>> "bbc world news" is 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.] >> a final farewell, friends, fans, and family pay a final tribute to the king of pop. >> he was the best father you could imagine. i just wanted to say that i love him. >> ethnic tensions boil over in

china. >> homemade weapons, wooden poles, steel poles and other implements. >> burying the cold war past, barack obama tells russians they should work for common goals. it warm welcome to the "bbc world news" broadcast. the cost of living in the city, where r is the price wrong? a satirical feeding frenzy, puppeteers poking fun at politicians. we have all of the main news from around the globe.

no doubt what has caught the attention of millions in the past few hours. was a sitting tribute to a pop icon, a huge public memorial in los angeles celebrating the life of michael jackson, who died those two weeks ago. words came from far and wide, including nelson mandela. words and music from stevie wonder, mariah carey, and many more. just a few moments from the staples center here and now, where friends bid farewell. ♪ >> ♪ father help your children

♪ >> today, in tokyo, beneath the eiffel tower, in johannesburg and pittsburgh, birmingham, alabama, and birmingham, england, we are missing michael jackson. >> ♪ believe >> when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. >> ♪ >> the king of pop is not big enough for him. i think that he is simply the

greatest entertainer that ever lived. >> through my joy and my sorrow, and the promise of another tamartomorrow, i will never letu part. for you are always in my heart. >> that was the service in downtown los angeles for michael jackson. let's bring you up-to-date on the rest of the international news. chinese authorities are struggling to clamp down on the worst ethnic violence that the country has seen in decades. a nighttime curfew has been imposed, three days of violence about 150 people dead. this ethnic violence is between the local muslim community and the majority of the other

chinese. >> the quarter is interrupted by hundreds of women. the authorities brought us here to show us that the city is back under control, but it is far from it. the defenders of chinese rule rarely come face-to-face with such defiance. all of these young women demanded the return of local men, who had been rounded up overnight. >> it seems that hundreds of these local women have gathered on the street, despite the fact that there are a lot of police here. they are shouting -- we want our freedom, we want our men back. >> our situation is rabbit -- tragic. it would be better to shoot us and kill us. men and women yesterday were

killed, they died in a very, very tragic way. >> the government said that they would not arrest the women. later that afternoon, more protests in another part of the city. >> they are saying down with wiigers, carrying steel poles, that the authorities are not doing the job so they will take into their own hands. >> at the moment, every country is safeguarding world peace and harmony. why can we not live normally in this community? >> it was the chinese that bore the brunt of the attack during sunday's riot. the violence was sparked by the killing several miles away.

groups in exile have seen an amateur video placed on the internet, showing an -- showing a man being chased. they claim that he was one of two that was killed in a revenge attack. what happens next is to disturbing to show. this evening, more paramilitary troops arrived to restore the peace. but the two things never seen so far apart. >> this begs the question, why is there so much attention? as the chinese government become more open in the reporting of unrest? our bbc security correspondent reports. >> deadly tensions in a place largely unknown to the rest of the world. the problems have been simmering for years. wiigers say that they have been

forcibly colonized, the government says that it is an outside conspiracy. >> the impression has become unbearable. our language has been banned from the schools, transporting our girls away from the countryside into the interior. they have arrested 15,000 people that have no access to lawyers. >> more and more people in the world have witnessed the conspiracy of foreign forces. >> in china, there are officially 55 ethnic minorities. the largest part inner mongolia, tibet, and the wiigers. of these, the ones that get the most international attention are the tibetans and the wiigers, those regions have suffered the most violence. last year the chinese media said that an attack in the promise --

province killed 16 policemen. ethnic groups were blamed. also last summer, violence erupted, heavily oppressed with martial law, journalists were kept out, their work -- there was international condemnation. >> the chinese government has learned their lesson from the rioting last year. last year they did not allow international journalists, which was strongly criticized. it also meant that the chinese government's position did not get any sympathy. >> for the chinese premier and the wider leadership, this is largely about sanitation. later this year they will be experiencing 60 years of the people's republic, they want to see the chinese as the victims as the -- and the instigators as calling from outside of china.

>> violence is definitely in the world spotlight. now the battle begins as to who is to blame. >> the united nations refugee agency is reporting a huge exodus for more than 200,000 people from the somali capital mogadishu. fighting between the government and islamist insurgents has escalated so fiercely, clashes have forced medical charities to withdraw from the north of the city for the first time in 17 years. they have closed children's hospitals and health clinics. the iraqi government has banned organized visits by school children to the grave of the country's former leader, saddam hussein. some iraqi schools had taken students to visit the site. rationing has been proposed in india's most heavily populated city for the first time in living memory. the 20 million residents of

mumbai, reduced by 30%, caps may run dry if a full monsoon does not arrive soon. >> time to bury the antagonism of the cold war, that was the message from president obama to moscow today. he offered a mixed assessment of vladimir putin. he called him tough, shrewd, and pragmatic. he made it clear that on some issues he does not expect a meeting of minds anytime soon. >> president obama began his second day here with a drive outside of moscow. there was a crucial meeting with the former president, now prime minister, vladimir putin. president obama, a few days ago, accused vladimir putin of having a cold war past policy. today he turned on the charm. >> i am aware of the

extraordinary work that you have done, and i know that his previous role as president. >> president obama is looking to reset the relationship between moscow and washington. the american president's terms at the center of moscow were to deliver his big speech here. it included important statements on the controversial issue of the georgia and ukraine joining of nato, which moscow bitterly opposes. >> america will never a pose a security arrangement in another country. for any other country to become a member of nato, for example, the majority of the people must choose to. they must be able to contribute to the mission. let me be clear. nato should be seeking

collaboration with russia, not confrontation. >> the audience of students also heard the american president stressed that neither country should seek spheres of influence in the world. >> immemorial has been unveiled in london for the victims of the bomb attacks on a city transport four years ago. >> 52 people were killed when for islamic extremists blew themselves up. the memorial is in hyde park. >> a summer deluge on the head judge -- edge of hyde park, thoughts turn to that morning four years ago. london had been the latest target of terrorism. the memorial has 52 colors, one for each victim. some of the families were involved in formulating the

design. >> we want them to walk through it, touch it, children to play. most of the people that died were quite young. we wanted it to be user friendly, if you like. >> the suicide bombers blew up a bus and underground train at the height of rush hour. here for the ceremony, the prime minister and leaders of the other political parties. the prince of wales, who first met the families after the bombings, spoke to them again privately today. the victims were remembered individually, their nationalities and different religions. the usual cross section of london travelers. with their names in the air, silence to reflect on what had been lost. >> we have been in the presence of so many, other families of

people who were lost. >> there is a great joy in today as well. with respect. 52 families -- >> 52 families, change forever, four years ago in july. >> still to come, get the ballot papers out and the boats back from 170 million people, the massive task facing election officials in indonesia. first, in the remote jungle of eastern bolivia, the government has seized and destroyed what they believed to be the country's largest cocaine processing plant. the country is the world's largest cocaine producer, but last year they stopped cooperating with the war on drug agents. this raid is a major victory on

drug trafficking and a vindication of a decision to go it alone. sebastian reports. >> the remote jungle provides cover for one of the poorest south american companies. a huge processing plant was found in this area in march. authorities say they have uncovered an even bigger population -- organization. 1,000 kilos of cocaine per day. the minister flew in to see for himself. >> this is the most important hit against drug trafficking in a long time. we are hoping that these blood oratories in france that produced drugs and cocaine, that we continue to come down on them. >> the current president of south america is a coco farmer

himself. he says the use of it for medicinal purposes and should not be confused with the drug trade. last year he ordered american anti-drug agents out, accusing them of spying and destabilizing the country. in return, the u.s. suspended trade benefits. it explains why the libyans are keen to trumpet his latest success, vindication of their policies. sebastian usher, bbc news. >> we have the latest headlines for you on bbc world news. a huge private memorial -- public memorial service, celebrating michael jackson who died two weeks ago. chinese authorities are struggling to clamp down on the worst ethnic violence in decades.

if you are an ex pat looking to get the most bang for your buck, the latest survey suggests you should head for johannesburg, steel -- steer clear of tokyo. the world's most expensive cities. joe f. fisher, where can we make the most of our money? our first correspondent coast of japan, where the cost of living is sky high. >> people that live in japan do not need to be told that it is an expensive place to be an ex pat. rents are high, it costs the same for a car space in this city as an apartment for another city. in this supermarket behind me, a watermelon is $15. a mango is $25. that is official confirmation that tokyo is the world's most expensive place to be an ex tat.

-- x pat. one of the reasons why is the relative strength of the japanese yen, seen as a safe haven in the financial turmoil. but that is bad news if you are paid in dollars, pounds, or euros. >> according to the survey, south africa is one of the cheapest places in the world to live. people come here to eat and drink. this restaurant here, chicken soup. you can see and on the board, just under four dollars. maybe even a bottle of wine for $8 or $9. by international standards, food, drink, and eating out are pretty cheap here. for normal people, the cost of living has gone up remarkably. this loaf of bread has gone

from six to eight in one year. internationally, the cost of living is cheap, but places like this restaurant are out of the reach of many normal south africans. >> the world's largest moslem democracy, wednesday it chooses a president. elections in and night -- indonesia are an awesome challenge. votes counted across 17,000 islands, we have a report from cost -- across the coast of jakarta. >> dawn breaks quietly on the island. but every few moments the islanders get a chance to have their voices heard. being a fisherman is a simple existence, a daily struggle to get a living. >> i am an ordinary man.

i want someone who cares about us. >> these boxes are a sign of just how important people like him are. they are carrying thousands of ballots on the journey to island's four hours away from the capital. >> here in the middle of the ocean, you can see how challenging it is to give every single citizen a chance to vote. they are spread out over 17,000 islands. the journey is often difficult and dangerous. the selection team has just arrived on the island of the erie and they have to bring everything with them, from office supplies to means of transport. this is command central, a rented house. from here, 17,000 ballots will be sent to the islands farther away.

the owner will only move back once the elections are over. this man has been an official since 2004, when indonesia had its first free and fair election. >> it is a huge responsibility to choose the president. what we do is also crucial, making sure that everyone gets a chance to vote. >> for this 27-year-old, that wrote -- get right to vote is valuable. she remembers what life was like before the dictators were ousted from power. >> every five years, we knew that he would win. now we can vote for who we want, choosing a president without being forced into a position. >> on wednesday, indonesians' across the island will decide on the fate of the nation. rich or poor, they all have stakes in this young democracy. for it to survive, no one should

be left out. this is "bbc world news," indonesia. >> assessors in kenya are having their say in a very different way. the country is considered to have a fairly desperate record on governance, and a television show is having fun with them using puppets. >> i am delighted to say that we have an exclusive interview with the president of kenya. we have been waiting many years. he is on the way now. good afternoon, sir. thank you for agreeing to talk to us. fees, me and my producer and my camera man. -- me -- please, meet my producer and my camera man. mr. president, can this government hold together? >> welcome to kenya of political

puppets, a chance for scriptwriters and puppeteers to delve into a murky and dirty world. the characters that they are based on do not come out too well. hear the members of the often bickering coalition government shows some signs of let me as a recent breakfast prayer meeting is remembered. as the team fine tunes the scene, i sat on the sofa with the famous son of kenya, who had just flown in on air force one. the man behind the show is best known as a cartoonist, keeping a satirical eye on the leaders of the country for years. he is keen to point out that feuding politicians may have

joined hands in a coalition, but corruption lives on. >> do you feel it is your job and a duty to expose the things that the politicians are doing? >> i think that it is everybody's duty. it is not just my responsibility, or just one person's. i think that an individual should do what they can to expose what is happening, exposed corruption. >> some of the puppeteers are used to working with marionettes. working with these latex versions has an element of job satisfaction. >> controlling the president's, my hand is in his back. >> good money for your taxes now? >> yes. >> canyons are getting used to

seeing it satirical puppet show and the screens for a first time. how will the leaders react when script writers start to push out the vote? [laughter] will ross, bbc news, kenya. >> getting close to all of the big names, will. much more on that and all of the big national news, including the memorial service for michael jackson, on bbc.com. thank you very much. >> "bbc world news" is 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.] macarthur foundation.]