>> this is an bbc world news america. the mine field in the middle east. barack obama steps into the explosive issue of the borders of israel and palestine. >> if we make progress on what two states would look like, a reality sets in that this is how it is going to end up. it becomes easier for both sides to make difficult concessions. >> resigned, indicted, released after being formally charged with sexual assault, dominique strauss-kahn dominique strauss- kahn it is given bail. queen elizabeth combines pageantry with one of her true passion.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. today, president obama offered his full support for those clamoring for democracy and issued warnings to syrian leaders to stand in his way. it was his comments on the conflicts between israel and palestine come days before the visit of washington. mark has this report. >> as unrest exploded across the arab world, the response seemed incoherent. he compared it to reset -- places in american history. the top priorities are

supporting democracy and change. >> we have a chance to show that american values the street vendor in tunisia more than the raw value -- power of the dictator. after decades of excepting the world as it is in the region, we have a chance to pursue the world as it should be. >> as the region changed, the need for an arab-israeli peace was more urgent than ever. he said that the president was under pressure. the united nations will pack their call for statehood in september. the men humiliated obama by giving the go-ahead for more settlements with the president said that could see -- and they should stop. people are tired of an endless process that never produces an outcome. two viable states should be the basis for new talks. >> we believe that the borders

between israel and palestine should be based on the 1967 alliance with swaps. >> this means that the current map would change. this would be based on lies before the six-day war of 1987. they would not commit himself on the future of jerusalem. israel is issuing a statement, saying that the border is indefensible. in an exclusive interview, the president explained why he had chosen to talk about those borders. >> my argument is, let's get started on a conversation about territory and security. that does not resolve all of the issues. you still have the problem with jerusalem and refugees. if we make progress on what two

states will look like and the reality sets in among the parties, this is how it is going to end up. it becomes easier for both sides to make concessions. >> egypt, a billion dollars in debt. bahrain, the government must abandon the reports. libya, where gaddafi said that -- he says the gaddafi must leave or be removed from power. >> president assad now has a choice. he can lead the transition or get out of the way. >> he wanted to speak to friends as well as those. he has done that with one leading republican. his tough line may be appreciated more in the arab world than at home. >> and joining me now to discuss the position that the president took on israel and other issues

is our correspondent. he threw down the gauntlet to prime minister netanyahu. he said 1967 borders. the prime minister says not on your life. the security does not match up. what was he trying to achieve? was he sending a signal? >> part of what the white house is trying to achieve is that by raising the 1967 borders, they hope they're pushing both sides to begin the dialogue. they accepted negotiations just because the president has given the speech. they are very keen that it not be perceived that the u.s. thinks that the middle east peace process is impossible. that would be a non-starter for anybody. they think they can kickstart this into some sort of negotiation process. >> did it ever try to explicitly link what was happening in the

arab spring and what israel has to do to secure its place in the region. >> d two could be linked. the departure from the bush administration and could be linked. they kept the palace dishy -- palestinian issue, of it. these two processes are linked together and we cannot deal with one without the other. they are saying very clearly that promoting reform throughout the middle east is a top u.s. priority, it is not secondary to american interests. that was the underlying principle behind the speech. >> each individual country offers an individual challenge. >> there is no idealism in this speech then in early foreign- policy speeches. the speech is about religion. the early speeches of president

obama are so keen to veer away from president bush. we deal with the world as we find it. universal rights are important to let democracy is important. the rights for minority leaders. >> this is much more ideological than they want to be. >> the middle east is pushing for reform. there are inconsistencies. they did not actually call on president assad to go today. they did call on mubarak to go. they came with an officer saying, we have given him a choice. >> a reminder that we can watch the entire exclusive interview on bbc world there is an online beginning this sunday morning.

now to the case of dominique strauss-kahn, the men who might have been the french president. it played out on a number of levels today. he will be released under tight restrictions. the news came after he stepped down as the head of the imf. there were charges of attempted rape. >> have the security as dominique strauss-kahn arrive from rikers island jail. having resigned as imf chief, his focus was on trying to get bail of defending himself on charges including attempted rape. his daughter and wife showed up to support him. he wanted to show the judge set he was a devoted family man. in court for a second time, the defendants insisted that strauss-kahn was thought about

to flee the country and will be electronically tagged and confined to one location if bailed. >> he will appear wherever else will appearcourt directs. his one interest is to clear his name. >> the prosecution argued that he was a flight risk and releasing him from jail was too big of a risk. >> he has the stature and resources not to be a fugitive on the run, but to live a life of ease and comfort in parts of the world that are beyond this country's jurisdiction. >> the judge was not convinced and ruled that strauss-kahn should be granted bail under restricted conditions with $1 million posted as a guarantee. >> prosecutors announced that dominique strauss-kahn had been charged with violent sexual assault and rape.

the 32-year-old west african maid has been making these allegations and the jury decide that there was something to answer. what ever did happen in this manhattan hotel, he has resigned from the imf and the financial institution is looking for a new boss. they look at gordon brown during the the financial crisis. if the imf is to be had by a european, france's finance minister is a front runner. >> i have the very highest regard for him. i am sure that like many other candidates, she would be an excellent choice. >> after a turbulent five days, the dominique strauss-kahn family, he has at least been

granted bail. >> in of afghanistan, authorities say that 35 workers have been killed in attacks by insurgents. they told the bbc that the men were employed by a construction company. they were working on a highway in a remote mountainous area of afghanistan. the attack was the deadliest carried out by the taliban in several months. in iraq, at least 25 people have been killed in a series of bomb attacks in kirkuk. they appear to target the police. the incident raises questions about the country's ability to secure itself. >> in the heart of this divided city, three partial explosions

in less than an hour. targeting the police. the most serious attack here since february. >> the best one was by a sticky bomb in a car in a garage at the headquarters of police. >> as the emergency services rushed to the scene, a second bomb was detonated. many of those killed and injured were policemen who rushed out from their quarters to help those killed in the first blast. this must deadly attack as an emergency services were traumatized by what they had seen. in the chaotic aftermath, there was anger among members of the public.

this man said that the bomb spared nothing, people or property. all this in a city where there are deep ethnic tensions among arabs and kurds who are vying for control of a great prize, the enormous oil fields lie and across this region. for the moment, american troops are here to keep the peace. they are due to leave by the end of the year. today's bloodshed, a grim reminder of what could happen in kirkuk if no agreement is reached on what to do with the future of the region in the next few months. >> the fbi says it is investigating whether the convicted murderer ted kosinski was involved in a series of poisonings.

they involved potassium cyanide. today, von trier has been banned from the can fit -- cannes film festival saying that he sympathized with hitler. he said that he was not a nazi. shares in business networking linkedin have more than doubled on their trading debut. they were priced at $45 each. it was locked at a valuation of more than $11 billion. preparing for the worst, that was the scenario in the uk today, where crews drilled for something similar to the gulf of mexico. they were concerned that safety equipment might not be able to handle harsh conditions

offshore. there were more than 400 shallow water wells. there are plans for more. >> on the northernmost fringe of the united kingdom, the islands could not be more remote. look at what is offshore, the tanker. this is the gateway to british oil. they have taken millions from this injury -- industry. this is where the oil is brought ashore. so far, from the shallow north sea. it may come from the deeper atlantic, a far tougher job. an exercise for a nightmare scenario. they are stimulating the chemical dispersant. a few vessels join the rehearsal and case a well blows out.

>> if it were to happen, in the u.k., there are various agencies set up to respond to it. >> this is the rest, a blowout like last summer a mile deep in the gulf of mexico. this rekindled memories. 18 years ago, a tanker ran aground and its tanker ran into the ocean. could the new deep wells trigger something similar. this reveals what is at stake. this not in the shoreline hosts one of the largest seabird in europe. >> these are home to tens of thousands of seabirds. they are circling around me. it is one reason why it is so famous for its wildlife. it is another one reason why some are concerned about the oil industry moving into deeper waters.

>> the remote control camera is lord under water. the seas are teeming with life, that are highly sensitive to pollution. for tourist operators, wildlife is the major attraction. he is worried about new oil wells. >> the worst can and will happen. you must do all of your preparations and precautions to make sure it is catered for. my concern is that if it does happen, there is nothing we can do from keep it coming ashore. >> is that training and off? -- enough? >> you are watching bbc world news america. queen elizabeth's visit to ireland is all about healing.

more than to appeal months after japan was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, today came the economic news that everybody has feared. the country has officially slipped back into recession. >> by now, these cars should be for sale in showrooms around the world. instead, they lie smashed in ports on japan's coast. the earthquake and tsunami left more than 24,000 people dead or missing. the worst crisis the country has faced since the second world war. at the fukushima nuclear plant, workers are still struggling to bring the reactors under control. now is conversation -- confirmation that japan has plunged back into recession. >> there was the massive disaster that we suffered earlier this year. >> the slowdown is far worse

than has been predicted. the effects of what has happened on the northeast coast are being felt here in tokyo. factories being destroyed their supply components to manufacturers across the world. production has been tripled. >> shoppers have cut back, even in places that were unaffected. march saw the biggest fall in consumer spending on record. >> one of the most negative cycles is that corporates would withhold spending. that would basically exacerbate under conditions of employment that would lead to a downward spiral. cities lit apan's is a further challenge. later in the year, spending on rebuilding should help japan

bounceback. >> and has been a year now since the center was marred by violent clashes between reinsurance and soldiers. the scars run deep. 90 people lost their lives. she met two women directly affected by the events last year. >> new recruits put through their paces. among them, she must master the course. she is struggling to make her husband crowd. he is not allowed to see her do it. a year ago, the sergeant was part of this operation to disperse redshirt protesters

from the streets of bangkok. they met resistance from armed elements within the protest camp. he was hit by a grenade and killed. she says that her husband died a hero. what about the person who fired the grenade? should they not be brought to justice? >> when it first happened, i wanted to know who did it and why. now, it is not so important. my husband died on the battlefield doing his duty. he loved the army and now i am taking his place. >> this temple within the heart of the red shirts' camp. the military moved in to crush the protests and some sought shelter here. they were looking for militants. people here came under fire. among those who came -- lost lives were a young volunteer

nurse. tribute to a tragic death. she was just 25 years old. her mother shows me the overshirt that kate was wearing on the day that she died, clearly marked with a red cross. >> people over there have told me what happened. she was shot and kate went to help. somebody shouted at her, they are shooting, come back. she was a nurse and she thought she would be safe. she was wrong. i am so proud of my daughter. she sacrificed herself to help other people. because of her, i am now fighting for other victims. before may 19 last year, she was not interested in politics. now she is a staunch supporter of the richards. a mother turned activist and a

housewife turned soldier. such is the legacy of thailand's bitter divisions. >> when it comes to heeling bitter divisions, that is one of the main aims of queen elizabeth's trip to ireland. today it was a love of horses and racing that kept her busy. for the first visit, she went to the irish national stud. >> for two days in dublin, she has been addressing the big issues. today with a chance to relax and sees something of an industry that is vital to ireland and is of great personal interest to her, the breeding of thoroughbred race horses. this is some of the highly prized horseflesh in the world. race horses need riders.

if you happen to be a budding jockey but do not have a course, this is what you need. it is called a course simulator. the duke of edinburgh wanted to see how fast it could go. soon, it was running at a racing gallop. the training jockey's data board and the duke seemed satisfied. ireland was still focusing on her speech at dublin castle when she talked about britain and ireland's troubled history. >> with the benefit of historical hindsight, we can all see things that we wish had been done differently or not at all. >> this morning, david cameron joined the irish prime minister on a trip to the brewery and reflected on the queen's words. >> she reflected on things in

the past that could have been done differently or not at all would have spoken volumes to people in ireland. >> the queen is hosting a celebration of irish music and culture. the theme again is friendship. >> and for much more of the queen of's historic visit, due to visit our website. the banquet held at the castle. it is all there as usual at bbc.com/news. while you are on line, get in contact with me and the rest of the bbc news team. that does bring us to the end of tonight'is broadcast. thank you so much for watching and see you back here tomorrow. >> hello and welcome.

>> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> 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? >> "bbc world news america" was

presented by kcet los angeles.

(exclaiming) (laughing) hey! announcer: funding for curious george is provided by contributions to your pbs station and from: and was made possible by: rainforest cafe, proud sponsor of curious geor chuck e. cheese's, proud supporter of pbs kids, salutes all the parents who know giving their kids a lift, a push, a kick, a hand is a fun way to help keep them active and fit. pbs kids, where a kid can be a kid. rainforest cafe, proud sponsor of curious george, reminding you that anyone can make the world a brighter place by conserving our natural resources. when you're saving one can... both: you're saving toucans! (toucan squawks) (lively drum intro) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪

♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ is so glorious ♪ glorious ♪ george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ ♪ is so wondrous ♪ wondrous ♪ ♪ there's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ and meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ i know you're curious ♪ curious ♪ ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ marvelous ♪ ♪ and that's your reward ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ if you ask yourself, "what is this?" ♪ ♪ like curious... ♪ like curious... curious george. ♪ oh... captioning sponsored by nbc/universal narrator george loved the museum. every time he went, he discovered something new. the new north pole exhibit was frosty fun with its igloos and polar bears.