>> dramatic pictures of the violence in southern syria. the government denies security forces have fired on demonstrators but has ordered the release of everyone detained in the unrest. >> we have to put an end to the state of emergency. >> reports of talks between rebels in benghazi and colonel gaddafi said forces in the east. faced by devastation, japan faces all long-term crisis with thousands without shelter in the cold. 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 -- a call to martyrdom. the online video showing pakastani children acting out a suicide bombing. and it looks like true love, but

is it? why sham marriages are on the rise in britain. hello to you. the syrian president tries to calm his country. he has ordered the release of everyone detained in the current unrest. he has also promised to lift wages and possibly emergency rules in place for 50 years. it is reported thousands attended the funerals of people killed when security forces fired on anti-government protesters wednesday. >> shocking scenes on the streets, the troubled southern city at the center of the unrest. shot down by gunmen.

the bbc cannot independently verify the image is posted on social network sites. but security forces were blamed for the killings. this protesters as -- stay on the ground. do not move. no one is lifting a finger. human rights activists say at least 45 were killed, but these figures cannot be independently verified. at the press conference, i asked about the attack. >> our syrian television has verify exact numbers. the problem is with the media organ that wanted to exaggerate what happened, and i want to refer to one news item that was on at the bbc, cnn, many news

outlets, that accused security forces. they were not able to show anything around the mosque. >> she denied reports security had shot at protesters and insisted foreign elements were responsible. [unintelligible] became to meet the demands of the people across the country. that is the situation in syria there is even talk of lifting the state emergency law. some prisoners were released soon after the press conference, including a prominent writer who was detained two days ago. >> i would say that what the syrian government is confronting is and in fact the same challenge that faces them many governments across the region. and that is, the unmatched --

unmet political and economic grievances of their people. >> those demonstrations will be the test of how people will receive the government's concessions. bbc news, damascus. >> the presidential adviser you just saw spoke to "bbc world news earlier and told my colleague how the syrian leader sees the protests. >> the decision that we make today was discussed. at the conference in 2005, there were people and did not carry out things as well as they should have done. there are two fronts. first, syria is targeted by a group that is being armed and

financed by al-qaeda up forces. >> can i ask you -- which outside forces are you referring to? >> i can tell you, we have people who have been arrested, who had been acting as snipers, killing young men and women, and investigations are being carried out. >> this is a big statement you make, "outside forces." we hear this all the time. gaddafi, mr. mubarak blaming outside forces. does the syrian government accept the will have to make substantial concessions if they talk about lifting the emergency law that has been in place for five decades? are you going to be taken -- taking those steps? >> you know what? the western governments are dictating and they are the using

incitement against our people. >> the western media -- is the people on the street protesting. >> you did not allow us to talk on bbc. nobody contested what was happening. the legitimate request of people, not only -- everywhere in syria. the request of financial or political or economic -- they are being discussed. they are being addressed. it is very important decisions that have been made today by leaders of the country. and the harassment of this process is being done. >> the syrian presidential adviser speaking to zeinab badawi.

french officials say that a fighter was shot down -- that a libyan fighter was shot down. it is difficult to get an accurate picture of what is going on, but we got this assessment from tripoli. our correspondent's movements are restricted, but his report is not. >> the battle may decide how this war will go. the rebels have had no answer to colonel gaddafi is weaponry -- colonel gaddafi's weaponry. although the libyan air force has pretty much been destroyed, some tanks remain inside misrata. the coalition cannot do anything about the pro-gaddafi snipers in the town. misrata's hospitals have been hit by fire. these pictures have come in over the last few days. there is no possibility of verifying them because the

government has not allow this to go there. many patients have been hit by snipers. some of the pictures are too disturbing for us to show. misrata matters because it is the last big town in western libya still in western -- still in rebel hands. the airport was shut down today, and the main hospital seemed to be controlled by pro- gaddafi forces. the fighting today is said to be centered on the port. last night, the coalition bombed the capital, -- the capitol, tripoli, for the fourth night running. images on the television plainly showed military vehicles running. but the government insisted that civilian areas and had been hit and 18 civilians had died. according to libyan television, these pictures showed injured

civilians. today, the libyan authorities took journalists to see a funeral ceremony for civilians they say have been killed in a coalition attacks. it has not been possible to confirm this. colonel gaddafi is still promising his supporters victory. there were signs that some were getting nervous, but the coalition's intervention has not been nearly as devastating as many expected. 7 now, -- so now, if the coalition cannot stop gaddafi from recapturing misrata, then his supporters may hope that he may survive in power after all. johnson's in, bbc news, tripoli. >> been brown has been in the stronghold of benghazi.

he has our report. >> nearer to us in benghazi is an area of the bubbles have been trying to capture from pro- gaddafi forces -- and area the rebels and trying to recapture from pro-gaddafi forces. it is a gateway from east to west. they have to recapture that. we are hearing that perhaps there has been an offer from pro-gaddafi forces who are effectively surrounded in that city to surrender if given free passage with their weapons out of there. perhaps there will be some sort of negotiated breakthrough in the cards. i have to say it, it is very early days, and that is coming to us from a rebel commander here in benghazi. elsewhere, in misrata, that is an west and we have heard that that is still being shelled and

bombarded pretty heavily by pro- gaddafi forces despite the air strikes against air force is there. we heard from one doctor that more than 100 have died in the siege. the bombardment has been going on for days. it is a desperate situation. doctors saying, about 1000 people have been injured. >> ben brown forest and benghazi. two workers working at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant at and hospitals -- have been hospitalized due to re-aviation. -- due to radiation. more than a quarter of the people in japan are still homeless, many living in shelters. our correspondent reports on the efforts to provide them with food, warmth, and shelter. >> it is better, jill, and bleak. smashed by the tsunami, buried

by the snow. he lost half his staff. the leader let's the fisherman just wait. chopping up the timbers of their former homes to ward off the gold. and ken sosaki is the only official left in this neighborhood, caring for 1000 people. this is where he is living. >> at night, it is very cold. >> that is where you have to sleep? and warmth? do you have any warmth in here? >> [inaudible] >> and there are others, too. the kobayashi family are sheltering inside their van. mom, dad, and two boys. it is cold, he says.

"i am worried about our future." when the waves swept through this town of 16,000, the sea wall was simply tossed aside. the tsunami did this to a stretch of coastline that is 600 kilometers long. that is the link of england. wiping out communications and infrastructures. now the weather has closed in, too. the challenge is to get the aid to where it is needed most. around the clock, a massive operation now under way. the biggest problem is a shortage of fuel to reach the half a million who are homeless. bit by bit, it is getting through. but ken says families need more. >> it is snowing. it is very cold. >> still, there is no complaining.

anger, yes. but only with the seat and what it has done. bbc news. >> do stay with us, if you can. coming up -- waiting for good news. portugal moves closer to a financial bailout. the question is, will europe and the money? -- find the money? first though -- and in yemen, dozens have been killed in weeks of anti-government demonstrations. the president has promised a transfer of power peacefully. he has given no indication of the timing. he also offered amnesty to military personnel who defected to the opposition. our correspondent has been telling us how the president is managing to hold onto power. >> he still has the support of his party, said the general people of congress, and he has the support of the defense minister and much of the army.

we have seen a standoff between the regular army, who oppose the president, and the presidential guard. we have seen clashes in at two yemeni cities. but the big fear is that yemen could devolve into some kind of civil war. it is a very poor country. but there are reportedly three firearms for every citizen in yemen, which is absurd. a shipment of 12,000 handguns from turkey was intercepted in the gulf in dubai on its way to yemen. the last thing yemen it needs is more guns, frank. it is a very troubled country. they are waiting to probably exploit any kind of security that team. if and when president saleh goes, and he may have trouble

holding on until the end of the year, when he goes, washington will have to find a new partner in dealing with al-qaeda. >> our security correspondent there. you can get much more on that story and all the international news on bbc.com. the latest headlines for you this hour on "bbc world news." syria has offered concessions to the thousands demanding political reform. the government has promised to raise wages and free everyone detained in the current unrest. the battle for libya goes on. the french air force has shut down the libyan government jet and in breach of the no-fly zone. a video on youtube shows a young boys acting out a suicide pact

and has been condemned by unicef and children's charities and pakistan. where the video came from is unclear, but it seems to be filmed in the border areas of pakistan and afghanistan. orla guerin has this report. >> of young boy said his goodbyes. his little playmates are waiting in line. it is a chilling re-enactment of farewell videos made by adults suicide bombers. to the tune of a favorite song, he set off on his mission. he approaches his target. lifts his shirt to show his explosives. and then -- it was just stand tossed in the air, but the children play dead to show the bomber was successful. all this was carefully staged.

we not know by whom. it is disturbing feeling, and it is attracting plenty of attention on the internet. >> they do not know what they are doing. >> children's rights activists worry about the impact on the other youngsters. he says this child's play has a serious purpose. >> this message is quite clear. they are making them and other children, other people should conceive them as a hero and do the same thing. this is away -- a way to create a child suicide bomber in militant gangs. >> and here is some of their handiwork. an attack lost october -- last

october and in the city of karachi. police believe the suicide bomber was only 14. they have the habit of recruiting teenagers because they are easy to train, brainwashed, and hard for authorities to detect. they can get close to their targets without arousing suspicion. experts that suicide attacks are carried out by teenage bombers in pakistan. this is just a game, but instead of during the bombers, these boys are glorifying them. they are children of conflict already robbed of their childhood. orla guerin, bbc news, islamabad. >> european union summit has started in brussels today after the collapse of the portuguese government. leaders will consider this new crisis in the eurozone and consider how to expand bailout funding. from brussels, matthew price has the story.

>> and once again, and european country is running out of money. first greece, ireland, and now portugal. and a prime minister has resigned, provoking a political crisis. portugal has not yet passed for a bailout. most feel it is a matter of time. the deficit is estimated by the government to meet 6.9% of gdp. it means to repay 9 billion euros by mid-june and may not be able to. it needs a bailout, it would require an estimated 90 billion euros. depending on the bailout given, britain may have to lend several billion to help out portugal, something the prime minister was not seem to talk about today. >> my agenda here and in europe is to make sure we get europe growing properly, that we

unleash enterprise, cut back regulation, signed free-trade deals. we recognize europe is a low growth region in the world and that has to change. as for portugal, i do not think it would be right to comment on another country's finances. i am not going to do that. >> the irony is that this summit was to finalize the proposals from member states that use the euro on how to stop another sovereign debt crisis and is a country does get into massive debt problems how to get it out of them. there are ideas like those of david cameron was talking about. energizing the economy, trying to get it to grow more. but after months of discussion, they are arguing over the fine print, and portugal's problems have diverted attention in the most damaging way possible. >> politics is the main problem. portugal is a manifestation of

how far the politics of austerity can go. the limits have been reached. they were reached in ireland. it will be reached in portugal. the countries will have to pay up and pay tribute. i do not think this will be the end of the crisis. next week and next month we will be still talking about it despite the best efforts of everyone involved. >> they are insisting they will shore up the euro, but it will be a political compromise, and that means the economic problems will only be partially addressed. manthey price, bbc news, brussels. >> now it should be a couple's most dramatic day, but every day in the u.k., there are hundreds of marriages between people who barely know each other. it is estimated that sham marriages have tripled in the last three years. we have this report. >> it looks like a wedding.

it sounds like a wedding. but it is not. it is a sham. the grim hardly knows the bride. -- the grim -- groom hardly knows the bride. reported sham weddings and tripled in the last three years. i wanted to know how easy it is to set one up. we were tipped off that we might get help in east london. we sent our undercover team in. >> [unintelligible] >> [speaking foreign language] >> clear instructions we try to follow. we hear about and east european gang in the midlands. >> how much money?

>> 10,000 euros. >> for 10,000 euros this sex worker will be abroad. we even have a photo. all this is to get a certificate of approval, a piece of paper of foreign national needs to get married. sham weddings have had this barrier, but next month, the certificates will be scrapped. the government has chosen not to replace them. >> so we will allow people to get married and tried to catch them later? >> as soon as anyone gets suspicious at any stage, then we will get that report to the uk border agency, and we will investigate. >> back in east london, our lawyer and opened a file for a

marriage he knows to be false. when told of our allegations, he says he believed the marriage was genuine. in the midlands, i visited peter, the man who wanted 10,000 euros to rent us and abroad. >> have you done as a lot then, sham marriages? sham marriages are lucrative. date -- they play on the vulnerable. bbc news. >> you'll find much more on that and all the international news anytime at bbc.com. let's briefly bring you up-to- date on the top stories. dramatic pictures of the violence in southern syria. the government is denying security forces would fire on demonstrators. it has promised to raise living standards and wages and free everyone detained in the current unrest. it has even talk of lifting the

emergency rules in place for nearly 50 years. thank you for being with us. >> 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?

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