the army has grown in power over the past decades and ri yong-ho was regularly pictured with kim jong un on military visits. being seen as commander-in-chief was all the more important for a leader as young and untested as this one. kim jong un has a leadership style that is publicly more relaxed and more jovial than his father. last week he showcased a new female companion smartly dressed in western-style clothing. that was enough to spark favors speculation over the direction of his personal life. now there are questions over where north korea is headed politically. bbc news reporting. >> still ahead, the excitement is building. we will be on the path of the olympic torch as it edges closer to the capital. police in a pall say nine people died after a bus swerved off the road and into a river. rescue workers are still searching for survivors. many more passengers are still missing. most of the dead in the crash in the southwest of the country were hindu pilgrims from india traveling to or religious festival. >> just how did this bus come to rest in this canal? it was carrying dozens

. >> the top military leader ri yong ho has been removed from his post. officially, he is ill, but it is speculated this could be a means for kim jong-un to gain control of the powerful military. >> no details were provided on ri's medical condition. >> i believe what really happened is that kim jong-un might have had concerns over ri yong ho's position in the military. >> he was a key member of kim jong-il' and her circle. kim jong-un may be trying to put his mark on the country. that could mean more shakeups in the coming weeks. but it is unclear whether this signals a shift in pyongyang's policies. last week, kim jong-un posted an unusual disney concert featuring icons of western popular culture like mickey mouse and winnie the pooh. this by strict sanctions, consumer luxury goods are on the rise. yet a slight upturn in the economy and access to luxury goods mean little to most north koreans. the country is still one of the poorest and least developed in the world. >> for more, we spoke to asia's analyst from the german institute for international and

they aim to keep the army in check by dismissing vice marshall ri yong ho. >> south korean president lee myung bak responded to the announcement by summoning ministers and officials in charge of foreign affairs and security. he instructed them to work closely with other nations involved. kim jong-un emerged as his father's successor nearly two years ago. analysts and politicians considered him inexperienced when he took over last december. but from what we can tell, he's maintained north korea's top-down power structure. university professor told me that kim is also trying to promote younger generations of people to positions. kim is hand picking individuals who are faithful to him to put in key posts to solidify his power base and also trying to put his own stamp on the regime. keep in mind, kim has only been a leader for seven months. his regime will likely go through more changes as i goes into his role. >>> on wednesday two countries pulled their troops back so welcoming tensions to allow the focus to shift to preparing the site. >> reporter: the temple stands atop a dramatic cli

ri yong ho was a leader.was removed because kim jong un wants to put his own mark on the country. >>> time now 5:46. lightning killed and injured people in texas, georgia, and the canadian providence of ontario. three consider hit in texas, two of them died. a third in stable condition. in canada yesterday lightning also hit a tent at a rib festival in ontario. 17 people had to be rushed to the hospitals. and on friday lightning killed a man in georgia. he leaves behind a large family. >> nine children are now missing their father. because he was out here to have a nice afternoon. >> the man who died went into cardiac arrest shortly after that lightning hit him. knocked him and a friend to the ground. >>> a vote could happen later this month on a proposal to make walnut creek city council meetings english only. they voted to postpone a decision until the proposal is reviewed by the department of justice. if it passes council meetings will be conducted only in english and nonenglish speakers would have to brin

it's only two days since the army chief ri yong ho was dismissed from his position which surprised manyy is very significant in north korea and it was very important for kim jong-un to make sure he had credibility and support within the military if he wanted the succession to be smooth. >>> today's moment of sanity is brought to you by senator john mccain. boldly reclaiming the maverick label, mccain took to the senate floor today to denounce the fear-mongering claims by several house republicans, including michele bachmann who said the federal government may have been infiltrated by the muslim brotherhood. even more outrageous, some pointed to secretary ostate hillary clinton's top aide, huma abadine. >> when anyone, not least a member of congress, launches degrading attacks against fellow americans on the basis of nothing more than fear of who they are and ignorance of what they stand for, it defames the spirit of our nation. and we all grow poorer because of it. >> john mccain is exactly right. we need more politicians displaying this kind of honor and honesty if we're ever going to

ri yong ho was a mentor to kim jong un.itary leader was removed because kim jong un wants to put his own mark on the country he inherited six months ago when his father died. >>> drought conditions are creating problems for farmers. conditions are so bad in indianapolis that a mandatory watering ban is now in effect. residence are being told to avoid watering lawns, washing their cars and filling swimming pools. food banks that rely on private and commercial gardeners are also feeling the impact. many say they are seeing fewer donations. >> farmers would like to be able to do that just don't have the extra product. they either don't have it from the get go or they you know there is nothing extra after a farmers market. >> in wisconsin a state of emergency has been declared in almost four dozen counties because of these dry conditions. a report out today is expected to rank this years drought as the tenth worst since 1895. >>> time now 6:46. today hundreds of san francisco children will get free shoes. this is the fourth yea

government news reports say ri yong ho is ill, but no word on a possible replacement. >>> mitt romney'sf bain capital, retroactively once the salt lake olympics started. ed gillespie telling candy crowley, romney took a leave of absence to rescue the games and never returned to bain. >> he was not involved in the management and day to day decisions and wouldn't have had time. he left a life he loved to go to salt lake city to save the olympics for a country he loves more and somehow classic style chicago chick politics is trying to make this sinister. >> do you understand how people -- >> the obama campaign accused romney of lying after the boston globe reported he maintained the title of chief executive office three years beyond the day he claims he relinquished control. >>> there's been a lot of talk about his possible running mate, new jersey governor chris christie says no, to a position, not to that but a position vice chairman of the governors association. in a surprise move he said he would not be able to commit the time necessary. >> the british government is calling for reinfor

they talked about what the sidelining of ri yong ho could mean for kim jong-un's regime. they'll need to watch closely what they do next now that ri has been removed from his post. maemara said they'll try to help find peaceful solutions to problems on the divided korean peninsula. >>> political change isn't the only reason people are talking about north korea these days. more of those who is that girl rumors are swirling. state-run television has again aired video of a young woman with kim jong-un. korean central tv showed the women standing close to kim during a visit to a kindergarten in the capital pyongyang. she stood slightly in front of other officials when kim spoke with children. she giggled when the leader said something. the video suggests she holds a special position in north korea's hierarchy. state television has shown the woman accompanying kim at recent public events. some experts say she's his younger sister. south korea's news agency says officials in seoul are trying to confirm if she's his wife. >>> and now here's the weather forecast. >>> we'll be back