BBC World News on Video

BBC World News broadcasted in June 2006

Rice regrets Mid-East 'suffering'  

The Israeli artillery just over the hill behind us and they're firing their shells in the area. You can hear them the el. Thief been attacking it for two days but have constituent noll attacked it. They're not used to fighting this group. This is the next best thing to a real army. They've learned a certai respect for the Hezbollah fighters but they insist they're winning. He has a special symbolism for Hezbollah and the Israelis determine to catch it. The battle today took the lives of more Israeli soldiers, costing them heavily.

>> Southern Lebanese attacks, southern Lebanese port of Tyre, a major strike. Our correspondent was there when the attacks happened. He has just sent us this report.

>> Southern Lebanese attacks, and we get this report.

>> It happened at sunset, close to our hotel and massive explosion. Arrived minutes later scenes of chaos. People hunted desperately for neighbours and friends. We made our way to when are the moscows struck. -- Where the missiles struck. The target was a commando headquarters but he apparently was not in. So were however families living in the apartment around it. This is where the bomb struck just a short time ago. And as immense is you can see clearly, they're fraicallynt searching in the rubble for anybody who might have survived the first impact. There is no word yet on watts little. The residents here blamed not op Israel but america for letting it happen.

>> I'm a doctor.

>> I'm a mechanic.

>> Then Israeli aircraft overhead. At a local hospital tonight, we saw the civilian cost of this attack. Most of those hurt we are told were women and children. "I started screaming, my children, my children" "this woman said. "I found my daughter and picked her up and then the red cross came." The bombing came on a day when Tyre had already witnessed a procession of vehicles queuing north. This is the biggest convoy of refugees we've seen in days, coming from the south where the Israeli bombing has been intensifying. And you can see coming into towne fear and desperation. They bring with them accounts of devastated villageers.

>> Israel attacked our houses and killed many people there

>> Reporter: Some were heading to the port of Tyre and hoping for a spot on the evacuation boat.

>> This matriarch sent her beloved family.

>> Lucky those two girls because in the I. They have heard food was given out by the mayor and they fought to get it. There isn't starvation in nyre-- in Tyre but they clearly fear in the conflict what may be coming. Tonight at the young men chant their support for Hezbollah.

>> Israel attacked our houses and killed many people there

>> Reporter: Some were heading to the port of Tyre and hoping for a spot on the evacuation boat.

>> This matriarch sent her beloved family.

>> Lucky those two girls for in the city, the first signs of hunger. They have heard food was given out by the mayor and they fought to get it. There isn't starvation in nyre-- there isn't starvation in Tyre but they clearly fear in the conflict what may be coming. Tonight at the young men chant a place smotszerred in fear and convulsed in rage. The next room at Beirut university hospital, banofire.

>> Any of the actions that Israel has committed over the years brings additional security and safety to Israel? What brings security and safety is Israel getting along with their neighbours.

>> Diplomacy has a long way to they aeed on an international force in lanon b not when it should deploy. The U.S. Insisted that the only acceptable cease-fire was not immediate, nor unconditional as kofi annan wanted. Hezbollah would have to be disarmed first under the relevant U.N. Resolution and the two backers not invited to rome would have to cooperate.

>> Syria has responsibilities under 1559 which in fact it has not exercise understand add we ask the that they do. We are is dopely concerned as we have said about about the roll of iran. So it is indeed high time that everyone make a choice.

>> Reporter: Back in here here in Lebanon, the message to the television is that its fighters are winning. They don't want an unconditional cease-fire, either. The Israelis if they stop this aggression, I believe this would be a good start.

>> Reporter: And if they don

>> A long war.

>> It seems.

>> Reporter: Israel, at washington's request, is now allowing relief supplies into Beirut airport for displaced people. Civilians on both sides keep on paying what Hezbollah and Israel believe is a necessary price. The most important equation about war at the moment is that es pushi for ito continue aretron looking for an immediate unconditional cease-fire. There is too much at stake to stop now. The middle east is already fragile but the longer this war go on, tes more they all risk its stability. Jeremy bowen, bbc news, Beirut.

>>> Hezbollah has inflicted the heaviest losses yet. Nine of the soldiers have died in fierce fighting. Eight in the Lebanese towne. But Israel is facing severe criticism after four peace monitors ment we get this report from the border region.

>> Reporter: As the bodies of the U.S. Monitors are brought in, it is unnerving. These pictures were shot yesterday during the attack. At least 17 Israeli bols fell within a thousand metres of the post and 12 shells landed within 50 meters.

>> The position was well known to the Israeli soldiers doing the firing. Saddam hussein was taken to court again. It is reported he is protesting about poor security for his defence steam about security. Three of them have been murdered. Swl nearly a million people in Lebanon are in need of humanitarian assistance.

>> All the business news now from new york and tanya becket. In the second quarter and call it good news, but that's exactly how general motors described its latest results. The car makers figures included costs of more than $4 will billion, mostly for buyouts of its factory workers but the quarter also showed an increase in sales and most significantly an operating profit of over a billion dollars

>> I think we can show the turnaround is getting traction across our business, north america notably but also a number of other sectors including europe and i think that's probably if you take the one thing away from our earnings, it i would say progress. The absolute level of profitability not sufficient but it is good to see the improvement across the businesses where we have had challenges

>> It has reported a two-thirds surge in profits in the second quarter the number three U.S. Oil company made a whopping 5.19 billion dollars. The firm said earnings would boost but the maintenance charges for facilities in the U.K., Alaska and venezuela would hurt production in the third quarter. Two influence influential senators want to a lou that would imowes pee china revalued its current si by over% a year ago but it has risen only slightly since then. Time tore for executives to show their money of the they voted unanimously that companies give more ogs on what top managers are being paid. You're watching bbc world. Our main headlines. Diplomatic deadlock as international foreign ministers fail to agree any plan to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Fierce clashes continue in south Lebanon. Israel confirms the biggest loss in a single will incident. Yan for example will rand is the mrng reley coordinator and told the bbc there were no a convoys lans lans. Skrshgs p at least they agreed to work towards a breakthrough and the security forces are coming together to stop this cycle of violence which is getting worse every day.

>> What are the worst examples of the suffering that have been reported to you in this area?

>> We, in Lebanon there are now too many that are trapped in the cross fire whom we cannot even reach. I met a family coming from the south all of their they cried. They said they could not even get back and retrieve our dead. We hear the dogs are eating the deadment help us get back. This is one of the examples of the cross fire catching is that's three wars happening.

>> I know have its but do you have april estimate of how many refugees there are?

>> About 600,000 who are now refugees in Lebanon alone. Another 200 or 300,000 it is getting totally out of control. It has to stop. In gaza today where i visited yesterday

>> When you look at suffering on that scale, do you think that political leaders are sufficiently driven be to solve the problems in they could, for example, today demanded an immediate cease-fire but for whatever reason, they didn'T. But they have to to take the decision. Those are driving it within the civilian population and Israel has to stop its disproportionate response which is strangling economies and leading to massive loss of life. Still to come, elections this weekend in kong bebut will they hale the an unusual monument has been created in northern china to help mark the history of the earthquake in 197 which killed 40 though people. We get this report-- 140,000 despite their best efforts, the disease seems to returned. Officials in the northern province recently confirmed they found the disease among powell tri folks. Now it's claimed a teenage bic vick, a the

>> He died of-he tend his support to destroy the dead chick epz. They did not inform the government about it. They did not inform the government about it. 

>> In a place of safety, the attack so violent they have catastrophic tissue dang. Now they bear the stigma of rape and incontinence. Many have been cast out by their communities, major reconstructive surgery is their last hope. She is 20 years old. Just hours before her operation she. It's hard for her to say what happened next.

>> (Voice of translator): It was rebels from the militia. My mother tried to stop them. They beat her to death. They raped me and after that, my husband left. Lots of women here have similar stories. For years rape has been used as a weapon of war. National security advisors are-- survivors are treated. The youngest patient was seven to be treated here and the oldest was 75.