the real nigeria is sometimes less idyllic. i traveled there to the neighborhood where he was born to try to find out, on his behalf, how and why he laughed. he managed to get a hold of his birth certificate from 1986, and his mother's death certificate from 2001, and the address of the family home is the same in both cases. what we are hoping is that the family still lives there today. this is the house? we have permission from his grandmother to visit and found. very nice to me yet. hello. my name is tim. >> suddenly, a shot from across the street. >> [unintelligible] >> "put down the camera or i will break it." it was his father back from britain on holiday, visiting his other children. when we stopped filming, his father shouted at us for a long time. he was very angry with his son for, as he put it, "running away." he insisted they were loving family and there had never been abused. he refused to give details about his son's history and he would not say when it was he came to britain. back in north london, he has been forc

in nigeria. he was not elected by popular vote, yet no politician is wise to seek office without his blessing. the race is on in cano as politicians seek a popular mandate, but it is the backing of rich and popular benefactors that is the key to success. away from the royal court, it is election season in nigeria. the question is how much power and influence these traditional rulers have on the electorate and the choices they make during the election. over the years, under both military and civilian rule, the power of these chiefs has steadily been eroded. how had they continued to take on so much influence? >> it is always behind the scenes. one institution shows discomfort or displeasure. the electorate read the signs and go along where the judgment is. that is not what will be said openly in the media. it is just there. the telling signs will always be there. the people will always follow through on what the troubled institutions want. >> the history and institution of this place dates back ce

rulers in nigeria. he was not elected by popular vote, yet no politician is wise to seek office without his blessing. politicians jostle for power and seek a popular mandate, but it is the backing of rich and powerful benefactors that is the real key to success. away from the royal court, it is election season in nigeria. the question is how much power and influence these traditional rulers have on the electorate, and the choices they make during elections. >> i trust them more than the politicians. >> why? >> they tell the truth. they will tell you something and they will do it. >> traditional rulers are better. they know our problems. they are dealing with us directly, so they know our problems. >> they are very careful with that. traditional rulers like to protect their personality. they tell you they will make sure. >> over the years, under both military and civilian rule, the power of these cheats and scammers has steadily been eroding. how did they continue -- the power of these chiefs and emirs h

. >> nigeria marks its years of independence this week with a country facing a defining presidential vote. democracy is gradually taking root in the country. a exertonal rulers is there enormous influence. >> this is one of the most powerful traditional rulers in nigeria. he was not elected by popular vote. the race is on here as politicians seek a popular mandate. it is the backing of them that is key to success. >> away from the royal court, is election season in nigeria. the question is, how much power and influence these traditional rulers have on the electorate and the choices they make during the election. >> they are telling the truth. they will tell you something and they will do it. >> they know our problems. >> most politicians want to tell you yes. they are very careful with that. [inaudible] >> over the year, under both military and civilian rule, the powers have eroded. how do they continue to exert so much influence? >> it is always behind the scene. i think the electorate are there to read all the signs. it is not some and that will be said or often in the media. the s

in his favor, the fact that he's a muslim from northern nigeria. the ruling party alternates power between northerners and southerners. mr. jonathan clearly wants to win the presidency. in this huge and divided country, he has a tough election battle ahead. >> this is gmt on "bbc world news." the headlines -- hillary clinton has held talks with the palestinian leader, mahmoud abbas, in the push for a middle east peace deal. the settlement issue poses a massive challenge. the head of the roman catholic church, pope benedict xvi, has begun a four day visit to britain. we will stay with the pope and the united kingdom. we will bring you live pictures of pope benedict now. i assure you, the vehicle is on its way through the center of edinburgh, headed toward princes street. the pope has been received by clean elizabeth at the royal palace in edinburgh. he has met political leaders. he is now on his way to a lunch with the head of the catholic church in scotland cardinal are scott lind carnal o'brien. there are not huge crowds of people lining the stree

and anti-islamist groups in nigeria freeze at 700 prisoners. the death of democracy. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you -- despite worldwide outrage, the american church planning to burn the koran is not backing down. and how the way and mandan says reveals more than meets the eye. -- and how the way a man dances reveals more than meets the eye. hello to you. bp has given its own account of what caused it april's catastrophic oil spill in the gulf of mexico. eleven workers died when the deepwater horizon oil rig exploded. bp faces hundreds of lawsuits and compensation claims. its report today says no single factor caused the disaster. it accepts that some responsibility, but it points the finger of blame to several other companies. it speaks of a complex series of mechanical failures, as well as human errors and fault in engineering design. our business editor reports now. >> april 20 of this year. the worst oil spill in american history. 11 deaths. oil leaking

we have to wind up to have equality in nigeria. >> only a fraction of nigeria if people have access to the internet. while few will have seen the president's message for themselves, the word quickly spread. all this on the same date a rival for the ruling party's nomination through his hat into the ring. -- threw his hat into the ring. [cheering] he is a former military leader and is seen by some as the man to beat. in his favor, the fact that he is a muslim from northern nigeria. by tradition, the ruling party alternate's power between northerners and southerners. mr. jonathan clearly wants to win the presidency more than observe convention. in this huge and divided country, he has a tough election battle ahead. >> mexico is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its independence from spain. parties are being staged across the country. while most of the nation celebrates, some towns have cut back or canceled festivities because of fears of violence from drug cartels. >> with this, the official celebration of the bicentennial anniversary ticks off. the major parade is a long mexico city'

her son is a hard-working naturalized citizen from nigeria. he used to volunteer at my office and now works at the committee center. his father was killed in the war in the 1960's. he has had to take care of his family both from nigeria and his -- the next memorialist --- memoriam was a friend of mine that live right around the corner. he was a gifted graphic artist that shared his passion with the small business community. his company was one of the early pioneers in green-conscious printing. he worked with the human rights commission, the naacp and the entrepreneur center. next is an in-memoriam that is well reported on by this wonderful person from germany who was killed on his bicycle by some people who had attempted to flee the scene until sfpd was able to apprehend the people that tried to flee. he tragically passed away after being struck on his bike. he has left behind his parents and two sisters, grew up in germany, lived in switzerland. his love of travel in the jazz brought and the san francisco. they buried him in berlin last week.

nigeria -- rising water has forced people from millions -- forced millions from their homes. we will have the latest on the plight of the chilean miners. north korea has announced that the third son of its leader kim jong-il has been appointed as the force -- as a four-star general. many believe that the party is preparing to anoint thee a man named kim jong-un as his father's eventual successor. from the south korean capital of seoul, here is one of our correspondence. >> from the trains pulling into an immaculate pyongyang central station to the choreographed uniformity of the arriving delegates, it is clear that something is going on. these are pictures that north korea is off authoritarian rulers want the world to see, showing a city being prepared for a very significant event indeed. the last time a major party gathering was held was in 1980 -- 30 years ago. that meeting sok kim jong il appointed to the highest ranks of the party, -- saw kim jong-il appointed to the highest ranks of the party, confirming him as his father's successor. after years in charge, he is for rea

that's a question i put to niger's prime minister. >> the relationship between niger and nigeria is a very old one. there have been cross-border trade for many decades. people in niger with sites must be able to exploit them and make money. >> according to the government, food exports are simply the result of market forces. a bigger challenge is the climate. half of the country's provinces have endured the worst foods in nearly a century. >> i've lost all my crops. there's only a small bit of land that isn't flooded, but that's not enough to feed my family. >> a simple cement dike could have helped this farmer, but his community doesn't have the means to build it. that's why the why u.n.'s food and agriculture agency says the aid is desperately needed. >> we go through the country, select the best seeds, the one that will withstand the drought and give a high yield. this is the ordinarily millet and this is the naturally improved seeds. you can see the difference. >> and the new transitional government is anxious to support this project. >> we founded the office of food security, whos

that is a question i put to niger's prime minister. >> the relationship between niger and nigeria isery old one. there has been cross-border trade for many decades. people in niger with assets must be able to exploit them and make money. >> so, for the government, food exports are simply the result of market forces. but a bigger challenge is the climate. half of the country's provinces have just suffered the worst floods in nearly a century, washing away vital food crops. >> i've lost all my crops. there is only a small bit of land which is not flooded, but that is not enough to feed my family. >> a simple cement bag -- cement dike could have helped this farmer, but the community did not have the resources to build it. and the fao is also working to help farmers in drought-stricken areas, as i saw for myself. >> these seeds are naturally strengthened. we have selected the best seats, the ones that will live through the drought and will leave a high yield. you can see how small that is. this is the naturally improved seed. you can see the difference. a very big difference in size. >>

difference between the indigenous people and the residents of the arctic and people in other places like nigeria the dialogue in the arctic has been good for twenty years and that dialogue has included the residents of the arctic and the indigenous people i don't know any indigenous people in the arctic who would sit back passively and allow an oil company to go forward without stepping up and saying something i see this in alaska with the indigenous people in alaska i see it in canada they are not passive people and they're not afraid to speak up so terry i think. i think there's a little bit that's different in the arctic i would also desirous to that they i mean their home will go into green i would not like the comparison you made even a few others may analyze and i agree with you i don't think they would be very happy with that parallel but and it's an important thing that there is this you will have to choose to look at there i think it's a place of hope of a model of corporation between in his people's other northerners and the governments or one can look at it of course greed goes in and

kprc local 2, in houston, texas, experience old art at the dynasty and divinity, ife art in ancient nigeria at the museum of fine arts. >>> now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. at least one legal issue is resolved for lindsay lohan. the actress has reportedly settled her $100 million lawsuit against e-trade. lohan accused the firm of making fun of her in a super bowl commercial. >>> meanwhile, a judge has issued an arrest warrant and set a friday hearing to determine if the actress violated probation after failing a court-ordered drug test. >>> lady gaga is going from pop to politics, again. the eccentric singer visited maine monday to urge lawmakers to repeal the don't ask don't tell policy ahead of today's senate vote. >>> channeling his early golden gekko, michael douglas showed no difficult signs at the debut of "wall street" despite battled stage four cancer. >>> a writer for the late show with david letterman says the host was in on the joke with wa keen phillips and the infamous exchange. i sort of feel like i can sleep better at night knowing this.

good we did rescue in development is move my experience is important in vietnam and me being from nigeria you would know the terrain so why you are writing is where you are and. in april twenty eighth year two thousand and one i served as a guide to fourteen members and i took and i was guiding them to the firings to stop their maneuvers and we were arrested after being in there for about sixteen hours. and then i was sentenced to ninety days in jail and five hundred i'll fight . the reactors for oats i was at the press all around the world everywhere so there's a very blazing light older now where the marshall arlen's european countries south american countries look to v.a. crews as the place that really knows our organize whereas we thought it was pretty much ad lib all the way they see it as a successful erection for us. the last year old their security our bridges course there are eleven million dollars us prana raising the rent would sometimes close to get rid of our lives are able to think about. big is big and less important as it got more its friends and it got more expensive not

the figures compiled by the united nations world aids program shows that ivory coast, it be a bit, nigeria zimbabwe are leading the drop in new infections. paul kagame says that allegations that rwanda and police might have engaged in who hate rwanda or have association with groups in the region that is well known. >> the white house says that there are serious security concerns over the afghan parliamentary elections which are being held saturday. richard holbrooke said the elections were likely to be flawed, but it was significant they were taking place at all. the taliban has warned afghans that they will be punished if they cast ballots. a record number of young afghans are competing. we have this from kabul. >> there is and you look in afghan politics this year. it is style. this 30-year-old tells his team they should emphasized young, educated, and conserve to people. he is one of 100 young afghans have been decided for all the failures of their new parliamentary democracy, they see it as a future, and a future for them. >> if we want to build a peaceful, prosperous afghanistan, we w

the figures show that country's including nigeria, ethiopia and the zimbabwe are leading the drop in new infections. absurd is the verdict of rwanda's president dukeland that troops may have committed genocide. they may have been involved in the mass killing of thousands of refugees who fled to congo. speaking to the bbc, the president explained why he was enraged by the report. >> [unintelligible] [unintelligible] a genocide that took place. the thinking that there was a genocide [unintelligible] [unintelligible] the whole process of investigation, and if you read the report it speaks to its own weaknesses. the people behind did -- behind it. [unintelligible] >> they go to the polls on saturday for the second parliamentary elections. the taliban warned afghans if they cast their ballots they will be punished. 2500 afghans are competing in these polls. >> there is a new look in afghan politics this year. this 30-year-old tells his campaign team they should emphasize he is young, educated and can serve the people. he is one of hundreds of afghans who have decided they see democracy ha

he is from nigeria and is accused of igniting a bomb in a flight from amsterdam to detroit. are cleaning up after a powerful storm damaged several buildings on monday afternoon. several area schools were closed. residents reported seeing help roughly two inches in diameter. >> reggie bush is giving back his heisman trophy. he won the trophy in 2005 and announced he will forfeit the award. he called the decision heartbreaking. after an investigation, the ncaa rule that he was ineligible for the 2005 season. this is the first time college's top award has been returned by its recipients. a lot of people think vince young should not get that heisman trophy. that will be tomorrow's water cooler. 57 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. >> could afford place a recall on one of its models? we will fi >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> pretty quiet so far. >> that is how would like it. one thing to watch out. a disabled tractor-trailer at pulaski highway. other than that, you should be in great shape. 5

. >>> karaoke lovers came as far away as nigeria and the karaoke events are under way in moscow. the champ of the three-day event won't earn the kind of dough you're thinking of. the winner takes home 1 million russian dumplings. i didn't expect that. i do have to make an announcement, bill. due to work, i could not compete in the world championships for karaoke. >> i bet you you're all right. you're a lot better than me. >> oh, well, thank you for that. >>> time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc -- following speeches by president obama, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad and other heads at the united nations, more world leaders take to the podium on day two of the u.n. general debate. >>> washington state a court ruling expected in a closely watched case involving don't ask, don't tell, the military's ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces. the case at hand involves a decision on whether a flight nurse discharged for being a lesbian should be reinstated. >>> and today is the day to make use of those exclamation po

united nations has sent emergency teams to northern nigeria it's you investigate the lead poisoning that has killed -- to investigate the lead poisoning that has killed 200 children this year. it will be investigating villages where gold is mined by hand. another tragedy with the looting the loss ofseums, artifacts from thousands of years of history. now pieces have been returned to iraq's national museum. gabriel gatehouse reports. >> it is only slightly bigger than of run man's hand. but it is 5000 years old, and this statute from the sumerian period has come home. it is only one of the objects spanning from the early mesopotamia and civilization to the early islamic. the work done that -- the early islamic period son back. and then they vanished. for years, they were in these cardboard boxes. ed they described what was inside -- metal, daggers. but the prime minister's office had no idea, and they have been languishing around a store room for kitchenware. the boxes were discovered sunday, and prompted -- and promptly moved to the iraqi national museum. >> it is from the beginning of t

the figures compiled by the united nations world aids program shows that ivory coast, it be a bit, nigeria zimbabwe are leading the drop in new infections. paul kagame says that allegations that rwanda and police might have engaged in genocide are absurd. speaking to the bbc during a visit to london, he explained why he was so enraged by the report. >> the conceptions of making this report was total fraud. the whole idea of the thinking that there was an genocide -- it is flawed. second, the whole process of investigation. nothing is said about how this report came together. if you read the report, -- and then the people behind it. these are people who hate rwanda or have association with groups in the region that is well known. >> the white house says that there are serious security concerns over the afghan parliamentary elections which are being held saturday. richard holbrooke said the elections were likely to be flawed, but it was significant they were taking place at all. the taliban has warned afghans that they will be punished if they cast ballots. a record number of young afghans a

the government in its southern nigeria -- 15 schoolchildren were seized when their bus was hijacked onhe edge of the niger delta. the governor demanded $130,000. the confusion over the iranian women who is under threat of being stoned to death. the foreign ministry in tehran on that says a final decision has not been taken. the stunning sentence for adultery had been confirmed. an egyptian court reduced the sentence on a billionaire accused of killing a lebanese singer in 2008. he was originally sentenced to death. the retrial has now reduced that to 15 years. he was found guilty of paying a retired police officer to carry out the killing in dubai. the president of afghanistan, karzai, made an emotional appeal country.eace in his he wept as he talked about the worsening bloodshed. today, the deputy was killed in a suicide attack. >> according to police, the suicide bomber was riding a motorized rickshaw when he killed the deputy governor. his son, his nephew, and two civilians were killed and eight people were seriously injured. afghan cover and officials are regularly targeted by the

the president of nigeria replace the heads of the army and police after hundreds of prisoners escaped. a gang of armed men attacked the prison and set them free. authorities blame a radical islamist sect. four people have been confirmed dead. >> police are hunting between 700 and 800 men on the run. the gunmen who attacked a jail went from cell to cell, freeing inmates before setting fire to the building. the authorities say intelligence indicates it is the work of a radical islamist sect bliley opposed to western education. -- violently opposed to western education. members had been awaiting trial for their part in last year's violent uprising against the nigerian police. back then more than 800 people were killed and the leader was shot dead in police custody after a siege at his compound. the sect has been active and they have their headquarters in the capital. there has been unrest in other states in the northwest of the country. they want the implementation of strict of sharia law. boasted of recent -- new leadership. it is also fearful they are embracing new tactics and are behi