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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> this is open " bbc world news america," reporting from washington. i am katty kay periods -- and katty kay. rebels advanced in ivory coast. the end of the laurent gbagbo era and the beginning of civil war. and these gravestones still a little-known tale of people pursuing the american dream all the way to brazil.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. and outrageous act led by an obscure anti-islamic preacher has produced a terrible result. what may prove to be the deadliest attack ever on u.n. personnel in afghanistan. last summer, terry jones presided as the muslim holy book the koran was burned at his tiny church. video has produced angry reaction. humphrey of sleet reports on the deadly outbreak of violence. -- humphrey hawksley. >> it began after friday prayers, protesters angry about the burning of the iran marched on the u.n. headquarters. they chanted "death to the u.s.

and death to israel." for awhile, it was relatively peaceful. then violence broke out afghan police fired into the air, but that did not stop things. it is thought to be the worst assaults on u.n. in afghanistan. afghan police said two of the victims were be headed by the attackers. >> the offices were badly damaged and our colleagues -- it is a difficult situation for us. our first priority is to secure the safety of our colleagues who are still there and to look after the bodies and thought that the families of those who were lost. >> we had a peaceful protest. we went to the u.n. compound to

disarm the guards by taking their guns away stood there would be no violence, but they still fired on us and wounded our people, even killing some. >> this had been one of the safest cities in afghanistan, escaping the worst of the insurgency. this level of brutality has shown anti-western sentiment. bbc news. >> our north american editor mark mardell joins me in the studio to discuss the break up. mark, this incident of the koran burning totally passed me by. this is something that went unnoticed. >> i think it passed everybody by and i think that is part of the point. in this world, the american media and british media did not pick up on it. the last time this was an news, when it was connected to the run-up to the anniversary of

9/11, and the building of the islamic community center very near the site of 9/11. that had vast media attention on it. it ended with the career and not being burned, partly because the american authorities were so worried about. robert gates actually pleaded with terry jones, the pastor, not to do this, because it would be putting american lives at risk. >> he did preside over the burning. we are not showing the video. it is very inflammatory. we see no reason to show it. you have to ask the question -- why on earth? what were they thinking? >> i think they think it proves their point. indeed, terry jones issued a statement saying it proves that islam is a religion of violence. i have heard interviews with him, the man who actually did burnett, and they are saying they want to prove islam does

react in this way and it is about putting the karan on trial. an argument with the karan is not just -- with the koran is that it says uses is not the son of god, and that is their fundamental objection to it i think they revel in the publicity. >> this has been picked up in other countries as well. >> yes, there have been demonstrations. they have not, as far as i know, turned violent. there were demonstrations in pakistan. people can see this on youtube. that is how it went around the world. >> what is the reaction today? >> president obama has issued a carefully-worded statement. he condemns this and in the strongest possible terms. he sends his condolences to the relatives. and he stresses the importance of call -- calm and urges all

parties to resolve differences peacefully. he does not mention the koran burning as such, and he does not go down that path. i think -- they obviously want this to die down and not to be noticed. but it is out there now. >> ok, mark mardell. thank you very much. in ivory coast, there are fears gunbattle tonight and international calls for the incumbent president laurent gbagbo to cede power. since last november, the disputed presidential election, laurent gbagbo has refused to allow the internationally- recognized winner, alassane ouattara, to take power. now the standoff has become a deadly military one. we have the latest. >> across ivory coast, the shooting has been incessant for a night in the day.

residents say they are terrified. it looks and sounds increasingly like the final showdown between a man who has refused to cede power since november's presidential poll and the man the world says was rightfully elected to take over. apparently with only his most loyal forces left to protect him now, laurent gbagbo still appears to be holding out. french troops from a port stationed in ivory coast have been patrolling the streets. around 500 foreigners are said to have sought refuge in a french military camp. it is the violent conclusion of the standoff that began four months ago when alassane ouattara was widely recognized as the winner of the presidential election. laurent gbagbo claimed that massive fraud had taken place in the north and refused to step down. the head in various attempts to negotiate a solution and a transfer of power, but they have

all failed. >> the situation changed when the forces supporting alassane ouattara launched a swift offensive that south word to give military pressure to laurent gbagbo instead. there were fears that ivory coast, the world's biggest cocoa producer, could see a second civil war in a decade. as the fighting continued today, the power struggle was taking a rather different turn with some of laurent gbagbo's top military officers are granted. one of his leading aides said he was ready to enter into a dialogue. >> i think we will see alassane ouattara in power, perhaps even in days. the question is what comes next? alassane ouattara is no angel. at the international community thinks they can put all the hopes for ivory coast and one man, i think they are sadly mistaken. >> it is potentially the start

of the new faith for the underlying tensions in ivory coast. governments in the region know that their urgent appeals for laurent gbagbo to step down and for civilians to be protected may not be enough. bbc news. >> confusing time there in ivory coast. in libya, rebel forces on the ground say they will accept a cease-fire is colonel gaddafi withdraws. it began up the government has declined, but it has sent an envoy to london to talk with british officials. they did make it clear that gaddafi must go. yet our diplomatic correspondent has all the details. >> colonel gaddafi and his regime have been under bombardment for two weeks now. the libyan leader has been weakened, but not defeated. some news of his aides talking

to the british government raises more questions than answers. the foreign office will not say what was discussed, except that britain has stressed gaddafi must go. >> people serving in the skies over libya -- >> and the prime minister speaking in wales stressed what had been achieved by britain's armed forces. >> i think we should make it clear that by acting rapidly with our allies we prevented and massive sacrifice and benghazi of innocent people -- in benghazi of innocent people. >> it is two weeks since britain joined the battle for libya. some of the most advanced weaponry in the west was dropped from the air. the result -- between 20% and 25% of gaddafi's forces

destroyed. it seemed to to the ballots and in favor of the rebels. -- it seemed to tip the balance in favor of the rebels. the american assessment -- adopting troops still have 10 times the rebel -- gaddafi troops still that cannot be rebel fire power. the united states is unable to commit to an unending war. in washington, the message that america needs to draw back from what many see as europe's fight. >> the last thing this country needs is another enterprise and nation-building, and began, this is an area where one of the reasons we reacted was because of the urgency that our allies felt. the british, the french, the italians. >> the united nations hoped diplomacy could break the violent stalemate in libya. the u.n. special envoy in benghazi is there to meet rebel

leaders. there are talks -- there are talks in tripoli with colonel gaddafi's regime. the implications are clear -- a ceasefire and decisive political change. but delivering that looks increasingly difficult. bbc news. >> as forces loyal to colonel gaddafi battle to hold ground they have won back from the rebels, no reports in air strike may have killed seven civilians, including children. ben brown has been talking to the libyan doctor who treated the injured. >> the rebels at been in retreat all week. they tried to regroup and did vance once more against colonel gaddafi's forces and the town of brega. the rebels now they are outgunned, but they are determined to regain all the territory lost in the last few days. there have been more nato air strikes. so far in the conflict, a

coalition pilots have flown hundreds of missions. commanders say they see no evidence that there are any civilian deaths as a result. we are told that as many as seven were killed in an air strike the day before yesterday, three of them girls from the same family. it is opposed it happened and a village near brega. the doctor told me that the gaddafi military convoy was in the village when it was hit from the air. there was a trailer laden with ammunition. >> there was too much ammunition. so, [unintelligible] it was deployed everywhere. around 25 civilians out and kill. >> the last couple of days, there has been heavy fighting in the area abounds brega, and we

could not reach the village still verified the dr.'s claims. nato has no evidence to substantiate it. the rebels want more coalition air strikes like the one that destroyed this tank. they say even if there are civilian casualties, that is a price worth paying. bbc news, and libya. >> and other developments throughout the region, more signs of the popular protests that continue to rage throughout the arab world. >> heavy gunfire and in syria today after a demonstration in damascus. at least three people reported killed by security forces, while hundreds fled during a day of massive protests. today's violence brings the death toll to more than 60 since the protests began two weeks ago. and in yemen, hundreds of thousands of people packed the

square in the capitol and marched throughout the country, demanding president saleh stepped down. it is but to beat the largest -- is thought to be the largest demonstration in a month. it forced many mosques to shut down. struggling to cope with thousands -- silvio berlusconi has a proposal to issue visas. there's an issue having to help italy with the massive influx of migrants. an intensive search has begun in north eastern japan for the millions of people missing after the tsunami that struck three weeks ago today. the united states is helping in the largest deployment of japan for help defense forces as the second world war. standard and poor's rating agency has downgraded ireland after stress tests revealed that

the country needs another 24 billion euro bailout. a further downgrade of irish credit, indicated, was unlikely. not to the american economy where president obama said today there were signs of real strength after the unemployment figures dropped again for the month of march. now at 8.8%, the figure has gone down a full percentage point in four months. despite the promising years, wages did not grow and some worry about the quality of those jobs being created. from new york, we have this. >> at last, what americans have wanted to hear. >> we do have good news to report. >> the unemployment dropped to its lowest level in two years, and employers continue to create jobs. the man in charge of counting america's jobless told lawmakers the unemployment situation may have turned the corner. >> we've had pretty steady job

growth for more than a month. it has been around 135,000 a month, and it looks like we may get an acceleration in job growth. which would be a good sign. >> the u.s. economy is growing faster than other countries like the united kingdom. but most of that growth is still in part-time work and lower- paying jobs and it is not working for many americans. a shampoo and a massage. carolyn is an assistant at a hair salon. it is a far cry from her old job as a deejay at any york radio station. she lost her job in 2008. after nine months searching for work, she decided to retrain as a hairdresser. but the transition has not been easy. >> there are days when you sit there and think, i used to manage the stock up 20. i used to produce radio shows.

and you sit there and you know that there is a much more you could be doing. >> jane works with executives to help them find their next job. and her 11 years of experience, she is struck by the change. >> i think people usually switch jobs only for more money. now people take a job for even less money. that is a dramatic difference. >> carolyn considers herself lucky. she has a job and no debt. but she works as hard as she did before the financial crisis for less than half the money. michelle flurry, bbc news. >> still to come on tonight's program -- the royal wedding with four weeks ago. prince william shares what he is looking forward to about the baghdad. now to our week-long series about the american dream. we've shown you have been

driving principle of millions of immigrants -- but america is not limited to the u.s., and neither is dreaming. tonight, we get to brazil, where the american dream is thriving in a unique way. >> grades up like this are often found in the united states, but this is one of the few places you will find them here, in the southern hemisphere. this american cemetery is and a small town less than two hours away -- the best preserved physical evidence of the immigration of almost 100 families from the americans out after the u.s. civil war. many names have been lost in brazil's the melting pot, but some of the dreams they brought with them from north america persist.

>> the american dream boss in brazil -- for us in brazil also is to understand the future. to work for the better things and in your life and for your country. >> in 1866, the pioneers came to brazil led by colonel william morris, with the town's -- where american towns were born. the last few years, they have survived. there has been chinese competition, providing fabrics for special applications. this belongs to a traditional brazilian company. >> my great grandparents come from the united states with a dream to grow cotton, and they build a windmill. and later the family built this

factory, which has been here for 40 years now. we are keeping the dream a lot. >> the textile industry started here by the american immigrants and in the 19th century a.d. basis for the growth of this area, one of the most developed regions of brazil. it is the perfect ground for the development of the 21st century brazilian industry. >> and this technology company, is engineer from the american community works hard towards his vision of the dream. he is planning to get married later this year. so, after leaving his job, he goes to check on the plot of land he has bought in a new development, to build their house and the family. >> i have established my goals. a study. i worked hard. now in conquering many things. and that is thanks to my own efforts.

>> the south american and north american dream do not seem to be very different after all. bbc news, american brazil. >> and to find more of the american dream series, due go to our website. among the stories you find, could it u.s. immigration policy be killing the ideals sell many have to strive for it? that at bbc.com/news. every room is at least of bit nervous, right? but if you are going to be married on live television watched by hundreds of millions, that can produce a world-class case of jitters. prince william spoke about what makes him nervous about varying in exactly four weeks. he said "the whole thing." he made the concession after showing his grandmother the queen around the airport or he

is stationed. just a warning -- there is flash photography. >> it was blustery. unsurprisingly, prince william was tasked with showing his grandparents around for the visit. he can give them an insight into his work. it is a job he says has made him feel immensely proud and privileged. it has also given him a relatively normal life by royal standards. >> you worked hard. [unintelligible] >> here he is, just flight lt. wales. no royal titles. >> my knees started yelling,

tapping quite honestly. it is very exciting. >> the was also a touch of smugness about the secret ceremony. >> it was and military operation. my brother and dire very proud -- my brother and i are very proud of that one. >> since the engagement, the teasing has been in less. >> when ever he washes up, -- we have the embroidered pillow we put on his bed, in it is light- hearted banter. and he loves it. it is great. >> the name -- and next major family get together will of course be the wedding. despite the mockery, prince william has invited those he works with to westminster abbey, and it all planned to be

there. bbc news. >> prince william's the leading a pretty normal life. that will change on april 29. we will have complete coverage to the buildup of the royal wedding. to make sure to get to the website. he will find an interactive map showing the route of william and kate will travel on the big day. it is all there at bbc.com/royalwedding. a brief update on our top story. a crowd attacked a compound in afghanistan when a demonstration against the burning of the koran and a church in hospital turned violent. -- a sort in -- a church and florida turn violent. several foreign staffers were killed in combat. even find that story on our website. from all of us here, thank you for watching.

>> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide

range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.