around the globe. today queen elizabeth made history when her plane touched down on irish soil. it is the first time a british monarchy has visited since 90 years ago and her arrival marks a new chapter in relations between the two countries. the queen's arrival coincided with a string of security alerts and the discovery of a bomb on a bus bound for dublin. the bbc's royal correspondent has this report. >> it is just hours flying time from london, and yet this particular flight has taken decades to get here. in the 60th year of her rein and wearing a coach of emerald green, queen elizabeth of britain was finally able to step onto the soil of britain's nearest neighbor, ireland t looked as many state visits have looked, but here was a moment of history, a visit which signifies an end to centuries of suspicion and enemies and which it is hoped there will be something new and better. the queen was brought into dublin in which much of the city center was in a state of lockdown. security concerned had prompted the authorities to discourage spectators. a pipe bomb had been found and defused overnight outside dublin. in phoenix park stands the building which was once the home of the british voice roys who governed ireland in the name of the queen's ancestors. it is now the residence of ireland's head of state and it was here that the president of a nation which forged the british crown greeted the current wearer of that crown as equals. an irish military band played the british national anthem, while a 21-gun salute was fired. in one part of the city center, a group of about 100 republicans was staking a protest against the visit. police were there in force. a union flag was burned, and the irish police made it clear that this was a day when protests were not being tolerated at all. they swept through everyone who got in the way, but in order to move on, obstacles from the past need to be neutralized, and to do that, the queen went through empty and heavily protected streets to the garden of remembrance to remember those who in 1921 rose up against the british crown to fight for ireland's freedom. she laid a wreath and bowed her head in memory of the original irish republicans, the brotherhood and the old ira. this is a ceremony that every state visitor to dublin performs. for decades it would have been unimaginable for a british monarch to come here and lay a wreath. this, though, was a day when the past was confounded and when old hatreds were eased. from the garden of remembrance, she left again, along o'connell street and past the general post office, again through streets where spectators had been discouraged. >> the people of this city are getting very little sense of this visit other than a rather distant view of a rather heavily guarded convoy. >> within the safety of trinity college, things could be relaxed a little. the queen was finally able to meet some of the citizens of dublin. the final engagement on a day which has been so many years in coming, when britain and ireland break free from the past and treated each other with the mutual respect of neighbors and friends. bbc news, dublin. >> for more on the queen's reception, i spoke to the bbc outside dublin commons. >> we know about the historic significance of this visit, but was it matched by the warmth of the reception, especially from the people of ireland? >> well, the people of ireland didn't get that much of a glimpse of the queen because of security concerns, but in terms of the atmospherics, it was interesting, because i tell you what happens, you look at what the list of what the queen's engagements were for the day and it is like any other state visit, laying a wreath as a memorial and carrying on. each one, though, was significant in its own way because of the intertwined and tortuous history between the people of ireland and the people of britain, the airfield named after one of the freedom fighters who laid down his life. the president's palace was the home of the viceroys of ireland when there was british rule and the garden of remembrance where she went to, well, that is celebrating those irishmen who lost their lives to get rid of the crown from the ireland island. ireland and the u.k. with socially and economically intertwined in so many ways. how important is it to have this kind of visit from her majesty, the queen, in terms of healing the historic rift? >> incredibly important, because if you just look at the recent history, at the troubles, the 3,000 people who lost their lives, it has been a running sore that has gone on for centuries, but in the past 20 years, extraordinary political progress has been made, the likes of which that many people thought would be impossible, took the bravery of a lot of politicians in the united states, in britain, in ireland, who went that extra mile to try to bring this about, and this, if you like, was the crowning glory, that the queen could arrive here, whereas in the past, her grandfather came in 1911, and he came as the rule irof ireland and the people were his subjects. there was a picture today of the queen signing the visitor's book in the president's palace. she is a visitor. ireland and britain are talking to each other on equal terms. there was a normality to it but something extraordinary as well. >> thank you very much, indeed. it is the case which still has jaws dropping from paris to washington. tonight, domonique strauss-khan, the man who hoped to resign in the french palace remains in an 11 by 30 foot scale cell at new york's riker's island. he will next appear in court friday on charges that he attempted to rape a maid in times square. the talk of a possible successor is starting and some are suggesting that it time for a lone european to take the helm of the imf. >> the international monetary fund was established in 1944 and always headed by a european. with domonique strauss-khan unable to carry rout his work as managing director now in a new york rikers island jail waiting to contest the charges against him, the lobbying over his successor has started, particularly by those who believe the next head should come from one of the emerging economies. >> so turkey could have a candidate and mexico has a possible candidate, as well as south africa's finance minister. more names are already being talked up, some including india, are frustrated by a lack of progress reforming other international bodies, particularly the u.n. security council in order to reflect a rapidly changing world. china is saying the choice should be based on merit. >> you have raised the issue of the selection of the ifmf senior leadership. it should be based on merit. >> some of europe's leader are already making clear they won't give up the traditional ownership of the imf fight without a fight. the leading voice arguing that case, with the euro in a profound crisis, europe has never relied more heavily on the imf, and the fears of the short and long-term effects with a new managing director with other loyalties who might take over. bbc news. >> from more on what path the organization will chart in the future, simon johnson, a senior fellow at the peterson institute for international economics. good to see you, simon. you know the imf well. what is going on inside this organization as we speak? >> well, it is a little unclear, though to those of us on the outside. there is not a lot of communication. we see the statements from the european leaders and now from the chinese, but it's quite a mystery exactly how and when and if the imf will make the next move. >> he hasn't been fired. he hasn't resigned. he hasn't even been put on leave. isn't that strange? >> that's my understanding of the situation and i can't account for it, so i would rather leave it at that. >> let's take a broader picture then. here is a man who is apparently very adept at the kind of diplomacy that is so necessary at the moment. he was on his way to see angela merkel to presumably help bail out the greeks, if such a man is in such a position, does that mean that the institution stops functioning in the way it should function, especially at this moment of crisis? >> i don't know. absolutely not. there are many talented people at the top of this organization. they have a great team on the ground, for example, in greece and i'm sure they will play their role and whatever the europeans want to do vis-a-vis greece and the european zone and european units. there will be no disruption. >> he wasn't indispensable? >> no one is indispensable in this setting and that includes mr. strauss-khan. >> we talked a little bit about the succession. the chinese are saying it should be a an open process, anyone could apply, presumably even a chinese candidate. how likely are we to be stuck with another european or to have another european we should say? >> the expectation was that the europeans would provide a successor when he went back to france to run for the presidency. the europeans are somewhat in the right place with regard to having all their pieces together. this, without question, is a big disruptive event for the succession process. we don't know how they will handle the transition. we don't know the timing. there are credible emerging market candidates including the ones that were just reviewed in your coverage and as the chinese said, there has been a commitment, particularly by the g20 within the last couple of summits that the next leader will be chosen through a fair, honest transparent process and if the europeans try to put a fix on it as they have in the past, i think it may blow back in their faces. >> this is an earthquake in the world of international finance and for french politics. >> i'm not an expert on french politics so i can't comment on that, but within international finance, in the short time, it doesn't matter that much. it is news but not a huge event. however, the succession matters a great deal, because does this represent a moment when the balance of economic power and voice around the world shifts towards someone in the emerging markets, perhaps towards emerging marg kets as a bloc as an arctic klatt group or is it a moment when they get americans to support them and keep the managing director firmly in their camp? >> some unintended consequences there. thank you very much, simon johnson. >> the former governor of california, arnold schwarzenegger has admitted he father add child with a member of his household staff ten years ago. he and his wife are separating after a quarter of a century of marriage. in a statement, mr. schwarzenegger said "i understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family." to the continuing unrest in the arab world, that was one of the main topics on the agenda at the white house when jordan's king abdulla came to a meeting with president obama to discuss the events in the region. the u.s. president sank the thanked the jordanians for helping with libertarian efforts in libya. there are more reports tonight that muammar gaddafi's regime may have suffered another defection. tunisian officials say the libyan oil minister is now on tunisian soil. it comes as major air strikes continue to target the capital of tripoli. the bbc reports from there on the latest of those attacks. >> nato hat been threatening to intensify its bombing campaign. it looks like it's already begun. this was the second strike on tripoli in less than 12 hours. emergency crews were still working when we were brought there by our government minders. the libyans have brought us here quickly. they were very keen for us to see what had happened. it is just a short time after the strike, but from everything we have been able to find out so far, these are both government buildings that have been hit, and so far, no one has shown us any evidence of any casualties. the crowds of gaddafi supporters who gather are dree find, but not obviously obviously -- are dree find, but not obviously angry. this was a ministry responsible for fighting corruption, we're told. it's not a military building says an official, and there are hospitals nearby. but they didn't want us to get close to the other place hit across the road, an office of libya's security services, a guard reaching out to cover our camera. perhaps hoping to play on divisions in nato over its strategy, muammar gaddafi's spokesman says increasing at tacks won't work. if they are interested in protecting civilians, which is the main and only justification they propose for their aggression against our nation, if they are truly interested in that, then we have called upon them to stop and start talking to us. but libya's options are running out. it's now announced it will use more human shields to protect buildings from a nato strike. >> in other news, pakistan's prime minister has declared that china is now his country's very best friend. the comment was made at the start of a four-day trip to the country at a time of tension between pakistan and the u.s. in the aftermath of the american special forces raid that killed osama bin laden. he is visiting shanghai in the surrounding regions first and then travels to beijing on wednesday. the international criminal tribunal has found the former chief of army staff rwanda guilty in crimes against humanity. he ran the the army during the 1994 genocide in which over 800,000 were killed. he was sentenced to 30 years in jail. the departing chief of the u.n. mission in haiti has slammed the lack of progress in the country, saying the international community has been going around in circles for the past 30 years and that they are not doing enough to send to haiti's institutions. you are watching bbc world news america, still to come on tonight's program, falling fast, mexico's tourism industry takes a major hit from the drug war which is driving away the visitors. >> american student amanda knox is back in court facing charges of slandering police officers. knox, who convicted of murdering her british housemate said during the initial trial she had been hit by police during questioning arc charge the authorities deny and are fighting in court. >> this was amanda knox back in court for what has almost become a trial within a trial. already appealing against her murder conviction, the 23-year-old american now faces a charge of slander. knox and her former boyfriend, seen here together, were convicted of killing meredith kercher at this house in 2007. 21-year-old meredith from south london died in the house she shared with knox after a violent attack. in the days following meredith's death, knox was questioned by police. then, at her murder trial, she claimed she was hit in the head during that interrogation. the police officers involved denied the claims, saying they acted professionally, and that's why the case of slander has now come to court. traveling from his home in seattle, knox's father said it still wasn't clear what took place in the police station. >> the question really becomes what truly happened, and you know, we would all be in a position that's much better off had her interrogation been recorded, and we would really know what happened, so it's really her word against the members of the police. >> today's slander case was adjourned. amanda knox murder appeal case continues this weekend. she's hoping that in the next few months, the forensic evidence in that case will be thrown out, but for now, she continues with her 26-year life sentence. bbc news in rome. >> another war with a scarely believable atrocity on america's doorstep in mexico. the turf waree between drug cartels is jeopardizing the tourism industry. 75,000 people have died in the past four years as authorities try to tackle the drug smugglers as they use mexico as a route into the united states. the bbc reports on the visitors now staying away because of the violence. >> they are some of the most wonderful tourist at tracks as boys as young as 13 jump from a cliff into the pacific ocean, but they are jumping for smaller crowds these days. this city has found itself in the front line of mexico's battles with the drug cartels. its beaches are looking empty. the tourists scared off by the violence here. ak pack co's tarnish -- ok pack co's tarnished -- acapulco's reputation is varnished. >> people in the bars and even the people selling items on the beach, taxis, they don't have jobs. >> acapulco at tracks tourists and traffickers who traffic drugs towards the united states. this city is paying a high price for the drug violence and there is fears that the impact could spread around mexico. but the violence seems far away in downtown mexico city. 35,000 people may have died in the so-called drugs war, but mexico's economy keeps on growing, 5.5% in 2010, with similar expectations for this year. we met this businesswoman after dark in a public park. we agreed not to reveal her identity. she told me six months ago she was approached by armed men demanding $4,000 a month or her family would be killed. she agreed to pay. >> these people come into your life, and you can't go out into the street, because you think they are r. aren't there, but what hurts the most is the authorities not paying attention to them. why would i make up a story like this? why would i make up a story that i'm being blackmailed. >> in the streets of acapulco, a strong police presence is designed to reassure visitors. but for many, the sight of heavy armed police is a sign that drug violence is on the doorsteps and may have changed the face of the city forever. bbc news, acapulco. >> now to an event which london hopes the tourists will just come flocking to. in 430 days precisely and i'm not talking about a royal wedding or coronation. now, what i am talking about is the summer olympic games. they kick off in exactly 437 days and tomorrow organizers will reveal the route of the olympic torch. it has been more than half a century since the flame traveled on british soil and robert hall will meet two men who share that honor. >> long forgotten in the dusty corner, a family treasure that trans sports its owner back to a proud moment more than of 60 years ago. the olympic flame lit in greece back in 1948 was carried through countries still scarred by the second world war. it arrived in dover aboard a british destroyer for the final stage of its 2,000 mile journey. >> the torch was handed to chief petty officer bonds. >> 50,000 people watched the first british leg of the relay. >> i never knew anything of what it was going to be like. i knew i was going to get a torch. i wasn't sure if i would be allowed to keep it. >> in a small town, an excited 18-year-old was waiting to play his part. >> when i got there, this chap who told me i would be in it, producers from somewhere, got me to hold it and i thought i wait for this fellow to come down a long, long hill, and i watched him come all the way down and i could see him come all the way and then i held it and off i went. >> all through the night, the flame was carried are by relays of englishmen. >> further east in the thames valley, another young runner had broken his holiday to join the relay and become a local hero. >> you get that rush, you see, thinking you're carrying this for a little while, because i was just a normal athlete in a normal club, you know. >> those who remember that experience grow fewer each year. time, we thought, for two of them to share their memories. >> that's the chap i handed it over to, and that was me lighting his flame. >> i have wondered so much, because of the age thing, you know, '63, 64 years, you look pretty good, mate. >> well -- >> the long journey from olympus was over. >> when the torch reached wembley at 4:00 p.m. on the 29th of july, it was described as warm flame of hope in a post war world. it still burned in the minds of those who were there. cheers. >> wonderful stuff. and before we go, we want to suggest one of the eternal questions that have perplexed mankind -- is there life in space? briefly, well, now scientists have found a planet 20 light-years from earth which they believe is habitable. the planet called 581d, are remember that, could support life similar to that on earth, but before you start packing your bags, unfortunately, the current rocket technology, it could take 300,000 years to get. there that's all we have time for here on planet earth. thanks for watching. see you tomorrow. mellow and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe, and pick to play video reports. go to bbc.com to experience the in depth expert reporting of bbc world news on-line. 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 financial strength to a wide range of companies for small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? bbc world news america was presented by kcet, los presented by kcet, los angeles. 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(toucan squawks) ) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ ♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ is so glorious ♪ glorious ♪ george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ ♪ is so wondrous ♪ wondrous ♪ ♪ there's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ and meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ i know you're curious ♪ curious ♪ ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ marvelous ♪ ♪ and that's your reward ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ if you ask yourself, "what is this?" ♪ ♪ like curious... ♪ like curious... curious george. ♪ oh... captioning sponsored by nbc/universal narrator: few things capture the attention of a curious little monkey. i wonder what this could be. (excited chatter) oh, okay. oh, it's from my mother.