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>> and now bbc world news. >> welcome to newsday on the bbc. >> republican candidates head- to-head in a last-ditch the day before saturday's south carolina primaries. more evidence emergence of the chaos on the costa concordia. >> 10 months after the syrian uprising began, we speak with people where the anti- government protests first started. and children risking their health cotton picking in india. >> broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world. this is newsday.

>> hello and welcome. the contest is down to four contenders. rick perry has withdrawn. the four remaining candidates who will be taking part in the -- candidates will be taking part in the debate in south carolina. speaker gingrich handled questions of accusations that he asked his ex-wife to enter into an open marriage. >> it was the first question put to newt gingrich right at the top of the debate. he lambasting the media, called them negative and destructive, and he called the allegations made by his ex-wife trash. he said that the fact that he had been asked that question at the beginning of a presidential debate was despicable. as far as the story itself goes,

he said it is not true and simply would not be drawn on any of the details further than that. it set the tone of the debate as a feisty one from the beginning. the fireworks came early on. the candidates did spot on several other issues. in terms of the highlights, that was really it. >> it has been a real day of political theater in the campaign. do you think there is more to come? >> we will have to see. certainly, newt gingrich has had a surge in the polls in the last 24 hours or so. it led him to go into this debate in a bullish mood, taking on the front runner mitt romney. there may be more claims to come. the full interview from his ex- wife will be aired on television here late this evening. we will have to see what else is contained in that and whether

the accusations made and his response will affect his campaign. but is now narrowed down to for canada's with rick. dropping out earlier today -- rick.wrec dropping out earlier today. if -- with rick perry dropping out earlier today. >> now the latest on the costa concordia. >> there is evidence of failings in the emergency procedures on the cruise ship which struck rocks off of the italian coast last friday. a recording has a crew member telling their '30's that -- telling the of 40 is that the ship has had nothing more than a

power failure -- telling the authority'ies that the ship has had nothing more than a power failure. >> tebet, another damning conversation emerged -- to day, another damning conversation emerged. a port official asks the ship if there is a problem. [inaudible] [speaking in italian]

>> 8 weeks ago, everyone was applauding the captain. it is now reported that he admits having made in navigation error on last week's cruise. >> this woman, a former crew member, says that the captain tried to save passengers. she was on board and said what she saw. >> it is not true that the captain was among the first to leave the ship. i was on deck at 10 minutes to 12:00 at the order of the capt.. >> the sea became shop here. the salvage operation has yet to begin. >with the weather expected to worsen, these are the main

priorities. there are fears in the ship could slip up to 90 meters from its current position on the reef. 2,500ard, there are nearly tw pounds of oil that need to be removed. they need to pump it out under pressure. rescue teams are still on board. they say they will work through the night. they have to make certain there are no survivors left. only then can sell the operation began. securing this ship before the weather sets in is crucial. >> campaigners say that the violence in syria has continued during one month--- during the month-long mission. jerry gained access.

the faces of some people have been obscured to ensure their safety. >> the regime does not like the unexpected visitors. we went in on the government trip. this is a town where the uprising started last march. a bust of the first president is in the office of the governor. assad has ruled syria with an iron bar. -- buying iron arm. >> if you have the consent of the people here, the government, why would it be necessary to all of the checkpoints, sandbags, guns, soldiers? >> i am not saying that they are all about -- there are not

precautions. there are people who are out for money and they use drugs. >> they say that to the people using drugs were involved in the demonstrations. >> i will not talk about gaddafi. >> on the streets, the people at this store were well aware of the cameras and the government security escort. >> no problems here, said the owner. syria is in its worst crisis since independence in 1946. dera is still a troubled town appeared almost a year after the arrest and torture of children led to the first big protest. they were after purse at the mosque, the symbol of the appearance, which is why the army is in control here now. a group of men ask us to talk to them.

they asked if we were a group of secret policeman. they disappeared. but then a man reappeared further up, gesturing in full view of a position of locals. our escorts stayed back so they gained confidence. the army, the secret police, they are killing us. this is a street full of mortars. come see for yourself. -- street full of martyrs. come see for yourself. the gains are killing people. they break into our houses and they will arrest us after you're gone. this is the portrait of her 13- year-old brother they said was killed by security forces.

here and across the country, neither side has been beaten. for now, neither can win. unless there is a political deal, syria will continue its slide into civil war. >> two bombs have exploded in northern ireland. both areas have been evacuated due to bomb warnings. republicans are being blamed for planting the devices. security officials in pakistan say that two workers have been kidnapped. the exact circumstances are not clear. reports say that one of dr. is an italian and the other is believed to be -- one of the abductors is an italian and the other is believed to be a german. on wednesday, israeli aircraft

attacked targets in gaza. you are watching news day on the bbc live. still to come, anti-terror exercises on the river thames as london prepares for the olympics. >> david beckham could not resist the offer to stay in the united states. nigeria's commercial capital was the center of recent protests against the removal of fuel subsidies. they intend to keep pressure on the garment on a range of issues. they plan a big protest this weekend. the authorities are trying to stop it. ♪ >> xcel activists are back on the streets for the first time -- civil activists are back on

the streets for the first time since monday. they are demanding an end to the military presence in their town. more people joined the peaceful protest. they marched toward police lines. but the piece did not last long. -- the peace did not last long. that is more teargas being fired by the police and people are running away. these cars, these drivers are very panicked. you can see the smoke over there. i have come a long way down the road. the tear gas has covered all of the protesters. we were standing right at the back. >> that is tear gas on my face. [inaudible] you can imagine.

are we under military rule? >> then another second burst of teargas. it was clear that police would not back down. >> nose running and is bleeding. freedom does not come easy. it takes the courage of a few. it will continue tomorrow, today, and on saturday. until they listen to us. this is not over. >> and this is newsday on the bbc in singapore. >> i am in london. the republican contenders are seeking to challenge barack obama. they are taking part in a debate on saturday in south carolina. >> a recording between port officials and the costa concord after it struck says that there

was not an emergency. a major clothing store is doing more to stop children being used in their supply chains. there was evidence in india where children as young as 10 are working in dangerous conditions for little pay. one of the main cotton- producing regions. >> on a transport system from another age, the cotton harvest is taken to market. here, in rural india, is the bottom and of a global supply chain. -- the bottom end of a global supply chain. this auction is an early stage of a generation that brings millions. but local activists showed us how little of that wealth comes back here, beginning with child workers in the cotton fields.

carly is not at school. she thinks she is 10 years old, but she is not sure. she picks cotton for long hours with her older sister ashi. their arms are covered with scratches from the bushes. >> we came four months or five months ago. now we live here and the work is hard. >> the next step is processing the cotton. it is called a ginning. here, we found children, too, breathing air thick with cotton dust that can cause chronic lung disease at an early age. no signed a protective clothing or masks. local activists called it the horror of the white cloud. it is impossible to say, but the kids look about 10, 11, 12. many come from far away, sent in

bulk by labor agents. trade unionists say that they have been campaigning for change for years. >> the company and the government are getting richer and richer. and the love of the worker is as it is always been and getting worse. >> we visited three factories where it is all the same. despite as openly filming children at work, the managers said that everything was in order. but further on in the supply chain, working conditions improved dramatically. here, big british retailers by textiles directly from this company near mumbai. the workers are well looked after, masks a routine. most big high street stores can see they cannot trace their cotton to its source.

none we contacted would be interviewed. they said they do not tolerate bad labor practices. but those that promise to extend to this ginning factory where we found two children far away from home? >> a worker reveals that they were actually sent here from a distant village by their parents and they never get paid. they are just 11 years old, workers in a wealthy industry that does not know exactly how or where much of its cotton is made. >> joining me from delhi, the director of the tower -- of typography. you have been there and you have seen a lot of the problems of child labor in that report. how widespread is the problem?

>> yes, absolutely. it is pretty widespread, especially if you go during the cotton harvesting time. then pretty much all children in those villages are in and around where cotton is grown and will be picking cotton and involved in the cotton industry. for instance, we did a survey of about 900 villages. just in those 900 villages, just 4%, we found 60,000 children out of school and engaged in child labor. 70% were in cotton. so it is pretty widespread. this is a small sample of 900 villages were we found 60,000 children. >> 60,000, that is a staggering number.

what is being done to stop this? is the government doing much? >> unfortunately, we still do not have a ban on child labor in agriculture. so we still do not have a law that prohibits children from working in agriculture and, therefore, in cotton. we are calling on the government to ensure a complete ban on child labor. without a ban, people are allowed to employ children. so we first need that law. on the other hand, we do have a right to education. that means that all children should be in school. if we have been trying to use that argument to make sure because the government is saying that all children should be in school and they can look and see that children are not in school but out in the field. so you need to do something to get them back in. but there has to be a ban on

child labor, a complete ban. >> should western clothing companies do more to crack down on this? >> absolutely. i think it is important. the government has to have a lot and then implement the law, which would also be implemented. but companies need to be much more stringent. as the report shows, some at the factory level, it is fine. it seems to be much better. but it goes right down the supply chain. they need to make sure and we have worked with some who are very keen to have a good strong child labor code of conduct. just like we'd check the quality control right down to the bottom and they will not take anything that has a bottom missing. they must check down the supply chain that no children are being employed. the problem is that the more the

companies are likely to play, the more likely that children are employed because it is much cheaper. you get the explication of one form or another. you have to be willing to say, ok, we are charging you 50 p more, but we are ensuring that there are no to children in exploited situations. >> we will have to leave it there. thank you. >> british security teams have taken part in a large scale security practice in london. >> it could have been the latest james bond film. a team of royal marines and police officers speeding down the thames. their task was to intercept and board a hijacked pleasure boat. it is with more than -- is one of more than a hundred scenarios that have to envision for the games.

>> we have to imagine the threat to the games, write to the very outset, there is no direct threat to the games. but we would be failing in our duty if we did not consider every substance. we have a route rights to the center of london. we have to know how it would work with our colleagues through 2012. >> today's exercise was not just for the benefit of the police. it was for the public, too. it was designed to project a an image of strength and security. this is only 20 of the police officers and 13,500 personnel will be employed during the games. >> if you look at the river thames, you have some areas -- the canary wharf district, the financial district, the olympic games site, white hall, and the houses of parliament -- all along the river. they have to prepare for some kind of attack that could

potentially take place, accessing both areas from the thames. >> now rapidly nearing completion, the games are just six months away. policing the olympics will be the biggest peacetime operation that this country has ever seen. there will be many more exercises before july 27. >> more than 4000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area surrounding nevada as a bush fire moves south of the city. many homes have been evacuated and thousands more are threatened. firefighters are attacking the blaze which is being fanned by strong wind. david beckham has said that it was his sole family life that convinced him to extend his stay with l.a. galaxy.

he decided to further a two-year contract. beckham also reiterated his desire to be part of team gb papp at this summer's olympics. >> my family has been here for five years. the kids are settled. there is a lot of stability for our family. me and victoria enjoyed living here as well. that is part of the reason. also, i am here to win another championship. the football side of the thing is always very important to me. family first and obviously football second. and i wanted to continue to see growth here and be a part of that. >> does this mean that you will be able to contractually play in the olympics? >> yes. that is one of the things that i spoke with tim about and with burst. -- with burrbruce.

that is very important to me. i have a chance to play now. >> you are confident you will be playing. >> i hope so. as long as i keep myself fit and healthy and in former -- there are a lot of players who hope that they will be a part of that thing. there will be a selection process with the manager and then we will see. >> what is it about the glamour and the perfect climate in california that your family likes so much. >> it is not so much the glamour. the fact that our true love living here, as simple as that. wherever we lived in the world, as long as we're together as a family, we would be happy. coming home from school, going to the beach, jumping in the pool in december, it is hard to beat that. >> you have been watching tuesday from the bbc.

i am in london. >> make sense of international news act bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vt., and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations.

what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles. by kcet los angeles.