>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. from small businesses, to make the corporations -- what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> this is "world news today." i'm george alagiah. court documents said new light on michael jackson's last hours. a coroner's report says the king of pop had lethal levels of the powerful pain killer in his body.

the controversial is really settlements in the west bank, a key issue as benjamin netanyahu begins his european tour. china opposes immediate clampdown as a bbc correspondent tries to investigate the latest case of lead poisoning. >> we were detained by at least 12 police officers, held for a couple of hours. our papers were checked and we were stopped from getting about our business. >> defiant crowds greet south africa's winning athlete, caster semanya, facing a gender test. and we look at some classics of american advertising. it is 7:00 a.m. in washington, midday in london and 6:00 a.m. and one in texas, when newly these court documents revealed that there were lethal levels of a prescription-only anesthetic

in michael jackson's body when he died. reports, so far unconfirmed, said the coroner concluded jackson's death was homicide. though that does not necessarily mean a crime was committed. it paints a picture of the pop star as a chronic insomniacs who was increasingly dependent on a cocktail of drugs. from los angeles, a report. >> despite looking healthy in rehearsals, michael jackson was dependent on drugs to help him sleep. now court documents show his body contained lead beloved -- levels of a powerful anesthetic. propfiol is normally used to anesthetize hospital patients before surgery. now close friends say he often board about the star's drug use. >> i am absolutely not surprised. i have witnessed myself things,

and certain events with michael, that led me to believe that if this continues, he will destroy his life. >> it is a merged jenson's personal doctor, conrad mourey, told police he gave the star different sedatives, including propofol the morning he died but also worried jackson was becoming addicted and tried to wean them off. he is at the center of the investigation. it wants to know what part, if any, he played in michael jackson's death. establishing that could lead to charges of manslaughter. his lawyers say much of the court papers about jackson's last hours as police barry and not fact. last week he issued an online plea for sympathy. >> i have done all i could do. i told the truth and i have paid the truth will prevail. >> the l.a. coroner's office will confirm reports they are treating jackson that as a

homicide. two months on, it is clear authorities remain focused on the theory that someone else was to blame. bbc news, los angeles. >> i am joined by a consultant anesthetist at imperial college health care trust here in london. use all let report. what is your reaction to this news of the number of drugs michael jackson seems to have had? >> it is astonishment, really. when the first reports came out of the use of propofol at someone's home, those who use the drug as anesthetists were astonished. it is very potent, but budget only be given in a hospital setting up with doctors with specific training. using it anywhere else is a recipe for disaster. >> as strong as that, you say, it should not be used at all. >> it should not be used at all. there is no indication for that at all. as an anesthetic it is very effective, but the report

appeared to quickly and too much, it will stop your breathing and make blood pressure drug. incredibly dangerous if not given the right setting with the right people. >> we don't know if michael jackson was a pain. it seemed to be used to get him to sleep. >> i find that quite astonishing. he was taking quite a cocktail of jobs -- drugs if the toxicology reports are correct. valium can be used as sleeping tablets but even then only occasionally. the combination of very powerful sedative drugs and and is that it just puts a will to sleep is amazing. >> the use of this drug, or the combination that you find more surprising? >> it is both, really. the use of propofol outside a hospital setting is unheard of. certainly it domestic setting. but the combination of two or three very powerful drugs, this is almost inevitable, i would of thought. >> i am asking you to go beyond

your role of a physician or doctor. what does this say about michael jackson, this cocktail of drugs, simply to get him to sleep? >> #specialist expertise -- but i cannot envision getting to a state where you require such massive doses of tranquilizers just to know yourself from the world. in this sort of insomnia seems extreme. >> thank you very much for being with us. you can get more on this story on our website, including michael jackson's own reflections on as all mobility. just log on to bbc.com/news. a roundup of some of the stories. the bodies of 22 suspected militants were found in pakistan's swat valley. the officials say bodies started appearing several weeks ago. local residents said pakistani security forces have been carrying out extra-judicial killings as part of their

offensive against the taliban but the army and police denied the accusations. firefighters in greece have had some success containing the wild fires threatening the suburbs of athens. thousands have had to flee their homes in large parts of the countryside. weakening winds have given emergences services a chance to put out some of the fires. iran has begun its mass trial of people accused of fomenting a rest after the election. the official news agency said those to be put on trial include former deputy interior minister, former deputy foreign minister, former government spokesman and iranian-american scholar. five days after afghanistan bought the presidential election, we are expecting the first official word on how the

voting went. the independent commission is set to announce preliminary results. some 20% of the ballots cast. both leading candidates already claim to be winng but the final results will to be settled for weeks. meanwhile, complains of fraud and voting irregularities continue to dog the poll. joining me from kabul is chris morris. how important do you think these results are going to be in helping to move people on to some kind of conclusion, or will it just make matters worse? >> it is a first step because it is a relatively small number of the vote being cast, 20% at most. so it will give an indication of how things are going but would not give " to the rumor going around kabul and the spin and about how their candidates are

doing terribly well. everyone i think involved as a partial picture but only the commission itself has the full picture. there have been some indications from sources close to president karzai that the president is going to be doing extremely well. but until we're official results of those numbers simply cannot be verified. it is in that vacuum of information that a lot of the rumors have been emerging. >> in that sense, these preliminary results, it can simply exacerbate the situation. a new round of arguments. >> it could. certainly did -- certainly. if the preliminary results show a very big lead of president hamid karzai, supporters of the challenges would claim this is not credible. yes, but credibility is very much at stake and there is a concern here and afghanistan.

also it consider in -- a concern for the foreign countries with troops here because they're saying, why -- what kind of election that their presence of creag? -- presence creates. >> thank you there are much. israel was a prime minister benjamin netanyahu said peace talks with the palestinians could resume next month. he is beginning a series of meetings in europe and is under increasing pressure to stop the expansion of the elements in the west bank. a precursor to the talks. we will have detailed analysis on what lies ahead for the diplomats in a moment first, this report from our middle east correspondent, paul would. >> the middle east conflict of a dispute over territory. this family just lost theirs.

east jerusalem arabs were evicted from their homes. in protest, they remain on the pavement outside. >> it says are locked when you are removed by force from your house, a place where you are born and you spent all your life there. and then to see with your own eyes, the strange settlers, i don't know from where they came. and they live in my house now. >> the jewish family moved in said the property is rightfully and legally theirs. they didn't want to explain that and person, though. and i want to ask a few questions about the house. >>but some of building is what palestinians say accounts for most of the land captured by israel since 1967. under american pressure is really the rinsings to be inching toward a freeze of the construction.

palestinians say that must happen if peace talks are to resume. >> i think the focus on settlement activity -- i think it is very important for settlement activity to stop to farther the road map. >> israeli settlers in the west bank are outraged. they say it construction trades is a betrayal by their own government. >> we are really horrified. we see it as a real moral misunderstanding, how you can tell jus' that you can live anywhere in the world but not in your homeland and tell everyone you are allowed to build here, just not the jews. if that is not racism, i don't know what is. >> 9 hard months of talks with -- about talks, the israelis make it to a point where they might announce a freeze on settlement building. how much to the gold would be for settlements like this, israelis to make the sacrifices that they might be called upon

credit agreement. the israeli government plans on keeping some settlements, especially those close to jerusalem. whether it is prepared to evacuate the others may determine if the peace process ultimately succeeds or fails. bbc news come on the west bank. >> london a is benjamin netanyahu plaza for stock and we will now talk to our reporter outside the prime minister's residents no. 10. trying to get my head around the just how important this european trip is. i thought places like downing street are hardly the driving seat when it comes to the middle east peace process. >> not when it comes to the palestinians and israelis but i think the real action on that front will come tomorrow when here in london mr. netanyahu, meets george mitchell, president obama's middle this convoy. what is important on the european front is what happens

with iran because britain and germany, where mr. netanyahu will also be, have been one of the countries taking the lead on that particular subject. britain it is a permanent member of the security council of the u.n., so it is significant. in the diplomatic process, which has been driven by the security council. >> and jeremy, on iran, what do you think >> and allen is going to want from the likes of gordon brown? >> i think he made it very clear already. he is going to want the strongest possible sanctions to, first of all, punish the regime in iran. but more specifically, to dissuade them from continuing with their nuclear enrichment process. and ultimately mr. netanyahu and others, including gordon brown, believe they're trying to get nuclear weapons. >> just go back on the settlements issue, do you see by

the time nekton and no need george mitchell, d think there is any leeway or room for maneuver? >> let us look at the objectives. president obama has a very ambitious plan. he wants to try to do a middle east peace deal, something that has eluded everyone else in the last 60 years that tried. and before that, quite frankly. very ambitious. as a first step he wants the israelis to stop settlement activity. in other words, building homes for jews in occupied palestinian land. that is already proving to be a very difficult thing. negotiations, suggestions they may compromise fairly soon, and maybe that meeting tomorrow in london with mr. mitchell will be the key one. when asked of that, saying there is some kind of a deal that allows one to go on with face- to-face talks with the palestinians, probably at the americans a room, as well, and

other words, resumption of peace negotiations. but i think you have been hearing already from paul wood, the fact it has been so difficult to get to this point shows how hard it will be if they do sit down and really start to talk turkey about issues that really hurts and really matter. >> thank you very much. some breaking news. nato says the four soldiers were killed in a bomb blast in southern afghanistan, making 2009 the deadliest year since the war began. some breaking news. we will have a full business report in about 25 minutes. now he is here, though, let us talk about first, bernanke at the fed, he is likely to be reappointed. >> that's right. before his term ends in january of next year. president obama is breaking off his holiday to confirm he will be renominating ben bernanke to serve another term.

credit -- quite an interesting choice. there were some thought obama might decide to put in his own person, as it were. but an end obama has gone with stability. he has recognized the job bernanke has done, a difficult job to bring stability back to the markets. the markets will like this and any speculation that obama will put in his own man. >> you say obama is on holiday, which is. are you surprised is making these huge announcements on holiday? >> there were reports that we will not hear any policy from the more he was on holiday, yet he is breaking off his holiday to do this. and you will hear the revised figures for the budget deficit in the next 10 years is expected to be revised upwards of $2 trillion. which doesn't make good reading. perhaps this is a move to try to bring that stability back. >> look forward to that later the program. this is "world news today." coming up -- counting of votes

-- early results due from afghanistan's election. but allegations of fraud the dog of the polls. a year one returns, but south africa's caster semanya is now having to prove she is a woman. this special u.s. prosecutor will investigate allegations of abuse of -- abuse of terror suspects by the cia during the bush administration. a declassified report published monday said cia investigators made threats against the families of men they were interrogating. the obama administration approved a new fbi-led unit to carry out such interviews in the future. they promised they would adhere to strict army rules. from washington, richard lister. >> this report, given out of the justice department, does not make for easy reading. the cia inspector general who wrote it four years ago list would call on authorized improvised and inhumane

interrogation techniques. he says those questioning the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attack told him, we are going to kill your children if the u.s. is hit again. a suspect in the u.s. as cole bombing was given the impression of mother could be great. >> we now have a document that the world can read that shows an excruciating and discussed in detail that the united states violated its own beliefs and it turned to the dark side -- >> u.s. attorney general eric holder said the release of the secret report prompted him to reopen an inquiry into those involved. he named a senior prosecutor to see if laws were broken. this development will cast a cloud over president obama's holiday this week, just as he is trying to win a consensus on a range of issues, the question of torture and accountability threatens to beat -- the vint party divisions. earlier this year president obama said he was not inclined to seek prosecution of cia

officers but as this inquiry revealed some have broken the law with illegal derogations, he will have no choice. bbc news, washington. >> you canñ find a full report from the cia inspector general on the web site -- much have been blacked out but it still makes an interesting read. back to that breaking news story that i was bringing you a few moments ago. four u.s. servicemen with the nato-led force was killed by a roadside bomb in southern afghanistan on tuesday. that makes 2009 the deadliest year for foreign troops since the overthrow of the taliban in 2001. the deaths bring a number of foreign forces killed in 2009 to two -- 295. breaking news there. latest environmental pollution in china brought swift action. police and local government

officials are swamping a village in the center of lead poisoning near a city in -- quentin summer bell tried to reach the contaminated area but was stopped by the local police. >> trying to determine the plight of their villages, poisoning of them and their children. we are free to do so under chinese law. we were prevented by local authorities. 12 police officers stopped our cars, they detained a subject papers and then insisted we leave with them. we were not able to get to the village. but what we spoke to some villages they expressed a great deal of anger. they are worried about the long term health of facts of the lead poisoning. ifill the government has not given satisfactory answers. they say, why is it we have been complaining about the lead small for many years, the government promised to remove us and those

promises have been largely unfulfilled. only when the villagers took to the streets and stop protesting that they caught the government's attention. now the government is swarming all over the village. there are there to shut them down and stop them from speaking to the domestic media and to the world. >> south africa boss a world athletics gold medalist semenya arrived in japan is prepared to victory in the world athletics to be shipped as made her a heroine at home but left her mired in controversy after a welcome. attention will turn to the outcome of the test requested by the athletics governing body to prove she really is female. joining me from johannesburg is johah fisher. before we get to the test, described the scene at johnna spurt airport. >> hundreds of people, probably thousands of people were at the airport. people were singing and dancing. if huge banners were being waved

to deliver the message to caster semanya as she arrived and entered at a car park where the athletics team was prepared of the message was fairly clear from the south african public that they were on her side. they believe she is being unfairly singled out, targeted by athletics governing body. and this is really the chance for south africa demonstrate that caster semanya, who after all, only 18-year-old girl. >> judging from some of the banners, it looks like it is moving beyond sports. it is becoming political, is it? >> it is. one only has the look of the lineup at the press conference that followed shortly after arriving. at the top table, she was sat there -- she did not speak throughout the conference. but alongside her was when the mandela, former wife of nelson mandela, and the head of the anc youth league -- winnie

mendell appeared in the message was clear, this is not just about athletics. south africa is being target -- a south african person is being targeted unfairly. >> thank you very much. russell is here with the latest sports news. >> we will have is -- look ron james world tour. minnesota twins' fourth straight win. a win over the baltimore orioles by two-one in the american league. orioles struck first on brian roberts double in the third inning. his 60th rbi in a season. baker got michael aubrey to foul out left the field making a serious ground and borrowing a little bit by crashing into the twins' bullpen did another great defensive play in the next inning. the twins leveled the scores at one of the piece later in the

evening. before this sacrifice fly allowed them to move into a 2-1 lead and eventually sealed the win. where has lebron james, the nba most audible player of 2009, got to now and his tour of tent cities? beijing, where exactly a year ago, august 21, 2008, he won gold with the u.s. a basketball team in the olympic games. when the new nba season begins in october, james and his cleveland cavalier teammates will once again search for the team's first ever title. he is talking about the difference this year shaquille o'neal might make, he joined the team as a 50-time nba all-star. >> i think with the addition of shaq we have a great thing to show the world -- before the games in during practices and everything. i am looking forward to seeing -- putting our two great minds together and coming up with some great games and then going out in the court and taking care of business.

it will be a fun year, and hopefully you guys will stay in tune with what the cavaliers have to offer this year. >> fox of lebron james, and that is all we have of the mullet -- at the moment, george. >> court documents republican the united states showed the pop singer michael jackson had a lethal level of a powerful anesthetic when he died. documents also reveal jackson was a personal doctor, conrad mourey, told police he administered the drug propofol as part of a treatment for insomnia in the early hours of the day in which the singer died. speaking in this program and anesthetists said the cocktail of drugs administered to michael jackson was a recipe for disaster.

>> 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. by kcet, los angeles.