>> "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, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, union bank, and "bright star," a new film by jane campion.

>> 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? >> he was a dreamer. >> i was floating above the trees with my lips connected to those of a beautiful figure. >> were they my lips? >> she was a realist. >> my sister has met the author. she wants to read it to see if he's an idiot or not. >> with every word he wrote -- >> a thing of beauty is a joy forever. >> inspired the romance that would live forever. >> i get anxious if i don't see you. >> i must warn you of the trap you are walking into. >> you know i would do anything. >> "bright star," from jane campion. rated pg, now playing in select cities. >> and now "bbc world news." >> this is "world news today." we can't go it alone. barack obama's debut at the u.n. general assembly. he will say america needs more

help from other nations to tackle the world's problems. australia as you have never seen it before as a mass of dust storm brings color and chaos to sydney and brisbane. the proposed president of honduras -- deposed president says he must accept fresh elections. the debt collector calls -- debt collector calls. house african businesses are cracking down on those who don't pay their bills. and more than just a wall ornament. prince william tells us how he wants a hands-on approach to his will duties. -- royal duties. it is midday here in london and 7:00 a.m. in new york where in just over an hour barack obama will address the u.n. general assembly for the first time.

it is pressed -- message, america can't solve the world's problems on its own. partly than a recognition that the world's only superpower does have its limitation but also assigned the new administration, unlike its predecessor, does want to work multilaterally. how does the message go down with other nations, not least the which of iran, north korea? analysis in a moment. but this report from our u.n. correspondent. >> barack obama is the top draw for the general assembly. it is his debut on the world stage and he is sure to get a war -- warm welcome. the american president has promised to we engage with you and come a sharp contrast to the confrontational style of the bush administration. member states want to know what it means in terms of policy. already they have seen that a change of tone doesn't guarantee solutions to seemingly intractable problems. mr. obama failed to the liver a

relaunched a mideast peace process, although he put a brave face on it. >> despite all of the obstacles, despite all the mistrust, we have to find a way forward. >> following president obama will be libya's colonel gaddafi attending the general assembly for the first time in 40 years of power. he was greeted in new york by supporters. but his reception at the u.n. might be more awkward. that is because of the storm's over britain's release of the libyan convicted of the lockerbie bombing. it triggered a diplomatic backlash in london and anger in washington. but colonel khadafy is no longer a pariah since giving up his nuclear program and libya have a seat on the security council this year. iran process leader mahmoud ahmadinejad seems to court controversy on this trip. he recently infiltrated israel

with another denial of the holocaust. if he repeats it at the u.n., it could prompt some to walk out. overseeing here and army parade shortly before he left, iran and under heavy pressure from world powers about its nuclear problem -- program. it is afraid of the are making a bomb. mr. ahmadinejad refused and a concessions but has accepted a u.s. offer for talks. although this almost certainly does not mean a meeting with mr. obama at the u.n.. heads of state and government have gathered here to discuss the world's pressing problems, but what will probably be remembered best are the personalities, the new faces on the stage -- president obama and colonel khadafy and the continued defiance presence of iranian leader ahmadinejad. bbc news, at the united nations. >> how will the new faces perform? of course, barack obama, foremost among them -- our correspondent for abc in london.

thank you for joining us. the stage is set. with a fairly clear idea of what the message is going to be and it is going to be, come and join us. it will go down pretty well, i guess. >> expectations are high. the stage is set. but president obama faces made -- many of the same challenges you could say the u.n. faces, prove what i have to show for all the talk of multilateral diplomacy, all the good will, what is actually a concrete accomplishment. >> we have heard a lot of great speeches already from barack obama. that is clearly already. >> we are eight months into the administration and the good will is not fading but certainly his domestic audience wants to see something hard. and he has no shortage of venues to try to accomplish that. he's got a massive global worries, economic downturn, very concrete ahead of them is the israeli-palestinian conflict,

and also state building in afghanistan. how did -- can he reach out to other nations, what can he do to help? peacekeepers, about 115,000 round the world, -- >> one thing he does have is plenty of detractors. the republican opponents are saying now we go on the offensive, asking for a multilateral platform is a sign of weakness. it is seen as a sign of weakness by manic -- many americans. >> that is certainly what his critics -- the venue they will look to attack. the u.n. ambassador, rice, took a different tone. she said we are making a new approach here. and when you talk about multilateral diplomacy and you don't have yet anything to show for it, you put yourself in a vulnerable position.

and president obama, some say did that yesterday when he brought together the israeli and palestinian leaders. there was the symbolic handshake. we have seen the handshake. but now people want to see what comes after that. and if there is not anything to show for such a stage setting act, you open yourself up. >> this is not the best form for substantive progress. it is a talking opportunity and there are options a possibility for mayors met with the likes of khadafi and ahmadinejad. >> not often you see president obama putting himself on the same stage as those other kinds of leaders. while it is a venue for speaking and president obama certainly can do that very well, it is not really a venue for concrete progress that you are going to see in the next 24 hours. you will see a lot of talk and handshaking but what else remains to be seen. >> we shall find out in about an hour's time. thank you very much.

mark khadafi is due to address the general assembly, straight after barack obama -- more mark khadafi. there's been speculation and some controversy over his sleeping arrangements which you can see here. a tent pitched in suburban new york state. not a standard two-manner. jack out the satellite dishes. the speculation is this is where khadafi will be entertaining visitors during his stay in new york. he could be sleeping the night there. not if local officials from bedford town have something to do with it. they say the direction of the that when boudoir transgressions -- the direction of the beaufort transact -- trying progresses town codes. sydney and brisbane are in a thick orange haze. huge clouds of reddish dust from the desert of the australian outback.

emergency services says there have been a whole surge in calls from people suffering breathing difficulties. online is a reporter for channel 7. the pictures are striking, frankly beautiful, but tell me about the chaos. >> it has just been an incredible last 24 hours. the storms struck sidney first, and like you said, the pictures are incredible. harbour bridge, the opera house, just a red dawn in sydney this morning. it slowly move up toward brisbane and hit its are around, i guess lunchtime hour time. more of a white doubt. -- without. everything covered in dust -- cars, houses.

handle a lot of people calling emergency services. they have had a a lot of -- i would say hundreds of people have ended up in the hospital, respiratory problems. an official warning went out to the elderly, two children, pregnant women to stay inside. it was just unbelievable. >> extraordinary images. thank you so much for joining us from brisbane. some other stories -- african heads of state launch a new initiative today aimed at ridding africa of all malaria- related deaths by 2015. more than $3 billion of already been raised to fund the project. malaria accounts for a quarter of all deaths of young children in africa the authorities and the u.s. briefly closed one of the biggest border crossings with mexico. this is after a gunfight with human traffickers. border guards in california --

three bands try to force their way and to the checkpoint. four people were wounded. police say they detained 70 people from the vans, all of them illegal immigrants. just grant master kasparov won the first two games with his counterpart in the rematch of the championship from 1984. and both of those games he struggled with the limited time available for his moves. it is taking place in spain played under very strict time minutes. 10 games left with the final eight at an even faster format. the crisis in honduras goes on, follows the return of deposed president zelaya. the interim president, roberto micheletti, who took over in a coup said he is willing to talk to mr. zelaya who has taken refuge in the brazilian embassy in the capital. but mr. micheletti does say that mr. zelaya must first accept --

elections in november. brazil wants security forces not to enter a building. william, perhaps you can give us a state of play at the moment. >> indeed, yes, we spoke with interim president micheletti and stated he was willing to speak -- at least through intermediaries. but he was adamant that planned elections in november had to take place. zelaya also said he wants to talk, but what the ads will and to give it is not quite clear. zelaya's supporters say nothing short of his return to power will be acceptable. otherwise, why did he return to the country and risk detainment. >> micheletti also made it clear any idea of mediation talks are sort of blown away by his return, zelaya's return.

what do you think can happen next? >> the important thing to bear in mind is the timing of this event. this is coinciding with a u.n. general assembly taking place in new york. no doubt leaders there are going to be talking about this issue, about honduras and giving proposals. the interim government is going to be under a lot of pressure to try to sit down face to face with zelaya and come to some sort of an agreement what is absolutely clear is that the international community is not going to accept the status quo. they cannot have this president -- said of a democratically elected leader being ousted by force because they did not like his policy. so there will be some sort of pressure late on micheletti to come to some sort of dialogue. >> turning into a political soap opera. william, many thanks indeed.

we will get full market and financial analysis in 25 minutes. but you are and what their views are going to dave. >> correct, edition -- decision on interest rates, we know it would not go up. it would make absolutely no sense. reminder that quite awhile they were actually negative, but low inflation and is led to the problem, one could argue that we are facing right now, that america was too much in debt and therefore its parts of two debates. one of them, does the federal reserve continue to inject liquidity into the system and by of mortgage-backed securities in order to support and directly the housing market in the u.s., which is, of course, where it all started. will it continue? and if so, how long? the second thing is the federal reserve, should it continue in its current role. should it have an increased regulatory role or decrease

role. going for clearly it did not spot or intervene on the current crisis. >> the eu still ferreting out banking regulations. >> they have a blueprint but if you look at this it does not say a whole lot at all. the big question is, can an eu body override national bodies? that is to say -- can they say we have a problem and we are going to override national interests. britain would not to like -- like that to happen. they are slightly dodging the issue saying they want to exert moral pressure. my feeling is banking and more pressure are not necessarily things that makes well. i expect to hear more details. >> i think you are right. thank you, indeed. you are watching "world news today." , up shortly, they are hunting down debtors as we follow the south african debt collectors making a fast buck from the recession. and it is being described as startling, unprecedented, the

new drug which shrinks the skin cancer tumors. when the word surely it is mentioned in parts of the western world some people tend to think of harsh punishment -- sharia. in this city of london, sharia finance is being opened -- welcome with open arms. it has become a hub. and the big growth has been since 9/11. >> of the city of london has become a magnet for islamic finance. unlike western banking, panels of scholars advise financial institutions on the walls of business from is lompoc's ancient text. interest and speculation is banned. london is the main hub for s haria finance and the western

world. after the global crisis and conventional banking, many now see a golden opportunity for the islamic way of doing business. the old chelsea bearer sold to the qatari government in the largest residential property deal in the u.k. the line worth nearly a billion pounds and was all structured according to islamic law. since september 11, the british government encouraged islamic finance to bring money and jobs to london at the expense of the united states. >> it was after september 11. things like the patriot act that made investments in the u.s. difficult for many islamic investors. there was a growth, quite a significant increase, in islamic investors choosing to invest in islamic institutions and islamic products. >> critics say these financial products aren't fundamentally different from conventional ones. but they are likely to grow as a

muslim consumers look for ways to reinforce their identity. bbc news. >> this is "world news today" from bbc world news. the main headlines. president obama to address the u.n. general assembly for the first time. he will say the u.s. needs more help in tackling global problems. the powerful best storm that left the australian city of sydney under red powder has moved north. until the global it -- economic crisis, south africa had been enjoying more than 15 years of uninterrupted growth. with a heavy dependence on mining and manufacturing the economy has contracted sharply. hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs and they had been plunged into debt. perhaps it is not surprising that debt collectors are one of the few groups enjoying a boom.

our correspondent in johannesburg has this report. >> in a city where there is little faith in the police and justice system, men like tiny aren't thriving under the margins of a lot. this meeting with clients -- men like tiny are thriving under the margins of the law. >> to different premises. we will go to one, csb is there. it is not there, would go to the other one, and if not, his house. find a person, talk to a try to get him to see why he is not paying. >> how much money does he owe your clients? >> 1,080,000 rand -- >> that is about $130,000. interest rates have dropped five points since december but in the past years and million of south africans to mainly from affluent groups have fallen into that. it has meant a sharp rise and

unpaid bills to chase. in this location, he was in luck. >> get your lawyer. >> he can run, but can't hide. >> is it legal? >> what i am doing is legal. it depends on offer you push the lot. >> how hard you push the law? >> as far as we can. >> there are five jobs on tiny's books today. next stop is downtown johannesburg. >> i will see you at your office on friday in johannesburg -- >> this time, some success. the promise to pay later in the week.

despite a rapidly growing caseload, tiny says south africa potts a recession is in fact proving a mixed blessing for him. >> obviously we have uncollected money from other people. because they are not getting money as well. i am a lot busier but also working a lot harder. >> with a recovery not expected until next year, tiny is one of the few south africans making plans to expand his business. bbc news, a johannesburg. >> scientists have presented some startling results from an experimental drug which in early stage trials has significantly shrunk skin cancer tumors. speaking at europe's largest cancer conference held in berlin, the researchers describe the results as unprecedented. hours science correspondent has more. >> 8 bills twice a day. an experimental drug that has changed his life. he has a skin cancer. six months ago he was getting ready to die.

but now he is getting ready to see his first patient after nearly a year off work. >> the first thing which i did six months ago was to call the funeral director and pay for my funeral. i have everything at home, all the papers. now i am thinking about coming back to worked come up -- back to work, and it is beyond exciting. it is fantastic. >> he is a dentist working close to new york popsicle the island resort. one of 55 patients involved in a trial of an experimental drug. it works differently than conventional treatments. it directly blocks one of the genes involved in the spread of skin cancer. his doctor noticed an immediate effect. >> some of the tumors we have been able to see and feel were much, much smaller. within two weeks of starting treatment actually some of the lesions on the chest wall were

no longer palpable. >> doctors here have been as the omelet -- astonished at the effect. in trials involving seriously ill patients, it has dramatically shrunk the tumors and it has the potential to extend their lives. the drug trial is small and that an early stage. new treatment, also seemed promising to begin with but had disappointing results in the later, larger trials. but doctors here say we have never seen a drug worked so quickly for so many patients. for example, this is a scan of a patient whose skin cancer has spread to bear liver. two weeks later, it is gone. >> we have seen responses in patients who did not respond to chemotherapy before, and there's a sense of four, 74 -- 70% responded. so that in and of itself is unprecedented for us. >> like all the patients in the trial, his cancer is probably at at to late a stage to be held back for much longer but if the

new drug performs as well and larger trials, it has the potential to help thousands of people whose cancer is less advanced to live healthier and longer lives. but for mikhail and his life, they are grateful for each extra day the new treatment has given them. bbc news, new york. >> the very latest sports news and the latest being justin henin, following her belgian, patrick -- compatriot and back. >> the first, if it is permitting, will be the australian open. it is not really for me to say but obviously i am the analyst and ask for an opinion did i would say women's tennis it will seriously suffer when binet's and serena decide eventually there's more to their lives and then playing this professional game. and therefore that is one of the

main reasons that women's tennis needs justine henin. all professional sports and the performers that can sell the sport through charisma worse still, i should say, antennas is even more particular because you do not have teammates. the spectators cannot have their eyes haverinaldo and if he does not perform, they can watch kaka. but there are only two tennis plays that sell the sport. >> that begs the question, why did she retire? she was in her prime. seven grand slams. >> she was 25 years old. she always admit it -- eventually it became public -- that her personal problems and estrangement from her father as well as her siblings was one of the reasons that she played tennis, to escape from family problems. that is all sorted out. she is back speaking to her dad and has a great religious of with her siblings. i believe her brother was then a series accident and she went to see him in a hospital and that

helped the reconciliation process. let us hear what she has to say to belgian television. >> i found out many more things about myself and all of that and allowed me to concentrate. and there was a flame that led up again that i thought was blown out for ever and little by little of this desire to come back and live with the wisdom, will mature, and through sharing as well. >> we will find out how well she does. looking forward to it. >> she could end up as being one of the greatest players ever. >> thank you very much indeed for that. stay with us here on "world news today." the main story, u.s. president barack obama delivering his first speech to the u.n. general assembly in new york very shortly. >> 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, union bank.

and "bright star," it a new film by jane campion. >> 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? >> he was a dreamer. >> i was floating above the trees with my lips connected to those of a beautiful figure. >> were they my lips? >> she was a realist. >> my sister has met the author. she wants to read it to see if he's an idiot or not. >> with every word he wrote -- >> a thing of beauty is a joy forever. >> inspired the romance that would live forever. >> i get anxious if i don't see you. >> i must warn you of the trap you are walking into. >> you know i would do anything. >> "bright star," from jane campion. rated pg, now playing in select cities.

>> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.