>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is 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 for a wide range of companies -- from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now bbc world news. >> a victory against the taliban in pakistan. the country's most wanted man is believed killed. >> we have credible information and this information is from the same area that he is dead. >> president obama hails a surprise drop in america's

jobless. we look at the global trend. flying the flag for georgia. when you're on, is a conflict edging closer? welcome to bbc. we are aired on pbs in america and around the globe. coming up later for you -- just like old times. hillary clinton looks up an old friend in south africa. and the comedy crunch indeed. performers are making light of the global recession. hello to you. there are strong indications that pakistan's's most wanted man, taliban commander baitullah mehsud, has been killed. it was thought he has led al- qaeda's campaign to make

pakistan ungovernable. there is no official confirmation. ed sources tell the bbc he is dead and buried. american and pakistani officials are also telling our correspondence they believe he is dead. this from our correspondent in islamabad. >> a glimpse of pakistan's most wanted man -- baitullah mehsud. his chilling message at this news conference last year was that suicide bombers were his atom bomb. he said he wanted to die for his cause. the indications are, he got his wish. baitullah mehsud's cv is written in blood. he is accused of arranging the assassination of former prime minister benazir bhutto. he is linked to the bombing of

the hotel in islamabad which claimed over 50 lives. his home has been a sanctuary for al-qaeda, a problem for britain and the u.s.. he has focused on targets here at home, bombing of pakistan because it backs the west. security in islamabad is being stepped up for fierce his followers could try to take revenge. -- for fears his followers could try to take revenge. he declared war on his own country and people. they told us they do not believe he is dead. they have heard that before. others say they have a sense of relief, not just for pakistan, but for the world. >> we do not need these people in power. we are not believing in what he is doing. he is absolutely bad for us and our nation. >> another said that america was

bad, too, for killing innocent civilians with drones. it was a drone which targeted baitullah mehsud, able to reach him in a remote terrain where troops could not. the mission was directed from thousands of miles away. the white house is suggesting it was a job well done. >> if the reports of baitullah mehsud's death are correct, there is no doubt the pakistani people are safer as a result of it. this is an individual whose title as a murderous thug was well-deserved. >> officials here hope that baitullah mehsud is gone and his fighters will be in disarray. but there's also the prospect of a successor. the most likely candidate is his

deputy -- a trainer of suicide bombers. bbc news, a islamabad. >> in afghanistan, three soldiers have been killed in a fourth is critically injured. the vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. casualties' have been running at record levels recently, ahead of presidential elections later this month. the white house had been preparing press and public for unemployment in the u.s. reaching 10%, so when the july figures were announced, they were in for a surprise. the jobless total actually fell, marginally, to 9.4%. it has left economists wondering what it means. a look at the global picture in a moment, the first this from new york. >> optimism is creeping back to wall street. a better than expected unemployment picture has raised hopes further that this long u.s. recession is waning. companies did count -- did cut

almost 25,000 jobs in july. over three months, 300,000 jobs were cut from payrolls, but that is half the level we saw at the peak of the recession in autumn and winter. president obama says his stimulus package has helped, but he is cautious. >> we have a lot further to go. as far as i am concerned, we will not have a true recovery as long as we are losing jobs, and we will not rest until every american that is looking for work can find a job. >> these job-seekers at the new york public library know the difficulties of finding per network. there are now 5 million long- term unemployed americans out of work more than six months. >> i think that since march if i am not hired, i would say that is difficult. i am having a hard time getting employers to make a decision. >> i have a couple of organizations where i am

interviewing with the potential of a job offer, and i am trying to generate some more leads for other companies so that i can be having more options to choose from. hopefully, i can make a decision. >> but others have become so discouraged they have quit the labour force. hence the unexpected fall in the jobless rate in july to 9.4%. there is still a long way to go. in the last two recessions, it took at least 16 months for jobs to bounce back. with so many americans out of work, there is concern about the all-important consumer spending and when it will pick up again. bbc news, new york. >> so u.s. unemployment is still high, but how does it compare with other countries around the world? of the top end of the scale -- south africa at 23.6%, nearly a quarter of the population

looking for a job. even in europe, numbers are high. spain has the highest jobless figure with 17.9%. it is struggling with declining demand. russia and unemployment is comparable to america -- are around 10%. its jobless total may have peaked. china with its impressive growth rate has a low unemployment -- 4.3% of its city-based population is looking for work. we will be tracking the vital signs over the next few months. it could mean a whole new time of cooperation. that is the hope in south africa for the u.s. secretary of state on a two-day visit. the latest on hillary clinton's tour. her husband did much to warm relations between south africa and the u.s. in the 1991 s, so could the clinton affect work again? we have more from johannesburg. >> popular as ever at the age of

91, nelson mandela received the u.s. secretary of state. a decade ago, the close relationship between mandela and president clinton brought these countries together. hillary clinton was given a tour of the archives by his wife. >> to be there and see the pictures of him as a young man and to know so much about his life -- it of course inspires me, not only in to -- not only to even greater admiration for his public work and even greater admiration for the man. >> the subject of frosty relations between the u.s. and south africa was the main order of the day. mrs. clinton spoke of neighboring zimbabwe. the united states has yet to be convinced by the idea of robert mugabe sharing power. >> we, as you know, are

attempting to target the leadership of zimbabwe with sanctions that, we think, might influence their behavior without hurting the people of zimbabwe. during the recent visit to the united states of the prime minister, we talked with the president, president obama, and we made a commitment to try to provide more help. >> mrs. clinton now heads to talks with jacob zuma. now africa is the second stop on the tour. bbc news, johannesburg. >> is being reported that police in indonesia have shot dead one of southeast asia's most wanted terrorist suspects. officials have been involved in a long shootout outside the house where the suspected infamous militant was holed up. one was thought to be the alleged mastermind of the bali

bombings and the twin suicide attacks on jakarta hotels last month. deaths are unconfirmed. the iraqi police say people have been killed in attacks targeting shia muslims. bomb attack six people last week. this as shia muslims are marking one of their biggest religious holidays. the leader of the tamil tiger rebels has been arrested in shrill lompoc. he took over the leadership after the former leader was killed in a military offensive in may. a moscow court has rejected the petition by the family of the murder journalist for a new investigation into her killing. -- the family of the murder journalist for a new investigation into her killing.

french tourists are among the 12 people killed by floods in the philippines. it has forced thousands from their homes, and it has washed away bridges and roads. in nearby to one, flights are grounded and millions are confined to their homes. we have this report. >> after the storm, the flood. this is the scene in the philippines were a deluge caused a dam to burst, sending torrents through the area. thousands were forced from their homes, in some cases whole villages submerged. the flood waters are so strong, rescue workers are forced to make desperate efforts to save those stranded. but some people were not so lucky, as here in this province.

>> it collapsed and the waters of god. they were subdued -- swept away by the floods. >> in one area, all roads were closed and the state of emergency was declared. as they start to pick up the pieces, elsewhere others are preparing for the worst. the path of the typhoon stretches through taiwan and mainland china. fishing of boats and other vessels have been ordered to take shelter, and the chinese news agency is reporting more than 2000 ships returned to harbor in one province alone. nearly 50 centimeters have fallen in taiwan, causing landslides in power outages across the north of the island. meteorologist say the impact could be prolonged as it is moving slowly. millions of people in taipei and

the north of the island are sheltering in their homes, fearful of what weather may come. bbc news. >> stay with us, if you can, on bbc world news. still to come -- nothing to apologize for, he said. silvio berlusconi tony is back. >> first, a british woman who deliberately became pregnant in jail in laos. she has arrived back in england to serve her sentence. she faced the death penalty if she had not been pregnant in laos. just a warning -- this report contains flash photography. >> her asian or deal finally over, she arrived at heathrow this morning and was immediately taken into the custody of the prison service.

although heading straight for jill, the 20-year-old described herself as -- straight for jail, the 20-year-old described herself as relieved. this afternoon, her mother spoke of her joy. >> i scream. >> did your daughter smuggle drugs? >> i do not know. i honestly do not know. >> she was facing the death penalty after allegedly admitting heroin smuggling, but laos does not execute expectant mothers. but the time of her trial, she was pregnant. she claims she artificially inseminated herself with the help of another briton in jail there. her sentence was commuted to life, and she was allowed to transfer home. she will begin her jail term here and may even complete it here. there is a mother and baby unit.

under the terms of the agreement by which she was returned to the u.k., technically, she will have to serve a life sentence. of course, a life sentence here means something very different. her unimaginable nightmare is over, but if she did smuggle heroin, many will say it was a nightmare of her own making. bbc news. >> hello, and welcome. >> see the news unfold. go to bbc/news. it is easy. dole here to catch the 1-minute world summary. you can read the latest headlines. at the top stories from around the globe. discover more about the subjects there really interest you and find out what issues the world is talking about right now. go to bbc.com/news and watch the

news unfold. >> the latest headlines for you. strong signs that one of pakistan's's most wanted men, the taliban leaders baitullah mehsud, has been killed in an american missile strike. new indications the u.s. economy is on the road to recovery. unemployment figures have fallen for the first time since april 2008. the first anniversary of georgia's's brief war with russia. five days of fighting last august, and a cease-fire broken by the european union, but only after several hundred people had died. georgia observed a moment of silence nationwide to remember those who were killed. in the city of gori, people held a flags are in the air to form the georgian national flag. the tensions behind the war remain.

russia accuses georgia of rearming. georgians say they feel threatened. our correspondent reports from southern ossetia. >> the georgian president mikhail saakashvili came to honor the deaths of -- at the country's main military cemetery. more than 200 georgians, including civilians, were killed in the brief war. despite leading his country into a disastrous conflict with russia, saakashvili has no regrets. >> i have never and i will never fail to emphasize my passion, to try to protect this country from destruction and from aggression. ultimately, this is the right of every people to fight for. it is the obligation of every government to enable their people to survive. >> but this is what he would

face if he wants to win back south ossetia. russian troops now permanently based in the breakaway region. the russians have billed up their military presence here over the past year. -- have built up their military presence here over the past year. not even these european union monitors can cross from georgia into south ossetia, which has become a up no-go zone. it is our russian enclave. >> summit may like it, and some not. we will develop full relations with south ossetia. for us, it is not a matter of opportunism, but a matter of decisions that we have made and we will implement.

>> and here, on the outskirts of the capital, we found further evidence of the lack of cementing of relations with russia following the end of the war. these homes and schools are all being built as a present from the mayor of moscow for the population of ossetia. this is so symbolic of how far south ossetia has already become part of russia. not only are russian troops defending the area, but virtually the entire reconstruction effort is being financed by the russians. so tonight, as the ossetians remember those killed, they are also celebrating. they are closer than ever to formally becoming part of the russian federation. bbc news, south ossetia.

>> while you're in this part of the world, you may remember the story yesterday about the denial of service attacks that put some web sites out of action, including facebook and twitter. now we learn the real target of the hacking was a blogger from georgia. generally, at his blog favors russia. make of that what you will. silvio burlesque tony has again dismissed questions about his private life -- silvio berlusconi has again dismissed questions about his private life. he has -- he says he has nothing to apologize for. >> this was the silvio berlusconi in defiant mood -- no remorse, no regret, despite three months of allegations of sexual misconduct involving everyone from call girls to teenage models. in an address to journalists,

the 72-year-old prime minister when on the attack. >> the prime minister has no skeletons in the closet with which he can be blackmailed by anyone. nobody or anything is going to demoralize the prime minister, and the majority of italians appreciate the prime minister. >> silvio berlusconi hope to put behind him the scandals that were spreading around him since may. alleged affairs with models, liaisons' with paid escorts, and secret recordings of his encounters of all then engulfing his leadership, and his charges are making him a laughingstock. just this week, his daughter barbara mildly rebuked her father in the "vanity fair," saying politician should not make a distinction between their private life and the public ones, especially when they talk about family values.

the article brought this response. >> my daughter loves me deeply. she did not mean to be critical. her father has nothing to say sorry for about his private life. he has nothing he should apologize to anyone about. not even his family members. is that clear? >> but he later wade into the foreign press who claim he hates women. he declared that he adored women. he has been in power for 14 months, and the controversies have marginally dented his popularity ratings. never want to attribute the italians as being in different. bbc news, in rome. >> of new pictures from nasa's space probe show what appears to be a lake on titan, one of saturn's moons. it is 180 degrees celsius. experts say the lake is probably

not water -- more likely liquid hydrocarbons such as methane. finally, it is that time of year when aspiring comedians had to the scottish capital of edinburgh, hoping the festival will be their big break. the tough economic times will pay a dividend for performers, as we have this report. >> the economy may be down the drain, but we are riding high on laughter. >> that has been a tough year, and in edinburgh, there are more than 2000 shows. among them -- this one. rap. ♪ my suggestion is they spend it all on tickets for the french ♪ >> and sales are up 20%. in tough times, you can turn to comedy. >> the primal scream, the release of mirth.

the victorians drilled holes in their heads. modern brits last. that is how we let it out. >> is also affects the types of jokes on stage. >> as soon as the words "duck house" were mentioned, everyone in comedy just when, "thank you, the odds of comedy." excellent. >> do you just get in there? what i think it is perfect to do a more politics-themed show. but i do not like to use words like politics-themed. >> however, it has to be a good value. >> everyone is minding the purse strings. you have to downsize slightly. i think it is good to bring a bit of sunshine into people's lives. >> more than 400 shows are now

free. local laughter is in high demand. bbc news, at moreau. >> just briefly, a reminder of our main news for you. there are strong indications that pakistan's's most wanted man, baitullah mehsud, has been killed. he has been believed to have led al-qaeda's campaign to make pakistan virtually ungovernable. we have no confirmation. he is believed to have been killed along with his wife and bodyguard. more for you on bbc.com. >> funding for this presentation 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.

>> and union bank has put its financial strength behind a wide range of companies -- from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> i am julia stiles. >> of public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage. >> for conversations beyond sound bites. >> for a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i am carry washington and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.