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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? >> and now "bbc world news." >> this is bbc "world news." america's top general in afghanistan expected to say the current strategy against the

taliban is not working. reviving the second largest economy and the challenge ahead for japan's next leader. out-of-control wildfires in california threaten 12,000 homes. un secretary general ban ki- moon this is the arctic. on the campaign trial with the first black man ever to stand on election in russia. >> it is midday in london, and the 7:00 a.m. in washington. a u.s. military report is expected to admit that the strategy and afghanistan is not working. general mcchrystal will say that the afghan people are losing confidence in the coalition because the war against the taliban has not improved their

lives. our correspondent says general mcchrystal's report is also likely to call for more troops. >> the report will be submitted today by general mcchrystal. it will work his way up the chain of command in washington, potentially landing on president obama's desk. it is a pretty blunt assessment. it says the strategy in afghanistan has not been working. general mcchrystal apparently says that he believes that nato led forces. other with the afghan forces can be the taliban insurgency, but not going about it the right way so far. there needs to be an emphasis on winning territory. there needs to be emphasis on winning the confidence of the people. there also ought to be renewed determination to speed up the training of local security forces of the afghan national army and the afghan national police.

it has not been going as quickly as some military commanders would like. a strategic review will be followed by the resources needed to carry out the job. that may include a request for more troops. this is happening at a time of great uncertainty in afghanistan because it lets ielection resuls continue to trickle in extremely slowly. we have results from 35% of polling places. president karzai is in the leads in the partial results. there have been mounting allegations of fraud. there are more than 600 serious allegations, which if proven, could have a material affect on the outcome of the election. >> japan's next leader, yukio hatoyama, selecting his cabinet.

he has said that choosing a finance minister was his priority, reviving the japanese economy, the world's second largest, will be a key challenge. latest figures show industrial production was up in the latest quarter. >> japan is beginning a process it has been through only once before since 1955. the transition of power to an opposition. yukio hatoyama will be the next prime minister. he has promised an end to the cozy relationship between politicians, big business, and this has dominated japan for so long. >> we are grateful for their deep support. >> through the night there were celebrations. the democratic party of japan to

exceed after seats. it was a landslide, a stunning reversal of fortune. now another government must face up big expectations. >> i voted for the dpj because i really wanted a change. for the outgoing prime minister taro aso, the humiliation of defeat of less than one year in office. he stepped down as leader. >> yukio hatoyama has been handed the power to push through real change. his talents now is to not disappoint. >> he is back in the studio now. he joins us live. what does this say today about

the mindset of the japanese people that we have seen this historic shift? >> i think the election was less about the policies, less about it unpopular prime minister giving way to a new man. it was more about the japanese people delivering a verdict on a system that has existed since the second world war. this craze relationship with, the liberal democratic party, politicians, and big business, in recent years, it seems to have stagnated. that's what people have rejected today. that have gotten rid of that system and they voted for a new start of japan with a two party system. >> big promises. can he deliver? >> in terms of the policy promises, there are big the promises. things like a generous child allowance. paying for that will be

difficult. japan is already deeply in debt. the country has promised not to raise taxes. a key platform is to break the power of the bureaucracy. they are the people that will have to govern the country through. to try to make big changes to the way you govern is a tall order. >> should the united states be worried that yukio hatoyama is in power? >> in the campaign, the democratic party of japan road back from earlier positions. they would like to adopt a less subservient attitude toward the united states. that is a critical relationship. it is also critical for america. there is going to be a reassessment of that

relationship, but the democratic party of japan has said it will not do anything quickly. at the same time, they will try to shift the focus of a foreign policy more toward the close a neighbor's. >> thank you. pakistani soldiers are reported to of killed 32 taliban militants in gun battles across the volatile nw. the latest action follows a suicide bombing at a police station that killed 17 cadets on monday. this was the deadliest taliban attack since the army retook control of the area and declared it was free of militants. opening fire on a crowd of young people, killing eight. the dead included 15-year-old and a 17-year-old. it has been the scene of much of mexico's struggle in the violence. -- drug-related violence. the space shuttle discovery has arrived at the international space station.

the mission is the flight -- that will carry out three space walks before returning tourists. in california, the wildfires are out of control. homes were is millions of dollars are under stress from the flames. a state of emergency has been declared. two firefighters have died. the governor has urged residents to listen to authorities and leave their homes if ordered. >> to the north of america's second-largest city, 80 foot flames are facinblazing. a rate of more than two miles per hour. the dense smoke already having claimed two lives. >> two of our fire fighters were in a vehicle and went over the

side. both of them suffered life ending injuries. we ask you for your understanding, for your patience, as we move to this difficult time. and please, prayers for their family. >> some buildings have already been destroyed by the fires. wildfires are a feature of the california summer, but it is unusual for them to break out so close to major centers of population. multimillion-dollar homes like this one. >> they said it would burn right to the wall of our house. it will hit it at the last minute.

>> firemen from neighboring states are being drafted in. it will join the frantic and currently few tall effort -- futile efforts to control the flames. this is a key driven fire, which means it is a product of scorching summer temperatures. there's no relief in store until the middle of the week. that is the earliest. >> let's give more on our top story in afghanistan. the report by the united states military, by general mcchrystal. thank you for joining us. this report by general mcchrystal says the current strategy is not working. is it time for the u.s. to assess their long-term goals in the country? >> most certainly. there has been talk of a new strategy under the obama

leadership. the question is what are we trying to achieve? having some well-defined and objectives. are we to measure's success or failure. the strategy should really work for that. in order to do that, you have to outline that kind of goal. >> what should the goals be? >> a central government broadly of the people. we're aiming for something that will try to be inclusive. it will probably involve elements of the taliban, those that can be reconciled, which will be a minority. and help them alleviate political tensions, much like northern ireland. >> we talked about the needed to be greater peace and engagement with the taliban. you talked about providing 60% of the taliban with jobs. that seems difficult. >> it is extremely difficult. that has been one of the large

failures. you can -- as you call up the malicious -- if you co op the militants, this gives them an opportunity. we get them on the side of international coalition. and we are providing them with a income. that is one of the idea os being floated. >> there has always been this assumption that a hostile afghanistan is a threat to global security. is that still true? >> not certainly. we could maintain a destructive grid pattern using drones.

of course that is a relatively a moral position to take. in the long run, probably would not be as successful as engaging in sustainable economic development and security. pakistan helped to foment the radical islam -- having a in stable afghanistan will help to destabilize pakistan. is really two pieces of the puzzle. there is real reason to be concerned about afghanistan. often times it is connected. >> michael williams, thank you. >> first, a little teaser for us. >> the u.s. federal reserve, according to the financial times, said the defense made $14 billion.

it is the same central bank that had to work with the financial team led by hank paulson. they were seen as too vulnerable to fail. it is the same institutions that are paying back the money. they have to charge a fee for taking this money. the also have been charged interest. if they got to use a t-bill, the life of that t-bill, they would probably be $5 billion. that is something they're out of the woods yet. they still have various assets. it leaves them a little bit exposed. they have already gotten a fair amount of money from some of the big names in the game and a few smaller banks. >> thank you very much.

>> thank you. this is "world news." we'll have more from japan as the next leader talks about change. un secretary ban ki-moon has spread the climate change message as kyoto runs out. dozens of civilian bentham's have been buried 25 years after they were murdered during the war between the security forces. >> white coffins carried across the mountains to the final resting place. at the end of a two day funeral procession comes the moment relatives have waited more than

a quarter of a century for. they could bury their dead. 28 are identified to dna tests. they're all exhumed last year from the biggest mass grave. >> we began exhuming in 2008. after carrying out announces, we of the stems are 90 two individuals present. we're now burying them here. >> he lost 10 members of his family there. >> i ask for justice and for those responsible to be arrested. at the same time, i'm happy to be able to bury some of my family members. >> more than 120 men, women, children were gunned down by soldiers and buried in a shallow grave. it was the biggest military massacre in two decades.

there has not been a single prosecution. decades on in some cases, the truth of who created the crime is still unknown. reconciliation seems far away. >> this is bbc "world news." . americans military commander in afghanistan is expected to admit that the current strategy is not working. japan's next leader, yukio hatoyama is starting to build a new government a day after his democratic party won an historic election this jury. what the main domestic and international challenges that lie ahead for the new leader, yukio hatoyama, i'm joined by a

professor at columbia university. thank you for joing. is yukio hatoyama the man to deliver on these promises? >> he has a passion. he does not have the experience. he knows that he and the other leaders of the dpj, they know they have to succeed. they will not have a second chance. japan will not have a second chance. if they do not get their act together, then this country will -- the decline will be irreversible. i think they have a real sense of this is a major turning point in japanese history. this election is not about an unpopular prime minister. this is about the end of the postwar political toddy system in japan.

it is the only time since the end of the second world war with any party has won a majority of seats in the lower house. something new is beginning today. >> are the expectations too high? we had an e-mail that said -- will it simply be too much for this new government? >> the public yesterday did not really see that they had a great deal of hope in the dpj. what they said is enough is enough. they want change. is time for the dpj teacher and a frustration into a positive force for change. they have good ideas. they want to have the more consumer driven economy. they want to reduce the powers of the bureaucrats.

they want to give more autonomy to local governments so they can innovate. they have some good ideas. they have some good people. a lot of young people who have no experience in government, but they are full of enthusiasm and want to do things differently. it will be very different. >> do you expect japan's relationship with the rest of the world to change? >> not fundamentally. a good relationship with the u.s. is vital. it is not only a different party. it is also a new generation. they want to see japan more

independent. they want a bigger role in the world. there is an adjustment process. they understand that japan's future -- a lot of it lies in asia. they won two of a good relationship with china and other countries in asia. i think you will see continuity, but in a somewhat different direction. >>. >> un secretary general ban ki- moon has been a very busy man. he has as travel to the arctic to see the effects of global warming himself. >> this is his first bout, a visit to oslo. after that, he heads north to get an update on the mounting

polar ice caps. he has decided to go because scientists say it is one of the area's most of risk from global warming. >> the u.n. chief has made fighting climate change his top priority. >> this science is clear. climate change is happening. the impact is real. >> he has acted before, traveling to antarctica three years ago. his message -- as the result of global warming could be catastrophic. urgent action is needed to reverse it. and that is the poor who would suffer the most. they live in coastal areas flooded by rising seas. in other regions, affected by drought. >> we adopt this. >> there is a global treaty to cut carbon emissions.

it has not had much success in reversing the trend. it is set to expire. the climate changes to replace it are entering the final phase. some ambitious targets were set at the g-8 summoned in july. critics say it is not enough. time is running out to meet the december deadline. >> ban ki-moon is hoping that this trip will help build the political consensus necessary to reach an agreement. next he is headed to a near region island. >> i like this story. it's like david against three goliaths. >> he won the barclays classic

by holding from 20 feet on the final hole. he knew that if he missed that, he would be involved in the playoff with tiger woods, harrington, and ernie els. putting on the pressure. to move within one shot of the lead. and then harry in getting himself into a useful position by holding for birdie. they were always chasing slocum. here's a 20-foot putt. he raises his hands in celebration. he knew that having made that, steve stricter had tumbled from 10 feet to force a playoff. the ball stayed above ground. slocum won the first pga title. roger federer is hoping to

win a third grand slam when the u.s. open starts in new york. adby murray of britain is confident in winning his first grand slam title on his favorite card for service. >-- favorite hard seurface. >> my consistency has been a lot better. physically i feel stronger than i was last year in terms of the natural parts of my game. i think everything has gotten a little bit better. that is the difference when you get close to the top of your sport. it is not one major thing that changes, but a lot of little things. >> thank you. >> 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.