which direction china is heading in. and bbc news beijing. >> the greek prime minister george poppin' dreaeo, and andrea merkel seeking help for the debt crisis. and he met the prime minister of luxembourg and joined the eurozone and they passed the latest austerity package as they clashed with riot police who cleared the aerowith tear fass and public sector workers went on strike. >> after the berhin talks, mrs. merkel praised greece's determination to get its finances in order. >> and the greek prime minister promised its european partners measures to rein in greece's budget. he's accomplished that in a remarkably short time. during our talks, we stressed that if necessary, toke we would keep an eye on the innocencal stability of the euro. the euro is our currency and our shared currency, but we also said greast did not ask for financial support. >> the german chancellor, and the newly elected president of ukraine indicated russia will be able to keep its black sea fleet in the port in southern ukraine even after the lease runs out in 2017. and the first visit to russia since he was elected last minnesota. relations hit a low under the previous ukranian president victor and one of the leaders of the orange revolution. and richard brings this from moscow. >> same boll of reconciliation. determined to end the past five years of hostility between urks and ukraine. and he received a warm welcome from his russian counterpart. and moscow's delighted the -- delighted to have a friendly figure like this now in power across the border in kiev. there was agreement to restore cooperation in all areas, where mr.ian cove vitch indicating that the fleet will stay in southern ukraine beyond 2017. and the issue of the black sea fleet has a long and complex history. in the past, it has always been up to the two presidents to find solutions. >> so a fundamental recess in relations between ukraine and russia is now under way. and with him already suggesting he's prepared to compromise on some of the most fundamental issues which have been causing tension between the two countrys in recent years. bbc news. >> thanks for watching. still to come. iceland's referendum and the collapse of the bank but will the voters views make any difference? >> first a passenger ferry which has been stuck in ice with about a thousand people on board has reached the swedish capital, stockholm. there was one of about 50 ferries and cargo ships trapped in the sea between sweend and finland. at least 26 ships are still awaiting help further north in the bay of bosnia. the boll tick is seeing its harshest winter in 15 years. >> finally heading home, 12 hours late. more than 900 passengers from the ferry spent sunday night trapped in the bal tick sea. their ship was unable to move through sheets of ice on its regular journey to sweden's capital. >> there was an impressive atmosphere and some passengers were very worried. i must give credit to the crew, they were smart. >> this is what the ferry and around 50 other boats had to escape from. the ice was strong and when icebreakers broke three it -- through it, it was froze again. and the ice was packed hard against the vessels. at one point, this ferry col hided with another ship and passengers were ordered to move immediately to the stern. people on board say they were worried but no one was injured and there was in major damage to the boats. and most of the ships were just 20 kilometers away from the mainland, and ice rarely gets so thick in this part of the bal tick sea, maritime officials say staff on board had ignored warnings about the conditions. and further forth, some ships are still stuck and waiting for help. and the weather in the area is expected to get better, but there are reports it is already the coldest winter in the bal tick, for 15 years. and bbc news. >> the headlines this heuer. and gordon brown defended the british appearance in the invasion of iraq, and the right decision for the right reasons. and china's premier has told the national's people's congress more must be done to close the widening gap between rich and poor. australian police have begun a major investigation. the body of a 3-year-old indian by has been found dumped by a melvin road. police are not linking the death to a series of attacks in january. australia's foreign minister has been trying to improve relations with india since. the correspondent phil mercer. >> the body was discovered near melbourne airport by a worker, r six hours after he went missing. and the detectives are trying to work out how and why the boy was found more than 20 kilometers from the house in which his parents were staying. it is thought he wandered off while his mother who is a student was in the shower. the postmortem has failed it find out how the toddler died. australian police say there were no obvious signs of trauma. senior officers at this stage not to link the death to a series of racist attacks on indians in melbourne in the past year. and they will investigate, the absolute of our potential. so the -- beyond that, i would say to -- to the indian community and to india, they could take my assurances on that that anything and everything that can be done will be done. that's the same if every community. >> the 3-year-old was visiting australia from pune jab in northern india with his parents. -- parents. relatives say the family is distraught. >> very bad condition. not able to meet everyone. >> and the killing of such a young child could put more pressure on diplomatic ties between new delhi and cam bra which have been strained by a wave of attacks on indian students in melbourne and citi sydney. the australian government says the death of ger shan singh will be thoroughly examined. >> if this is a murder, there's nothing worse than the brutal murder of a child. the authorities have investigated it, we're confident the authorities will get to the bottom of it. >> the premier said he found the killing of the indian toddler personally distressing. and he insisted the state's best detectives were in charge of the investigation. and phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. >> and flash floods in northern kenya have swept away homes and roads and bridges and livestock. it is reported at least six people are dead and dozens missing. hundreds are now homeless and the rain caused a flooding of banks and tourists and staff had to escape into trees before they were evacuated by helicopter. a senior aide to pope benedict and singer in the vac can choir have been removed among allegations they're involved in gay prostitution. it is alleged they procured 10 men for andrew, who is known as a elite usher to the bishop. >> and a the girl has returned home in a state of anxiety due to bullying. ed school says she and others were treated harshly by boys in another class. >> the people of iceland go to the polls on saturday, and the country's first referendum, they are voting on whether to honor a deal to except sagse sate the british and dutch governments for the icelandic internet and it is going bust in 2008. and the dealers have already been superseded in negotiations but many in iceland feel they have much to protest about. and bbc europe editor gavin hewitt reports. >> in this land of beautiful des lation, there's only one story. the people here are preparing to protest, to say they won't prepay britain for one of their failed banks, not on the terms offered and amidst the emptiness, many of the sparse population sees britain as a bully. >> a bully. >> and not britain but i'm not very happy about this. >> so how would you sum up how you think the british government has behaved in all of this? >> badly. and been bullying us. >> and it all started here in the banking sector, a new interget bank called i-save was born, british local authorities and charities and ordinary people put in their money. but the bank went bust, and the government in london had to cover ordinary people's savings. since they, london has been trying to get the fundsry paid, over $2 billion and now the people here are being asked if a referendum, whether they'll agree to a deal to pay back the money. >> the referendum is actually tomorrow. and early vote hag begun. every singling person here was voting no. >> and i said no. >> no. of course. >> and although icelanders have been told that international loans are dependent on them settling their debts, no is still the answer. gouda, and iceland's luxury brand has landed. some here are against repaying any money, the fault they say lay with the bankers. >> i don't think we should repay anything. >> in a innocencally breen country, many fear the costs of settling with britain. >> it will take our health care and our school system, most of it. we will never accept about tpjooze you travel you encounter a well of anger, that for instance britain used anti-terrorism legislation to freeze banks assets. >> the icelandic nation is very angry has british used anti-terrorism legislation against us. and i think, gordon brown owes us an apology. >> later the president too was scathing about gordon brown. >> for him to go on global television and declare iceland was bankrupt, was at the best, and at the worst financial terrorism. >> for that, the british view is you can't avoid the fact that there was a failure to regulate i-save, despite all of the words, a deal does remain possible. gavin hewitt, bbc news. >> and now you -- by and large, a 90th birthday is celebrated with tea and cake and perhaps balloons but gene hodson from scotland white water rafted, she had to settle for this because her doctor refused to let her parachute jump. here's the story. >> she's not your usual extreme sports enthusiast, but for a 90th birthday, gene hodson decided she wanted to celebrate in style. >> to be a parachute jump and then when the tock door heard about it, i had forgot erin, i've got two hip replacements. he said in way to do that. i have to find something else. >> from there then. quite important to keep a hold. >> so the 90-year-old decided it swap her walking sticks for an oar and go on a rafting trip. the waters here did he say deceptively calm, and in the yet hinting of the challenges ahead. and the biggest dangers, you got a high possibility of falling out and especially a day like today. there's going to be lots of sweepers that are rocks that are underneath the water and if you catch one of them, they're going to get you off-guard. and though you in. it is fast flowing and very cold. so wrapped in waterproof and surroundeded by friends, the great grandmother is hanging on tight. >> quite a chal edge keeping up right through the rapids and the midst of it, she seems to be enjoying here white knuckle ride. >> and the verdict after the twists and turns and an hour on the water, it was -- >> it was good on the hole, but there was a lot of flats. >> and though she enjoyed herself, jean admitted once out on the water was more than enough for her. bbc news. >> and basically it was a bit too tame. thank you for being with us on bbc "world news." ♪ [funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation.] ♪ >> union bank put its strength to work for a wide range of companies.