>> 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. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business. offering specialized solution in capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise for small business and major

corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> a special report from damascus as the united nation debate as peace plan for syria. at least 100 killed by faulty medicines in pakistan. we meet those demanding answers. >> a two-year trial of burglary and theft but the law catches up with the barefoot bandit. >> welcome to "bbc news" broadcasting in america and also around the globe. coming up a little later for you,ably zards in the balkans, snow caps brings trance fort a halt. what makes a great olympic ceremony? we'll talk to the people who know.

>> hello again. the united nations security council has been discussing a draft resolution designed to end months of violence in syria. ackvists estimate more than 100 people have died in the past two days alone. the resolution backs an arab peace plan that calls for a national government. jeremy bowen reports from the damascus area. >> to find out the strength of the opposition, drive into the suburbs of damascus. we had no idea what we discovered. we found the free syria army deserted from the local men and government in a poor district on the edge of the city. they said they were protecting the people who were about to hold a funeral.

they live well established here with sandbag firing positions. everyone was on edge for 10 months, the regime'ser forces have been cracking down hard on protestors. this commander said he had been a general in the syrian government forces. >> then something no one wanted to see. >> security are here. >> security are coming. >> don't be afraid said general asamak. our resistance is full. some of them got ready to fight. stay with me said osama. don't be afraid. they were sending information by phone. they all seem to know what their jobs were, going to their positions and others moving

deeper until the funeral had started. >> it felt as if every man in saqua was there. a big sendoff for a man who had been killed by the security forces. across syria, funerals are a focus for opposition. they chanted "oh, god, you're all we have. oh, god, we're your men." >> this is another section of the suburbs of damascus which is out of the control of president assad. the only way he can enforce his authority here is by sending in his men and using their guns and their bullets. and for a moment, that's what they thought was about to

happen. it shows the tension, even with the free syrian army close by. he warned about snipers ahead. getting out was not easy. the free army controllers was in a surprising big area but it was surrounded. all this does not mean that the president is about to fall. he has his own strong support and heavy weapons. but the regime's forces can't be everywhere at once and the power of the opposition is growing. jeremy bowen, "bbc news" da ma'am cuss. >> our united nations correspondent bob has been given us more details on the diplomatic efforts taking place in new york. >> yes, well, this resolution that the security council is discussing would throw its rate behind the peace plan in syria. it would call for the president

to give his power. and there's some concern from countries like russia and others that this could open the door to u.n. sanctions at some point and they're opposed to that quite stronkly. but what western nations are saying that this is an initiative from the arabs from the region and that it deserves support from the security council. that anyway is what the german ambassador was saying. >> we underlined in contrast that our philosophy that we perceive as the major approach of the sponsors of this resolution and this was clearly brought out by our mo ro can -- moroccan colleague for strong

security council support for the arab essence. >> while the syrian ambassador was very dismissive. he said this was not an arab league plan. this was a plan of some arab states like qatar and saudi arabia who were hostile for syria. the arab league initiative who were supported were hostile to syria. he accusele them of a campaign of misinformation through the media. >> since this is the united nations, since this organization is about states, then stop following youtube's rumors, stop building a force arsenal of information that is aiming at misleading the international organization, the international community and the media. >> well, next week's senior arab league fishes will be coming to the security security

council and they can ask them what is the intention. russia said it will engage. western nations say they will intensify negotiations on this draft resolution. so we'll see then whether there is enough room for the kind of compromise necessary that can get some action from the security council in syria. >> in egypt protestors stormed the building. they smashed windows but then they were taken away by security officials. the occupation came as thousands of egyptians once again went to the square to mark the anniversary of the day of rage an important milestone of the day of uprising. >> at least 32 people have died in a shiah area of baghdad. half the victims were police officers who were accompanying the procession.

the blast was caused by a suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives. continuing violence in mexico has led to an international group of officers including seven nobel laureates. the group took out an advertising in the newspaper to the stop of killing and intimidation. >> in pack tan, a heart medication has claimed even more lives. officials say more than 100 people have died since december. five pharmaceutical companies are currently under investigation. one of them has lost its license for drug production. >> grief for a much loved father and grandfather, the latest victim of the free heart drugs which have cost so many lives.

>> people from pakistan and britain gathered today to say goodbye to ashik hussein. >> he was smiling from the day he past away. he always said i'm fine. i'm fine. don't worry about me. i'm fine. always acting jolly. never never complained once in those days that he was in the hospital. >> it was the poor who respected the suspect drugs. 46,000 needy patients. they got the tablets here at the punjab institute for cardiology in december. within weeks some were dying. initially some expected dengy fever not faulty drugs. patients weren't warned until january 11th. >> by this episode we have had our lesson learned and god forbid it happens again. >> but many patients have died.

>> yeah, many patients died, i know. >> do you think they could have been saved? >> it's possible, but i think we acted as quickly as possible. but not quickly enough to spare these casualities in a crowded ward across town. doctors say these patients are improving but it could be weeks or even months before they recover. for now, all they can do is treat their symptoms because they don't know the exact cause of their illness. the suspect heart drugs are still being analyzed in laboratories abroad. the patients here are calling for answers and justice. >> one man gave us his prescription for the drug companys that have left him bedridden. >> they should hang them publically in the scares like they do in saudi arabia. the patients who died left children behind. what will happen to snem --

them? those left behind like the relatives of shik hussein wonder if anyone will ever be held to account. justice can be elusive here especially for the poor. doctors warn this tragedy could be repeated because of lack of regulation and because state hospitals are compelled to buy the cheapest drugs. this time they were cheap enough to kill. >> violence has borrowing out in dakar, the capital of senegal while the president can run for a third term of office. hundreds of protestors threw stones at police and they responded with tear gas. the courts have rejected the candidacy for next month's

election. he has served the maximum two terms. that though was passed after he was first elected. >> sub zero temperatures have hit parts of southeastern europe leaving one dead and thousands more without power. theably zards in bulgaria, romania and serbia has caused travel chaos as daniel griffin reports. >> blizzard and sub zero temperatures. much of the region going nowhere. some areas are now under meters of snow. travel all but impossible. at the arnte, many flights were canceled. train services also disrupted. conditions on the roads aren't much better. many, impossible. some drivers stranded. others simply gave up.

emergency services are facing a huge challenge. snow has been falling in some areas for weeks. >> we've had a state of energy place since when the snow started to fall. it's now more than three weeks. we're clearing roads, helping people and bringing them food and med sifpblet >> there's little prospect of an improvement with more snow forecasted. >> this is "bb crs news." still ahead with six months to go before the start of the 2012 olympics, we'll have a look at the preparations for the opening ceremony in london. >> to south sudan now where just six months after declaring independence the government says it will completely shut down all production in just two days. as a landlock nation it used to run its oil through the north neighborhood's pipeline. but they are charging now.

>> this standoff is already being called the oil war. last week south sudan announced it was stopping its oil production after it accused sudan of stealing its oil. sudan has become confiscating their resource when they disagreed how much they should pay in transit fees. they gained independence from sudan last year. but issues like the border, citizenship and oil were unresolved. the main oil-producing regions are near the border without about 3/4 of the fields in south sudan. but as a landlocked country south sudan relies on its northern neighbor to transport the oil where it can be shipped. the longer the dispute, the more tension grew. here in kartun, they know it needs the money. in south sudan oil accounts for 98% of the budget. ♪

>> euphoria of independent state celebrations haven't lasted very long. south sudan's decision to shut all production down has gained support throughout the country. but there are tough, economic times ahead. during the long years at war, the south sudanese people managed without oil revenues and they can do it again. that's the gist of the president's message of -- others fear that sudan and south sudan can drift into another conflict. >> "this is "bbc news." russia says it can't support part of a u.s. draft resolution which calls for president assad to stand down. the number of people killed by contaminated heart medicine in

pakistan rises to about 100. the victims are mostly poor patients who received free drugs from a state-run hospital. >> more now on the violence in syria with activists estimate that more than 100 people have died in the past two day alone. earlier i spoke to asak. and he told me what's been going in ha ma in the last several days. >> i have witnessed that the communication is gone in the city. there were many shooting and bombing, at least 10 people were killed today. the armor vehicles, i've seen them -- i was in my neighborhood. there were -- that lasted in the three past days. they arrested about --

>> the italian company which owns the capsized crew ship costa concordia has offered the passengers about $1,000 euros each for psychological trama and lost baggage. they have offered a refund and the cost of the cruise. many passengers say it's just too soon to say what really is reasonable compensation. >> the crew ship has just capsized. and now each of those tiny figures is scrambling for their lives. terrified women, children, old people all hoping they'll reach the boats. and out of sight down in the dark, flooded decks of the hole, some passengers are drowning, at least 16 people will die. scenes from a little earlier.

the ship's only starting to sink but already the faces tell the story. people realizing the disaster is coming. now, all the drama is over. but if you had been on that ship, if you had lived through that night, how much compensation do you think you deserve? the cruise operator is offering $11,000 euros, just over 9,000 pounds. >> there are 3,000 passengers. they can get an immediate response and encure no legal expenses. today they watched the ship's operator try to deal with the questions as fast as possible. the company will be desperate for its passengers to accept its offer because it knows that

around the world lawyers are urging the survivors to press for much, much more money. >> we're very, very keen to ensure that all clients receive full and fair compensation for their claims and that needs be carefully assessed and it's just too early to do that assessment at that stage. >> the cost of concordia's disastrous final voyage only lasted a few hours. but for her operator as much longer journey through the courts may lie ahead. >> the ministry of defense has announced today's soldiers died on friday after suffering a gun shot wound in southern afghanistan. his family has been informed. >> the man has become known as the barefoot bandit has been

jailed for theft. a federal judge sentenced the 20-year-old to 6 1/2 years. prosecutors say they stole cars, boats and planes before he was finally caught in the bahamas. >> peter is in los angeles with the details of mr. harris moore's story. >> it was an extraordinary crime spree. it lasted for two years. he was known as the barefoot bandit because on occasion he didn't wear shoes. he was quite cheeky. he even left footprints and put a little outline on the footprint on the ground for the authorities to find and he stole boats and cars and planes while he crisscrossed the united states, five single engine aircrafts and it was the final one which he crash landed off the bahamas before he was finally caught. and that was a dramatic scene in the middle of the night of he was about to escape again on a fast boat. and the police that caught up

with him and actually shot into the engine of that boat to finally stop him. and that's when he surrendered. did the judge give any indication that while he was passing the sentence that he was taking into account harris moore's age because he was just a teenager? >> he was. all the more remarkable in this story that he was in his late teens when all of this happened. he took five aircraft and he didn't have any formal training pilot. he was self-taught. the judge didn't think he was necessarily taking his agent into account but seemed to have sympathy for him. he had a very challenging background. he spoke in court to say that he was remorseful. he was effectively sorry. he's also been accused of boasting, bragging about what he did and he described his fete as amazing. some e-mails were release where

had he seemed to right in detail about what he did. >> the opening ceremony of the london olympics is just six months away now. the showcase event has a name. the isles of london. the largest bell in europe with a group of n.h.s. nurses. the opening ceremony it was a statement from the chinese hosts but there was also a question. how do you follow this? the man in europe of london's opening and closing ceremony gave us a tip. he said it would be named "the isles of wonder." we went to the stadium. but you could already feel that what was unique about was ilts intimacy. it's the same number of beijing but it's like half the footprint because they concentrated on just making it a stadium of people. the architecture is people flm

a way. and that led us to a couple of things. we wanted to reflect that intimacy. not to be an extraordinary eye-watering spectacle that they would have a good laugh. >> the competitor's accommodation has been delivered on time and on budget. these will be the press teen homes for all 16,000 competitors and coaches and managers and doctors. >> i'm not remotically complacent but i'm relaxed because the best team of people have ever been assembled to deliver this complex project ahead. they make the right decisions. we've got a mountain of work between now and the opening ceremony. >> london's appearance was widely seen as setting the bar so low it was practically sub terrain. but now for the budgets doubled, the ambition could scarely be higher.

>> it may be possible to detect autism at an early rate than original thought. an article identified the disorder at six months. and it could help with treatment. our health correspondent has more. >> this is how you test the brain patterns of babies. isaac is eight months old and developing normally. these electrodes will pain lesley pick up his responses. there was a big difference in isaac's brain activity between the period where the face is on the screen, we're looking straight word to him. this suggests normal, social interaction. 100 babies were tested in all and with some of those who developed that.

>> we don't know the different ways in which infants as young as six months seem to be processing the social world around them in a different way. >> it would be a mistake to read too much into this small study. the test predicted it some of the times and got it wrong several times as well. the prospect of dying nosing it in infancy is purely aprack active. the more superintendent port, the better the outcome for children. but this research is in the very early stages and the test would need toe be a lot more accurate before it could be used routinely. a lot more babies are going to be studied in a wider amount. >> you're watching "bbc news ".

the u.n. security could believe has been discussing a resolution which aims to end months of violence in syria. there is plenty more on our story on our website as well as everything else we've featured in this bulletin. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solution in 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.