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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 corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now bbc world news. >> the police that they missed their chance to save years ago.

>> we missed an opportunity to bring earlier closure to this situation. >> unemployment in japan reaches record levels, sunday's election looks lost. >> we are the generation that is being left behind and not valued enough. >> iran's president says that leaders of the opposition should be punished for the post election turmoil. welcome to bbc world news broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america. a 13-year-old girl has had a court stop her from sailing solo around the world. animation aggravation, why one of britain's most credit industries is under threat. -- creative industries is under

threat. >> police in california have publicly apologized for missing an opportunity two years to rescue the woman held captive for 18 years. police say were called to the house where jaycee lee dugard was being held in november, 2006. >> we missed an opportunity to bring earlier closure to this situation. a caller to our 911 dispatch offered that there were tents in the neighbor's backyard that people were living anin and that

there were young children. they also said that the owner was a psychotic and had a sexual addiction. we made contact with him in the front yard of his home. the responding deputy determined that there was not any criminal misbehavior, he warned him that there were code restrictions with regards to living outside in a residential neighborhood. he did not enter or request to enter the backyard. >> our correspondent is in california. what is the latest? >> the latest is that people are digesting that piece of

information that just came out to from the sheriff's. earlier this morning, i spoke to a neighbor as said they had informed police a couple of years ago that they thought that there were people in the back garden and the the police came along and did nothing. it seems to suggest that police have had warnings in the past and they themselves said they had a missed opportunity to bring closure. police officers have been around the house here which is where the scene where jaycee lee dugard was held hostage. they have reestablished the crime scene. this might have more to do with the numbers of people from the media. we understand also that the people who are accused of the

kidnapping are being held and they might be charged. >> this might turn out to be a heartwarming story. what does that mean? >> this is quite strange. this has been out in the last 20 hours. dramatic phone calls from the accused police cell. he said that it would be a heartwarming story. he goes on to say that the girls, jaycee, would fall asleep in his arms. he says that he cared deeply for them parent will have to wait and see what comes out in court. -- he says that he cared deeply

for them. we will have to wait and see what comes out in court. >> thousands of burmese people are crossing the border into china fleeing fighting between militia forces and government forces. more than 10,000 people have fled this month. a political activist in thailand has been sentenced to 18 years for and said in the royal family. the marquis is generally held in great reverence. a los angeles corner has announced the verdict of homicide in the death of michael jackson. the cause of his death as acute intoxication caused by drugs.

these are normally used in hospitals. he is referring the case to prosecutors to consider possible criminal charges. the italian prime minister is suing several media outlets for the coverage of his private life. he is issuing libel against publications brain, france, britain, and italy, over a series of stories about him involving teenage models and paid escort's. -- he is issuing libel suits against publications in spain. once in japan offer the security for jobs for life but unemployment is at its highest in 60 years. where then three and a half million japanese are out of work. polls are suggesting that the liberal democratic party will face a big defeat. they have had a half a century

of almost unbroken rule. >> after the worst recession in decades, it is it is the column -- it is difficult for people to ignore the signs of recession. temporary workers form the brunt of the recession. this woman lost her job in february and her future looks bleak. she worked for a car company for six years but only on short-term contracts. >> we are the generation that is being left behind. we are not being valued tone to whatever we have done, however hard we of tried, it is not being rewarded. >> it is the desire for new leadership that the opposition hopes will bring them into the prime minister's office.

they want to focus more on consumers and workers rather than corporations. a backbench member of parliament for the governing party is working hard to defend his seat. he seems to have plenty of local support but he recognizes that the tidexd is against his party. >> we promise people that we will transform the economy and make people's life better. people have suffered quite a bit because of deregulation. people looking for what was promised but nothing was delivered. we are now paying the price. >> the japanese are pretty apathetic about politics but people are turning out to this time. this is the most hotly contested election in years. the message of the opposition is

simple, it is time for change a deadpan. it has been dominated by one- party for decades. -- it is time for change in japan. this will only be the second time the opposition has taken power in more than half of a century. >> iceland's parliament has agreed to pay more than $5 billion to britain and the netherlands to cover losses by the bank in iceland. they might need more help from the international monetary fund. the governor of the nigerian central bank has assured a meeting of finance years in london, the nigerian banking system is down. he told foreign investors that their money was safe. the latest figures here show the recession in the second quarter of this year was not as bad as predicted.

there was manufacturing that went to 4.7%. there is still concerned about how sustained recovery will be. iran's president has stepped up pressure on the opposition leader. mahmoud ahmadinejad called for those responsible for the unrest that followed the elections to be punished. >> president ahmadinejad did not name the opposition leader specifically but he said the senior elements involved in the post-election unrest should be taken care of decisively. there has to be serious confrontation, he said, against the key leaders and figures. the intervention will raise the stakes in iran. there has been a debate among hard-liners about what to do with the opposition leaders. there has been some pressure to arrest the figures.

it should not be that the key elements in choice security while the less important get punished, said the president. -- in choice securitenjoy securs important to get punished. the opposition is denying that they were working on behalf of foreign powers. trials are taking place of those allegedly involved. if more people are put on trial, the situation could become explosive and unpredictable. >> the coffin of the shiite muslim leader abdul aziz al- hakim has arrived in baghdad. one of rock's most influential power brokers died on wednesday after a long battle with lung cancer. -- one of iraq's most

influential power brokers. >> ac of mourners for the final journey of abdul aziz al-hakim. -- a sea of mourners for the final journey. his body is being taken to key religious sites before burial. the entire government was there to receive the coffin at the airport. he was one of the big players of post saddam iraq and on the most important shiite leaders. the prime minister lead attribute. -- led the tribute . >> when the dictatorship fell, you were in the forefront.

>> his son is expected to take over the leadership but he may struggle to maintain the party's influence because the old shi'ite alliance is crumbling. for now, the morning continues. abdul aziz al-hakim will be buried over the weekend in the holy city of najaf. >> thousands of people have been paying their final respects to senator ted kennedy. that happened filing past his coffin in the john f. kennedy presidential library in boston. ted kennedy died of brain cancer. he has been hailed as one of the greatest legislators of the past century. good to have you with us. stay with us. there is a fresh hope for korean families separated for decades as the north and south reach a deal allowing them to meet.

first, most scottish people oppose the release of the man convicted of the lockerbie bombing and they believe the decision has damaged their standing in the world. this is from a poll that we conducted at bbc news. now more from our scotland political editor. >> lockerbie, pan am flight 1 03 exploded in the sky. -- pan am flight 103 exploded in the sky. megrahi was convicted of the crime but he was released by the scottish government because he has terminal cancer. now the situation is controversial. many scottish people are deeply unhappy. pullinpollsters interviewed peon

wednesday and thursday this week. the findings suggest that 74% believe that scotland's reputation has been damaged while 60% belief that megrahi should not have been released. the scottish government says that this was mercy to a dying man. scottish people are skeptical. 68% think other factors played a part. downing street said that the prime minister had no option. many people think that border brown's reputation has been damaged. -- gordon brown's reputation has been damaged. 76% reckon that the standing of the scottish government has been damaged. the controversy may decline. right now, the scottish flag is hanging just a little bit limply.

>> the latest headlines for you. police in california have confessed that two years ago they missed a chance to rescue jaycee lee dugard. she had been held captive for 18 years.

unemployment levels are at the highest in 60 years just before the election in japan. north and south korea have reached an agreement to restart a program for long-lost relatives. the program was halted two years ago as relations worsened between the two countries. >> the news that the union can begin again is being welcomed here in the south. the issue of the divided families separated for more than half a century by one of the world's last cold war frontier is remains a highly evo to 1. from the yea-- more than half a century by one of the world's last cold war frontiers remains an emotive one.

the talks were suspended for two years. reunited families are allowed to spend a few days to share meals. once the visits are over, the relatives from each side return to their homes knowing that it is highly unlikely that they will see each other again. this is just a small portion of the koreans who are on the waiting list. the latest deals that have been reached in three days between red cross officials will allow only 200 people to meet their relatives during six days at the end of september. there are as yet no plans in place for any subsequent reunions and for many, after five decades of waiting, time is running out. the south also used this week's discussion to raise other

humanitarian concerns including the status of 500 of its citizens believed to have been seized by the north during the decades following the korean war and never returned. p'yongyang refuses to discuss the issue claiming that they all voluntarily defected. >> and british teenager completed his solo around the world voyage yesterday. dashed before she even said sale. she has been put under a protection order to determine whether the 13-year-old is up to >> this is a 13-year-old with a big dream, laura dekker wants to be the youngest person ever to go around e world by herself. >> from the age of 10, i wanted

sail around the world. i just want to live a bit. >> today, this court in the netherlands has stopped her dream from becoming a reality. the officials of think that she is too yung and the trip would damage her development. >> she is only 13, she will be two years out r nel education. there is a bigger question is whether this is the interest of laura dekker. >> laura and her parents are confident she is up to the challenge. one teenager knowwho kno what it is like is the teenager who returned to the u.k. yeda it isn that counts. i was able to sail solo when i was 14. it is possible to do it when you're younger.

is she physically strong enough to handle this? >> for the next two months, this 13-year-old will not be taking to the helm. she will be assessed by psychologists who will decide if she is ready to take on such a physically demanding adventure. >> there has been a global surge in the number of people using the internet to watch pirate copies of their favorite television program. "euros" is the most popular program. -- "heroes" is the most popular program. madonna said that she was compelled to talk about gypsies well onstage in bulgaria. she was jeered by the audience and she said that the discrimination made her feel very sad.

there have been many cases of discrimination reported in the past year. the national museum in the netherlands which supposedly had a rock from the moon landing turned out to be a piece of petrified wood. it was given to the government by the prime minister -- by the ambassador to holland. the british animation industry is under threat. why the cartoon capers may be drawing to a close. >> the animation is worth $70 billion worldwide. seeing somethin it is something that britain is good at.

this is one of a handful of british animator's making shows in this country. he is working on a children's program. we asked him to illustrate the difficulties he is facing. here's the problem, an animator comes up with an amazing idea for a new children's program. he takes it to a finance year. he loves it, ray. then, the backer starts doing the numbers and he realizes that 28% of the cost would be taken away by a tax break in ireland. there are many similar tax breaks around the world. this means that more and more is done overseas. the english animator is told things, but no thanks. is british animation about to go

off the rails? the amount of animation produce in the u.k. has more than halved in the past five years. take for example, "and of the builder -- bob the builder. where were they made? >> los angeles, taiwan, canada. >> that's upsetting. >> if you can go to france, canada, germany, where they offer a subsidy, absolutely, you go there. >> there are some subsidies for animators in scotland and wales. the tax breaks for animation would be unfair for the rest of the industry. it means a long tradition of animated children's programs may be coming to an end.

>> a sheet has been bought for more than a third of a million dollars in scotland. -- a sheep has been blocked for more than a third of a million dollars. this man called the ram perfection and he was willing to put his money where his mouth is. police in california have confessed that two years ago they missed a chance to rescue jaycee lee dugard who had been kidnapped and held for 18 years. officers went to the house and responded to an emergency call but the left when no one answered the door. >> 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 lili taylor. >> 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 kerri washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> bbc world news was presented by kcet, los angeles.