>> 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. >> a lot of excited people in ghana has barack obama has his first presidential visit to sub-saharan africa. tensions still high in the far west of china.

large amounts of uighurs gathering to find the order to stay home. another british soldier is dead in afghanistan. coming up later for you, happy birthday, big ben. a landmark brings up 150 years. take it to the bridge, the biggest names in american soul gathered for a legendary rumble in the jumblngle. hello to you. barack obama is on his way to ghana for his first visit to sub-saharan africa. he brings with him and pledged to -- he brings with him a

pledge of $20 billion for food and investment in agriculture. it is not clear how much of the money is used. up to 23 billion is still outstanding from the pledges made four years ago. >> though he is not the real thing but as ghana and gets ready for barack obama, even a plastic model gets the royal treatment. today's presidential visit is something of an reward for a peaceful democratic nation that has been a model for the rest of africa. it is a homecoming for america's first black president.

>> he is everything that we have dreamed of. >> i can do anything. >> this is not the first visit by an american president to this area. people were nearly trampled in the crowds that were around president clinton. the vast oil reserves around the coast of ghana will only strengthen american interest. it is democracy not oil that american president barack obama will be highlighting. plenty foreign leaders preached democracy under the rule of law but nothing seems to change. barack obama does have a chance, a unique chance to shake things

up. many here have more immediate plans. this aids camp has been funded by the american government. some fear that the money could dry up and do. >> it probably will not be as much as before. some support will be forthcoming. >> i hope that he will deliver. >> i am very hopeful. >> this trip is not all about africa's future. on saturday, he is due to come to a former slaves point. this is a poignant journey for so many african americans whose ancestors were shipped from this country. >> stay with us, if you can. we will be talking to some children about barack obama is

-- barack obama's visit. barack obama met the pope for the first time. they spoke in a private audience. details of the conversation has not been released. they see eye to eye on climate change but they disagree on abortion and stem cell research. at least 100 people have died from drinking illegal alcohol. 1800 people have been detained. at least 400,000 people are in need of temporary shelters in southwestern china which has been struck by an earthquake. at least one person was killed, 300 injured. up to 18 homes have collapsed. tensions have been rising again in western china and there are bloody clashes between muslim uighurs and han chinese.

we managed to film some of the clashes. we have one of the only correspondence in the region. >> mosques were ordered to close and a the government is expecting trouble. tensions are running high, they're not taking chances. despite the heavy police presence, some decided not to stay home. after prayers, a strong group of muslims demand justice. released the innocent men, release our brothers, they cry. for the past half an hour, there has been a group of uighurs protesting, raising their voices and shouting. so far, the authorities have done nothing. they are moving in to try to control the situation.

they quickly surrounded the group. look closely at the protesters and a white t-shirt. the police kicks him hard. then on the left, an officer smashes someone with a baton full force. next, the protester is dragged away. another officer punches him repeatedly. at this point, we had to stop filming because the police began rounding up journalists. troops have flooded into this area from across the country and the area is more tense than ever. many of the people killed in the riding were han chinese. they hold to ththe uighurs

responsible. the city is again under curfew. uighurs fear for their safety. >> the trial of the burmese opposition leader has resumed. it had been delayed for six weeks. she is charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest because of an american man who swam on invited to her lakeside home. -- uninvited to lakeside home. for the first time in 20 years, someone has been bored to death in the running of the bulls in pamplona. -- gored to death in the running of the bulls in pamplona.

british forces are going through their worst week in modern time, there has been 10 deaths in the first nine days of july. british desk now total 1079. -- british deaths now total 179. >> in the skies, the plane carrying the bodies of britain's dead soldiers. the coffins were lifted gently and respectfully by comrades and they were taken to a chapel so their families could say a last farewell in private. then a public display of respect for the dead. people lining the streets to honor the fallen.

for some, the grief was overwhelming. today, the church bells here ring for a private it was just 18. there was a trooper from the welsh guards, one from the royal engineers. the operation is taking its toll on both sides. the british forces are continuing their major offensive against the taliban. many of our soldiers are a little bit more than boys, teenagers forced to grow up fast. they have seen some of the toughest fighting in decades. the taliban weapon of choice, ied's are slowing progress. there are more casualty's ahead. >> this is a very hard summer. it is not over but it is vital

that the international community see through its commitment. >> when british forces went into afghanistan in 2001, casualties were low. one was killed in january, 2004 in a suicide bombing. in 2006, the death toll began to rise. in september, 2006, this was the highest losses including 14 service members killed when their vehicle exploded. 42 british servicemen were killed in 2007. last year, 51 died, including the first female soldier killed with three of her colleague when their vehicle was hit with an ied. this year is likely to be the bloodiest yet and this month could be the worst so far. every single loss of life is a tragedy.

it is a loss that this woman must endure every day. her partner was killed in april. >> there is no way to describe this. you can fall apart. >> there is fierce controversy over the campaign. critics say that british forces lack of helicopters and are using is hon. vehicles. -- are using ordinary vehicles. as british forces fight and die, fresh criticism came from a former chief of the defense staff. he accuses the government of putting british lines at risk and commanders are struggling with too few troops. the lack of helicopters is

putting soldiers at risk. >> we never had enough troops to cover and hold. this requires lots of boots on the ground, lots of local administrators and development people. there have never been the right amount people and there still is not. >> there was another death announced, he was killed earlier today. there are more deaths and injuries likely, britain's resolve is being put to the test. >> good to have you with us. coming up, a first for ghana. they plan to welcome a special guest. the u.n. cultural agency is accusing the american troops of causing into damage to the

ancient site of babylon. they said that u.s. troops have dug trenches through the ruins and have driven heavy vehicles over pavement. >> this is built on one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. american forces did significant damage to babylon says a report from the u.n. cultural agency, unesco. there was an american base here for a year and a half after the invasion in april, 2003. they say that digging and leveling damage to the site of the agent iraqi capital not far from baghdad. -- ancient iraqi capital not far from the baghdad. the city wrote one of the first legal codes. the u.n. stresses that the damage did not begin when the u.s. arrived. babylon has been returned to iraqi control.

trading on the black market has continued. the americans say it would have been worse if they had not been there at all. unesco is looking to add avalon to its list of world heritage sites. -- babylon to its list of the world heritage sites. the extent of the damage means it is too early to say how much restoration will be needed or how much it will cost. >> state television has aired pictures of iranians being freed in iraq. iraq says that they were diplomats. they were seized by u.s. forces two years ago. they were accused of helping our shi'a militias at the heart of the sectarian war in iraq. one main headline for you,

barack obama is on his way hisghan for hi -- is on his way to ghana for his first sub-saharan african visit. we talked to students about the expectations for the visit. >> there is a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm, especially amongst young people. i am just about to walk into this classroom full of young children who are all excited about the visit of this man. hello, children. how are you? >> we are good. >> i want to ask you a quick question, do you know who this man is? >> yes. >> what is his name? >> barack obama. >> that is more like it. >who is barack obama?

>> he is the president of the united states. >> are you excited about his visit? >> yes. >> why are you excited? >> he is the first african american president of the united states. i am privileged is coming to my homeland. >> why do you like barack obama? >> he believes in himself. >> are you excited about barack obama's visit? >> yes. >> why? >> he is the first african- american president and he is coming here. who would've ever thought that he would come to visit here? >> 2 has a message for the president? -- who has a message for the president?

what would you say to president obama if you met him down the road blind some rice -- buying some rice? >> i would say that he is my hero because he is very courageous. he can do things without getting scared. >> he is the biggest president in the world. black people can do exactly what white people can. >> that is what the kids are feeling right now and it is a lot more than that. for these young folks, having barack obama here is a gift enough. >> that is a montessori school. big bend is celebrating 150 years since it first chimed out the hour. -- big ben.

they are britain's most famous bells. for 150 years, the chimed every quarter hour, each new day, each new year. the whole structure is a triumph of the tory engineering. first, it was set up in a yard but it shattered. -- the whole structure is a triumph of the a victoriavictorn engineering. >> from the introduction in 1890's, it was a symbol of the country. it has a frivolity to it. >> just as impressive as the

bell is the clock mechanism. this is the world's most accurate public clock. there is a mechanism to stop wind and weather from affecting the mechanism. >> it is not really its size but this was the first -- is not going [inaudible] >> with only a handful of on planned stoppages, it has ticked and tolled ever since. >> happy birthday. still to come. we are looking back to when some of the biggest names in american

music flocked to africa. cheetahs are the fastest land animals on the planet, they can run when than 60 miles an hour. now scientists are doing a study to figure out how. >> they can go from 0 to 60 in just three seconds. how they can achieve these remarkable speeds is still not understood. now, scientists have come up with a new study to shed light on this. >> we have the plates in the ground which will measure this. the cameras will measure every movement. hopefully that will give us more information. >> to study the animals in action, the scientists need a way of getting them to run. it turns out that they cannot

resist chasing a piece of string, especially with something dangling from the end. with these high-speed cameras, they hope they can figure out exactly how they're doing this. they can study every inch of the cheetah is movement. the scientists will be looking closely at how the cat stretches its legs, arches its backs. they hope to discover how they generate their incredible speed. >> just to mention, a group of children are taking part in the study in london to discover how much exercise they get. they were surprised to see the children recording a high

activity level. it is 35 years since the legendary boxing bout between muhammed ali and george foreman. this was also part of a legendary concert. >> we have all this energy and all of this great vibe. >> september, 1974, brought a flight from new york to conchos o africa. they are going to perform for the legendary title fight between muhammed ali and george foreman. >> let's welcome the world godfather of soul, james brown. >> james brown gave on electric

performance. this documentary is the distillation of the time. this was a unique event. >> the fundamental jester of bring together these icons of african-american music such as james brown, b.b. king, then the african acts. this is like having a concert of elvis, the beatles, and the rolling stones and the same place. >> litigation was an issue first of all. it is supposed to be used as part of a wider film that was incorporated into the story of the rumble in the jungle site. the concert got marginalized. >> i always kept listening to this notion that we had not fully explored the footage.

there was more that needed to be brought out. it took me years to bring this together. >> the whole film is about black musicians coming together. did you ever think about the fact you were telling a black story? >> absolutely. i thought this was terrified because i had no idea of i was capable of telling the story well. i have been glad now because people have expressed their appreciation. >> "sold power" is made up entirely of footage from the time. -- "oulsoul power" >> we see muhammed ali on numerous occasions.

he makes some statements about racism in america. >> whether it was muhammed ali or james brown, they were politicized people. it is a political film. >> one bit of maine news for you. barack obama is very close to landing in ghana. he brings with him a pledge of $20 billion from the world's richest nations to boost food sufficiency in africa. >> bbc world news was presented by a 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.