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>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> the lockerbie bomb or returns to libya on compassionate grounds. victims of the pan am bombing and president obama expressed their deep disappointment. >> we have been in contact with the scottish government indicating that we objected to this, and we thought it was a mistake. >> millions of afghans cast

their votes despite taliban attempts to wreck the elections. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, and elsewhere around the globe. i am mike embley. back in moscow. and lightning really does strike twice. usain bolt takes another record, this time in the 200 meters. hello to you. the man convicted of the lockerbie bombing has received an ecstatic welcome home in libya. abdelbaset ali mohmet al-megrahi is facing death from terminal cancer and was for that reason released early from jail by the scottish government. he issued a statement again declaring his innocence and his sincere sympathy for the

unimaginable loss of the victims' families. 270 victims. many were american. al-megrahi served just over 11 days for each murder. we have this report from glasgow. >> this is the moment abdelbaset ali mohmet al-megrahi left british soil. his papers saying he was released due to compassionate grounds or in his hands as he walked slowly up the steps to the airplane. he served 10 years of a sentence. the decision to release and was made by the justice secretary. this was pointed out just how hard the decision was to make. >> our justice system demands that judgment be imposed but compassion be available. it is dictated that justice be served but mercy be shown.

>> there had been years of from an angry crowd as the libyan left prison under police escort -- there had been jeers. he was the man convicted of britain's worst terrorist attack. earlier this week, al-megrahi 4 for to the opportunity to finally clear his name, but in a letter released today, he referred to his innocence. he said, "i have been separated from my family as a result of what i consider to be an unjust decision. i have to try to bear that with a degree of equity." during it interview with a u.s. station, president obama warned libya not to give al-megrahi a hero's welcome. >> we have been in contact with the scottish government, indicating that we objected to this, and we thought it was a mistake. we are now in contact with the libyan government, and we want

to make sure that if, in fact, this transfer has taken place that he is not welcome to back in some way but, instead, should be under house arrest. >> al-megrahi was convicted in 2001 of carrying out the bombing of pan am 103. the evidence came from a suitcase which had a bomb in a radio cassette player. closing found in the same case where attracted back to a shop in malta. the shop owner identified al- megrahi as the man who made the purchases, but what did not come out in the trial is that he had seen a picture of the libyan in a magazine article about the bombing. many british relatives are pleased al-megrahi is going home but are now worried they may never know the truth. >> we are happy for him for his sake. but there is concern. we just hope that it would have

allowed to be appealed to continue because he was released on compassionate grounds. >> and in the united states, many relatives are angry that compassion has been shown to the man found guilty of murder on an almost unimaginable scale. >> it has been horrible. i have been very, very angry, depressed. i mean, this is sickening, sickening. this man murdered. he is a mass murderer and terrorists. he killed 270 people. out on compassion > -- and terrorist. >> he was still maintaining his innocence, but he will now never be able to clear his name. bbc news, glass co. >> on home soil, the freedman, abdelbaset ali mohmet al- megrahi touching down -- bbc news, class go.

he returned to a very different country to the one he left -- glasgo. his arrival marked the start of a celebration for the national youth movement. his freedom marks the beginning of libya's new dawn. as the only western film crew allowed into the country, we have been carefully marshalled throughout by government reminders, but we did see glimpses as this diplomacy unfolded. -- by government minders, but we did see glimpses as this demiplomacy unfolded. would the prime minister finally arrive for a much-delayed press conference, -- when the prime minister finally arrived, he went all-out to avoid questions. >> today is about other matters, he said. there is always time for al- megrahi.

but there was a statement written by muammar qaddafi's son. we have turned the page. but i say to the victims' families, just because al- megrahi let go of his second appeal, there is still a lot of evidence in support of his evidence. so tonight, abdelbaset ali mohmet al-megrahi goes home to his 95-year-old grandmother, who he is not seen in years, and he is dying of prostate cancer. he will certainly be free to tell his own story about why he opted to drop the appeal, but he knows that ultimately he faces a different judge m&a, and he goes to the grave a convicted murderer. bbc news, tripoli -- he faces a different judge. he goes to degrade a convicted murderer. >> afghan -- he goes to the grave a convicted murderer.

>> officials say 26 people were killed in attacks by insurgents in afghanistan. turnout was patchy in those areas where militants are strongest. those who made it to the polls had to choose from among 40 candidates. >> a gunbattle on the couple rooftops. -- kabul with jobs. the afghan police and army camps around a small group of taliban insurgents, who they believe are getting ready to stage an attack. the big security operation in a cool -- in kabul has been remarkably successful. the battle ended with the deaths of two insurgents. there was a block down in kabul itself, and the streets were largely empty -- there was no locked down -- a lockdown.

while all of this was going on, president karzai was there. there is been a lot of dissatisfaction with is lack of achievement and with the growing corruption here. we drove south out of kabul, through the frequent checkpoints, in an area where there had been a lot of violence in the past, but when we stopped, we found it entirely peaceful. the main trouble was that the turnout was low. here, people were showing up in a reasonably large numbers. they may not have much time for their politicians, and they are sick of all of the corruption, but they still have a strong belief that casting their vote really matters. things are quiet here now because it is the heat of the day, and people are staying at home, and they probably will not

turn out until later today, but the security presence is still here, and it has been quite impressive. we scarcely set up our satellite dish before forces showed up and insisted we got rid of any pictures we had taken of them. after that though, the situation became a lot more friendly. the local police chief turned out to check us out. there were terrorists everywhere, he said, but here, everything was under control. so, it seems, in the relatively peaceful northern half of the country, but in the troubled south, it was a different story. president carbide, when he spoke to the bbc, agreed. -- president karzai. >> we can do it, and we did it. >> some polling stations didn't open at all because of security or because people did not show up. >> it went very, very well.

>> as the slow business of vote counting starts, it is clear the taliban had not been able to derail the election, partly the achievement of british and other foreign troops here. the truth will be judged by the size of the turnout. bbc news, kabul. >> and later in the program, we will hear from our correspondent who was in a convoy going to the polling station as it came under attack in the south of the country. some of the other main stories for you, more briefly. in the iraqi capital, overnight the people killed in a series of bomb attacks. an army spokesman says people are being questioned, over possible security lapses. security has been titans, and there are checkpoints and more troops deployed. there was a bicycle bomb in a baghdad market that killed two people. iran's president is facing another threat to its authority.

a senior member of authority has said that many mp;a will reject some less experienced ministers that manga ahmadinejad as proposed for his new cabinet. -- said that many mp's would reject less experience ministers that mahmoud ahmadinejad has proposed for his new cabinet. pakistani officials have been raiding sugar mills, and there is a sugar shortage and the highest price in nearly 30 years. our bbc reporter has this. >> sugar has become big news here in pakistan. over the last couple of months, the price has skyrocketed, and is a basic commodity has become increasingly scarce. these people have been waiting for over one hour to get their

one bag per family because it is now being rationed, and there at the arguments and fights in these queue's, and the government is blaming the sugar producers. they say they are hoarding their sugar to in officially -- to artificially inflate their prices. these are the highest prices for raw sugar in the last 20 years. this is just ahead of the holy month of ramadan. they are bringing their own politicians of bad planning and corruption contributed to the problem. >> still to come for you on "bbc world news," is this a gold medal-winning athlete really a woman? she now faces a gender test after a victory in berlin. first, reports from south korea that suggests its northern neighbor is about to ease border restrictions. the north is also indicating it

would like to have talks with the u.s. over its nuclear program. from seoul, korea, we have this report. >> some say that mexico is, perhaps, an unlikely location, for one of the world's most secret states. but governor bill richardson, an experienced diplomat, who has visited p'yongyang, believes that north korea is trying to send a clear signal. >> let's ticket vantage of this, and the next step should be some kind of dialogue that involves the united states and north korea. >> -- let's take advantage of this. >> north korea released the reporters with the help of bill clinton, and they believe they deserve something in return, and that is direct talks. that may prove problematic. the government in edsall, as well as tokyo, beijing, and moscow will not have much trust with atoms to sideline them --

the government in saleoul, as well as tokyo, beijing, and moscow will not have much trust with attempts to sideline them. there is a man who did much to build bridges with the north, and its response to the news of his death is being seen as another sign for optimism. a delegation of senior officials from p'yongyang will travertine -- will travel to seoul to pay their respects. others believe we are witnessing an all too familiar pattern. the flexing of military muscle. then comes the return to diplomacy on north korea's own terms and a demand for more concessions. bbc news, seoul. >> hello, and welcome. >> syd the news unfold. go to bbc.com/news.

-- see the news unfold. >> the latest on the international stories. >> you can read the latest headlines, that the top stories from around the world, and click to play video reports. discover more about the subjects that really interest you and find out what issues the world is talking about right now. the "bbc world news" online. go to pc.com/news, and watched the world unfold -- go to bbc .com. >> the libyan convicted of blowing up an american airliner over lockerbie in over 20 years ago now free from a scottish prison, and he has been welcomed as a hero in tripoli. millions of afghans have cast their votes despite taliban attempts to wreck the elections. well, as afghans voted for president, there was sporadic

violence across the country. in helmand province, the governor's convoy came under attack as he went to a polling station in the provincial capital. our reporter was part of that convoy. >> it is 7:00 a.m., and the polls have just opened. we are with the governor of helmand province as he goes to vote, and then, suddenly, this outside. a makeshift bomb exploding as a convoy of journalists from the west drove past. later, insurgent rockets nearby. >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> it is the first explosion we have heard this morning just as the helmand governor was on his

way to the polling station. >> moments later, another rocket and the distance, and a clear warning from the taliban to voters to stay home. >> that was another explosion. we were trying to get to the polling station this morning, probably like many people. the poll opened between 7:00 a.m. at 8:00 a.m., six explosions -- the paul opens at 7:00 a.m. between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 at jm, six explosions -- the call opened at 7:00 a.m.. between 7:00 a.m. at 8:00 a.m., six explosions -- the poll opened. >> reduce scared? >> no. -- were you scared? >> the taliban is threatened to cut off the fingers of those that had indelible ink -- the

taliban threatens. -- threatened. she tells me a few rocket attacks will not scare us. we are here to vote for our president and our provincial counselors. turn out in the countryside may well be different, but even in helmand, braving the bonds to reach the ballot box is perhaps a sign of hope. regrading the bombs. -- braving the bombs. >> russia's defense ministry says they are threatening to blow up the ship if a ransom was not paid with the arctic sea. there are claims the ship may have been carrying weapons or drugs. our bbc reporter has this. >> returning in russian custody. the first images of the alleged hijackers of the arctic sea,

bound and hooded, at the center of possible espionage and piracy. there are questions about their motives. >> we wanted to take shelter from the storm. we boarded the ship and then got away, but for some reason, the captain did not refuel us. >> but that version of events is contradicted by these men, the crew of the arctic sea. they said what happened to them was a real ordeal. >> they came to the bridge of the ship from two sides. the captain was brought out. he managed to send out a message by phone, saying the ship was hijacked. the captain had a gun to his said, so what could he say when he was asked if it was hijacked but no. the arctic sea had been missing. >> it has now been revealed that the ships had never disappeared

off radar screens and that russian vessels were shadowing her, preparing to board. >> there was no resistance, so we did not need to use weapons. we are establishing why and how they got on board the arctic sea. >> they are now going to the russian black sea ports. while in moscow, investigators are going to be asking why and how the incident happened, but for the alleged hijackers, an uncertain future lies ahead. bbc news. >> highlighting the environmental price of china's economic growth, more than 1300 children have suffered lead poisoning because of fumes from a manganese smelting plant. the plant has been closed and two executives arrested. it is the second incident of lead poisoning this month in a province which poisoned at least 600 children this month and has also been closed.

our reporter is in beijing. >> two pollution scandals and the last few days. in the latest warning, in hunan province, more than 1300 children living near a smelting plant where it found to have excessive amounts of lead in their blood. the plants have been shut down and two executives arrested. the villagers a first started noticing something was wrong with their children started getting sick. they immediately suspected the smelting plant, and they got so angry that they blocked a road leading to the plant a few days ago, and that led to a standoff with the police. the ministry stepped in and ordered testing on the children, and that is what it was discovered that 1300 or more of them had been poisoned by lead pollution. there was another example of this in a different province just a few days ago where an alleged smelting plant had poisoned more than 600 children. in this case, there were two

villages willing to prepare to take matters into their own hands, and they stormed the plant and destroyed equipment. here in china, they face a very serious environmental problem. it also shows that ordinary people are prepared to push them to solve those problems now. >> our bbc reporter in beijing. german prosecutors are investigating a portion of executive. there are accusations of market manipulations and insider trading. wendelin wiedeking and another executive are being questions, and they left office. the company has denied any wrongdoing. -- and another executive are being questioned. the 200 leaders' goal at the world championships in berlin, 19 plus seconds.

-- the 200 meter race. he becomes the first man to hold the various titles at the same time. for the first time, the top five all ran faster than 20 seconds. one man of panama was seconds, and the u.s. came third at 19.85. to make it came in fifth place. the south african athlete caster semenya has to face attested to find out whether or not she is a woman. a woman who was virtually unknown a month ago has raised doubts. the government says she is a woman through and through. >> caster semenya had to wait

until today to receive for metal, but she may have to wait weeks to gain the recognition that goes with it -- had to wait until today to receive her medal. they want to know if there are medical reasons behind her sudden rise to prominence. her time was the fastest in the world this year. semenya will have to undergo a series of medical tests to prove that she is female, and there may well be a biological explanation. >> a woman that has abnormally high androgen levels for a woman. they get some of the features of a male, so they will have more in the of muscular development. an 18-year-oldñr girl from a rul village from south africa as unwillingly become the center of international attention, and tonight's comedy team president lept 2 per defense -- and

tonight, the team president came to her defense. >> on that basis now, she is isolated like she was a leper. >> but until the tests are completed and the results published, semenya will continue to suffer speculation instead of celebrating the achievements. >> just a brief recap of the news this hour. the libyan man accused of bombing of pan am jet over lockerbie now freed from scotland and hailed as a hero in tripoli. >> funding was 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 its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> i'm julia stiles. >> i'm kevin bacon. >> i'm kim cattrall. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.