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>> hello and welcome to "newsday". i'm in singapore. >> these are the headlines. nolet up in the violence in syria. >> if i was in his position, i would step down and make sure that whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo. >> the shutdown -- police shut down into a capitalist camp in california. >> angela merkel warns that europe faces its biggest challenge since the second world war. ai weiwei receives $1.5 million from supporters and to fight the tax bill. >> it is 4:00 a.m. in london. broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world,

this is "newsday." hello and welcome. so is the net tightening around president assad. the white house says the syrian president should go. in an exclusive interview, king and delaware called on him to step down. -- king abdullah called on him to step down. activists say another 40 people were killed on monday. jeremy bowen reports. >> it was another hard and bloody day in the center of the uprising in syria. most foreign journalists are banned from the country, so we are relying again on pictures taken by opponents of the regime and sent out on the internet.

[gunfire] the assad regina says it is fighting a bomb plot to destroy the country. but evidence has piled up of security forces killing syrian protesters, many or most of them on the arms. with broken promises to take armor off the streets, the syrian president is now under intense political pressure to go. the latest coming from the king of jordan in a bbc interview. >> if he has the interests of the country, he would step down but he would also create an ability to reach out and start a new phase of syrian political life. >> but the answer to the pressure has been defiant. demonstrations were held in damascus. the opposition has students that were forced to take part in threaten their shot if they refused. in damascus this morning, the foreign minister said a decision

by the arab league to suspend syria's membership was part of a western conspiracy. >> it is a dangerous step to the future, he said. >> syria's at the troubled center of the middle east, overloaded with conflict and instability. their neighbors are getting nervous about violence, perhaps the civil war spilling into their countries. >> i think when you look at the makeup of syria, where you have jews, sunis, christians, muslims, it is a far more complicated fabric. as a result, this is why we are concerned. if it starts to unravel, it will not be as straightforward libyan scenario. it will be in even more complicated iraqis in arscenari. >> crowd attacked the embassies

of saudi arabia and turkey, who led the condemnation of what is happening in syria. the arab league has a plan to send observers. it will be another test for the regime. assad's men are still powerful, but they did not been able to stop the demonstrations. foreign pressure is now stronger sense any time since the uprising started. to change the balance. >> police and the united states have carried out an early morning raid on an anti wall street protest in oakland, california. it came a day after 50 people were arrested during a clear out of the camp in portland, oregon. >> officers moved in. their mission simple -- close down at the anti capitalists protest camp that has become a feature of downtown oakland in california. 150 tents have been in place for

several weeks. last week, the situation changed here. a man was murdered in the vicinity of the vicin camp. the authorities say the latest effort to clear the protest is partly about the drain it is causing an police resources. >> occupied oakland began to take a different path from the original movement. it was no longer about the abuses of the financial system or foreclosures or the unemployed. the encampment became a place where we have repeated violence, and this week, a murder. >> and dozens of arrests were made, and despite the action, a heavy police presence remains in downtown oakland. deaths in burlington, vermont, have been linked to the occupied protest movement. police have moved in against anti capitalist demonstrations held in portland, oregon, and

other cities across the united states. the protesters may have to find more conventional methods to get their message heard. >> the norwegian government u.s. confessed to killing 77 people and shooting rampage in july has. in open court for the first time. he attempted to give a speech justifying his actions but was cut off by the judge. >> as we was brought from his prison cell to court, brei vik knew today it would be different. for the first time, the hearing would be open to the public. outside the courtroom in the capital, long queues of people, including relatives of those killed in the attacks and some of those who survived. this, their chance to be face- to-face with the man responsible for the atrocity. >> i want to try to understand

why, or not understand what sort of get the meaning of why he did what he did. >> the hearing itself was to decide if breivik could be kept in prison before the full trial next year, which the court agreed to. >> were not allowed to show pictures of him during today's hearing. but he told those present he was a commander in resistance movement, fighting norway's multi-cultural society. it was back in july that he went on his killing spree. first, with this car bombing, targeting the main government buildings in oslo. and then on a holiday island nearby, opening fire on a summer camp, killing almost 70 people, many of them teenagers. all this in the name of a neo- nazi ideology aimed at driving

muslims of norway and the rest of europe. >> now to rico with more news on the euro-zone debt crisis which rumbled on. >> angela merkel warns that europe faces its biggest challenge since the second world war. the german chancellor is at the center of attempts to hold the euro-zone together. she is pushing for a stronger political union to overcome the continent's economic problems. but how do they feel about her plan? method price reports from brussels. >> they have changed the guard in italy and greece. out with silvio and george. in with the gray men. in rome, mario monti, the new prime minister, was being hailed as the man to save italy and by extension euro. he is an economist.

he knows how europe works. he was the commissioner for a decade. and he is a staunch defender of stuff euro. today, one of his former students gave this assessment. >> and given the present of urgency, he is playing the right role. he could be the right man at the right time. >> markets also seemed relieved, but for how long? in brussels, mario monti's appointment has been seen as a can-do man. he was known as super mario. and yet, and becoming prime minister, the fundamentals and italy have not changed. they have record levels of debt and interest rate payments on the money they borrowed. in greece, there is a new leader. papademos is referred to as a technocrat, and economic experts expected to be on its laws by public pressure. in the greek parliament today,

it was clear that that they not be possible. the opposition hinted at political problems. it could derail greece's next slice of bailout funding. the euro is still in crisis. just listen to angela merkel today. >> europe is in the the middle of what may be its toughest hour. we must not be discouraged by that. we must deceit -- succeed in getting your of this crisis stronger than when it went in. >> but she knows the problem now is trust or lack of that. germany is the only euro-county investors see as truly safe. italy and greece remained under huge pressure. >> and these challenges are raised by angela merkel are

keeping asian stock markets cautious and skeptical. also not helping sentiment, rising italian, spanish, and french bond yields which are reminding investors that the region's debt crisis could spin out of control. currently, japan down by 46 points. south korea and australia down by 12 points. that led to a retreat in u.s. stocks overnight. wall street major indices down by less than 1%, and keeping some of yesterday's gains of 2.5%. as for asia/pacific and euro currency, the currency weaker in trade at this hour, with investors fleeing to the safe haven currencies -- the japanese yen and the u.s. dollar. oil prices are rising as investors fear that europe will

be slipping into covera recessi. $111 per barrel. that is the latest in the asian stock markets. we turn to other news our police and venezuelan have detained five colombians suspected in the kidnapped of the u.s. major league baseball player wilson ramos. he was freed by the military on friday, two days after he was abducted from the town of valencia. officials in bangkok have agreed to allow residents to remove a section of a major flood barrier. people living in the north of the capital have moved 6 meters of sandbags to train floodwaters out of the area and into the city center. more than 500 people died in thailand's worst flooding for half a century. a cautious welcome to the reforms bhurma has seen since

u.s. freed from house arrest a year ago. she highlighted her meetings as examples of progress, but she says more needs to be done, including amnesty for political prisoners. you're watching "newsday" live from singapore and london. the greatest migration on earth. marine biologists say whale numbers and passing down the coast of australia are the highest seen in 50 years. ♪ >> breaking all the rules for this conductor. improvising is what keeps his orchestrate on its toes. here in the u.k., two men have appeared in court charged with the murder of steven lawrence 18 years afterward. the student was stabbed twice in southeast london in april, 1993.

new scientific evidence will be central to the proceedings. tom simons reports. >> steven lawrence was 18 when he died. he was that all waiting for a bus late one night in south london. -- she was stabbed while waiting for a bus. it is a loss made worse by the fact that no one has been convicted of the killing. his father came to see the trial began. the two accused men, david norris on the left is 35. gary dobson is 36. both denied the murder. this is the case with the tortuous history. stephen died on the april 22, 1993. there were court hearings in the mid-1990s and inquest in 1997. such was the concern that a full public inquiry was held in 1998. the judge said this case aroused strong feelings. the police have been accused of other companies. but he told the court that what

happened in the past was now irrelevant. this case and had to start with a clean slate. the judge said every investigation of the case had led to new scientific evidence. there'd be an examination of its reliability. the two accused men questioned the handling of the evidence. the jurors who will consider who killed steven lawrence had been told to expect the trial stretching into next year. >> just a reminder that for more on all of the stories we are covering on "newsday" you can go to the bbc new website for video and audio content. >> this is "newsday" on the bbc. i'm in singapore. >> the headlines. king abdallah of jordan says syria's president should step

down. he refers -- he prefers the arab leader to do so openly. >> police in the united states close down an entire wall street protests camp in oakland. at least 50 people were arrested in a similar clear out of the camp in portland, oregon. >> australia's prime minister is pushing to overturn a ban on sales of uranium to india. the move would remove a diplomatic thorn between the two countries. a visit by u.s. president barack obama. australia has refused to sell nuclear materials to india because it did not sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. the move is in the district -- interest of that countries economic prosperity. >> as india brings hundreds of millions of people out of poverty it will need more energy. is looking to supply 40% of that energy through nuclear energy. we are a very big supplier of

uranium. so having access to this new and growing market is good for australian markejobs. >> ai weiwei says his supporters have sent him $1.5 million to help him fight a tax bill that he says his government harassment. our correspondent is in beijing. he said the money should be enough for him to obtain an administrative review of this case. >> ai weiwei says his life is resembling a hollywood movie. there have been so many twists and turns. he needs to post his bond in order to fight the tax charges against him. the artist and his supporters say these tax charges are politically motivated. previously, the artist said he wanted to post his mother's house as collateral. the authorities ruled that out.

they now say he needs to pay in cash. as you were saying, thousands of supporters have donated more than $1 million in order to pay this tax bill. ai weiwei says he will use that money. what is not clear is whether or not the authorities will exact its cash -- except the cast. there are strong suggestions in the state media at that they might consider this a legal fund -- illegal fund-raising. the case has a long way to run. >> is there any chance that ai weiwei will be arrested again? >> it is a murky case. he was arrested earlier this year. he was incommunicado for three years. the legal proceedings are not clear against him. i spoke to the artist a few days ago, and he said the authorities make up the rules as they go along. from his point of view, he is really nothing out.

>> martin patience in beijing. there has been a rise in the number of migrating whales. >> the whales travel on a 5,000 kilometer run triple off the coast of australia, and heading back to antarctica for their main feeding grounds. as duncan kennedy reports from sydney, it is the highest number seen in half a century. >> you have to leave behind a man-made creations of one spectacular sight. in a more natural setting. it does not take long. it's a mother and calf, all part of what is described as one of the greatest migrations on earth. humpback whales off the coast of new south wales. so many are passing through, cruise ships are guaranteed sightings. attracted by the rhythmic banging, they seem to languish over the attention.

they come here to breed before returning to antarctica to feed. but it is the sheer numbers that are astonishing conservationist. >> there is another one. they say in fact the numbers are up 17% compared to the previous year. they have not seen numbers like that in these waters in 50 years. in june alone, 1000 whales were spotted along this aquatics highway. >> they are so big. you cannot believe how big they are. >> the numbers are up. >> it's brilliant. we are finally respect nature. >> commercial hunting drove some whales to the point of near extension. it was banned of the australian coast in 1962. by then the numbers had plummeted from their peak of 200,000.

decades of protection has been the key to their recovery. only 2000-3000 survive. it is not the end of the story, unfortunately. >> we will never get back to the pre-whaling days. the modern hazards are also expanding. we have modern ships carrying containers and oil tankers. we have nets and ocean pollution. they are causing problems. >> it is hard not to get excited by these grateful, playful giants, especially when they have staged a comeback. duncan kennedy, bbc news, new south wales. >> and mention leading the orchestra without using any sheet music. -- imagine. that is what he has perfected

for 25 years, by using a series of gestures he communicates with musicians and the results have been heard in performances around the world. here is lawrence morris with his own story. ♪ >> it all started with questions, questions i was having about music. essentially, i realized i wanted to find my voice and musin mus. out of 119 conductions i've done, in 19 countries, only six of those used any notation. this is the sign for graphic. this is the sign for sustained. this is the sign for repeat. this means to interpret the baton. this is higher and lower on your estimate. conduction is a vocabulary of science and gestures, directives. and it is built on principles,

not rules. if i am going to write a score for an orchestra. i'll make the trumpetse an and violins and oboes and bassoons to do this. it is the same thing. i am not doing it with the pencil. you decide where the tonality is. matter of fact, this means resolve. if i say resolve this information and i give the downbeat, you resolve it to where ever you think you find it. i was looking for ways to make the ensemble music more collectible. on some music is generally very static and stoic -- ensemble music is generally very static and stoic. every week we come here and play the same music differently. i saw where music could be

changed, where things could be changed in the moment, and i wanted to have that ability. i don't know. pick a note. they are not used to making music. they are used to enter bidding notation. so i am asking them to make music, to create music in real time. -- they are noused to interpreting music. ♪ this lays the groundwork for a new investigation of music and what music can do and what music has to offer. >> a look at some remarkable pictures from africa, of the continent's most active volcano. it is putting on quite a show at the moment. certainly for those that can get

close enough. the volcano in a remote area of the democratic republic of congo. it is in the midst of its biggest eruption in this century. experts say the volcano is producing a lot of sounds reaching 400 meters. it is not a danger for the local population. it could last days or month. >> you are watching "newsday". i'm in singapore. >> a reminder of our main news. united states has welcomed renewed international pressure on the syrian president to resign. the white house said mr. assad was increasingly isolated following their suspension by the arab league. king abdullah of jordan said that if he were in assad's shoes he'd step down.

that is all from us in london and singapore. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. union bank. and shell. >> this is kim - about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go.

>> 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? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.