>> bbc world news this week is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation, the john d. and katherine t.

macarthur foundation and union bank. union bank has put financial strength to work for a wide range of companies from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> >> and now, bbc world news. >> this week's headlines, north korea says she is an intelligent

funny lady but hillary clinton says they have no friends left. >> the united states and its friends and partners cannot accept a north korea that tries to maintain nuclear weapons. >> it is the fastest spreading pandemic ever. the world health organize says swine flu has affected almost every country. a turnabout. the only surviving gunman from the mumbai attacks now pleads guilty, an plunged into darkness, the longest total solar eclipse this century crosses asia. hello and welcome to this week, a review of the stories seen on bbc news over the past 7 days. diplomatic people normally trade-in sultses but north korea and clinton didn't hit it off. the u.s. secretary of state warned they have no friends left to back their nuclear ambitions. north korea in return described

the top diplomat as an unintelligent funny lady as they refused to enter talks to terminate nuclear weapons programs, and our correspondent discussed it with the secretary of state. >> in phuket, thailand, the north koreans and hillary clinton traded words. they called her an unfunny lady and she said they would have no friends. it was all about nuclear proliferation. the political turmoil inside iran has left washington grappling for a way forward for its attempts to engage its long-time foe. hillary clinton said tehran did not have the capacity to make decisions about relations with the outside world at the moment. >> we haven't had any response, so we have certainly reached out. we have made it clear that that's what we would be willing to do, even now, despite our ap

salute condemnation of what they have done in the election, and since. but i don't think they have any capacity to make that kind of decision right now. >> mrs. clinton said washington wanted to engage iran as a country, not any leader, in particular, and she repeated that the u.s. would continue to help up beef up the military capability of its allies in the gulf region who were worried about iran. the secretary of state said countries in asia were looking to connect with the burmese authorities to help them find a way forward. >> i think there is a willingness on the part of many neighbors and those who do business with burma to try to up the contact and the pressure to help them see the way forward. >> she also said burma's leaders feared international justice, and the country's neighbors were

starting to look at deals that would be brokered. bbc, news, phuket, thailand. awhile the secretary of state was being insulted at home, president obama suffered a set back for a reform to the healthcare system. they will not vote on the bill before the ugh ust recess as he had demanded. >> the president says healthcare reforms are not yet in the e.r. but they are looking a little unwell. today's mission then, the same as yesterday's, reach beyond washington to convince voters that he has the right diagnosis and treatment. while the doctor was out, a whole rash of politics erupted. the republicans want to pull the plug. >> this is not what the american people want. we believe it's time to throw this bill away. >> democrats in the house are promising to push on despite caucus divisions. >> the american people need

healthcare reform. >> we are committed to getting this thin done. >> but a a setback. the senate majority leader takes a vote before the august recess and says it is not a good idea. >> is better to have a product based on quality and thoughtfulness rather than trying to jam something through. >> when the president arrived at his town hall meeting in cleveland, he also had another important item to address with politicians back in washington. >> we heard today that while we may not be able to get the bill out of the senate by the end of august or the beginning of august, that's ok. i just want people to keep on working. just keep working. i want it done by the end of this year. i want it done by the fall. >> but the president has competition for the public's attention. air time is crammed with ads. >> my husband's job covered us,

until he was laid off. >> some friendly to his message -- >> senator jim demint and congressional republicans are trying to kill healthcare reform. 0thers are decidedly hostile. >> government-run health plan, you could end up with government bureaucrats taking away your choices. >> the side effects include bureaucratic waste and delay. >> don't folks say that somehow we're going to be forcing government-run healthcare. it's just not true. >> the president then is having to work hard to reassure the already insured that they won't get handed a big bill or bigger deficit. >> i won't sign it if that reformed as one dime over the next decade. i mean what i say. >> the president needs healthcare reform, but any delay or doubt hurts. bbc news, washington. >> now, the rest of this week's news and the only surviving gunman from last november's mumbai attacks shocked a court

in india by changing his plea to guilty. the pakistani citizen had previously insisted he was innocent, and he calmly detailed how he and nine other gunmen planned their attack and just how they were carried out. >> it was the iconic image of the mumbai raid. the sole surviving gunman caught on camera as he fired, reloaded and fired again. today, in a well-guarded courthouse, he shocked even his own lawyer. there he told the judge "i plead guilty to my kime." he earlier had denied his guilt. >> we have him on film shooting a police officer. >> the admission had him

describe in detail how he and the other gunmen arrived from pakistan and carried out the raid that wounded 160 people. he you this grenades and he faced 86 charges and the death penalty if convicted but who sent him? the key question is who recruited him? who trained him and sent him to mumbai to carry out the attack? this is the biggest question mark. he is cannoned forker. >> -- he is cannon fodder. >> he is believed to have links to pakistani intelligence, but experts doubt pakistan sanctioned the mumbai raid. they would have had liaison officers with agents in the camp, but was isi directly

involved in the manning of this particular operation? i think that is a harder question to answer. >> after his confession, it is doubted in pakistan but others say his testimony provided an intimate account of one of india's worst ever atrocities. >> the former president of peru was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of paying a $15 million bribe to his former security chief. he was already serving a 25-year term for human rights abuses. he told the court he paid the money to his aide because he feared he of planning to overthrow the government. at least 36 people died during the week after moon shoon rains in india. thousands of rice fields were damaged, and more rain is forthcoming. a group of clerics in iran including the former president

called for a national referendum on the election process after last month's disputed president presidential vote, saying it was the only way to get people he's trust in the system and the crisis that followed the event. 56 people, including journalists an academics went on trial in turkey accused of plotting against the government, accused of organizing an armed ter terror group with overthrowing the president there. >> where is the ambition? that was the gist of remarks by two of the astronauts who took part in the moon landing 40 years ago. neil armstrong, buzz armstrong and michael collins met president obama and called for fresh efforts to send a manned mission to mars. >> this of was their moment, ann the minds of global public, it has never really been surpassed. >> it is one small step for man,

one giant leap for mankind. >> neil armstrong and buzz aldrin walked on the moon 40 years ago today, and the stillness of the lunar surface, there's no wind there, means that the footprints are probably still there. nasa's released a recording of armstrong and aldrin talking in the lunar lander, as they descended to the surface of the moon. >> good to go. >> neil armstrong is an elderly man now, and you don't often see him in public, but he emerged to remind us that the space race was driven not by scientific endeavor, but by military and political competition with the soviet union, and it lasted only

a short time. >> the space race paved the way. it was the ultimate peaceful competition. usa versus ussr. >> and buzz aldrin, too, today pleaded for a mission to mars. >> leave the astronauts there, he said. >> the mission that accepts people there and brings them back is four times as expensive as if we just take them there and then supply them. >> images of the space station taken just a few hours ago, the space shuttle has made man's space life seem routine, even predictable. will america ever try to recapture the drama and the purpose of 40 years ago? >> bbc news, washington. >> it of a case of good news/bad news on washington's capitol hill. the head of the u.s. central

bank ben bernanke told congress that the economy should start picking up this year but then added the downside that unemployment currently at 9.5% of the workforce would inkeys. from new york, here is our business correspondent gregwood. >> the federal reserve has cut short some interest ates to record lows and pumped hundreds of billions into the banking system to counter effect the economic downturn. >> i present the semiannual monetary report to the congress. >> giving the report to congress, ben bernanke said these policies have helped to assert the collapse of the global financial system and would continue for some time. >> the u.s. economy contract contracted sharply. more recently, the pace of decline appearto have slowed significantly and final demand and production have shown tentative signs of stabilization. the labor market, however, has continued to weaken. consumer price inflation, which fell to low levels late last

year remain subdued in the first six months of 2009. >> however, as economic recovery takes hold, there is a danger that the sheer amounts of money in the banking system will cause inflation to take off again. mr. bernanke reassured congress that the fed had the necessary tools to implement an exit strategy and raise interest rates as needed. the federal reserve is under attack from some politicians in washington who believe it has become too powerful. they want to expand the authority of the government to audit the fed's decisions, including those on interest rates. ben bernanke warned that these moves would be seen as an attack on the independence of the federal reserve and could lead to higher interest rates and inflation in the future. >> bbc news, new york. >> in what was seen as a brave move, the japanese prime minister dissolved parliament and called early elections for next month. opinion polls suggest he is going to lose the vote on the

30th of august. he also apologized to the public for the failures of his government in the midst of the worst recession for 60 years. >> a new report by amnesty international criticized saudi arabia for detaining thousands of people without charge or trial since 2001. amnesty alleges widespread abuse in the name of counterterrorism and accuses the international community of keeping quiet about the issue. 11 people were killed when a building collapsed in pakistan's largest city, karachi. rescue teams worked throughout the night to find your survivors buried under the rubble. >> this week, a powerful weather front brought devastation to southwestern japan. torrential rain had a terrifying impact with landslides sweeping homes and vehicles away. at least 8 people died with many of them missing and about 400 evacuated in the guam guchy area. >> this is supposed to be the

end of japan's summer rain season, but the southwest of the country has seen torrential downpours. some roads were impassable, so reports of more than 100 landslides, and one is a nursing home for the elderly, killing some of those inside, but as rocked crashed into the ground floor of the building, homes and 90 people, most of them confined to wheelchairs. the survivors were taken to a nearby school. some had been rescued from the roof by helicopter. >> the japanese government has been collecting local information since last night and we have deployed our forces to guam guchy. workers searched for those missing, digging through the mud, hoping for signs of life. elsewhere in the region, a woman died in another landslide. her father was found dead after falling into a reservoir swollen

by rain, and hundreds of people had to be evacuated from their flooded homes. bbc news, tokyo. >> it's rich in oil, and it's been a flashpoint to the two decade-long war. it is between north and south sudan. the north has been awarded more of the mineral wealth after a dispute which saw 100 killed and tens of thousands knee their homes. -- thousands flee their homes. >> it has been coveted and fought over. now we know exactly what it consists of. the sued zahn ease couldn'ting a -- the sudanese couldn't agree on the borders of the oil rich region so-called on the court of arbitration to make a binding ruling setting out the limits. at the hague, senior members of the south and the north played a gentleman's agreement to accept the verdict. when it came, it clearly

delighted the north. >> we think about a minimum of 10,000 kilometres has been give tonight north. more importantly, this includes an oilfield that is the disputed oil field. we have made a very important gain in this award, although we have, of course, not been given all that we think was our right. >> the ruling could provoke new violence in sudan. in may of last year, as many as 100 people were killed and 50,000 fled to the armies in the north and the south clashed once more. the u.n. has stepped up his vigilance in the region. the head of the south delegation at the hague said there wouldn't be trouble. >> i would expect it i think there will be problems in the sued sudan. >> this area has been a source

of tension between the north and the south for years. political leaders are called for calm, but sudanese history counsels caution. concerned sudanese will be watching the reaction of those directly affected by the ruling very closely. bbc news. >> pakistan's former president has been summoned to appear in court after the dismissal of several dozen judges two years ago. he is facing challenges to his leadership in 2007. mr. musharraf declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution. legal documents launched in a court in houston confirmed that michael jackson's personal doctor was being investigated for possible manslaughter. federal agents raided dr. conrad murray's clinic in houston. the search warrant allowed the authorities to seek evidence to see if the dock doctor who was with michael jackson committed a

criminal offense. >> the world health organization says almost no corner of our man set free of swine flu. they say the virus has been traced in 160 of 193w.h.o. member states. so far, 800 people have died from h1n1. the organization says the pandemic is still in the early stages. it is possible 2 billion people could be infected before the pandemic wanes. >> the bad news is that swine flu has now spread to every corner of the globe. the good news is that the behavior of the virus isn't changing and most people have had mild symptoms, but there are urgent measures being taken to fight the disease, which has killed around 800 people and infected too many others to count, and it is still early days for this global pandemic. >> there are now 160 countries and territories infected out of a total of 193, and we do expect

eventually every country in the world to be infected. that's what a pandemic s. >> the first human trial for a vaccine began this week in australia, one of the worst affected countries. w.h.o. says health officials an drugmakers are trying to speed up production of a vaccine before a flu season in the northern hemisphere starts in the autumn, but it's taking time. >> you of course want to get out vaccine and as much as possible as quickly as possible. on the other hand, this are certain things which cannot be compromised, and one of the things which cannot be compromiseed is the safety of the vaccine. >> drug companies will, of course, do well as the pandemic spreads. makers of vaccines are saying that the mask business is soaring and here in britain a special hot behind is being set up to allow diagnosis and prescription of drugs over the phone. >> the big concern for the world health organization, though, is

the ability of poorer countries to respond to the virus. they have promised 150 million doses for developing countries and have been negotiating with manufacturers some more. >>w.h.o. says that the swine flu virus is unstoppable, that it is the fastest moving pandemic there has ever been and could still mutate into more dangerous forms. bbc news. >> this week china took more steps to the one child policy. urban couples are now being urged to have two children under certain circumstances. the measure has been agreed because china has an aging society and will need more young workers in the future. the interim government in honduras indroduced a publicity stunt, a brief trip back inside the country by the acting president manuel za lie ya. surrounded by supporters, he

retreated back across the border. >> european election service says the election in kaz zahn stel short of standards. the team from the human rights watch group reported ballot stuffing and many irregularities. tens of mill quons of people across asia this week had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness a tote total solar eclipse. day turned into night as the rays of the sun were blocked. reaction to this extraordinary moment were varied. others saw the eclipse as a bad omen. the shadow raced inland across india towards china. it reached its peak over the south pacific lasting for 6 minutes an 39 seconds. our correspondent was lucky enough to follow the memorable

moments of the eclipse. >> cruising at 41,000 feet to witness the celestial spectacle of the century, this, the moment of totality when the sun disappears from view, a magical sight that stayed for 6 and a half minutes and then it was over. >> everyone here is really excited and enthusiastic. we have a mixed bunch. we have eclipse chasers, people who will see this for the sixth or 7th time, first time amateur photographers, scientists and even a few children. now, these seats are the best ones in the house. they're the ones from where you can see the total eclipse and for this privilege, you pay a steep price, a thousand pounds or about $1,600. >> it was miraculous to look at that. it is unbelievable. i mean, i have seen photographs, but it's not the same as the real thing. >> i miss the diamond ring,

which i was very keen on because there was hype about it about the diamonds. i missed all that. anyone taking photographs, i couldn't ask to see it right then, so it was disappointing that i didn't see, that but on the whole, it was a fantastic trip, absolutely stunning. awhile they are struck by wonder above the clouds down below the moment inspired anxieties. >> many indians stayed indoors. others gathered at temples to offer special prayers, like this one in the town of mutteram. >> this 200 year old church gets devotes but today they believe you must show your fate to ward off evil -- show off your face to ward off evil so thousands came when the doors opened, pushing to make sure their prayers are heard. india is a country where ancient rituals echo in the

modern age. where many are still driven by the power of their faith, but the spirit of inquiry also has a rich tradition here, and the mysteries of the universe inspire wonder in all. >> that's all for this week. we will begin at the same time next week. bye. funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe vermont, and honolulu, the newman he's own foundation, the john d. and katherine t. macarthur foundation and union bank.

union bank has put its strength to a wide range of companies is from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you. i'm-ry louis gates, scwr and public broadcast something my source for news about the world for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. for conversations beyond the sound bytes a commitment to journal. >> ism, for decide hog to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington and public broadcast something my source for tem gent connections to my comiewngts -- for intelligent connections to my community. >> bbc world news this week was presented by kcet los angeles.