>> 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. >> of china's economy power is ahead, 8% growth leaves the rest of the world gasping. be american top soldier is defined in afghanistan. >> we will get it right for the afghan people. -- of the american top soldier is defiant in afghanistan. >> welcome to bbc

broadcast to our viewers on p bs. pictures of the apollo mission to the moon. the world's third largest economy is booming again, and that is news because the chinese economy is growing at an astonishing pace. are there lessons there for the rest of the world china achieved an annual growth rate of 8% between april and june even though its export markets collapsed. they have done this by pumping money on a massive scale and ordering banks to lend.

>> china is back in business. it is sooner than expected. a recovery is on the way. companies are hiring more staff. customers are more optimistic. the government statisticians are still cautious. prices are dropping, inflation is not healthy for any economy. there are still serious challenges ahead. >> the recovery trend is still unstable. the structure is still on balanced. -- unbalanced. we will fully implement the principles of scientific developments. >> what that means is that they want to see improvements of all sectors of the economy. the stimulus package has

created a lot of jobs. the exports are suffering. >> the main driver has been a stimulus. there is a very massive extension of the banking credit. chinese exports continue to decline. global demand may not have considered this prospect later. >> there are many here who feel that the worst is behind them. if china is on the road to recovery, that is good news for the rest of us. if the world's third largest economy continued to decline, this would have made the global situation much worse.

>> a canadian soldier has been killed in afghanistan. made a forces are fighting an increasingly difficult battle against the taliban. the top american commander has confessed that the taliban is getting stronger. >> people ask me how long, i don't know how long. i know it has gotten progressively worse over the past three and a half years. the taliban has gotten much better, they are much more violent and organized. there is going to be fighting that is associated with this but this is not the main effort. in the end, if we get it right for the afghan people, we have to help them.

>> here in britain, the deaths of 15 troops so far has pushed afghanistan right to the top of the agenda. the government is on trying to rebut claims that some helicopters are holding back to the mission. >> in the blistering heat of summer, british forces are fighting a determined enemy. today, the political heat is turned on gordon brown. the select committee tried to pin him down on whether he refused the request for more helicopters. >> did you recommend that an extra 2000 troops would need these? >> we have 8000 troops. no one is suggesting 20,000 troops. >> i am trying to get a yes or

no answer. >> you have to give me time to explain. a variety of options were explored. >> lines on the front line are being put at risk by the lack of men and helicopters. >> this is distressing. they are not given the resources to fit the scale of the mission. there's no doubt the soldiers will be gondying. >> the uk has 20 transport helicopters in afghanistan. they will send an extra 14. this is in contrast with those available to the u.s. marines.

today, the government went on its own offensive. the helicopter that we filmed on is one of five that should see service there. we are wondering why the helicopter fleet is not on the front line. >> they never told us that they were happy on any front. i never told my commanders i was happy. people always want more. >> taking the fight to the enemy makes this one of the deadliest month for british soldiers. no where else are the questions more serious than in britain.

there are more questions for the prime minister. >> just over a month now since iran's disputed election sent massive street protests in which 20 people were killed. the bbc has been unable to report from inside the country. we have some eyewitness accounts of what has been happening in iran. >> ever since the iranian government cracked down on the protesters, it has been hard to find out what is going on inside of iran just across the border there. outside of ththisthese people as border crossing are from the towns and villages throughout the country. many of these people are nervous about talking but some have

stories that they want to tell. >> the government is not the elected government of the people. nothing can change this system except force. >> this man did not want us to show his face but he did want to talk. he is a traitor in one of the small towns across the border. >> i swear that there were more police and civilians in the streets. you could not do anything in the small towns. if you talked freely, this could cost you your life. >> not everyone was that outspoken or that angry. >>this truckdriver said that he was pleased that mahmoud ahmadinejad had onwon. whatever part of iran that these

people come from, they all seem to agree in two things. one is that the economy is in bad shape. the second is the protests seem to be over for now. >> the head of the iranian nuclear agency has resigned after 12 years. he is a supporter of mousavi. it is not clear if his resignation is linked to the vote. a u.n. panel has agreed that the new sanctions against north korea are warranted in response to their tests. india and pakistan's prime minister talked alone for more than two hours in egypt.

they agreed that dialogue is the way forward. there could be no formal peace talks until the pakistani government takes responsibility for the mumbai attacks. technicians were setting up a stage when a crane collapsed and the concert has been cancelled. the colombian government has said that it is close to an agreement with the west that would make columbia a hub for american military operations in the region. the deal would give u.s. forces access to at least three colombian air bases. this is likely to be opposed by those who argue that several things have been compromised. >> the increased american presence is controversial. the basis are to be used against

narcotics trafficking and terrorism. ecuador is refusing to renew an agreement. columbia is treading very carefully. this agreement does not create the new bases but it gives the u.s. government access to more bases. >> for a long time, colombia and the u.s. had been military allies in attempts to end the cocaine trade. this is not an isolated issue. particularly if it comes entangled with a left-wing guerrilla movements. conjuring up alliances from the cold war, that was when daniel ortega became a prime target after he overthrew an american back to dictator.

this became central to u.s. foreign policy. ortega is the democratically elected president. since colonial times, he tells his people, we have been fighting against inflation and depression. he has been at odds with washington not least after he expelled the american ambassador last year. hugo chavez is seen here with his hero, fidel castro. increased american military presence in colombia is raising concern that washington might once again be taking sides between left and right wing governments in the region. >> stay with us. still to come, dancing across the divide, a visit to cuba

after more than 30 years. >> an extraordinary meeting between two women politicians. they declared that the money offered by the chief minister was demeaning to women. >> after an angry speech, the arson attack. the congress politician [inaudible] and several cars were destroyed. all this because of a controversial remark against one of india's most powerful politicians and an icon. criticizecriticizing the policys rape victims, they said that

this was demeaning. >> and one girl who was raid was given 25,000 rupees. a deaf and dumb woman was given 25,000 rupees. and they were told that they would be given 10 million rupees. >> she regretted having made the comment. she has been arrested and she will spend the next two weeks in police custody. she has been charged with making inflammatory speeches. if anything, this has only served to fan the political flames. there were heated exchanges over the issue in the indian parliament. while many condemned the remarks, many accused her arrival of a political vendetta and this sets the stage for more even more -- for even more

confrontation. >> one main headline,, china is growing faster than any other major economy. its gdp expanded nearly 8% in the past three months.

china does seem to be balkucking the global economic trend. china is warning of an increase up in the number of -- germany is warning of the number of children classified as poor. >> they call him father. he runs a charity which helps children with poor families. for these children, it has become a lifeline. >> we have a lot of children in poverty in germany. we have 3 million children and this is a big number. >> most of the children live in areas like you find here. >> the woman has three or four

children from different men. she has no job, she is not able to work. >> inside, children can get something to eat and something to wear. i got some issues here, this child says. treasures, too. it was not the global downturn that pushed to these children into poverty. -- trousers,too. >> we have an increase on child poverty and it will increase about 2% this year. we have a lot of problems. >> now celebrities are try to publicize the problems of child poverty. this is one of the top fashion designers in germany. he is giving money to this children's center in a rundown area of berlin. he says the government side doing enough to tackle the

issue. >> -- owe the government is not doing enough to tackle the issue. >> i said that we have to protect the children. >> this is not something that is fully visible. it is hidden in homes. it is a real problem. in berlin, 46% of children lived below the poverty line. this is a single mother with two children and no job. they go to a soup kitchen for their lunch. >> i don't have any job prospects at my age. i am nearly 49. as for my daughter, she has given up at school because of the financial crisis. she says, why should she study when she will end up without a job anyway.

>> this woman still haboys stils hopes but he is trapped in a world of despair. this is a world shared by 3 million children in what is supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world. >> there was no question that one of humankind's greatest acts of exploration was the apollo mission to the moon. >> here at the kennedy space center, neil armstrong -- >> the mission that changed mankind yielded fresh insight. this footage of the first ups on the moon has been digitally enhanced and just released. it shows the crowning part of the mission that the world watched in awe. >> this is one small step for

man, one leap for mankind. >> under the bulk of the lunar rockets, apollo astronauts gathered. buzz aldrin took off for the moon 40 years ago. >> just to think of the magnificence of human beings achieving this point at advancement and maturity to be able to get in a rocket like this, launched off to the moon and land in a spacecraft. what a significant achievement. >> the missions or the product of cold war rivalry, the space race. -- the missions were the product of cold war rivalry. it was a feat of engineering. it was also a display of american supremacy. the technologies developed then look outdated now.

freeze dried food was to look for the mission. so too the process that tax nutrients into baby food. the cushioning in a pair of trainers. even the shock absorbing elements in a motorcycle helmet. some feel that this was a wasted opportunity. the hopes of traveling further were dashed. this is a mission that continues to inspire. >> new pictures have emerged of the incident when michael jackson's hair caught on fire. he was filming a commercial in 1984 when in the middle of it, if i work suffered -- a firework explosions set fire to his hair. some suggested that this

incident might have started his addiction to painkillers. it is a measure of the warming relations with the west. the first visit to havana by a british representative. this is a cultural event of the year for cubans. >> all of the royal ballet in 96 dancers have come to cuba along with artistic staff. local press calls this a cultural event of the year. the company's cuban-born start is among them. -- start is among them. >> i had always felt that i could do this show.

>> crowds were gathering outside the grand theater hours before opening night. this is the first major ballet company to come into cuba in about 30 years. the guest of honor, the founder of cuba's national ballet who helped to make this classical dance form popular at home. classical ballet can be a little repetitive, so we are excited to see something new and different, this woman told me. this man felt that he was hugely privileged to get to see the royal ballet. the tickets for all five performances sold out within hours. they erected giant screens next to the theater for those who cannot get in so they can watch it. the visit is partly to give cubans a chance for work that

has never been performed on the island before. fresh versions ofthat audiences know so well. and realization of a dream come true that will be remembered here for many years to come. [applause] >> 13 months and two days after he set sail from the california coast, a californian teenager has returned after sailing around the world. he broke a record held by an australian teenager.

he said it is also to be back and dump the world's third largest economy is booming -- he said it is awesome to be back. the world's third largest economy is booming. they are pumping money into massive infrastructure projects. the chinese economy is bucking the global trend. >> this was presented by kcet los angeles. los angeles.