>> this is "bbc world news ." 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 financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> no photo says president obama and the united states will not release pictures of osama bin laden's body. >> did you see the pictures? >> yes. >> what was your reaction when you saw them? >> it was him. >> a potential treasure trove of technology. officers examine laptops found in bin laden's compound. welcome to bbc news broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. coming up a little later for you, turning the black page of division forever, a reconciliation deal is signed. escape from misrata, almost 1,000 are rescued from an international aid ship, but hundreds more are left behind.

the white house has decided not to release photographs of osama bin laden's body. since monday's raid on his compound in pakistan, there have been calls for the u.s. to prove the al qaeda leader is dead, but president obama says he is anxious the u.s. shouldn't be seen to be showing off trophies of war and is concerned the images could insight more violence. our correspondent has the latest. >> one demonstration in pakistan against the killing of bin laden. it's striking how few protests there have been and america wants it to stay that way. fusao bin laden in recent years, but his face is one of the best known in the world. the white house didn't want the proof of his death to provoke unrest. the president today greeting wounded veterans decided not to release pictures of the corpse. he said it would be a national security risk, a propaganda tool adding he is not a trophy. this is not who we are. >> it is not in our national

security interests to allow those images as has been in the past been the case to become icons for, to rally opinion against the united states. >> senators have been given a c.i.a. briefing on the operation. many agree the gruesome pictures should not be made public. >> my initial opinion is that it's not necessary to do so. i think there is ample proof that this was osama bin laden, but i will defer to the judgment of the president of the united states. >> the white house has tried to carefully choreograph coverage of the killing walking a delicate tightrope between the near universal glee at home and the greatest sensitivity abroad. they made a misstep, being muddled about the raid. >> the part of the tension was while the fire fight was going on. they weren't hearing what was happening inside the compound.

the top advisers had suggested that bin laden had been armed and used his wife as a shield. >> here is bin laden calling for the attacks living in this billion plus dollar compound, living in an area that is far from the front, hiding from women who were put in front of him as a shield. >> it ourned out that his wife was shot in the leg, he was unarmed but killed anyway. the attorney general says under u.s. law he was a commander and was killed lawfully. >> it was a kill or capture mission. he made no attempts$n3 president wrote release more

disturbing pictures. >> our correspondent in washington about the reaction of the united states and the president's decision not to release photographs of bin laden's body. >> well, after a lot of anticipation, i would say the reaction is acceptance. i think the message from the white house as to why the picture are not being released is very clear. i think the main reason is what, first of all, we don't show off trophies, but also could create a threat for the national security. most americans believe that bin laden is dead and as one commentator said, the ones that don't won't be convinced by the pictures anyway. we are expected to hear from president obama himself who has done a long entry with cbs "60 minutes." we can give you a sneak preview of what the president said. >> did you see the pictures? >> yes. >> what was the reaction when you saw him? >> it was him.

>> why won't you release them? >> you know, we discussed this internally. keep in mind that we are absolutely certain this was him. we had done d.n.a. sampling and testing and so there is no doubt that we killed osama bin laden. it is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an insightment to additional violence as a propaganda tool. that's not who we are. >> we also heard the u.s. attorney general talking about the legality of the killing of osama bin laden. has the administration been talking about pakistan satisfies role in this and many are saying that us intelligence

doesn't trust pakistan and that is very important in the fight against terrorism? >> absolutely. i think plenty of questions are being raised here about pakistan's role about how this could all have happened just under next to the biggest, the country's biggest military academy, especially now that it's known that osama bin laden has been there for so administr has been very careful about pakistan. i think he has been careful from the comment of the head of the c.i.a. who said they did not want to tell the pakistanis because they thought that there was a risk that they would alert the target about the operation, but apart from that, i think the u.s. administration is being very careful about commenting on the role of the pakistanis. i don't think that is the same thing as the pictures. they don't want to inflame more tensions or provoke any debate. the administration is trying to keep it as low-key as possible.

there is probably also an acceptance, realization on the u.s. administration's part that pakistan, the government there and various parts of it, various players who have different relationships with people on the ground and so on, but i think that's the kind of subtlety that is lost on the general public and ask anyone in the street and they will say that this is outrageous that pakistanis who are supposed to be our allies have completely failed to help us with that to tell us that he was there. >> well, as american intelligence officers sift through the information found in the raid, pakistani officials have responded to allegations of incompetence and conclusion during the hunt for osama bin laden. the pakistani prime minister said the world shared the blame for not catching the leader.

>> scrutiny from the skies, a pakistan army helicopter circles bin laden's compound. on the ground, troops control access. the military is tight lipped about how the world's most wanted was living on its doorstep. bin laden's compound is a shell now. the police and army have been searching here, but the key evidence was taken by the americans. sources say that inside they recovered 10 cell phones, 10 computers and a possible treasure trove of information on 100 memory sticks. bin laden's clothing is being examined. reports from the u.s. say 500 euros and two phone numbers were sewn into the fabric. outside the compound, local boys hunt for souvenirs from the american helicopter that came down here. a picture is emerging about the lives of those inside the

compound. the women were seldom seen. when they ventured out, they were transported in a van, but the men were on the move. the two key figures believed to be bin laden's trusted couriers were in and out. local people have told us they saw them in the neighborhood regularly. >> they were two brothers. one was very young and one was old. they usually go for prayer to this mosque. no one was suspicious about this home, who was living there and what type of people are coming. they don't have any interest. they're normal people. >> this tradesman told us the brothers often called him to the compound. it seems that unwittingly he was bin laden's plumber. >> if there was any problem, they would ask me to come and fix it, he said, and they would pay me for my work. there was nothing strange going on in there.

but the many questions raised by all this followed pakistan's prime minister to france where he is cut short a visit. he says other nations share the blame. >> certainly we have intelligence with the rest of the world including the united states, so if somebody points out that there is some of the lapses from pakistan's side, that is a lapse from the whole world. >> the fact that osama bin laden lived here in this valley in peace and comfort is hard to explain away. in london and washington, there are heightened fears that pakistan can't be trusted. >> and we have more details about the survivors from the raid on bin laden's compound. >> while there has been a lot of speculation about osama bin laden surviving family members about exactly where they are, the army has confirmed to us they are being detained in

separate locations in the capital islamabad and also the neighboring city where the army headquarters are located. the army spokesman has told us the injured are being treated for gunshot wounds that are serious, but not life threatening. now security sources have told us the group includes osama bin laden's wife as she rushed at the navy seals trying to defend her husband and was shot in the leg. also included is his young daughter, 12 or 13 years old who is said to have seen her father being killed. we have been told they are in fact being treated at the main military hospital, a very secure location. we believe they will have been questioned at this stage by pakistani military intelligence. obviously these family members may have a very different kind of story to tell, a different version of events to the accounts we're getting from the white house, but we're not clear at this stage when their stories will be made public. the americans may want to question them, too, but for

now, they are being detained here. >> this is bbc news. still to come, time for a rethink on farming days after the royal wedding, prince charles has taken his sustainability message to the united states. voters here in the u.k. will have an important choice to make on thursday. in the referendum on changing the way m.p.'s are elected to westminster. those people campaigning for and against the alternative vote system have spent a final day on the campaign trail. they have been debating the case and the likely impact of any change. to explain how it might work, here is jeremy vine. >> welcome to our central lobby at westminster. of course, if a.v. comes in, it will change the way the m.p.'s who are sent here are elected. let me explain. at the moment we have first past the poster. here is a ballot paper. if i'm voting i put a cross next to my kandil, in this case kandil c and then we count the

votes. my kandil has won and kandil b has won here. that's the current system. under a.v. it's slightly different. here is the ballot paper. what i do now is i mark preferences. let's say my favorite kandil is kandil a, make they can enough one, kandil c is second, candidate d it fourth. no one has one because no one is through the crucial threshold of 50% of all of the valid votes. so put my ballot paper down on my candidate's parpgse pile. we eliminate the last place candidate which is candidate d. the second preferences reallocated to the other

candidate. we look to the last place candidate and the second place is reallocated and if that candidate is gone, the third candidate. and candidate a is it the winner that is how the a.v. system works. >> this is bbc news. the headlines, president obama has decided not to release photographs of the body of osama bin laden taken after he was killed by u.s. special forces on monday. the u.s. attorney general has said information seized from bin laden's compound could lead to more names being added to america's terrorism watch lists. the main palestinian factions fateh and hamas have signed a reconciliation deal in cairo bringing an end to four years of hostilities. they say turning the black page of division forever. the agreement should mean a joint interim government and fresh elections within a year.

but the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has described the deal as a great victory for terrorism. this report from bohn bohn. >> people power helped make this agreement possible which is why they were celebrations in gaza this afternoon. palestinians in the year since hamas and fateh split have seemed to want unity more than their leaders. in the new middle east, it is much harder to ignore. today with everything going on in the arab world, today is the best timing for the palestinians to say we need our country, we need to establish our state. >> they signed in cairo, the new government there brokered an agreement that the old regime would not have considered. many egyptians believed the old regime was too close to israel. the president in london today condemned the deal. >> what happened today in cairo is a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for

terrorism. >> hamas and fateh are the two main movements of palestinian independence. with their power bases in gaza and the west bank separated by israel. since their bloody split in 2007, hamas has controlled gaza which has been under an israel blockade assisted until now by egypt. fateh's strength is in the west bank including east jerusalem which has been occupied by the israelis since 1967. fateh's political relations with israel are weak, but the two sides cooperate on security often against hamas. hamas' charter calls for the destruction of the state of israel. in recent years, some hamas leaders have talked about a long truce. at the signing ceremony in cairo, they paid their respects to palestinian dead. they have agreed to disagree, to put together an interim government. they're planning elections to let the people decide what they want.

>> we reached this important reconciliation and at the same time how to deal with the smoothly, kindly and peacefully and accept the results of the election. >> celebrations might be premature. tensions are rising. fateh is hoping the u.n. general assembly will recognize palestinian independence in september. both have concluded that unity and elections will make them stronger whatever israel says. jeremy bowen, bbc news. >> the british government is calling on the international community to increase financial support for political reform in the middle east and north africa. at a speech given in london, the foreign secretary said it could provide a great advance for human rights and freedom if it was backed by international support similar to that given to former communist countries

after the end of the cold war. >> we should use europe's economic magnetism to encourage and support real and economic reform. that means a new partnership with the southern neighborhood, with a simple proposal at its heart. the european union will share its prosperity and open up markets in return for real progress on political and economic reform. the european union should offer broad and deep economic integration leading to a free trade area and eventually a customs union, progressively covering goods, agriculture and services as well as the improvement of conditions for investment. >> the british funded aid ship finally docked in the libyan port city of misrata after a three-day delay. they delivered much needed aid and rescue some 800 refugees, but many others were left behind. the gaddafi regime is facing increased condemnation over its

treatment of civilians. and the chief prosecutor for the international criminal court will indict three libyans for crimes against humanity. >> in the dark they watched and waited. supplies were just out of reach. it was unable to dock until the all clear by nato. gaddafi's forces continued to shell the port even while the aid was being unloaded. thousands were desperate to leave the horror of war behind. they came by the truckload barely waiting for the vehicles to stop before they jumped off, all their worldly possessions bundled under their arms. long cues of hopeful people formed in front of the ship, all holding on to the person in front, fearful of losing their place. the international community has condemned the gaddafi regime for its treatment of civilians and pressure is mounting. the chief prosecutor at the

international criminal court told the bbc arrest warrants have been requested for three people in connection with the war in libya although he declined to name the suspects. >> the crimes we are alleging committed are against humanity, murder and persecution, shooting in public laces and arresting illegal legally, torturing people in areas outside of the zone. >> but that won't change the immediate future of those left behind in misrata. the only safe way out of the city is by sea and there just wasn't enough room on the ship for everyone. >> syrian security forces have arrested thousands of people across the country as they intensify their crackdown on anti-government protests. the u.s. state department has described it as a barbaric use of collective punishment. our correspondent reports from

amman in neighboring jordan. >> it's as those campaigning for reform in syria have lost all sense of fear. hundreds of unarmed protesters have been killed in recent days, but still they come out on to the streets demanding change. these latest pictures which we can't verify appear to show a new significant protest movement in syria's second city. if the president was faced with an uprising here, it could arguably be the biggest challenge to his regime so far. as the protests expand across syria, so does the government response. these armored personnel carriers, at least 60 of them, were reportedly filmed on a road to a northern city. unarmed civilians may be no match to this, but more days of protest have been promised. the picture emerging from daraa and other cities is increasing desperate. hundreds of people have been

rounded up and detained, taken away by security forces to prisons and detention centers from where there have been horrific accounts of widespread torture. at the weekend, the regime gave its opponents a window of two weeks, an apparent amnesty to surrender themselves and their arms, but more dramatic unverified footage has come out of the secretive country. it shows people with their hands bound face down on the ground. soldiers keeping them there at gunpoint. the red cross is demanding without success immediate and unrestricted access to all detainees and those injured in the fighting. the importance and significance of what is now happening across syria should not be underestimated despite the rather crude and obvious attempts by the asadowski regime dassad regime to stop news from getting out. if they were to fall, it would have tremendous implications

for regional security and politics. >> now from westminster abbey to washington, d.c. the past week has been a buzzy one for prince charles. after serving as father of the groom, he traveled to the united states where on wednesday he was pressing his case for environmentally friendly farming. he went to the white house to visit president obama. steve kingston has all of the details. >> americas cheer for a man who gained a daughter five days ago. they braved the rain to welcome him to georgetown university. these are the first official engagements by the prince of wales since a royal wedding which captivated millions of americans and the tone of the visit, unlike the weather, has been one of warmth and good will. >> inside the keynote speech begin with a quip. >> it certainly makes a change from making embarrassing speeches about my eldest son

during wedding receptions and things like that. >> and then the serious stuff. the prince spoke about food production making the case for sustainable farming and denouncing what he sees as the evils of pesticides and chemicals. >> we need to face up to asking whether how we produce our food is actually fit for purpose in the very challenging circumstances of the 21st century. we simply cannot ignore that question any longer. [applause] >> a typically passionate speech which brought the audience to its feet. food has been the running theme of this visit. there is an urban farm in washington, the prince exchanged irrigation tips with low income families growing their own produce. and back at georgetown, he chatted with the university chefs. prince charles may lack the star power of william and kate, but the sincerity of his message is respected.

>> i watched his speech on a webcast and i thought it was -- the content was really interesting. it was an interesting way to look at like globalization. >> he is doing wonderful things as far as sustainability of food in your country and i'm so glad he is bringing all of those wonderful ideas to our united states of america. >> and so the prince of wales has made friends here. his day ended with one more smiling encounter, two men with very different reasons to be cheerful. president obama will make the return trip to britain later this month. steve kingston, bbc news, washington. >> and a reminder of our main news this hour, president obama has decided not to release photographs of the body of osama bin laden. the u.s. attorney general has said information seized from bin laden's compound in pakistan could lead to more names being added to america's terrorism watch lists. you are watching bbc news.

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global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet los presented by kcet los angeles.