>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet. funding made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small

businesses, major corporations. what can it do for you? >> and now, bbc world news. >> the spread of fire and flew -- swine flu leaves a party struggling. a massive corruption case in new jersey. dozens of pillars of the community are arrested, from rabbis to mayors. they came so close. an american missile strike is beginning to be believed to have killed of osama bin laden's sons. coming up later today, he has been a wrestler and a bodyguard. now bulgaria's premier says we will bring us -- with his country into shape. whitewater is having a big impact -- whitewater is having a big impact in hollywood. -- why twitter is having a big impact and hollywood.

hello and welcome. a dramatic rise in the number of swine flu cases here in england. 100,000 more in the last seven days, most of them children. today, a new telephone and internet service was launched, the first of its kind, to prescribe the antiviral medication tamiflu. it crashed in minutes because of high demand. there's a fear that swine flu could rise among moslems on a pilgrimage to mecca. but first, how england is dealing with the epidemic. >> the spread of swine flu continues to escalate across england. according to the health protection agency, it is mainly children under 14 who are affected. in the past, it was thought the number of new cases has doubled, with an estimated

100,000 affected in the past seven days. n hospital, 6n proximity of millions of people from around the globe through

november could feel the outbreak of this highly contagious disease. already one egyptian woman died after contracting swine flu on a pilgrimage to saudi arabia. many senior islamic clerics also advised muslims the greater risks exist. but most dismiss the idea of canceling it all together. the fbi arrested 44 people, including mayors and rabbis. this is a tenure investigation in new jersey that uncovered activity ranging from bribery and extortion to money- laundering and kidney trafficking in the u.s., israel, and switzerland.

>> councilman, council candidates, and a variety of other public officials ranging from commissioners to inspectors. the list of people sounds like it should be a roster of the meeting of community leaders, but sadly, they were not meeting in a boardroom this morning. they were in the fbi booking room. >> intelligence officials claim that one of osama bin laden's sounds may have been killed by u.s. missiles to pakistan. they say that he was killed in a raid in the last few months. we have this report from washington. >> americans may have struck close to osama bin laden. in washington, officials say that they're all but certain it is his third son, saad, that is dead, killed by an american

missile. such attacks are designed to keep bin laden in hiding and under pressure. the united states believes he remains somewhere in and governed pakistan. >> those part of the execution of attacks in 9/11, we firmly believe a significant number of them are in the border area of pakistan. >> bin laden's latest public message. >> it came in early june and criticized president obama just as he visited the middle east. >> every day, he has to run. there is a huge reward program for any pakistan citizen or anyone else who betrays his whereabouts. but he has been playing this

game for a decade now. >> for several years, the hunt for bin laden has been carried out by unmanned drones, carrying missiles into pakistan's airspace. pakistan's government tacitly except these missile strikes. they will not accept american soldiers on the ground. the number of missile strikes is increasing. in 2007, three missile strikes by unmanned drones were reported. in 2008, there were as many as 34. in just the first few months of 2009, there were 16 reporting. the obama administration seems to be intensifying the program. >> the drone program has increased, and there's a sense that al qaeda needs to be

carried or attacked constantly, and if pakistan does not want to do it, the united states needs to do it themselves. >> there is a risk. 10 alleged civilian casualties last year caused anger in pakistan. >> the white house sees this as a far from ideal strategy but in the absence of pakistan's help in the hunt for bin laden, it may be the only strategy they have. adam brooks, bbc news, washington. >> the first televised debate between candidates for the afghan presidency has been televised. it began 20 minutes late. the incumbent, amid karzai, declines to take part, saying a debate would be biased on a private station. plans to unveil to take over porsche by volkswagen, following an aborted bid by porsche to

take over its larger rival that crippled it with debt. forest fires claimed the lives of five forced firefighters and continue to burn across northern spain. more than 1500 have been forced from their homes in the face of heat and high wind. hillary clinton and north korea's this time did not hit it off. she warned pyongyang that they have no friends left to back ambitions. their median return described quran as an an intelligent -- her as an intelligent, funny lady. we had an interview. >> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has just dropped off a new trip to india and thailand. she came here to emphasize that the american administration wants to cooperate with

countries in the region after which he claims were years of neglect by washington. she also warned iran against continuing its nuclear program and spoke of the defense umbrella. before she got on the plane back to washington, i sat down with her. >> the escalation continues, you could reach dangerous territory where there is a lot of tension. at some point, somewhat to back down, and i assume it will have to be a responsible adult, rather than an adolescent with a tantrum. >> there is no way to resolve the danger of north korea is given a pass. so we do have to keep the

pressure on, and sanctions are designed to do that. i have been quite amazed, actually, to the extent which other countries are willing to enforce the sanctions which says to me that they are not equally concerned about this team and the implications of north korea with nuclear weapons and in the arms race that could be provoked in the region that would destabilize northeast asia, and that is the principal reason china is so committed to doing all they can. >> he said you are still waiting to engage with iran, and i was wondering, with who? sen -- why do you say an engagement is on hold what you sort out issues, but we will

still talk about the nuclear issue? >> that is pretty much what is happening. the internal debate in around has made it impossible to assume a debate. our saying that we're willing to engage with iran does not necessarily mean that we are deciding who to engage with. we're looking in iran as an entity, as the country that is on this path toward nuclear weapons. >> you are watching bbc world news. still to come, the u.s. vice- president goes to these former soviet republic of georgia and issues a warning.

>> chiefs of police from the greek islands have met to discuss how to deal with british tourists who are drunk. to many destinations, holidaymakers have secured the unenviable reputation of being the rowdies in europe. we report. >> they drink from morning until might on the strip. >> i was not allowed in to fill a barcarole game where men collect women's underwear. this is mild compared to certain behaviors giving britain the reputation as the worst in europe.

>> the mayor accuses british tour companies of blackmailing the island. they will go completely of the greek tries to turn down the sea. they're trying to encourage tourists and companies to act responsibly. >> i'm worried about making sure that the british have a good holiday and a safe one. a lot of youngsters get in trouble. >> they're not spending money on food. this restaurant is 60% down and profits. >> it is no good for the island. it is killing the island. >> greeks dream of a better class of tourists, but they're not doing enough to escape what many regard as a nightmare.

>> swine flu spreads. city mayors and rabbis are among those arrested as the fbi uncovers massive political corruption in new jersey. boiko borissov is planning to clean up the most corrupt country in the european union. >> he was mayor of the capital of sofia for the past few years.

he draws a crowd wherever he goes. he is a man with a colorful past. he is promising to tackle crime and corruption. bulgarians have grown used to corruption, sometimes in high places. the interior minister and deputy interior minister and head of the tax office, three heads of the national building agency have all resigned under allegations of bribery and corruption. >> in his office at sophia's city hall, surrounded by wrestling trophies, he talks tough. >> i am not going to shield the deputy minister or anyone who engages in corruption. we need 100% trust from brussels.

>> last year, brussels of froze a subsidy money and it simply was not getting through to those who needed it. this farmer has not seen a penny. why? >> corruption. i do not have proof, but i have proved that we have applied for different programs and not received the money. as mayor, borissov has filled potholes in bad streets -- well, some of them. his no-nonsense, can-do approach goes down well with voters like this taxi driver. he is a real tough guy, he says. the young borissov made his name in the 1990's as bodyguard to the deposed dictator. before that he was a fireman, wrestler, and karate coach. a decade later, he was guarding bulgaria's former team, and he

was so impressed that he was made a general. the new man watched from the balcony. a brooding presence. >> u.s. vice-president joseph biden has been standing shoulder to shoulder with the president of the former so be republic of georgia, prompting an angry reaction. >> georgia is a country whose disputed territories are patrolled by russians, and they

are wary of warming relations with moscow. >> we are concerned, and i understand it, that our efforts to reset relations with russia will come at the expense of georgia. let me be clear, they have not and will not and cannot. >> the vice president also said jordan needs to act on its promised democratic reforms. >> we the united states stand by you on your journey to secure, free democratic georgia. >> earlier, the team met with soccer freely, asking for support. >> we are asking for support. [inaudible] just 25 miles from occupied

territory. >> even if this country feels threatened by russia, and they are hard pressed to make a georgia a truly democratic state. >> we have seen a lot of promises that have been offered an unbroken by the government, but i think now we have to, all of us, all political efforts, do everything in their powers to ensure that the georgians will stand united against external threats but also do everything possible to get georgia. >> the main aim was to reassure georgia that they will not be forgotten during america resetting relations with russia. the united states will be waiting to see whether georgia will continue to democratize successfully. bbc news, tblisi.

>> we are hearing a lot about how to put her is changing social networking. now it is changing the way we view our movies. it is changing habits of filmgoers, critics, even studios. >> people send short messages, and moviegoers are using it to transmit opinions. lots of moviegoers tweaked. >> you might make a comment about the movie, whether or not you like it. >> filmgoer say that would is influencing them. >> when "bruno" came out, what

they were saying, i chose not to go to it. >> the movie is one thought to be hit hard by negative publicity through twitter. some say is the first undefeated by the twister effect. some say this could be a beneficiary for some movies, like "the hanover." it became a blockbuster, which twitter help to. it could be argued that which is making moviegoers better off. but not everyone agrees. >> millions of users are responding to whatever, whether it is t i joke, transformers, "bruno," it is becoming more difficult to get a viewpoint.

>> some critics join us at the bandwagon, including nelson vails, whose show was canceled last month. alison is hopeful that tweaking will not a lot of professional critics. >> in the end, i think people will come to the critics that they trust, probably in newspapers or on television. >> some movie stars and acknowledge that the power of the film critic journalist may be under threat. >> people are finding so many alternative ways to be able to judge whether or they are going to be able to see a film or not, i think the stronghold journalism used half is an away. >> twitter is not just taking the spotlight away from the movie critic, is also having an impact for creating a marketing paradise for movie studios. >> production studios are using

twister, and other social media platforms, up to promote their films. they are going to the audience. >> and there is an audience that comes for a marketing agenda. >> they always have interesting new things about the movies they have released that i find interesting. once i see a movie, i want to know. >> is motivating fans and marketers and making it harder for the voices of professional critics to be heard. but they're quick to point out there is no newfound wisdom, just a high-velocity forum where many messages are of questionable value for the serious moviegoer. >> i am sorry about the loss of sound at the start of the report. let's just remind you of our top story. we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of cases.

the first of their kind in the world to provide tamiflu, the website crashed in a number of minutes. you are watching bbc world news. >> funding was 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. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work