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wide rangework for a of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? "bbc world news america." >> this is "bbc world news america." weigh a possible cease-fire in ukraine, but that doesn't stop them from delivering a tough message to moscow. >> while talking about peace, russia has not made one single step to make peace possible. instead of the escalating the crisis, russia hads deepened it. >> how to combat the islamic state is also high on the nato agenda, with considerations of where and when to strike. and, comedian joan rivers dies at the age of 81.

we look back at her career of making people laugh. ♪ welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. it is being described as one of the most important meetings in the history of nato, which is now juggling crises on two f ronts, the advances of the islamic state and the crisis in ukraine. we start with bbc political editor nick robinson, who was at the summit meeting. >> if decisions about another war are taken anywhere, they will certainly be taken here and now in newport. 60 presidents and prime ministers gathered to the summit of the most powerful military

alliance in the world. nato leaders came here expecting to mark the end of a conflict, the withdrawal of western troops and afghanistan . >> you put your lives on the line. you fight so that others can be safe. so that those who resort to terror and violence will not succeed. >> but the leaders gathered in wales were absorbed instead about what to do about two new conflicts. one to the east pitting russia against ukraine, another to the south, the mounting threat of the so-called islamic state. >> surrounded by crisis, our alliance, our transatlantic community represents an island of security, stability, and prosperity. >> what has brought the violence much closer to home is the brutal beheading of two american journalists and the chilling threats this man, reddish aid

worker david haines, could be next. a father of two from perth, he was kidnapped in syria last march. barack obama and david cameron say the fight against i.s. is a tiluggle that could last unbti these children grow up and have children of their own. military action against iraq and syria, he said, would not just be moral, but legal, and part of a broader strategy. >> what is required is not a western intervention that leaves others to pick up the pieces. what is required is action from the ground, from the kurds, the new iraq government, the neighboring states. all that pressure applied, and then of course there is a role for countries like britain and america and others to play. >> in the short-term, brooding -- britain will arm the kurdish

peshmerga and provide humanitarian aid. in the longer term, it might mean british or nato fighters joining in air force attacks on the islamic state, just like they were used three years ago in the via -- libya. in truth, any decision by the man on the right will only come when the man on the left makes his mind up what to do. what makes him popular with some, his reputation for cool analysis, seems like others to be an excuse for paralysis. the question facing president obama from the world is whether he has come with a strategy for confronting islamic state, which only last week he admitted he had not done. as western leaders talk, ukraine is still burning. nato says russia has fueled the conflict, sending and not just

weapons, but their own troops. ukraine's president poroshenko west more support, but the will fight russia not with weapons, but with new sanctions on state-owned energy companies and putin's cronies. outside the summit, a few hundred protesters against the prospect of more war., 28 leaders of nato's countries gathered at cardiff castle tonight believe it is russia and the so-called islamic state who have been making conflict unavoidable. >> a dramatic picture for dramatic times. the prospect of airstrikes launched against islamic state fighters in serious is now growing -- syria is now growing. our middle east editor jeremy bowen has a look at who the key

parlor -- playesr ins the region could be. >> the americans have been bombing i.s. in iraq at the request of the government. they are unlikely to get a u.n. resolution to extend strikes to the power base in syria. they will not get an invitation from the syrian government, without the kind of deal with the regime that washington and london say would be unacceptable. there is a legal argument for bombing, about protecting civilians, but it is very controversial. if nato allies want to fight i.s., they will need to build a coalition. saudi arabia and iran both see i.s. as a threat, but they back opposing sides in the syrtian war. the saudis support sunni rebels, some of which now

support those who call themselves the islamic state. iran supports assad. >> we see the rise of terrorism in our region that goes beyond a single state, and requires us to work together and seek common solutions for these common challenges. >> many i.s. fighters travel to turkey to get to syria and ir aq. from turkey, you can see i.s. flags flying in a town they control just over the border. the turkish president celebrated a national holiday over the weekend before he left for the nato summit. his allies might be pressing him to tighten up the turkish border. the conflict with i.s. is tearing apart the are ready ragged state of iraq. kurdish peshmerga fighters is seen as a vital force against i.s. so far they have had more promises of weapons from abroad than deliveries. the kurds say they need much

more, much faster. >> we need heavy and advanced weapons they can push back seriously on isis. they have gotten their hands on american weapons the iraqi army left behind. we don't have anything to do with that, so we need to be able to match isis with the weapons they have. >> what if you don't get that support quickly? >> i don't know how we or the rest of the world expect isis to be defeated unless there is a proper fight. you can't fight isis with one hand behind your back. of how propaganda boasts they have abolished the border between iraq and syria and how they want to remake the middle east. the turbulence in the region means a response is very difficult. >> a response everyone is wrestling with. the other crisis nato leaders were addressing today is the situation in ukraine.

after six months of violence, there are hopes of a possible cease-fire tomorrow. on the ground, there has been heavy shelling hope -- close to mariupol. mariupol, our correspondent has this report. outside, they are putting their faith in guns, not promises of peace. ukrainian forces trying to repel advancing rebels. in the abandoned harvest fields, the flames of battle. on the city's edge, we saw troops regrouping after pulling back in the face of what they say is a russian-backed offensive. >> i believe we have power to stop them. >> do you really believe that, or are you just hoping? >> i hope, and i believe that

this is possible. >> the atmosphere is volatile. as a wounded man was brought in, troops turned furiously on the cameras. here at the ukrainian front line position, talks of a cease-fire are simply that, talk. rebel forces are advancing toward them, and if they get the same support they have been getting from russia, it is hard to put up a strong enough resistance. among civilians, the desire for peace is overwhelming. tens of thousands have fled, emptying all those but who are too old or too poor to escape. they endure the trouble of random shelling. this pensioner shows where she and 14 others sleep, in a makeshift bomb shelter.

rats, sheing like says. i worked for more than 40 years. then it was all gone. the hospital, too, damaged by shall fire. -- shell fire. corridor is empty and echoing, evacuated. we met these parents and their disabled son. they say they have nowhere else to go. it is very scary, says the 11-year-old. when the explosion happens, you are afraid it will get you. in the broken cities of the east, they wait for peace. fror promises to become truth. bbc news, eastern ukraine. -- images.in this is i spoke a short time ago with the former ambassador to nato

until last year, now president with the chicago council on global affairs. i asked him if the peace deal is actually real. what we don't really -- hear from president poroshenko of ukraine is a desire to get to a cease-fire and lyrical solution, in part because the situation on the ground is quite dire. thanks from the russian federation will be moving to ukraine. there's strong support for ve beenist forces that ha able to extend their reach in the country. and from a ukrainian cease-fire, a cease-fire might be the least bad thing. that said, it's clear there is no desire on the part of the separatists, let alone the russian federation, for a real peace that would consist of the recognition of the territorial integrity of ukraine and would end all supply of men, mat

eriel, and support by russia to separatists and the withdrawal of thousands of russian troops now said to be inside ukraine. >> you have said clearly that russia has invaded ukraine. why do you think a white house and nato is stopping short of language as strong as that? >> i think there is a desire to find a way for russia to undo what it has done. that's a lot easier if we play along at least a little with the game that there is no russian invasion of ukraine. but when tanks cross borders, when artillery crossed borders, when soldiers cross borders, you are talking about an invasion. it might not be a forceful invasion. clearly russia could do more if they wanted to. but it is an invasion. it was recognized by nato

earlier today that thousands of russian soldiers are operating inside ukraine. >> the white house said the u.s. and european union are coordinating additional sanctions that could be levied in the next few days, the days to come. do you think additional sanctions could deter president putin? >> i don't think sanctions can deter putin immediately. sanctions are an important and vital tool to increase the cost on russia as a whole. russia is already suffering significantly. the rouble has fallen to the lowest level since 1998. the stock market is crashing. a once-booming economy is in recession. $100 billion of capital has fled the country, and the people are finding shops increasingly empty

because of a retaliatory embargo on food imports. that won't lead to a change in policy today, or even next week or next month, but it will in the end force a change in russian behavior down the road, and that's what sanctions are all about, the change in russian behavior that ultimately recognizes ukraine is an independent state whose territory needs to be respected by all its neighbors, starting with russia. >> thank you for joining us. a judge in the united states has found oil giant bp grossly negligent over the gulf of mexico oil spill in 2010. 11 people were killed when the deepwater horizon rig exploded and sank. bp has already paid more than $7 billion in compensation over the accident. this judgment could cost it substantially more than that. still to come, inside the mission to mars.

for two years, curiosity has been exploring the red planet. we speak to the journalist who captured it all. lot about talked a the business at the nato summit, but there was one moment we did not want you to miss, when children at a primary school in south wales discover just how useful social media can be. last term, the school tweeted nato, knowing world leaders for coming to the city for a summit, and that they would love to have a visit from a v.i.p. they certainly got one. schoolroom as you have never seen it before. a 22-car cavalcade from the world's most powerful politicians. >> where my sitting? >> they spent months learning about the nato leaders coming to the city, but did not expect to end up face to face with the

president of the united states. >> i was pretty nervous, but after all my own dad said he is just an ordinary guy. they just kept smiling at me. buycan't -- you can't that. >> the school was chosen because back in june because they sent a tweet to nato saying they would like a visit. little did they realize that would and up with the president visiting the classroom. they also had the prime minister, but only a few of the staff were allowed to know who the v.i.p.'s would be. >> in terms of keeping it a secret ourselves, one or two people in the school knew from the start. it was a bit james bond. a need to know basis. >> what these children need to

know is the rest of the term probably will not be as exciting. bbc news, newport. >> we have only recently been able to get an up-close look at the red surface of mars. now, detailed images sent back by the mars curiosity rover are giving people an entirely different perspective. for two years, mark kaufman embedded himself with the scientists behind the mission, and documented the experience in his book "mars up close." it includes incredible and unexpected photographs of the martian terrain. he joins me to talk more about the red planet. we have been on mars now for two years. what have we found? believescientistss

are the most important planetary discoveries ever made. even more important than when astronauts went to the moon. what they have found is that there was a time, way back, when mars had a lot of running water on it, which they had suspected before but never really tested or proven. and they have found there are parts of mars, and this is remarkable, that they believe are eminently habitable. in other words, life could have lived there. it is not mediated, but the conditions -- it does not mean that it did, by the conditions are such that life could have started their. we did not know that before. >> people want to know, will there ever be life on mars? another thing the rover has found, seasons on mars. >> definitely. the martian year is very long. there are seasons that are defined by both heat and cold.

degreesry cold, -100 centigrade, but also in terms of dust storms. there are times of the year when there are fewer dust storms. that's partially a result of the air pressure and so on. but yes, there is no balmy spring, but there are seasons. >> no beaches. how much longer will the rover be roving? thes a little background, first rover, opportunity, was expected to last for 18 months, and it has been there for 10 years. this was supposed to last for two years, and there is every reason to think it can go as long as the power source will allow it to go, for 10 years. >> but there are problems with some of the equipment on curiosity? the wheels? >> yes. all the really complicated stuff

is working great, but the wheels, which were part of the landing gear because of the way they had to land, were made to be kind of like. they have deep struts but also very thin parts. and the martian surface has some really pointy rocks stuck into really deep, strong sandstone. . making punctures. >> could that curtail the lifespan of curiosity? >> scientist and engineers say no. one of the main reasons why, they are driving backwards now, which puts less pressure on the front and middle wheels. they do believe this is not a dealbreaker. >> mark kaufman. the book is " mars up close." thank you so much for coming in. >> thank you for having me. >> the pictures are incredible. they are on our website, if you would like to see them again. 'san rivers, one of america

best-known comedians and tv personalities, has died in hospital at the age of 81. she started as an actress before developing her often outrageous stand up routine. her daughter said, "my mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh." our correspondent looks back at her life and work. >> i hate whiners. i thought marriage would be like in the movies -- >> she wrote a book called "i hate everyone." >> they took the nodules off. >> there is a good reason she did not get invited to many of hollywood's famous parties. [laughter] molinsky, she grew up in brooklyn, new york. >> your mother is? >> just a mother. >> she had a big break with the

"tonight show" in the 1960's. america had never seen anything like joan rivers on television. >> when it comes right down to it -- >> are we going to go back to that? >> a caring person. >> no man has ever put his hands of a woman's dress to give her a library card. [laughter] >> she got her own show, competing with her old friend and mentor, johnny carson. what she had not done was tell johnny carson. he never spoke to her again. within a year, she and her husband edgar were fired. edgar committed suicide. depression and a career meltdown were low points, but she bounced back. she was still performing in her 80's. [laughter]

>> 40 years in the business, and this is where it ends? now that's a good page. work, both ond in stage and on that increasingly extraordinary face. >> she just got married. the woman is 32 years old, had 14 appendectomy is, if you know what i'm telling you. >> she loves to shock. indeed, the reason why we perhaps can talk about anything is because people like joan rivers had the nerve to say the unsayable and make it funny. >> the in a medical joan -- inimitable joan rivers, who made us all laugh, has died at the age of 81. that is the end of today's program. more of the latest on our website. if you would like to reach the

bbc team, you can find us on twitter. thanks for watching. see you back here tomorrow. ♪ >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, kovler foundation, and union bank. bank, ourn relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help meet your growth objectives.

we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was preses erertztz tom: today on "this old house," we're gonna make

a rustic barn door for the tv room. looks fantastic. kevin: we'll install a new fence and arbor in the side yard. roger, this was a great call. i love it. roger: and we'll show you a surprising variety of perennials that can be grown in the shade. tom: it looks pretty bad here. kevin: are you kidding me? norm: is this place really worth saving? richard: we can do better than this. roger: time to get to work. tom: nice and easy, nice and easy, everybody together. kevin: oh, yeah! roger: the right plant in the right place. good. richard: it's state-of-the-art. norm: perfectly square. roger: all in all, a good day's work. kevin: and also, on "ask this old house"... we'll show you how to build a simple table and how to finish it the right way. man: and you can see that our top portion, closest to us, nice and even. look at the blotchiness we're getting down there.