tonight on "worldfocus" -- president obama welcomes iraq's prime minister to the white housea midst u.s. concerns over increasing violence and growing signs of a rift between american and iraqi forces. it is a key link between u.s. war effort in afghanistan and a source tension between russia and america. tonight, we see what the locals think about the u.s. military presence in the central asian nation of kyrgyzstan. millions of nations turn their eyes to the skies. as dawn turned to darkness across that continent, it was the longest solar eclipse. and we have the amazing pictures. plus, britain's take on the u.s. banking crisis. it's a segment that we like to call "how they see it." tonight's report from itn is bound to raise eyebrows. from the world's leading reporters and analysts, here is what's happening from around the world.

this is "worldfocus." made possible, in part, by the following funders -- good evening. i'm martin savidge. president barack obama and iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki sat down face to face today for meetings at the white house squaring off over the drawdown of american troops and concerns over the rising violence in iraq. today, not far from baghdad, two bombs exploded in a market killing at leple and wounding dozens. it was the second day of bombings in what appears to be a growing campaign of religious and ethnic violence between shiite and sunni muslims. the united states wants prime minister maliki shiite allies to share more power with the minority sunnis but a "washington post" diplomatic correspondent karen de young reports, the iraqi leader has his own set of demands. >> the iraqis i think have sort

of a split personality about this. they would like more economic assistance from the united states in terms of investment. they would like u.s. military backup to be there but for it to be unseen unless they decide they needed and asked for it. the united states would like iraq to once and for all solve the sectarian differences that have kept them from making real economic and political progress. they're worried about the elections upcoming in january. late this afternoon mr. obama and prime minister maliki appeared together after their white house private meeting. >> now we're in the midst of a full transition to iraqi responsibility. and to a comprehensive partnership between the united states and iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect. the success of this transition is critically important to the security and prosperity of our people. and it a top priority of my administration. >> translator: i have discussed

today with president obama about ways to activate the strategic relation on the economic front, cultural front, educational front, commercial front and in every possible area where the united states can play a role in supporting the iraqi government and the efforts of the iraqi government to build a state of law, a state based on constitution and federalism. >> we wanted to go a little deeper tonight on iraqi/american relations so we are joined from washington by joost hiltermann. he is with the international crisis group. thanks very much for being with us. >> thank you. >> it's been several weeks now, of course, since all u.s. troops in iraq pulled out of the cities and moved to their bases in the countryside. what has the effect been for security in that country? >> i think on the security front we don't see a huge difference because american troops were not really present in urban areas to any great extent expect for the

capital baghdad and this is the one place where the iraqi security forces are strongest in all of the country. so the impact has been minimal. i think the security situation has remained fairly stabile over the past few months. bombs continue to go off especially in areas that are less secure. some towns like mosul remain profoundly unhappy places. but the american forces weren't really there in great numbers to begin with. but the impact from the withdrawal of troops from urban areas is mostly political. it's an important milestone from the obama administration. it's thfirst step of the troop withdrawal that it has announced. and, secondly, it is often incredibly great importance for the maliki government because they were able to claim victory to say, listen, american troops are leaving. iraq is our country and we can manage it ourselves. >> what would happen, say, if that security sith were to deteriorate further? >> well, it could. because we're facing legislative

elections in january of 2010. and beyond that with an american troop withdrawal, you could well see that some of the political groups that are talking today may end up fighting. if that happens, we don't know what could happen. it could really deteriorate. our significant fault lines in iraq with problems that have remained unaddressed. the surge brought us a measure of security, but it did not bring political deals and i think this is extremely alarming and this is one reason why the obama administration is starting to put some attention on the need for political deals in iraq. >> well speaking of that, vice president biden recently in iraq. he reportedly put a lot more pressure on the government to move more swiftly to reach political agreements amongst the rival groups. have you seen progress? >> not yet. i think what is required is real american diplomatic muscle, supporting the united nations. the united nations is heavily involved now in discussions over some of the most difficult questions. and there is a process for that.

but talks are going very slowly. things are pretty stuck. and i think we have kurdish elections in a few days. and then we have iraqi parliament elections. it's going to be very difficult to close any deals during election season. but preparatory work will be undertaken now with american support. and then hopefully some deals can be reached sometime next spring. >> joost hiltermann, thank you very much for speaking with us. >> my pleasure. thank you. in afghanistan today, two more american servicemen were killed in a bomb attack. that brings the death count for july to 34. it is the deadliest month for americans since the start of the war, nearly eight years ago. 18 british troops have also been killed this month. with roadside bombs now the leading killer of troops, itn reports that there is a continuing controversy in britain about the availability of helicopters to transport soldiers and marines more safely. >> reporter: the political pressure is rising on the deployment of helicopters to afghanistan.

the route centers helicopters such as chinooks which are used to carry troops. the argue being that sold are more at risk of being killed by improvised explosive devices if they're traveling by ground than transported by air. now the foreign office minister lord malik brown has stepped into the fray telling "the daily telegraph" -- >> we definitely don't have enough helicopters. when you have these modern operations and insurgent strikes what you need, above all else, is mobility. >> reporter: 18 british soldiers have died in afghanistan since the beginning of this month. 15 of them were killed either by explosions or ieds. seven british soldiers have died in "operation panther's claw." which is aimed at securing helmand province ahead of next month's elections. lord malik brown also says the public should had been forewarned about the likelihood about the sudden rising stemming from this offensive.a

who died in helmand on monday. his name is captain shepard. the 28-year-old from the royal logistic corps is described by his commanding officer as unbelievably courageous. his wife says she has just not lost a husband but a best friend. appear not only a war in afghanistan but also a battle between the british army and downing street. the intervention of lord malik brown, who leaves his post at the end of this week, comes ahead of the army. criticized the government for failing to supply enough troops, equipment or vehicles. the chief of dissent staff has made similar assertions. >> the more that you can increase your tactical flexibility by moving people by helicopter then the more uncertain, more unpredictable your movements become to the enemy. >> people like the prime minister, the secretary of state, the defense, the generals they know in their hearts of what we've got in afghanistan is not advocate to meet the needs. what they're trying to do is put on -- at least some of them are

putting on a public face that there is enough equipment there. >> reporter: the government's always said that fighting the taliban in afghanistan is essential to preventing terrorism in britain. but lord malik brown says somalia and pakistan prevent a greater threat. interestingly, just ahead of the prime minister's press conference, he's issued a clarification, saying they're without doubts sufficient resources for current british military operations in afghanistan. prime minister gordon brown also weighed in today. saying that british forces do have enough helicopters for the current mission andta more are on the way. the war in afghanistan is growing on every front. and there are some concerns in that part of the world that it could spill over into neighboring central asian countries with predominantly muslim populations. one of those countries is kyrgyzstan where the u.s. has an important base. as we hear now in this report from deutsche welle the kyrgyzs are debating a military presence there. >> reporter: waiting for the

next flights to afghanistan, the manas air base in northern kyrgyzstan is a vital link in the supply chain providing u.s. forces in afghanistan with fuel, hardware and additional troops. but all of this costs money, since a new deal in june, the u.s. has been paying an annual rent of $60 million. >> translator: to keep the base going, the u.s. was ready to pay three times more than they used to. they want relations with kyrgyzstan based on partnership but the government in bishkek dictated the terms. that shows how important the base is to the u.s. >> reporter: it's summer vacation at this school a few kilometer from the base, but even now there's plenty going on. u.s. soldiers are welcome here. teachers say they've been a help to the school. >> translator: whenever something needs to be repaired or needs painting, the americans always jump in to help, but most of all, i appreciate the good

relationship they have with our children. >> reporter: it's a different story in villages under the man of a flight path. here, locals have little sympathy for the u.s. presence. >> translator: the americans only cause us harm, that's for sure. it would be better if they went home. >> translator: all the trees have withered away. all of our lovely pears and apples. fruit just doesn't grow anymore. >> reporter: villagers complain that u.s. planes have been dumping fuel before landing causing damage to the health and the local environment. u.s. denial meets with a skeptical response. >> translator: they're always dumping something from their planes. i don't know what it is, but the air gets worse and the weather changes. we've been promised help but nothing has happened so far.

>> reporter: russia is also uncomfortable with the u.s. presence in the region, but analysts stress that doesn't mean moscow wants america to fail in afghanistan. a victorious taliban could threaten russia's borders. instead, moscow sees the u.s. as a competitor in a strategically important region in its own backyard. >> translator: central asia is rich in raw materials, like natural gas and oil. that makes the whole region interesting. that's why russia, china and the americans are competing for influence here. >> reporter: for now, analysts say the conflict in afghanistan takes precedence. both the u.s. and russia want security in the region. but if and when that's achieved, that competition will heat up more than ever. >> the pentagon told us today there was one emergency fuel dumping incident over kyrgyzstan in 2008. but that "it evaporated before it hit the ground and caused no harm to the environment." there are new signs today that peace talks between israel

and syria might resume soon. the turkish prime minister, who left for meetings in syria today, said that he's gotten requests to mediate new negotiations. syria cut off earlier in direct talks to protest the israeli invasion of gaza. and now to saudi arabia, which tonight's being accused by amnesty international of gross violations of human rights by secretly detaining thousands of people under the cover of a campaign against terrorism. the report said the prisoners are held without access to lawyers and that many are tortured. a saudi official told the associated press that the amnesty charges "have to be proven." australia began a first human trials of a new swine flu vaccine this week. with winter under way in the southern hemisphere, australia is racing to try to stop the spread of the new flu that has killed 41 people there so far. here in the u.s., the government

says it needs several thousand volunteers to sign up to test a new swine flu vaccine now in development before the disease re-emerges this fall. secretary of state hillary clinton sent a new warning to iran today. saying the united states would consider creating a "defense umbrella." the promise of u.s. retaliation over the middle east if iran continues to try to build nuclear weapons. mrs. clinton later said her comments did not mean the obama administration will stop trying to prevent iran from building a bomb. mrs. clinton's in thailand today for the me association of southeast asian nations or asean. and we have the latest from al jazeera english. >> reporter: hillary clinton taking center stage at the asean regional forum. with all attention on her, she took the opportunity to single out the two countries that are not towing the international line. >> complete and irreversible de-nuclearization is the only viable path for north korea.

we do not intend to reward north korea just for returning to the table nor do we intend to reward them for actions they have already committed to taking and then reneged on. the path is open to them and it is up to them to follow it. unless and until they do, they will face l isolation and the unrelenting pressure of global sanctions. >> reporter: this denouncement after the secretary of state earlier claimed that north korea and myanmar were working tcquire weapons and nuclear technology. a claim that's been received with some skepticism. >> so far as myanmar is concerned, they've got a long way if they're going to get any sort of technical capacity to research and to make nuclear weapons, let alone a weapon that could deliverable. >> reporter: both north korea and myanmar have representatives here. they've meeting with members of asean's regional forum including the united states and china on thursday.

but asean's policy of noninterference, there's little hope the underlying issues will be resolved at this meeting. but one country that can make a difference in dealing with north korea and myanmar is refusing to talk publicly about the issue. china is not a member of asean but a key player at this meeting. >> sir, what have you said about north korea? >> reporter: the u.s. absence ensuring the bush administration has influenced china's influence in the region. the u.s. has skipped this meeting twice in the past three years. but washington now wants to make it clear that its keen to make up lost ground in asia. clinton has embraced the asean regional forum strengthening u.s. ties and emphasizing the importance of trade with the main ten-member group. for aseans who remain relevant though, it has to live up to its side of the bargain. and reign in the behavior of its more belligerent member states. al jazeera, phuket, thailand. the sun came up over asia today, which of course is not really news, but when it

disappeared behind moon for more than six minutes shortly after sunrise, people from india to china had very similar reactions to the longest eclipse of the 21st century. in china, for instance, students, scientists and the just plain curious gathered to watch the sun slow-vanishing act. in thailand, there were religious rituals. even in north korea, state television ran pictures of solar eclipse-watching. but the silly look of the very necessary protective eclipse-watching glasses seems to cover the whole of asia, from pakistan to japan, where even a sea lion got in on the act. in india, the longest eclipse of this young century had special significance drawing both pilgrims and tourists. abc australia sally sara reports from the ancient city of varanasi. >> reporter: they arrived in the darkness, tens of thousands of people gathering on the banks of india's holy river ganges. it was a massive humanity as

pilgrims prepared for the magic of the eclipse. >> like a party. people come and enjoy the sights, yeah. >> reporter: the eclipse began on india's west coast leaving a path of darkness across the country towards china and eventually the pacific ocean. the spectacle unfolded across some of the most heavily populated places on earth and drew enthusiasts from afar. >> it's quite amazing. because the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon and the moon is 400 times nearer to earth. so this is you know it's magical. >> reporter: the last slither of the sun disappeared behind the moon to the cheers of the crowd. it was dark for more than six minutes before the spectacular glow around the age of the moon's craters. the reaction to the eclipse sends a nice extraordinary window into modern india. many people are caught somewhere in between science and

stition. this country which prides itself on a high-tech economy is also deeply rooted in ancient tradition. for many, there was relief when the sun finally reappeared. people go thanks to their gods for a return to normality. >> very happy. very happy to the people. >> reporter: this remarkable collusion of humanity and nature left somvisitors full of emotion. it was a sight they will never forget. >> yes, it was very emotional. yes. >> reporter: sally sara, abc news, varanasi. tonight, we begin a new series. we call it, "how they see it." our reporting partners from around the world have their own take on many of the same stories that the american news media cover every day. and sometimes the view from overseas brings a very different

perspective. today, great britain's itn television took a very pointed look at how many banks, like wells fargo, are recording huge profits after a big government bailout even as many homeowners face foreclosures. faisal islam filed this story from baltimore. ♪ oh the wells fargo wagon is coming down the street and past by my door ♪ >> reporter: today the wells fargo wagon posted billions of dollars more in profit. just the latest of america's super banks sort of renewed their acquaintance with super bucks, but with the wheels coming off the jobs market and intensifying housing crisis and ordinary america struggling to see much benefit, there's much anger, as relief. >> they threw gre manipulation of the market, brought down the financial system. they're not answerable. and we, the average citizen,

have to bail them out so that they can go back to their summer homes and their limousines? >> all of the big banks are in this together, okay, and that makes it more dangerous, actually and i think that they have pulled one. perhaps they didn't plan on it but looking back at it, it is quite, quite an amazing steal. 6 >> reporter: the banks' position knocked out by this week's official news that the government bailout could, in theory, cost $23 trillion if everything collapsed again. just a few months ago america's entire banking system was on the precipice. and were not for huge government intervention of one form or the other, many of these banks simply would not exist today. but fast forward a few months, many of those banks are recording record profits. and planning bumper bonuses for their bankers. no surprise that beyond the skyscrapers, ordinary america's not very happy. this is your baltimore road to the property boom like no other and the crash has been particularly painful.

33,000 repossessions known as foreclosures, homelessness and a looming budget crisis from the collapse from the property taxes. 202 shirley avenue was seized back by wells fargo in february. the bank has left it derelict, rat infested and now is a blithe on the neighbors still left in their homes. >> the bank ain't do nothing. the bank ain't trying to do nothing. not trying to do nothing. as i said one time before, whoever -- whatever bank own this, they need to be shut down. they ought to be ashamed of themselves. a bank that own a property thal. >> reporter: so far many of america's banks and bankers, the subprime crisis appears to be nearly over. but for ordinary americans, it's far from over, as foreclosures skyrocket and the subprime crisis metamorphosizes into a generalized housing crisis as employment in america to top 10%. and threatens the very essence of the american dream.

the banks may have moved on. but the america that can consume so much on credit, the america that's automatically lionizes the success of wealthy bankers, the america that we've known for so long appears to be moving on to. faisal islam, channel 4 news, baltimore. finally tonight, we have an excerpt from the latest edition of the pbs series wide angle. it's called "the market maker." it's the story of one woman's efforts to combat a seemingly never-ending cycle of famine in ethiopia by creating that country's very first commodities exchange. it's a task complicated by both a world wide financial crisis and a steep learning curve about economics. >> reporter: the first stop is a meeting with local coffee

producers and traders who are skeptical about the ecs. [ speaking in native tongue ] >> reporter: after a brief stop to inaugurate a new quality control facility, the team heads to inspect a warehouse. the whole exchange is based on warehouses, and there are real questions about whether this is an acceptable warehouse at all.

[ speaking in native tongue ] >> one thing about the lineage is very good at making the impossible to become possible. that's what i have learn. you put your mind into it. believe in it. believe in yourself. believe in your team. anything is possible. >> when times get tough and of course they are very difficult. at the end of the day, it's just doing what i have to do and making sure that my team and i are focused on the job at hand because that's really the only thing that actually matters.

>> wide angle's "the market maker." it premieres tonight on pbs. assay, check your local listings for times. you can also see it online at pbs.org/wideangle. and that's "worldfocus" for this wednesday night. a reminder, visit our website at worldfocus.org, where you can always find more information about all of our stories. i'm martin savidge in new york. as always, thank you very much for joining us. we'll look for you back here again tomorrow and anytime on the web. until then, have a good night. "worldfoc" is made possible, in part, by the follow funders -- -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com