>> "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, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news."

>> in the war crimes trial of the former president, evidence from a super model and now hollywood actress. mia farrow says naomi campbell new who gave or so-called blood diamonds. an unsold heat wave has doubled moscow's death rate to 700 a day. the floods in pakistan. deaths on a bigger scale than in the tsunami of 2004. 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 -- are these paris bees fairing better than their country cousins? could it be because they have a better view? >> there is no question about it. >> and from the source and to the sea. the first man to track the entire length of the amazon

river. it has taken 859 days. hello to you. the war crimes trial of the former liberian president charles taylor took another dramatic turn after evidence was given by naomi campbell. it was flatly contradicted by two witnesses. no pharaoh and naomi campbell's former -- mia farrow and naomi campbell's former agent. >> what happened 13 years ago? is there evidence that proof charles taylor was treating it illegal diamonds for weapons? >> and solemnly swear on the bible that i was betrayed.

>> first, the actress. mia farrow said she saw naomi campbell the next morning. ms. campbell seemed excited about a gift she had received during the night. >> she said that in the night she had been awakened. some men were knocking at the door. they had been sent by charles taylor, and they were giving her -- they had given her a huge diamond. >> the whole truth. >> that flatly contradicts what naomi campbell told the court last thursday. she said two men had woken her up and given her a small and dirty-looking at stones. she said she did not know who had sent them. >> did you know who sent them? >> no. >> they told you what? >> "a gift for your." >> did they say anything other than that? >> no.

>> did you ever subsequently live who -- learn who this gift was from? >> @ no. >> the prosecution is trying to prove that charles taylor was using the so-called blood diamonds to fund the rebel militia in sierra leone. that militia was notorious for its brutality, the hacking off of lands its signature atrocity. tens of thousands were killed in the war. taylor faces 11 criminal counts and denied them all. today naomi campbell's evidence was also contradicted by this former french. carole white was for years her agent. she was also at the man to lead denver. she said she sought ms campbell and mr. taylor flirting with each other at dinner. >> he was leaning forward and they were laughing. and he was agreeing that there

was a gift coming. >> she said that two men arrived at their guest house later that night. >> they came in and they sat down in the lounge, and they then took out a quite scruffy paper, and handed it to ms. campbell. and they said, you know, these are the diamonds. >> it was a dramatic and bizarre day, hollywood and the catwalk and snared in an african tragedy. naomi campbell is not on trial. this is simply to find out whether charles taylor was responsible for the atrocities that blighted an entire country for a decade. it is unclear that anything that happened under nelson mandela's roof that night announced to solid evidence. bbc news, in the hague. >> linking it charles taylor to illegal diamonds is key to the

prosecution's case. he denies responsibility for destroying, raping, naming, and mutilating more than 1 million africans in west africa. >> he faces 11 separate charges over his alleged role in the brutal civil war in neighboring sierra leone. he is accused of backing rebels were responsible for widespread atrocities. the charges include looting, burning, collective punishment, murder that announced to extermination, which is a crime against humanity, mutilation, and constricting children under 13 years old into rebel militias and forcing them to fight. sierra leone's civil war was largely driven by rebels brutalizing towns and villages.

the prosecution was encouraged and organized by charles taylor in neighboring liberia, the prosecution alleges. charles taylor is also accused of supplying weapons to the rebels, in exchange for so- called blood diamonds. making the link between taylor and the diamonds is very important to the prosecution's case. >> what is alleged is that people like charles taylor were using rebel groups to take command of the diamond fields in order to fuel his personal ambitions and his role in liberia. >> the trial of charles taylor opened in the hague more than three years ago, and june 2007. first, he refused to attend. >> are you able to take -- tell the court what your client is not in court that >> but charles taylor finally testified,

denying any association with rapists and murderers. >> in nine of those, have never been, and will never be, whether they think so or not. >> already the trial has heard from over 90 witnesses. >> and hacked one and two -- including ntt to get heroin -- amputees who gave harrowing accounts of their ordeals. >> it sends a clear signal around the world that no matter who you are, no one is above the law. sooner or later, international justice will catch up with you. >> although this trial is happening in the netherlands, if charles taylor is found guilty, and he will be sentenced in a british prison. the dutch authorities only consented to host the trial as

long as any jail term is served in another country. >> james robbins there. the death toll after a mudslide in china has nearly tripled. more than 330 people are known to have died in what could be the single worst incident in a summer of floods and extreme weather in china. mud and rocks flooded the area on sunday. 1000 people are still missing. shells in the disputed sea border in korea. the south has demanded that the north return of fishing boats. a small mosque in hamburg was frequented by september 11 attackers has been shot down. it is feared that this would be a meeting point for people seeking to radicalized others. indonesian police have arrested

the radical islamists cleric abu bakar ba'asyir. they say they have evidence he was directly involved in an militant training camp found by security forces earlier this year. he was imprisoned for his alleged role in the bali bombings in 2002, but his conviction was overturned. russia has never known anything like it and it is having a terrible impact on people's health. authorities say the death rate in moscow has doubled to an average of 700 per day. the capital is engulfed by poisonous mob comet -- poisonous smog, the heat wave has lasted for weeks. we have this from moscow. >> for the fourth day, the russian capital is shrouded in thick smog. people are hoping that these masks will be protection against the air.

but today, the announcement everyone has feared. the smog and heats was proving to be fatal. >> the average death rate in the city is between 360 and 380 people a day. today we have around 700. this is no secret. look, it is 40 degrees celsius. >> hundreds of fire continued to burn across central and west russia, including moscow. this is thought to be the most severe heat wave in the country. it is estimated these fires are pumping up to 1 million tons of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere every day, and still officials that they do not have the equipment they need to put them out. >> this forestry director

complains the equipment is outdated. they cannot get in and are wasting time. with every day, more people have to be evacuated as their homes come under threat. while outside in the smog, the fires are burning. bbc news, moscow. >> the united nations is saying the number of people who have lost their homes or livelihood because of the massive floods in pakistan has reached nearly 14 million. that is more than all of those affected by the agency not me. bad weather has created huge problems for delivering supplies. parts of pakistan are completely cut off. the province has been badly hit, as orla guerin reports. >> trying to carry on in the midst of the flood. we found a village slowly

drowning. this picture is repeated across huge areas of pakistan. the government says the country has been set back decades. imagine the future he faces now. like many here, they say to save their -- they stayed to save their livestock and crops. but this was a moment to save their lives. you can see how high the water has reached here. it is to this woman's waist. this area has been completely inundated. they do understand now it is time to go. they have been crowding into boats, as many as possible. women and children first, then the elderly. they will not be able to take them all this time. the marines will make a return journey for anyone who is left.

so they wait for their turn to be rescued. four days, the marines have been running mission after mission, even after dark. trying to reach all those in need. >> i have my team with me. we are determined. we are doing it. hopefully, by tonight, we will do it. by tonight. >> so no one left behind? >> yes. >> the boats were cramped. passengers had to be moved around to balance the weight and reduce risk. in a hurry back to dangerous waters. -- then in a hurry back three dangerous waters. heading to safety come up with nothing left.

the problem is, what happens next? many who are sick from the floods city government has left them to go hungry. . in thatshore may not the suffering. they are to be carried from the boats. all this woman could say was a "thank you." >> stay with us, if you can, on "bbc world news." still to come -- what happened to the billions of dollars in western aid that go to afghanistan? the american money be fuelling the taliban? first though, he has greatly improved the lives of his citizens, but he is also accused of undermining democracy. pulka donnie is expected to win -- paul kagame is expected to

win the election by a landslide. we have this. >> all attention is on nt election. -- all attention is on the election. the process is peculiarly efficient here. they will be making a decision about who will be the next president of rwanda for the next seven years. what remains on the ballot paper, but it is paul kagame abundantly paul -- but it is abundantly clear that paul kagame will win by a huge landslide. tens of thousands turned out to cheer president kagame. the opposition could not draw a crowd like this. three other contenders seem to be allies of the governing party and are really just giving this process on nod towards democracy. paul kagame is widely credited

for keeping this country is stable, and a steadily growing economy where corruption is relatively low. there are reports of increasing oppression and intolerance of any criticism. but the current events in rwanda must be viewed with one eye on the past. the country is still deeply scarred following the horrific events of 1994, where genocide left hundreds of thousands dead. there are those who argue the -- that for stability, true democracy must be on hold. the risk of politics becoming ethnically divisive is still too great. bbc news. >> the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." at the war crimes trial of the former liberian leader charles taylor, witnesses have

contradicted evidence by the normal -- by the model naomi campbell concerning infamous blood diamonds. the death rate in moscow has doubled to 700 a day after a heat wave. over the past nine years, western aid has poured into afghanistan. but there is nothing to dispel claims that millions have been diverted by corrupt officials, effectively funding the taliban. we have this. >> she clings to life in a kabul hospital, and his mother lives too weak to feed him in the ward. the family where birds out of their home by the taliban. he is one of the hundreds of the malnourished babies born in this ward. his grandmother says there is not enough to feed the family on

what the sun and earth and what she turns washing clothes. at kabul airport, everything going out is searched. too much of the money that might have gone to feed the starving babies has been stolen from the budget. these are taken by the customs officials, sees as piles of cash taken by afghan officials. the general says taking money out of the country damages us, and he can never track down those really responsible. nine years on, there's not much to show for $6 billion of aid that has been poured into afghanistan. there are even reports that the u.s. money may be directly fuelling the taliban insurgency. forging a congressional report to dispense aid, a congressman

said that american money was funding a protection racket. it they found $4 million -- they found $4 million a week are being spent to allow convoys through. secretary of state hillary clinton says this risks undermining the u.s. strategy in afghanistan. with most aid money spent outside the government, most of the corruption is outside the government. >> the security forces, most of them are not helping the afghan community. they are not creating jobs for afghans. the aid money that is given to the government, those who are here underground -- >> providing affordable food

means a different kind of aid spending. the funds for this bakery came from an afghan-controlled bank, funded by britain. they say they stop corruption by hiring honest people. >> we stop the corruption. we hire an honest person. if we have on his staff, the issue of corruption willkie erased. >> in hospital on the other side of town, this grandmother says she does not care where the aid comes from as long as her family survives. international donors have now agreed to the most radical program yet to use aid money more effectively. bbc news, kabul. >> in recent years, it has been

difficult for bees and their keepers. tens of thousands of hives have collapsed. oddly though, they are thriving in cities. our correspondent has been finding out more. >> on the roof of a luxury hotel in central paris, an effort to boost her urban biodiversity. these bees are the most privileged in the world with a view like this and the nectar from the garden. >> this is my friend. we have a hive on top of the city. this is ecologically direct action. >> honey from the hive goes to the hotel kitchens and to making

massage oils in the health spa. it has become fashionable to raise bees in paris. there are some 400 hives are around the city. but what is curious, these city bees are doing better than their country cousins. its odd, but true. . hives produce more money -- city hives produce more honey. one reason is there is no pesticide in the city. the other is the much more varied floor. hear, the pollen season can last for months, different than the modern countryside. >> you will find one culture in the country. once the culture is over, there is nothing left. you have one pollen, which is not enough. i mean, they have much more

diversity in the city. >> city honey is now all the rage. and no, it does not taste like car fumes. it is like country honey. bbc news, paris. >> he dodge vipers and was wrongly accused of murder. he was on a 4000-mile along the amazon. he finished that epic challenge. >> they walked 4,000 miles, but they still had the energy to run the last few yards. >> this is fantastic. i am just overwhelmed.

walking through the amazon, and we are here. >> this monumental journey began in april 2008 at the source of the amazon in southern peru. since the beginning of the track, they have had liquid concrete thrown at them by villagers, they were jailed, accused of drug trafficking. but today they arrived at journey's end, where the amazon meets the sea. >> is just a wall of john goal. >> they filmed as they went, documenting the challenge of cutting through dense jungle. and confronting hostile wildlife. >> a wasp. i swallowed a bee. ow. ow.

>> their mental and physical endurance tested to the limit. >> i have the most overriding feeling of hunger. unbelievable. >> back home, his mother followed her sons journey -- her son's journey all the way. >> it is a huge challenge to go on with this day after day, with this jungle and closing. that must take huge willpower. >> will power that has them already planning another expedition that he says will be every bit as challenging as this one. john frame, bbc news. >> a reminder of our top stories. two witnesses at the war crimes trial of charles taylor have flatly contradicted evidence given by the model naomi campbell that she did not know who gave for alleged blood diamonds in 1997. we are on line of course. and on twitter and facebook.

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 offers unique insight and expertise in a range of industries.

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