>> and now "bbc world news." >> thehe worst is division -- civilian casualty figures are in the afghan conflict. the u.s. blames them on the taliban. ed aid agencies called for more generous aid to flood victims in pakistan. china searches for more than 1000 still missing in mudslides caused by heavy rain. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you -- scientists developed a new brain scan that detects tumors with 90% accuracy. hello to you.

suicide bombers have struck again in the afghan capitol, this time leaving at least two dead. the united nations issued figures confirming that civilians are paying an ever- higher price for the conflict. casualties among civilians have jumped to 31% compared to the first half of last year. the u.s. as most of the killing is being done by the taliban. we have this from kabul. clacks out in a small garden in a poor neighborhood -- >> in a small garden in a poor neighborhood. moniqa is barely old enough to understand this war, but she is already a victim of it. she was caught in a bomb blast. her leg was blown off. it is at night when she suffered most. that is when the nightmares,.

>> a few nights back, i saw the bomb again. the heads, the eyes, the arms, and legs. i get scared every time i see the foreign soldiers that there might be another bomb. >> she is not alone. and new report shows a 30% rise in sid vicious -- civilian casualties, with women and children increasingly the victims. >> by looking at the figures we have in front of us come up we have a number and the tendency and a trend of increases which we have the duty to raise publicly. >> the response came a few hours later, with yet another strike by insurgents. a security firm was attacked. after a brief gun battle, there exploded of suicide vest. it killed two people, but local

afghans. it is a demonstration of the rising violence across afghanistan and in the cities that are supposed to be protected by a ring of steel. the u.n. says the taliban are responsible for three-quarters of all leases visby and -- of all the civilian casualties. we contacted at taliban spokesperson. speaking by phone, he denied killing civilians and accused the u.s. of propaganda. but the u.s. have looked at all the figures, and they say the insurgents, the taliban and those who fight with them, are responsible for three-quarters of all civilian casualties in afghanistan. >> again, a denial, but a revealing explanation of what he thinks is legitimate. >> wheat target those afghans who work for the government or -- wheat target this afghans to

work for the government or foreigners. they deserve to be killed. >> what really matters here are the victims. this girl does not care who is to blame. she wants something very few afghans know, to live in peace. bbc news, kabul. >> and aid agency as saying the flooding in pakistan is on the scale of i-a disaster that needs of mega response -- a the scale response mega-disaster that needs a mega-response. orla guerin reports from pakistan. >> in pakistan, is a time of morning -- mourning. so many have lost so much. they lost two homes. they were swept away by the

flood. her baby died needlessly. >> my son got diarrhea and fever duty drinking dirty water. he died on the way to the hospital. >> many say they are victims twice over, and made homeless by the floods and neglected by the government. >> our houses have been destroyed, with all our belongings. on top of all that, the government is doing nothing. >> some food supplies are reaching those in need, but victims say it is too little, too late. aid agencies are warning more lives could be lost because of the world has been slow to respond. >> if supplies do not arrive in humanitarian operations do not go up very quickly, then there is a very serious risk that many people will die. >> aid workers say they do not

understand why these scenes have not made the international community to dig deeper. donors may be worried about government corruption, but it is the flood victims who will be paying the price. every day, the flood waters are causing fresh destruction. more homes lost, where crops slashed away. the government is trying to stem the damage and count the cost. aid agencies say they have not been forthcoming until now. orla guerin, bbc news, when job. >> neighboring china has been hit by the worst floods in a decade. in the northwest of the country, a landslide has killed at least 700. that number is confirmed, but more than 1000 are still missing. from there, chris hogg reports. >> the mud washed over the small

town in a moment. for some, the enormity of what has happened is only now starting to sink in. families were buried alive in their beds. the mud swallowed them up as they struggled. we found this woman grieving for her younger sister. for three days, she has waited, watched as the rescuers searched this rescue and relief operation as well under way now. you can see they have a lot of boots on the ground. it is a tricky operation. it is very unsteady. what they are trying to do is dig out wherever they think there is a chance that somebody is under need the foundations of these houses. this woman was trapped for 24

hours. she survived, but lost her family, her teenage children and her husband, too. >> we were trying to get them out when the mud came. but it blocked the door too quickly. i escape, but they did not. >> she knows her children are gone, but she was to see them one last time. she is hurt, but she will not give up on them. >> the biggest problem we face is the victims are all over. we cannot keep track of them. we are just trying to treat you ever weekend. >> the destruction wrought by the weather in china is the worst in a generation. floods and landslides have left thousands dead and missing. and more torrential rain is expected. chris hogg, bbc news, northwest china. >> well, these dreadful weather

events related? we will be hearing a lot more on that later in the program. i think crash in alaska has killed five people, including former u.s. senator ted stevens. he was the longest-serving republican senator in history before he stepped down last year. and nasa administrator was on the flight with his son. it is reported but survived. russia has criticized the prime minister for being on vacation while the country struggled with wildfires around region. he suggested there were no fires. -- there was no crisis. hugo chavez is seeking to rebuild relations with neighboring colombia. he said he wanted to ensure a unity and peace, and the meeting is being called a historic.

there is hope for lasting agreement. now, president obama entered office with one of his first tasks to set ad deadline for the -- to set a deadline for the closing of guantanamo bay. it has been eight years cents omar khadr was captured on an afghan battlefield. he was 15 then. now he is facing trial. we have this. >> when hundred 76 detainees are still being held in accounts of guantanamo at the edges of cuba. this morning, the youngest of began his trial. omar khadr was just 15 when he was detained. he has spent a third of his life in guantanamo. he appeared in court in a suit and tie to watch the jury being

selected. the pictures show an added tension. his lawyers say he is a victim, not a war criminal. other detainees in guantanamo await trial or return home. their continued detention is a clear reminder of a broken presidential promise. president obama said he would shut down the camp within a year of taking office and transfer all detainees to prisons in the united states. but the u.s. congress blocked its plan, and the detainees at remain on the base. >> his hands, to a certain extent, have been tied by the republicans and some conservative democrats. congress also has had a variety of crises. not least of these the economy. it is disappointing to many people. there are extenuating circumstances. >> president obama has failed to

shut guantanamo. the military is now putting on trial a man accused of committing crimes while he was a child. you would think that these two facts which caused huge problems for the president. not so. the detainees are far away. they are being punished. that seems to suit the president's public. bbc news, washington. >> a group of international human rights organizations is putting pressure on the website wikileaks. they are being asked to remove the names of afghan civilians in leaked u.s. military reports. the group's include amnesty international. they say that the civilians could be at risk. a new report accuses chinese zoos of treating animals barbaric way. of hong kong-based foundation says 13 chinese zoos have pared

their regularly whipped, tigers and lions battered the clot, causing incredible pain, and elephants trodden with metal hoods. thousands of supporters at cheered and danced as results came in from the presidential election. early results suggest mr. kagame has won at around 92% of the vote. thank you for being with us on "bbc world news." stay with us, if you can. still to come -- mobile phones have become an essential part of our everyday. what can we do each print tech ourselves? -- to protect ourselves? first, tens of thousands of workers have taken to the streets of south africa as part of a nationwide one-day strike. it includes nurses and police.

the unions say they could join the demonstration. our correspondent reports from victoria. the strikes have become part of the rich tapestry of south african politics. >> in a full voice and force, south africa's public-sector workers -- teachers, immigration staff, so she -- shoulder to shoulder. >> when you look in the newspapers -- up to nine%, 11%. >> they say they are here because the basic cost of living is too high. >> [unintelligible] i am hungry. >> around south africa, it is

threatening to bring the country to a standstill. but in reality, some workers stayed away, perhaps knowing that emerging from recession would be tough. [unintelligible] they held back on sanctions during the football world cup curia here it is. this brought president zia much to power. -- zuma to power. what happens when the government decides to ride on its world cup success and create more jobs? it may look like a standoff between unions and the ruling party, but it is all part of the theater of south african politics. bbc news, victoria. >> this is "bbc world news." at the headlines for you this hour -- united nations says the conflict in afghanistan has had

more a civilian injuries than ever before. there are concerns that not enough is being done to help the victims of floods in pakistan. monsoon rains killed hundreds and leave millions homeless in china and pakistan, afghanistan, in india. russia suffers sweltering temperatures and killer smog. it's all this lethal weather related? >> is all to do with the global weather patterns, and particularly to do with the jet stream, which is fast moving and high in the atmosphere, around 35,000 feet. let's take moscow for example. 39 degrees celsius at the end of july, 15 degrees above average. the reason is, all the hot air is in the mediterranean. with the jet stream so far north, it sucks up all that and takes it to moscow.

it would not normally be there, but the wave, as we like to call it, would be much fatter. as a result, it goes that far north. it also goes much further south. it is well to the north of pakistan. but because it is dipping so low, it is taking the pressure systems. in india, it is our monsoon. it is not unusual for it to be wet. there are heavy showers. but the combination of the months and and the fact that we have become a nation of the monsoon and the jet stream, you get more suction, like a vacuum cleaner, a big vacuum cleaner that sucks up more and more moisture. we have a lot coming off of b.c., and hence, we have more rainfall. what will happen in the next week or so, the jet stream will be on again.

it is now acting china more. heavy rain in china. it is all linked. >> scientists have developed a new brain scan which can detect autism with more than 90% accuracy. researchers from king's college, london, say this will make diagnoses quicker and more straightforward. some experts are saying more research is needed before this technique can be widely used. >> this is a technique scientists hope will revolutionize the process of diagnosing autism. it took years for joe to get a conventional diagnoses, but researchers here believe of brain scan could have made it possible to detect immediately. the images are fed into a computer which makes minute, detailed measurements. a close-up of his brain looks

pretty much like anybody else's, but those measurements should reveal 10 differences. the colors are key. the changes in shape and thickness associated with autism. >> on the left -- >> joe's scans put him at the forefront of the spectrum. they detect adult autism with more than 90% accuracy. they say this could transform diagnosis. >> we need an expert team. at there are not many of those around. it would take an expert team many years to research this. in only a few minutes, this computer program can interpret the brain scan. >> i need to physically see it. i have been waiting for this for an awful long time. >> chris waited years to be told

he had as burgers -- asbergers. known the truth that meant everything to him. he welcomed getting a faster, clearer diagnosis. >> this cloud of not knowing was taken away dramatically. what it meant was i would be able to have this understanding and the skills to manage myself in a situation that would normally baffled and confused me. >> the specialists can help in this adult center. but experts say a new test only goes so far. >> diagnosis is only the start of a process. from there, and need to be people with individual needs said they can be rejected in get the support that they need. >> autism is a poorly-understood

condition, but this research may just cast light on its condition. >> you may remember back in the day when we used mobile phones only to call other people. some applications we download r booby trapped to access -- are booby trapped to access private information. we have more. >> when mobile funds were launched in 1980's, the idea of receiving calls on the go out seems like a miracle. today, they organize every aspect of our lives, so that they become of gold mine of information some people are keen to get their hands on. >> it is inextricably linked to people's lives and their wallets. people start sensitive information. by inserting viruses into these applications are on to the

device, they now have access to a range of information. >> many of the handy programs on the new funds are down loaded from other devices. a small minority are the work of criminals wanting to access the data on your phone. to understand, i created a program in which steals information and spies on the owner. it is easily done using technology that exists on my. my program resembles and not the game, but underneath, it is sending e-mail. >> that is the scary thing. it looks like a simple game or something that is a simple application that is fun. it can have behavior that is not visible at the circus. that behavior can be things like looking into the gps at tracking information out your phone, looking at the messages.

>> there are ways of finding out if your hands that is running one of these. >> there are telltale signs. all of a sudden your battery life deteriorates. that might indicate that someone has taken over your phone overnight. if there are strange numbers on your phone bill, that might indicate something. >> some stores selling these programs say if you stay alert and to stay on top of your bill, you should keep up with criminals. bbc news. >> as a child, he was all too often found brawling on street corners. but he became of gold matter -- a gold medal winner. chris hogg went to meet him in the mongolian capitol. >> battling it out.

mongolia at's best boxer. 2012 is two years away. competition is still fears. the national contest a week to show you have what it takes -- the national contest away to show you have what it takes to win an olympic gold. >> boxing is becoming more and more popular here. that is largely due to the success of this man. he is voted the best boxer in the world and in 2008. that year, he won an olympic gold for beijing. he plans to repeat this. frustratingly for him go, -- though, he is confined to the gymnasium.

>> i can not deserve that. >> as soon as the and the banks are over, you start preparing. -- as soon as the olympics are over, you start preparing. mongolians are no different. i set myself the goal of going to the olympics in 2012. >> this is where he started, a rough neighborhood on the edge of the capitol. his upbringing was troubled. >> my father told me, do not fight on the streets. that is not real fighting. if you are really good at it, do it in the ring and be a success. >> but olympians do not rest when there is hope for future glory. six days a week, he trains, even in subzero mongolian winter. there is extra pressure this time round. mongolians watched him win that e goal.

now they expect another. >> much more on line, on twitter, and facebook. thank you for watching. >> 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 offers unique

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