> "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, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. >> there is a new deal between america and russia to cut strategic nuclear weapons. >> we have resolved to reset u.s.-russian relations. this starts with the reduction of our own nuclear arsenals. hundreds have been arrested in china after the riots in xianjiang. at least 140 people have been killed. >> the honduran military blocked the main airport keeping the

president out. welcome to "bbc world news." coming up later, the architect of the vietnam war, a former u.s. defense secretary robert mcnamara, has died at the age of 93. >> a london landmark has a new installation. ♪ barack obama came into office talking about pressing the reset button on relations with russia. we have been seeing the first signs of how that might work. the u.s. and russia have pledged major cuts in their nuclear arsenals. both will still retain huge

stocks. a knowledge differences on georgia. they insisted there was more to unite the country's then divide them. -- they acknowledged differences on georgia, but insisted there was more to unite them then divide them. after nearly five hours of negotiations, the presidents emerged into the splendor of the kremlin palace. they did have an agreement. these are the papers that should lead to the slashing of the nuclear arsenals of russia and america. we have taken important steps forward. we will stop the spread of nuclear weapons. this starts with the reduction of our own nuclear arsenals. the united states and russia must lead by example. president medvedev was only slightly less diffusive --

enthusiastic. the agreement we have reached today is vital for our national security. we've reached a good compromise. what we are announcing will lead to a new treaty. when the cold war ended, russia and america ended to scrap thousands of nuclear missiles. old bases like this were left to rot. this place is completely abandoned today. this was once a missile silo. it is now full of water. this place is like a symbol of what the treaty was all about. [explosions] the treaty was a real success, but it still left in russia and america with huge nuclear arsenals.

in 1990, russia had over 11,000 strategic warheads. today, it has just under 3000. at the end of the cold war, america had more than 13,000 warheads. it now has just over 2000. the new treaty will cut both down to about 1600 warheads. the agreement between the presidents to date will be hailed by both sides as a real breakthrough. there have been many false starts before in u.s.-russia relations. the question now is whether these old court -- cold war adversaries can escape the past to become partners. bbc news in moscow. >> the truth and reconciliation commission in liberia has recommended that the president the band for public -- from public office for 30 years. this is because of her alleged role in one of the country's civil wars.

they established the commission to look into theccesve civil wars in liberia. she has said that she gave money to charles taylor for humanitarian purposes. nato forces in afghanistan said that six soldiers have been killed in separate bombing attacks. officials said that four of them were killed in northern afghanistan. the others were killed in the south of the country. >> staff working for aids treatment programs in you gonna say that they have been told not to treat new adult patients because their long-term funding is uncertain. the head of the program has told the bbc this could mean that patients would be sharing drugs or take lower doses. that could make the virus more resistant. chinese authorities are saying they have arrested hundreds a day after rioting in the western region of xianjiang that killed at least 140 people

and injured as many as 800. the violence is centered on one city. the state media says the police have dispersed a crowd of more than 200 in the second city. most of the population of xianjiang is muslim. there have long been tensions with the han chinese community. we have this report from shanghai. this was the moment that the uighurs in western china became violent. property was also a target. it was mainly the shops and homes owned by the han chinese. some ran to escape the violence. others who were caught up in the console each other. the han chinese are a minority in this area. the state media it says that

they're victims of violence. these are the pictures the chinese media wants the world to see. they branded the demonstrators as criminals. protests are not unusual in this country. these clashes are on a scale seldom seen. this footage appears to show the start of the demonstration. we cannot be sure where or when it was shot. the government is claiming separatist uighurs are stirring up trouble. >> forces from inside and outside china aggressively operate to attack the chinese communist party and government. they also arouse the people to carry out demonstrations. they severely undermined the unification of ethnic groups. >> more than 800 were injured in the clashes, according to the government. it is still not clear how many of those killed or hurt were protesters. outside of china, exiles had

condemned the beijing assertion that the riots were to provoke turmoil inside the borders. >> the chinese government has adopted the method of labeling all ethnic demonstrations protests even if they are very peaceful. >> tonight, the city is reported to be quiet. hundreds of people have been detained. the security forces appear to be taking no chances. chris hogg for bbc news in shanghai. we have this report just in. we're in the center of the xianjiang capital. it is very quiet. the streets are deserted. it is late at night. chinese cities are usually not disquiet. -- are usually not this quiet.

you can see the police in riot gear. they have been here all day. they will be here through the night. if you look to the left, you can see the troop trucks. the red banner says the police love the people and will restore peace. we can see yet another at the deserted street to the left. the authorities are saying that a lot of the ethnic violence was uighur muslims fighting against the han chinese. it to place in the back streets around this area. many of the people killed here were killed on the back streets. chinese officials say they have the city under control. they have not stopped with the troops. they have also closed down the internet in the city. more than 2 million people do not have access to the internet and their mobile phones are not working. the chinese took the combined measures will allow them to gain

control over the city. >> a political game is playing out in honduras. the exiled president is determined to return. he finds himself on an airplane circling the main airport of the country while military vehicles blocked the runway to stop them from landing. he is now expected in washington to meet with secretary of state hillary clinton. he had to divert to nicaraguan. we have this report from honduras. >> the supporters of the president see him as their potential savior. they would have been encouraged by his dramatic arrival in an airplane over the capital on sunday evening. he vowed to continue in his efforts to return to his homeland. >> i wanted to land. if the pilots had landed, and would already be on the ground. i would freeze the military. i am not afraid. -- i would face the military. i was not afraid.

the pilots decided not to land because of the short runway. >> he called on the soldiers and hundreds to lower their rifles and let him into the country. there is no evidence of disunity in the military. a substantial amount of the population of honduras do not want him as the president. despite near universal international support, he has major challenges to overcome before being reinstated. in honduras, it was a heavy police and military presence overnight to enforce the curfew. the army is also in force at the airport. the authorities are wondering what his next move might be. they ruled mexico for most of the 20th century. it is making a political comeback. the institutional revolutionary party has defeated the party of

the mexican president in congressional elections. it will be the biggest force in the chamber of deputies. >> activists are protesting direct the -- dressed up as roman neighbors after the g-8 summit to highlight the problems of the poorest countries. the latest report suggests that hunter will be the defining human tragedy of the century. state television is saying that the iranians national -- nation will react to any actions. there was violence after the disputed presidential election last month. they have risked jail and even death. there is no stopping alcohol smuggling. the man blew up the mules with cases of bought out in the hope of earning some cash.

-- the man and load up the mules with cases of vodka in the hopes of earnings and cash. this is close to the border. it is a remote and impoverished region. this is also a major route for smugglers bringing alcohol into iran. these are iranian kurds who have made the dangerous journey across the border to pick up their next consignment. this the duty-free region of kurdistan. every kind of alcohol is stopped here and shipped or smuggled through the mountains to iran. the majority of iraqi kurds are muslims. here, there is no restriction on selling or consuming alcohol. this is french wine. since the islamic revolution three decades ago, a whole has

been banned in iran. anyone caught drinking more than three times could face the death penalty. i have been shot and jailed for smuggling. about six months last time. on either side of the border, the illegal flow of alcohol is the main source of income. for many, this risky job is the only way to survive. he is 15. he has been a smuggler for two years. i lost my father. i am the only one that brings food to my family. these men are waiting until dark to load their courses across the border. sometimes, the border guards can be persuaded to let them pass for a large bribe. often, they shoot the smugglers and their horses. the iranian police opened fire

on us. we run away. if the catch our forces, the execute them. in the past century, many governments have come and gone on both sides of the border. but there has been little change in the life of the people in this region. bbc and iraqi-kurdistan. >> millions of michael jackson fans find out if they can attend his memorial service. ♪ he is now 80 years old. but he shows no sign of slowing down. the books of his exploits still sell by the millions. and museums celebrating his creator is opening in belgium. these get the royal seal of approval. the king is being given a tour

of the museum dedicated by his widow. it is his most famous creation that is at the heart of the project. the character first appeared in a weekly comic strip in a belgian paper in the 1920's. the boy reporter and his faithful dog soon found a much wider audience along with his friends and a host of other characters. he has been captivating generations of readers ever since. he was the father of all european comic strips. tin tin is still a person in belgian history. many people think he really lived. 80 years have used it eight years after his creation, he is

still big business. the creation of the museum and a feature film to come are evidence of this. hollywood has not come knocking by chance. the image and brand has been jealously guarded. he has had his ups and downs. there were accusations of racism and sexism. he has weathered those storms. his creator could be on the verge of even bigger international success. ♪ >> see the news unfold on line. you can see the in fact, experts reporting of bbc news online. you can read the latest headlines, get the top stories

from around the globe, and played a video reports. discover more about the subjects that interest you. find out what issues the world is talking about right now. go on line and watch the news unfold. ♪ here are the latest headlines on "bbc world news." the american and russian presidents have agreed to cut the nuclear weapons stockpiles. hundreds of western uighurs had been detained. the protests have left at least 140 dead. >> on the day they met to pursue better relations, tributes have been coming in for a man who played a pivotal role in the recent history of both countries. robert mcnamara ran the pentagon for the cuban missile crisis and

most of the vietnam war. he then became a champion of the poor of the world. we look back at his life. >> he had an unusual journey. he was one of the cleverest men to ever serve an american president. in 1960, he was a hugely successful businessman. he was the first head of the ford motor co. not to be a member of the ford family. >> i have asked robert mcnamara to assume the responsibilities -- the newly elected president kennedy invited him to become secretary of defense for a fraction of his salary at ford motor company. the call him arrogant and a machine on legs as he sat out to modernize the pentagon. two years later came the cuban missile crisis. not amara was at the side of kennedy as they faced down the russian attempt to station nuclear missiles in cuba.

-- mcnamara was at the site of kennedy as they faced down the russian attempt to station nuclear missiles in cuba. the world had never come closer to nuclear war. >> rational individuals came that close to total destruction of their societies. >> he oversaw the steady rise of troops in vietnam. he came to believe the war cannot be won and that america should pull out. johnson disagreed. mcnamara quit. when he was awarded the medal of freedom, he broke down. >> i cannot find words. i cannot find words to express what lies in my heart. i think i had better respond on another occasion. >> he was later criticized for not making his doubts public on the grounds it might have shortened the war. the president appointed him to run though world bank, handing

out aid to developing countries. he urged the west to spend less on defense and more on assistance. he later condemned the american insistence to keep the nuclear arsenal. >> this is insane. this 15 years after the end of the cold war. it is following a policy that existed when i was secretary of defense for years ago. what was right then is not necessarily right today. >> in old age, he reflected on the lessons he had learned. >> how much evil must we do in order to do good? we have certain ideals, responsibilities. we must recognize at times we have to engage in evil, but we should minimize it. i am not so naive to believe that we can eliminate war. >> he was a man of rigorous intelligence. he could sing. an. he was not afraid to change his mind if the facts came -- changed. he was not afraid to tell

americans what they did not want to hear. >> robert mcnamara has died at the age of 93. thousands of fans are descending on los angeles to collect their tickets. millions registered on line to win 70,000 tickets. most people will be disappointed. -- millions register online to win 17,000 tickets. most people will be disappointed. even some of the people who one may not be able to make it there in time. -- even some of the winners may not be able to make it there in time. [no audio] these are the tickets that 1.6 million people wanted. they want to make sure that they only gave them to the 17,000 people that won them.

the fans are gathering to pay their respects. any were linked to michael jackson has become a place of pilgrimage. everything had meaning. he crossed all generations. it was the first time we ever had any performer do that. the spotlight is even on a cemetery where he is expected to be buried. it is a place a piece for other hollywood legends, but not for him. his relatives said they want to have a private family function here for the singer. for a star whose life and death have been so publicly scrutinized, that seems unlikely. some are watching in despair. this teenager won tickets to the memorial but cannot get there in time. i cannot believe it. i thought it was a hoax. i entered the code and got my ticket. i could not believe it.

it is such short notice, there is no chance i will be able to get to america in 24 hours. it is really disappointing. final preparations are being made for a unique event. not even the show business capital of the world has seen anything like this. >> it has been a london landmark for years. trafalgar square and now has an added attraction. for the next 100 days, these people will be hoisted and given one hour each to do whatever they like. our bbc correspondent explains. >> it has become one of the most prestigious platforms for public sculpture. for the next few months, living statues will adorn it. people will use it to show off, do nothing, or protest and make a point.

even before the project officially began, it was briefly hijacked by a protester. he had clearly not been told about the rules of random selection by computer. >> we could not have arranged a better warm up act. it was extraordinary. he timed it so well. >> everything else has it worked like clockwork. every hour, a new work of art is delivered. what about the middle of the night? >> they have committed to stay the full hour, no matter what happens. there is some cruelty involved in this. it is also a celebration. >> there are mixed emotions about being a living, breathing work of art.

>> it is such a huge project. it is really special to be a part of it. >> this is just the beginning. there are still more than 2000 hours to go. there will likely be surprises in store. you will get more details on that and the international news on our web site at bbc.com >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. >> funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. foundation.