>> bbc world news is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding is provided by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. >> a lot of excited people in ghana as obama writes for the

first presidential visit to sub- saharan africa. more british soldiers have been killed in afghanistan and iraq. still high in the far west crowds, they are defying official orders to stay at home. welcome. coming up later for you, happy birthday, big band. a london landmark brings up 150 years. and take it to the bridge. the biggest names in american soul join forces today for a rumble in a jungle. barack obama has flown into ghana on his first african visit

as u.s. president. he carries with him a pledge of $20 billion from the richest nations to boost food production. it is a shift in policy welcomed by the u.n., an investment in agriculture. but it is not clear how much of the money is new. up to 23 billion is still outstanding from pledges made from the summit years ago. andrew reports now. >> late-night arrival in ghana. a visit for the first african- american president. they have been gearing up for the visit. this is something of a reward. it is often held up as a homecoming of sorts.

obama's life story means so much to so many. >> we adore him. he is everything we have dreamed of in a president. >> president obama as made it clear that he will use this opportunity to urge africans to take responsibility and unlocked the continent's true potential. he is also promising more support for agriculture. training from america has already helped them quadrupled their output. the west will open up subsidized markets. >> we wanted to open up africa to european markets. >> among those ploys to welcome

obama are going to ghana's traditional chiefs. >> he is my brother. i'm happy he came here and hope that he will help improve our lives. >> of course, there's no quick fix, and obama's message will inevitably get model and watered down. but with his popularity, his first black president does have a unique opportunity, to shake up this continent. >> we will look at a school to find out what children think. but first, it met with the pope for the first time and a half hour in a private audience. details have not been released. they agree on helping the poor

and climate change but disagree on abortion and stem cell research. people died from drinking illegal alcohol. a hundred have been detained in raids across the state. for the first time in 14 years, a man has been gored to death at the running of the bowls. a 27-year-old spaniard was caught by a bowl. several other people were injured. british forces in afghanistan are going through one of their worst weeks in combat in modern times. eight more have been killed in separate incidents. several deaths now number 184, more than in the iraq conflict. they're dangerously undercooked, and the prime minister has warned of a heart summer ahead.

>> in the skies, making the dead's final journey home. >> ♪ >> the coffins of five soldiers to return today taken respectfully by comrades, going to the chapel. then came a public display of respect. the town is silenced to honor the call that they will do again in the coming weeks. for some, grief was overwhelming. the bells tolled for the dead.

and the rifles were killing in a single incident. his life was lost again to an ied. now, more servicemen have died in afghanistan than did in iraq. >> it is tough going, because the taliban have rightly identified this is their ground. if they lose their, they lose everywhere, and they're throwing everything they have into it. but they are losing. the commanders are clear about that. but it is going to take time, and it does involve casualties. >> operation panther pasquale is taking its toll on both sides as forces continue major offensives. many soldiers are of little more than boys.

even life and death, and there fighting is some of the toughest in decades. >> we will help defeat this insurgency. >> into a dozen 1, casualties were low. the only soldier was a 23-year- old, who died in a suicide building -- bombing in 2004. in 2006, patricia forced death toll began to rise. they rose again in 2007, and people were killed that year.

and with eight more soldiers dead, the total stands at 184. this could be the bloodiest so far. it is a tragedy for, mets, family, and france. she endures this every day. >> there is no way to describe the feeling. >> more international news for you. the trial of the burmese opposition leader has resumed after a six-week delay. he is charged with breaking the

terms of a house arrest after an american man swam uninvited. he faces five years in jail if convicted. at least 400,000 people are in need of temporary shelter in southwest china. at least one person was killed, 300 injured. up to 18,000 homes have collapsed. peter harvey, 49, is accused of acting and -- attacking jeff waterhouse and a salt and other peoples at the same time. tensions are rising again in the chinese neighborhood of chi, with bloody clashes between muslims and han chinese. we managed to film some of the unrest and the official response.

he sent us this report. >> mosques were ordered to close, and the government expected trouble. with tensions running high, we were not taking any chances. muslims' demands justice. innocent men, they cry. >> there have been a group of men and women raising their voices in anger. so far, authorities have done nothing, but they are moving and to find control for the situation. >> they quickly surround a group.

look closely. on the left, an officer runs in. next, his hands are held. another officer punches him repeatedly. at this time, we had to stop filming. police began rounding up journalists. there are more intense than ever. the have flooded across the country. the state media is full of pictures of their bloody bodies, many demanding retribution. shortly after this, they are

under curfew. they fear for the safety and want to know what happened. we're in western china. >> after the election in iran, there is little sign that opposition to the re-election of mahmoud ahmadinejad is going away. our middle east editor was there at the height of the protest and has this report. >> this was pteron one day ago. teargas, the regime of's security forces, and demonstrators who will not be scared for the result of what they believe was a stolen election. the deal comes from the internet. the bbc cannot say when it was

shot. demonstrators are covering their own story. the disputed victory of a ahmadinejad had been a blow. they want more freedom and less powerful religious leaders. this crisis is not going away and continues to have a profound impact. in his latest speech, ahmadinejad found it necessary to justify the victory in what he called the freest election in the world. but moussavi is under great pressure and has been virtually invisible. the demonstrations are not ending.

at a friday prayer in tehran, the ayatollah gave the line that foreigners are responsible for what happened. this-no the has just been allowed to return to athens after going to jail. >> in a ramshackle faction, they decided to arrest. >> this was a cloud -- crowd returning to the protest. authority still not have an answer, except for the change coming from the streets. >> good to have you with us. coming up, first for ghana. african nation welcomes a special guest.

first, cheetahs are the largest -- fastest land animals on the planet. our scientists have become a study on how they can run so fast. >> they can go from 0 to 60 in just three seconds. they are as quick as the fastest ferrari. but this is still not understood, how they do it. scientists have, with a new way to shed light on it. they want to put them on a high- tech running track. >> this will measure every movement they make as the gallup. >> to study the animals in action, to stay away to get there.

they cannot resist a piece of string. they're running incredibly quickly. scientists can find out exactly how they're doing this. this footage will lead the team footage. they will look closely at how the animal rotates its shoulder blades, arches its back, and stretches its legs. they hope to get insight into how the animal generate such incredible speed. >> a study in london to see how much exercise was gotten. they attached speedometers to dogs.

the main headline this hour, barack obama has arrived in ghana, the first presidential visit to subs are in africa. -- sub-sahara africa. has brought huge pride to the population. he went to school to talk to students there about their expectations. >> i am here in the center accra. there's a lot of enthusiasm and the capital among young people. kids are excited about the visit of this man. let's see what they have to say. >> how are you? excellent. i want to ask you, do you know this man is? do you know who this man is? what is his name?

who is he? why are you excited about his visit? this is an historic event. he is the first african- american president of the u.s., and i am privileged to visiting my homeland. he inspires me. the way he does these things, he believes in himself and he is able to do what he wants to do. >> are you upset about the visit? >> yes. >> why? >> because it is the first up in american president and is coming to gotta. who would have ever thought he would come to visit donna?

-- ghana? >> who would like to stand in front of oracle, and say your name? who -- what would you say to him if you met him down the road? >> i think he is my role model because he is very courageous. he can do things without being scared, even though consequences may be bad. he takes it. he is the biggest president in the world. he has proven that black people can do exactly what white people can. >> that is what the kids are feeling right now and obviously there is more, but for these young folks, just having barack obama here is a gift. back to you in london. >> give us a call.

they are working the crowd. big band is an image defining london, and it has been one ended 50 years since it first rang out. we are here. >> they are the most famous bells. for 150 years, they have chimed every hour. they mark these changes, every hour, every year. it is a structural triumph of victorian engineering. first, it was set up in the yard, but shattered. it is melted down and recast, and the bell laboriously goes sideways by gangs of men up the tower. ever since, that represented london and britain around the world.

>> it was spread around the country. >> just as in prayer for -- as impressive as the mechanism below. this is due to the gravity. >> >> that is why the clock is still accurate. it is like going from a wristwatch to a digital watch. >> with only a handful unplanned stoppages.

>> is a 35 years since the boxing match between muhammad ali and george foreman. it was also the scene of sole power. we're talking about movies. >> september, 1974. a music concert here was planned as a sideshow to grumble and a jumble championship. the fight was postponed, but the concert went ahead. >> let's welcome the godfather of soul, james brown. ♪ >> james brown given electric performance. this a documentary is the

crystallization of footage, a labor of love. it was a unique cultural event. >> african-american music, james brown, became, and african music -- it was like having a concert of elvis, the beatles, and the rolling stones in one place. >> inc. it into deep rumble and a jumble fight. it was called when we were kings, and won an oscar 12 years ago, >> we have the notion we have not explored the foolish -- footage fully. there was more to be brought

out, and it took another 12 years to but wherewithal to bring it together, you know. >> you also talked about black musicians coming together. as a cross your mind you are a white storyteller and you were telling a black store? >> in some ways, it was daunting and terrifying, because i had no idea if i was capable. i have been very gratified after the fact, and they have really expressed their ideas. a charismatic muhammed ali. >> >> it is a political film, because we do see a rally on numerous occasions been quite political.

>> whether mohammed ali gave voice to it or james brown, they were politicized people. it is historical. >> a james brown, who died in 2006, thought there was an important message in this concert. a demonstration of self-respect, connection, and the importance of groups. it was all the black power, solar power. -- sole power. -- soul power. ♪ >> talking movies. that is some real power. what's more on that bbc.com. thank you for being with us. >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.

funding made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation.