a lie detector test have been fired in mexico. it is the latest attempt to weed out corruption in the increasingly violent war on drugs. 50,000 people have been estimated to have been killed since mexico's president launched a military crackdown five years ago. in a few minutes we will hear from the former mexican president, but first a report from the seaside city of veracruz. >> the war in mexico is becoming increasingly dangerous and bloody with the government on one side and a notorious drug cartels on the other. the people in mexico were caught in the middle of a conflict no one seems ready to stop. more than 40,000 people have been killed since mexico's president picked a fight with the drug cartels. drugs have been seized, and the military has been deployed. the deaths have gotten more gruesome. veracruz used to those -- to boast that it was mexico's safest city. more than 100 people have been killed in the last month. 35 people have been left in the street in daylight. empty homes have been boarded up after they were used as headquarters. >> this is one of more than three locations were more than 30 bodies were found just a few days ago. it is part of a vicious battle that has been taking place, and the marines have now been deployed to the streets of the city which until recently was prepared please save region was perfectly safe. >> many of them are victims of tit-for-tat. speaking out is a rare and dangerous thing to do in mexico, but janet figueroa is prepared to take to clear her father's name. he was a mechanic caught in the crossfire of a gun battle. janet says the state fabricated evidence he was a criminal. and why is this used to be a safe city. i never imagined something like this -- >> this used to be a safe city. i never imagined something like this would happen. we have received threats, but i have to speak out that civilians are being killed in this drug war. >> in the state capital the blame falls squarely on the drug cartels. georgina speaks with the governor. she does not deny many people have been killed, but she insists the strategy is not to be blamed. the war on drugs has left a deep scar across the region. the problem starts to move, but the one constant is the demand for drugs in britain and elsewhere. unless that changes, the deaths will certainly continue. >> since the army crackdown is not working, what will? i spoke to the former president. you have called for an end to the war on drugs, because the war is over or vetoes it is not working? of quarks -- >> are in trying to bring my ideas. we have to get out of fat, so we need new ideas to finish with our war in mexico. >> you have specifically 'stacked calderon po strategies. >> it is violence against violence, and that will never solve the problem. there are growing violations of human rights, violations of the to the judiciary process so we must come with net intelligent ideas like with drawing it out of the black vote. no. 2, legalizing the distribution and consumption of drugs curio and -- of drugs. >> you have been very critical. you said america is spending $500 million, and mexico is paying in blood and said bodies. you hold america responsible? >> of course. either we legalizes consumption or rededicate the money and airports and public policies to attending a health program like this nation 100 years ago in chicago until prohibition triggered a >> aren't you being unrealistic? america is not going to legalize drugs a. >> this is not going to change. there is a gallup poll that just came out two days ago. 50% of u.s. citizens except legalization of drugs. the government is saying no, but public opinion in california and now the united is for legalizing the reagan and now >> the views of the former president, and i should say we did reach out to philip calderon. we asked for an interview, and he turned us down. lawmakers voted for more spending cuts, but protesters stood as police fired. >> outside the greek parliament rocks rained down on riot police of the country began a two-day general strike. the police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades, but perhaps the most significant part of the day was the sheer number of demonstrators taking to the street to protest austerity. resistance is spreading. this is inside the finance ministry. if is now occupied a. dionysus is an unemployed sports writer and his wife and a teacher. cuts have changed their lives. parks are lost my job, and the taxes have been going top year- ago -- going up. we check the prices on yogurt and milk and everything. >> stores are closing in record numbers. are many stores going down here? >> it is around 440 stores that are already close down. >> many are worried greece's already trapped in a cycle of economic decline and cannot possibly fulfill obligations. >> the more medicine is being applied on vacation, the deeper it is becoming. >> the foreign minister insists of policy on reducing the deficit is working. >> people on the streets understand that these measures are necessary and will guarantee a better future for themselves and their families. >> these scenes will rally leaders, for the raise the question of whether the policy of cut and exchanges for bailout funds will enable greece to whether thes or country is headed for the faltering almost certainly congress will approve these measures, but implementing them is a different matter. if only underlines the fact of the greek problem remains unresolved. >> this weekend, europe's leaders will hold another debt crisis. to discuss the deal, i am joined by an economist for "the financial times." describes those -- this crisis is basically two years now. >> i think the problem is the european way of doing things is a very slow, intuitive process, and you can see why it has evolved that way because they have had to endure new member states. that is fine, but it is not a good way to deal with the debt crisis. >> is it that they were slow to deal with our urgency of this? >> i remember people screaming to them about greece. it was left to run for months and months. even when they started to organize, they organized slowly, and it was a big back- and-forth. they have been sometimes six months behind the curve, and they moved too slowly. it is too little, too late. >> they have realized there is a major crisis. have they found the right policies? >> they are disagreeing in public. there is an open agreement between france and germany. france ought to use this new rescue fund. it wants to use it as a bank and issue guarantees. germany does not want five. -- does not want that. they are still disagreeing in public, so they are going to get a deal this weekend. good >> can the americans not heads together? >> they said, we cannot force europeans to do anything. they have to do it themselves. we can give the advice of our own experience, but any attempt to the europe and what to do from the outside gets rejected. they can give advice, but they are not in a position. >> violence erupts. police and britain have clashed with angry protesters determined to fight evictions in a sex. there was a legal battle over the land -- not to fight evictions in essex. there was a legal battle over the land. authorities were able to take control. in thailand, floodwaters ravaged the country with concerns they could enter the capital of bangkok. areas are shoring up flood defenses, hoping to divert water into the sea. the floods have already claimed more than 300 lives and affected millions of others. the chinese government calls its terrorism in the skies and is blaming the dalai lama for a recent spate of suicides calls its terrorism in disguise and is blaming the dalai lama for reasons that of suicides. good -- a recent spat of suicides. dozens of animals have been shot dead by police in ohio after they were set free from a private zoo. it is believed the owners of the animals free before taking his life. just six of the animals were contained alive. this contains distressing images. >> the shocking aftermath of the police operation like no other in rural ohio. these animals, many endangered species, were shot on sight after the owner of a private game reserve what amount of their cages. >> we are not talking about your normal everyday have house or dog. these are angle tigers we have had to put down. now public safety was my number one concern. i gave the order that if animals look like they were going out, they were going down. >> when sheriff's deputies arrived, they found the owners' deadline -- the owner dead. it is thought he shot himself after freeing more than 50 animals. is there was caught on camera. lions, tigers -- sign this -- this bear was caught on camera. with night falling, it was thought too dangerous to use tranquilizer darts. also striding on to the scene, america's top celebrities zookeeper, who defended the police response. >> they did their job, but they had to explain to their children, why did you kill a tiger? why did you kill of there? that is the question we are getting, but you understand and what could have happened with these folks. >> owners are still people are still angry over this. just one animal remains unaccounted for, among g. -- a monkey. >> 17 lions and 18 tigers. they are going to answer questions about why the animals were killed rather than using a tranquilizer darts. protesters have clashed with police in santiago at the end of the march organized by students. police responded with tear gas and water cannons. >> these are the scenes and residents are having to get used to. student protests have been going on for over four months, and invariably, this is how they end. the day started peacefully and not some with tens of thousands of people marching for education reform rigid peacefully -- teh day started peacefully enough with tens of thousands of people marching for education reform. >> the government is not listening. it cannot seek the situation. this is a historic moment and a historic opportunity to make changes. the government gives grants as if it were drugs so we cannot see the illness affecting the education system. >> the government says the students' main demands, free high-school education for all and a university system that is not for profit are unrealistic. until they reach an agreement, the clashes are set to continue. positions are hardening. the pros are becoming more violent, and the government will not stop. >> in europe and america goes, 2011 will be known as the year of protests. an investigation into the rumanian children forced to beg on the streets of london. it sounds like something from a spy novel. a young russian woman working as a researcher for a british politician who sits on an influential parliamentary committee. she admits to having a 4-year affair with her boss, but she is fighting deportation from the u.k. after being accused of spying on russia 36 buying for russia. >> was this a woman and -- after being accused of spying for russia. >> with this woman a russian spy? she denied she was an undercover seductress who set about infiltrating the house of commons. britain said she embarked on a four-year affair with mike hancock in order to pass information to russian intelligence. the young russian that mr. hancock when he was in moscow, attending regent -- met mr. hancock when he was in moscow, attending a meeting the russian would have been interested because of his position in the house of commons, and they say his personal life would have also made him a target. at the tribunal, a government lawyer crossed questioned the 26-year-old russian about whether she had exploited the parliamentarians's weakness for women. you knew his life and would make him potentially vulnerable, the prosecutor said. she responded, i did not know about his private life until our relationship. the prosecution confirmed she had other affairs, including with a nato official and a dutch diplomat. her ability to form intimate relationships could have been very useful to the russians. it is likely some of the evidence will be held in secret because of its sensitive nature. >> of bbc investigation has found children as young as four are being forced to beg on the streets of london. many are being trafficked with full knowledge of their parents. we track the begging team back to their roots in romanian gypsy communities. >> among the shoppers, a little girl waiting for cash. she is one of more than 50 children begging for months on end. a few miles away, a little boy targets worshipers at regent park mosque. we do not know his name. how old is he? we filmed him at his rented house in essex. in the drive, a bmw. practices modern-day slavery. how does a child -- >> it is modern-day slavery. how does the child know? they do not know. they are kids. >> they are gypsies from romania. police believe many of them are traffic with their families are criminals within their own community. we followed the handlers and the bmw to northern romania. a town where luxury homes anare commonplace. we found a man we have seen of the house. we had never seen him dead, but i wanted to ask him what his family does. this is also your house. this is a little boy, and we repeatedly filmed him begging, so why is he begging if he has lots of money? we are going now. we could not get any answers here, but the cycle of spending continues. -- begging continues to regard >> children who are forced to beg do not get education. it is denying their childhood. >> we could not figure out what happens to do or if he is still begging. -- happens to lou or if he is still begging. he remains one of the forgotten children. >> he was sent to bed in one of the richest cities in the world. archaeologists say they have uncovered one of the most important viking burial sites in britain. a boat containing the remains of a warrior with his axe, sword, and spear have been under. it is thought to be more than 1000 years old. >> they are the weapons of a viking warrior. a knife, an ax, a sword, and case in modern and rust. x-rays reveal more details of the crash shows items in geneva. -- more details of the routes. >> it may have held the shroud he was buried in, and it was connected to his body, but it also connects it into the i received. >> the grave was here. a fully intact burial site now was on earth from our recent days. those involved described it as incredible. >> i think it is a hugely significant fine. viking both very goals region -- burials are extraordinarily rare. strikeare they likely fought ane buried in this area, once terrorized and controlled by vikings. i cannot wait to see them when they are cleaned up. french media is reporting that carlos sarcozy -- carla bruni sarcozy has given birth to a baby girl. we do know that president sarcozy is off trying to save the euro. his wife is looking absolutely gorgeous. that brings us to the end of the broadcast, but remember you can find constant updates on our web site, and you can get in touch with me on which her -- on twitter. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. union bank. and shell. >> this is kim - about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? 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