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>> mass murder near the u.s. border. more than 70 bodies are found in mexico. a mystery visit. kim jong il leaves for china. as the american military winds down its combat role, iraq is hit by a series of deadly bombings. she lay's trapped miners are finally told -- she lay -- chile's traps miners are finely told it could be months before they see daylight again. welcome to bbc news. mexican officials investigate the death of 72 people found murdered in a ranch in the north of the country. they say they were migrants

trying to reach the united states. they say they had come from south and central america. their bodies were found after a shootout between expected drug traffickers and security forces. >> these are the first pictures of the man who tipped off mexican authorities about the bodies of our remote ranch. he is recovering at a hospital after being shot as he escaped. he say the bodies belong to migrants. he says they were kidnapped by one of mexico's most powerful drug cartels. the gang demanded money from them. when they refuse to play, they were killed. the authorities say it showed their inhumanity. agai>> this is an extremely sers event, which is absolutely outrageous.

it demands complete condemnation from society and authorities. >> the president of mexico declared war on the drug cartels almost four years ago. during that time, 28,000 people have died in drug-related violence. 50,000 troops have been mobilized, but there is no sign mexico is winning its war. they have kidnapped thousands of migrants, holding them for ransom, or making them work as hit men. this latest discovery shows how brutal the challenge the drug game still pose to the mexican government. >> the north korean leader is said to have left aboard his special train. analysts were trying to discover the purpose of the visit.

what more should we read into this. >> south korean government officials have said they detected some signs they left the early hour thursday morning. q lasagna on previous trips has already chosen that method of transport. speculation -- kimco ideal -- kim jong il has already chosen a method of transport. the second area of possible the session will be the succession process. the north korean leader is reported to be in still held at

the moment. there are widespread reports that some preparations for passing power to his third son has begun. reports of a major meeting will be held in september to discuss some of those issues, and it could be this is kim jong il keeping his chinese benefactor's informed of that process. >> this comes as jimmy carter has arrived in north korea in a mission to free someone. >> he arrived yesterday afternoon. he was greeted in john e. yang by senior officials. he is trying to secure the release of a 30-year-old american citizen. -- he was greeted in p'yongyang by senior officials.

he is said to be a devout christian concern about north korean human rights, and mr. carter will continue discussions, and some reports suggest the prisoner could leave sometime today. >> at least 50 people have been killed in a series of apparently coordinated bomb attacks. the deadliest killed 19 people. several hit baghdad, including a suicide bombing. >> most of the bombs targeted the police. he drove into a parking lot next to a police station and destination this bomb. at least 60 people were hurt.

>> as i walked into the police center, there was an explosion. i saw my colleagues lying dead on the ground. >> another suicide bomber drove a car into a police compound. about 15 people died the year, 10 of them policemen. -- died here, 10 of them policemen. >> i do not know what is going on. where is the protection? >> the bomb exploded less than 24 hours after americans said troops strength was below 50,000, the number permitted to stay until the end of next year. these are the first serious incidences' in more than a week since tuesday.

>> someone has shot two police officers and the interpreter in afghanistan. security forces returned fire and killed them. in pakistan, threatening new areas. more than three-quarters of people can only be reached by the air, and the u.n. says it needs at least 40 more helicopters to get supplies to people. >> in southern pakistan, some of the flood victims are getting desperate. this is a fight for clean drinking water and a little bit of food. the united nations says 800,000

people are currently stranded. they can only read frigid be reached by the air. he lives of -- they can only be reached by the air. he lives on a small island. >> i want the water to go away and never come back again. i want an education and a happy life. >> there are frantic efforts to prevent the water doing further damage. volunteers are filling sandbags and carrying them up the slope. this is one part of a huge network of flood defenses. the side of the defensive wall is gradually being washed away by the water, so the critical question is, can the sandbags hold back the flood until the water levels start to receive? in the last few hours, local people say the levels have actually been rising. at the water's edge at the end

of the road, people know their fate is not entirely in their own hands. across the water a few miles from here is a town nearly submerged, but this is as far as we could go. as the floods continued to flow toward the sea, safety for one community can mean big trouble for others further downstream. >> meanwhile, a senior u.s. official has told the bbc the taliban plans to conduct attacks against foreigners, helping and flood relief operations in pakistan. >> the u.s. government is speaking off the record about this particular threat, but the message is clear. a senior administration official says the pakistani taliban is

planning the attack against foreigners working on relief operations inside pakistan. an official who declined to be named goes on to say something else. the official says the pakistani taliban may also be planning attacks against ministers in islamabad. no other information has been provided.

they do by >> to improve contact, the you in says it has a difficult task to protect civilians. it is a vast country with little infrastructure. it says it is doing the best it can with limited resources. there is a real question about what went on, and they have told us they are looking over everything from the nature of how they are conducted to the nature of communications and how those can be improved. he said he felt compelled to ask what more could have been done, and he urged the security council to look into the situation, and they have told us they are expecting to have an emergency session.

>> still ahead, the art of footwear, including the high yields that famously toppled naomi campbell -- high heels the famously toppled naomi campbell. talking about draining a lake near mons long mont blanc -- mont blanc. water flooded the valley, killing 175 people in the past. >> europe's highest mountain, towering 5,000 meters above sea level. it overshadows the entire alpine village, a popular place for hikers and climbers, but between the summit and the valley floor is a hidden lake. these images show water trapped beneath the glacier. it is a volume equivalent to the

size of 26 olympic swimming pools. at least 175 people drowned when the water escaped. so they will begin sinking applied to withdraw the first pocket of water. -- a pipe to withdraw the first target of water. >> it is an area prone to avalanches. we do not have much time to operate. we do not know if the weather will be ok. >> it should -- it could create a torrid eight times bigger than the original volume of water. it is a recent cold snap that is thought to have frozen the

natural drainage routes. they do not know what happens once the water is removed, but there is an evacuation in place. >> it is a reminder of the headline. officials in mexico investigating the death of 72 people found in the north of the country say they were migrants trying to reach the united states. kim jong il has reportedly left for china aboard his special train. at least 50 people have been killed in a series of coordinated bomb attacks aimed mainly at the police. sales of new homes in the united states have tumbled to their lowest level in 40 years. this is a day after statistics show existing homes had hit a 15-year low.

>> in alexandria, va., they are busy building new homes. the bulldozers that can help dig our economy out of its whole are working, but for how much longer? this property is lucky to have several interested buyers, but since the tax credits expired in april, fewer people are putting their money in britain and mortar. >> there is a mad rush. a lot of people want to buy houses. it does not matter. we are seeing that change a lot. >> 266,000 new homes were sold in the united states last month. that is the lowest level in nearly 50 years, and that is a problem for the broader economy. fewer home sales mean fewer jobs in the construction industry, a sector that traditionally power's recovery.

each new home creates new jobs every year, but nervous buyers have particular concerns about new homes. >> my clients are worried about how long it is going to take. are they going to be living in construction for a year or two years? are they going to be able to complete it? >> one firm that probably will not be going out of business any time soon, this cafe where president obama bought his lunch. he shows the signs of enjoying his holiday, but housing figures will make his return to washington even tougher. the effects are huge, and the difficulty of selling homes is fuelling fears of a double-dip recession. the industry that got us here could be about to affect us

again. >> the bodies of eight victims of monday's deadly bus seats have been returned to hong kong. flies were flown at half mast for a second day, and the government -- flags were flown at half mast for a second day, and the government ordered three minutes of silence. many were upset about the handling of the bus seat. the 33 chilean miners trapped underground were told they may not be rescued for several months. they have already been there for 20 days, and they were able to send messages to loved ones. >> meandering through the desert came more members of this ever- growing rescue team and with them those that will dig toward the trapped miners and hopefully set them free. cheered on by the relatives, engineers hope to have the drill up and running by the weekend.

a telephone line dropped down the release shaft. they heard from the chalet and president. he told them he would do everything he could to ensure they are back with their families as soon as possible, and this was their reaction. relatives remain camped outside the mine, waiting and hoping, but also ready to write letters and receive them from their loved ones below. gomez is oldest of the miners, age 63. >> in the letter, he explained to me he is ok and we should not worry. he is looking forward to being with me and his daughter and grandson. >> these 33 men are fast becoming national heroes in their countries. they could be trapped another

four months, and there are no guarantees. for the relatives, there will be many more long and sleepless nights. today, another twist in the remarkable fell. it has emerged one of the miners proposed to his wife. they married 25 years ago, but now he says he once a church wedding as soon as he gets out. >> tiger woods has been speaking. they're now trying to help their children cope after the split. >> i wish for the best. it is a sad time in our life, and we are looking forward to how we can help our kids the best we possibly can, and that

is the most important thing. as far as the game and practicing, that has been severed. we are trying to get our kids used to our living conditions. >> an organization is taking a stand in favor of building a mosque near the site of the world trade center in new york. the organization is made up of more than 40 religious and civic groups and includes families of the victims of the attack. they have met with fierce opposition, mainly because of the location. and someone got shot in the head was -- but was apparently too drunk to notice. he started getting headaches. doctors found a 22 caliber

bullet lodged in the skin of the back of his head. the second son of the former king of greece has been married. a who's who of european royalty greeted the couple. hundreds of line the streets to catch a glimpse of the couple as they were taken in a horse-drawn carriage. vivian wedgewood has unpacked 37 pairs of shoes. the show includes a pair of the electric boat heels -- a lecture blow heels that famously laid low a fashion icon. >> here is the affect. one of the most famous moments when naomi campbell toppled off her rather tall shoes.

this is the woman who designed them, vivian wedgewood, surrounded by more than 200 examples of her attention- grabbing footwear. >> everything has to be sexy. that is what my job is. i suspect ideas enter into fashion. we have some good ideas for flat shoes, too. >> she has rated the toy box to create styles and covers -- styles and colors, many you will not be able to afford or where, but this is fashion as an artistic statement, and if you manage to stand up, you will make an impression. what of that moment in 1993, when gravity got the better of mrs. campbell? >> it looks like a gazelle in slow-motion.

it was fantastic. she never looked more beautiful. she is a very proud woman of course, so she laughed, but when she got backstage, she was so angry at me. >> vivian wedgewood says she does not have a thing for shoes even though they have made her famous, but when she says she enjoyed having fun with them, she is speaking from a heart. >> david cameron's newborn dollar has been named after a village in cornwall where they visited after holiday. president obama called mr. cameron on wednesday to offer his congratulations. more than 70 people killed in a ranch in mexico are known to be migrants from other latin american countries. at least 50 people have been killed in a series of apparently coordinated bomb attacks across iraq. you are watching bbc news.

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