>> "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. 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 "world news today." i'm george alagiah. at least 12 dead in the afghan capital after a suicide bomb. india says its embassy in kabul was the target, the latest in a recent upsurge. the taliban claimed reonsibility.

the typhoons destructive power in japan. commuters stranded, power cuts and flights canceled. what a difference a year makes. zimbabwe's main hospital goes from shut down to this. we are live in harare. the secret is out -- nearly. nobel committee about to announce the winner of this year's literature prize. we will report it as it happens. it is 7:00 a.m. in washington, midday in london and 3:30 p.m. in the afghan capital where another suicide bomber wreaked havoc. 12 people are dead and dozens injured. the explosions took place between the interior ministry and the indian embassy. the taliban claimed responsibility, confirming the

embassy was of the target. eight years on from the intervention, at this will add it to the pressure of the international mission in afghanistan. >> it was morning rush-hour but it came to a deadly stop. it a car bomb packed full of explosions -- a car bomb packed full of explosives ripped through the neighborhood. this shopkeeper said there was an enormous blast. when i got out on the street, he told me, all eyes all were dead bodies and injured people all around a. this scene is becoming increasingly common in kabul, once regarded as relatively safe. it has been hit four times in the last few months by bomb attacks. insurgences seem to be sending a clear message -- we can hit

anywhere in this country. the blast hit a business shopping street between the indian embassy and afghan interior ministry. security in the road has been stacked up in the wake of an attack in the indian embassy last year. over 50 people, including two indian officials, were killed. these types of attacks were designed to destabilize the government. and despite increased security in the capital, the insurgents are still getting through. bbc news, kabul. >> and a few minutes we will have more on afghanistan. the u.n. is ghting off accusations it deliberately fought claims of fraud in the election. for some breaking news, nobel prize for literature has just been announced in the capital of sweden, and actually what we will do is go to our arts correspondent to tell us who it

is. >> i wish i could tell you. >> it is mueller, herta mueller. >> ok. the decision is a secretive. every year we speculate. clearly the committee that decides on this are people who keep it so secretive that date -- and so let me just tell you a little anecdote the way they talk about them. when it was one is term, they were referred to him -- they referred to him as harry potter. >> what do we know about her? romanian born, apparently. >> i would have to say very little and a wider sense. clearly they choose people who they think have made a contribution beyond their own country. this is a prize often given to

people they feel has made some political impact in our own country as well as in a universe away. hammel, he was seen to be a political choice. in many respects, they choose people who fall into obscurity or were obscure beforehand. and there were a few obviously huge gains. but they missed james joyce. it is not like they reward only literature. that is a really important point. >> there has been a lot of discussionround this about whether an american should get it, a huge body of work from several american authors. america i do not think has won it in 15 years. >> in fact, philip ross talks about it as if it is something

he would like to win. i do not know if there is some kind of sensibility that makes them think we are kind of anti american. but again, all of that is speculation because it is so secretive. there is not a way for people to say that this is exactly what we think. nobody talks about it. it is a very difficult thing to be definite about in this instance. >> we are going to leave it there. make sure to check the blog on this. log on to bbc.com. let us get a roundup of some other stories. new research has found global production of oil could peak and subsequently declined by 2020. a report from the u.k. energy research council says significant risk of decline because current sources -- resources are being used up. researchers said this could have a substantial impact on the global economy with alternative sources not able to fill the gap

quickly enough. the grandson of the soviet leader joseph stalin is in court in moscow today defending its grandfathers' reputation. millions of people died unr stall and through execution, torture, and starvation. but he says his grandfather never ordered any killing and he has taken a liberal newspaper to court for saying that he did. criticisis mounting against but french culture minister over a book in which he describes paying for boys and thailand. they are questioning whether frederic mitterand is fit for office. he denied being a pedophile. a typhoon killed at least two people and left a trail of destruction through central japan. it brought heavy rain and gusts up to 150 kilometers an hour. it flooded roads and blew roofs

off of many houses. tokyo commuters were stranded in the rush hour. >> the typhoon crashed into japan's main island, bringing high winds and heavy rain. rivers were swollen by a torrential downpour, flooding streets. several thousand people abandoned their homes for drier ground. some had to be evacuated by boat. the wind was strong enough to blow over trucks on theirsides on the highways and across central japan in the country's industrial heartland, companies including toyota suspended production. trees fell onto houses. the storm tore sections from walls and roofs. several deaths were reported, as well as many injuries. north of tokyo what local pele describe as tornado-like winds twisted electrical poles and battered homes.

>> there was a huge sound. it was like an earthquake. >> as well as the damage, there was disruption. hundreds of flights were canceled. train services were suspended. but after scourings a path across japan the typhoon began to blow itself out as it moved toward the northeast. >> we are goingo have a full business report in about 25 minutes. but you can give us an idea what is in your section. first up, u.s. deficit figures. >> $1.40 trillion. slightly below the forecast but very worrying because we are talking about a figure about 10% of u.s. gdp. in terms of why the deficit has ballooned, we only have to look back to last year, the amount of

money pumped into organizations like fannie mae, freddie mac, aig, and the stimulus program and the troubled assets release program. non-farm payroll, the number of jobs lost in the u.s. economy, the actual unemployment rate set to hit around 10%. the possibility of paying out unemployment benefits to many americans swelling the deficit. >> the bank of england announced its rates. >> no rates changing at all. but we are expecting numbers coming through as well from the european central bank. we think they will actually keep rates where they are at around 1%. what they actually said is that asset buying program is capped at 175 billion pounds and they will monitor that. >> out all of that in about 25

minutes. -- we will have all of that in about 25 minutes. the latest attack in kabul comes as the united nations is under fresh pressure in afghanistan. accusations it deliberately ignored claims of fraud. american newspapers obtained confidential un data saying there were major discrepancies between the number of votes cast and registered. the u. n.'s top official in afghanistan has dismissed claims he favored president, karzai. here is our correspondent. >> afghanistan posset august election simply cannot stay out of the headlines. newly published data suggests there were many more ballots cast than the number voted. the u.n. knew this but did not give the information to the body investigating the charge. in new york, the united nations went on the defensive, reeling

from the latest in a campaign of criticism. they stressed the u.n. was following the rules. these prevented from formally filing election complaints. but they said it didn't pass on some information informally and a serious investigation is underway. >> anyone who says that fraud is being ignored is either not watching what is going on in kabul or has other motives. there it is a very substantial investigation being done by the election commission to determine the amount of fraud that took place. >> but beyond who is right or wrong, what is the way out? if i meet karzai and declared the winner, will afghans -- if hamid karzai is declared the

winner, will afghans' except the government? and if there is a second round, will anyone accept the election process? this matters if the u.s. decides to send more troops, said the man leading the charge against the u.n. >> the counter insurgency strategy requires an afghan partner that is credible. and a government that comes in through this kind of election are these kinds of circumstances is not going to be credible with a large segment of the population of the afghanistan. >> all this has certainly complicated debate in america and britain about the best strategy for afghanistan and whether they are prepared to put more men on the front line. a -- bbc news, at the united nations. >> this is "world news today." coming up -- a year on from the banking crisis that crippled the icelandic economy, the country is debating whether to join the

eu. talks have begun in honduras to try to resolve the confrontation between the interim government that seized power in a coup in june and it ousted president zelaya. regional foreign ministers and officials from the organization of american states are in honduras to mediate. >> their diplomatic patients is being stretched -- patience. ambassadors and foreign ministers are seen trying to convince president micheletti that he has no right to be in the president's chair. he was not convinced. the ousting of his predecessor, he says, was constitutionally legal. reversing it would be against the constitution. the stalemate continues, but for how long? the hope for a solution to the question of who rules honduras for the rest of the year lies in

meetings taking place away from the cameras between representatives of president zelaya and the government that forced himut of office at gunpoint. president zelaya himself, who is holed up and down the road at the brazilian embassy and facing arrest believes is trying to set a timetable linked to next month's scheduled elections and which he is not a candidate. -- in which he is not a candidate. >> we have given a definitive date that we all agree on. if we are not reinstated, the elector of calendar will be invalidated. the will be a lack of trust on the national and international community. >> his diehard supporters, clashing with the police, maybe in the minority. they are showing their frustration. i lot is at stake. the task for diplomats is to try to find a solution which both

sides can somehow called victory. -- tan somehow call a victory. >> this is "world news today" from bbc world news. i'm george alagiah. the main headline. it then has been at large suicide bomb explosion in the afghan capital kabul near the indian embassy. at least 70 people have been killed. two people killed in japan as a typhoon makes landfall for the first time in two years, leaving a trail of destruction. in britain, the leader of the main opposition party david cameron will bulova the closing speech at the annual conference of his conservative party later today -- will deliver the closing speech. mainly on austerity measures. opinion polls have been suggesting for some time conservatives have much greater support than the governing labor party. a our political reporter joins

us live from manchester -- our political reporter joins us live from manchester. naomi? >> welcome to manchester. as you can see already activists are here queuing up to get the best seats for the speech. it is expected in about two hours. with me i've got another george, george pasco watson from "the son," a popular newspaper in britain -- "the sun." there has been a lot that has been gloomy about the conservative message, we should expect higher cuts in public spending and maybe pay freezes. is it in danger of being a little too gloomy, do you think? >> i think actually they probably had the right note, the conservatives. it is a huge gamble. no political party in the run-up to an election like to say things are going to be tough, there is going to be a lot of pain.

it is not a very popular message but i think the people in britain are ready for a negative message because i think people feel in their hearts that we've got a huge financial problem which has to be sorted out. and i think david cameron is trying to pull off a trip which is to say, we've got a really big problem but it is all- not all negative because i think i've got the answer. if he can convince the british public he has the answer and can leave the country to happier times, then maybe that is the answer, the real secret of winning the next general election it has been gloomy, but he is also saying it is not all bad. stick with me and in the and it will be worth it. >> he has come under criticism from people who say he has been too vague about what the conservatives would do. it has done enough to address that, by laying out the policies? >> nobody can confuse the conservative party for not having policies. we have had strong policies on

the economy and our welfare system. you can't accuse the conservatives of been like on policy. but acting more this week it is about the character of swans -- actually more this week it is about the character of two men, the mandell would the prime minister and finance minister, showing not just britain but the world market they can be trusted with the economy. >> the speech will be about two hours and we will bring it to you on bbc world news. >> thank you very much. iceland's prime minister tells the bbc the solution to the financial crisis is to join the european union and europe. a year ago the government took control of the three major banks. the value of the icelandic currency plunged and the country had to be bailed out by a multibillion-dollar loan from the imf. our reporterorts on the country and going rapid

transformation. -- reports on the country going through rapid transformation. >> the economy may be a mess, but there is always fishing. the country's currency, the krone, as have the end value -- is half its value. cheap for buyers abroad. industry is booming. but there is a downside to the currency collapse. imported goods in the shops of reykjavik have soared in price is, even for those lucky enough to still have a job. this is iceland's tiny parliament blding. in this square outside popular protests earlier this year helped topple the government in power during the banking crisis. ushering in, some people hope, a

return to more traditional icelandic values. things like thrift and hard work. the new government thinks iceland needs to ditch the some fragile currency and join europe and europe. -- needs to ditch its fragile country -- currency bearded, even people against us joining the eu -- currency. >> we do will make sure we are in control of our fishing areas and industry. >> iceland's aluminum industry is another doing well. there are three giant plants like this one. there is talk of a fifth. but the plants have been opposed in the past by a small political party, the left greens. they are now the junior partners in the governing coalition. the finance minister, a left- brain, is doubtful about the bureau. >> there are those that believe

this is the best solution, even the only solution. but i will point out it may turn out that way. having our own currency, the flexibility and adaptability of the economy, that may turn out to be very helpful. >> too many icelanders, their behavior in the past two years have been an aberration. a once stolid people were caught up in a get rich quick this -- frenzy of speculation now morality has returned. but it is left the country with a huge bill. icelanders will be paying it off for years to come. bbc news complete -- wreck give it. -- bbc news, reykjavik. >> major league baseball playoffs have begun and there were winds on wednesday for the reigning champions the philadelphia phillies, for the yankees of new york and the l.a. dodgers.

the dodgerseat th cardinals, the yankees smashed the twins and the phillies, well, they host of the colorado rockies and 15-1 at citizens bank park. a great game for the picture. starting the first playoff game for his career at the agef 31. he struck out five rockies, no walks and at one point he retired 16 successive opponents. his teammates helped aut what the bats. rbi double and carlos ruiz with rbi single. more than 46,000 was there. the biggest crowd in the six- year history of the ballpark. they watched the delays effectively end the contest in the sixth inning. pete single from ron howard, 3- nothing, and this one from jason worth, making it for-nothing. american league, the new york yankees smashing minnesota twins 7 to 2. derrick jr. hitting a two run

homer in the third and tying it up to to 2 -- derek jeter. cc sabathia -- the yankees held on to their advantage. hoping to get a 2-nothing start for the first time in 10 years and a playoff season. michael jordan, former nba star has been told es to stop chomping on his favorite cigars. they are banned in public courses in the united ates. but jordan is not playing, rather an assistant to but u.s. captain fred couples. this as a similar format to the ryder cup. we have woods, nicholson, singh, scott, many more. many believe this is a torn into

far. but we will be covering it. >> thank you very much. nobel prize for literature had just been announced in stockholm, awarded to the german writer herta mueller. >> the noble prize in literature for 2009 is awarded to the german author herta mueller, who would concentration of poetry and frankness of prose depicts the landscape. >> that was the announcement. we were saying earlier how city said they are about these things. we had about 10 minutes to find a little more. what have you got? >> the interesting thing is they talk about her as a writer who looked at the landscape of the dispossessed. her family's members of the

german-speaking minority in romania and that is really comes from. she started out working in a factory and refuse to be an informant for security and was dismissed and that is when she began writing. they wanted information about the group of writers and intellectuals. in a way this goes into the heart in the thinking behind the nobel committee. always looking for people who have something more universal to say beyond their own shores. sheis somebody who has stood up for the rights of minorities everywhere. but probably best known book is "in the land of plums" because it is the one published english. >> we have to leave it there. plenty more on our website, bbc.com. >> 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 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.