>> 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 use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the bubuness strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network 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." >> hello, and welcome to "newsday" on the bbc. i'm in singapore. >> i'm in london. the headlines. time-out from the talks. david cameron's u.s. visit to be dominated by afghanistan. former news international chief executive rebecca brooks is released on bail as part of police inquiry into allegations of phone hacking. >> refugee on the border with turkey and lebanon. through dangerous waters, onboard a tanker off the coast of somalia. it's 9:00 in the morning here in singapore. >> it's 1:00 in the morning here in london, broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world, welcome to "newsday."

>> the british prime minister david cameron has said the public wants an end game to the war in afghanistan as he prepares to hold talks with president obama about the conflict. the two leaders are expected to agree plans for british and u.s. forces to pull back from their lead combat roles by the middle of next year. mr. cameron is in the u.s. for a three-day visit. our political editor nick robertson is traveling with him. >> millions of americans are headed to watch the game tonight, but not everyone gets to go to the basketball with the president of the united states. this a symbol of the relationship between britain and america, which barack and david say is not nearly special, it's essential. it's a partnership of the heart. the question here, though, is where is their war effort headed?

it is a partnership which now its own peoples increasingly believe is fighting an unwinnable war. today, there were protests in afghanistan after the murder of innocents by a rogue american soldier. before setting off from london, the prime minister spoke to american tv about the sacrifices both countries have already made. >> we've been in the toughest part of the country in helmand province and we've been there for many years. that's why i set a deadline, the end of 2014, it won't be anything like the number of british troops there are now and they won't be in a combat role. >> tomorrow, the prime minister and the president will try to flesh out that timetable, to go beyond the headline promise that all combat troops will be out by the end of 2014. the americans recently surprised the british by declaring that the afghan army would lead all security operations from mid to late 2013. it could be an opportunity,

though, for u.k. and u.s. troops to start withdrawing in significant numbers next year. >> today i'll be meeting with prime minister cameron, who's part of our broad coalition serving in afghanistan. and we'll have an opportunity to consult about the way forward as we prepare for the nato summit in chicago later this spring. make no mistake, we have a strategy that will allow us to responsibly wind down this war. >> at the white house tomorrow, hundreds of guests will crowd on to the lawn to welcome mr. and mrs. cameron. there will even be a 19-gun salute. but what will really matter is not the latest pictures in the special relationship, but the decisions these two leaders take, not just about how to end a war, but how to avoid a new one with iran over its nuclear program. nick robinson, "bbc news," washington. >> steve king ston is in

washington, and he joins me now. the two men are watching a basketball game, but clearly tomorrow they get down to the more serious issues. >> that's right. a bit of a time-out on night number one of this visit. they've been in ohio, where by no coincidence, a crucial swing state for the u.s. presidential election in november. barack obama wanted to take david cameron to the basketball game. they munched hot dogs, watched the hoops being shot. barack obama explained the finer points of the game to prime minister cameron, who admitted in an interview with a local sportscaster that he wasn't overly familiar with basketball. this is really about getting to know you a little bit better exercise in what they're describing as the essential relationship between britain and america. in the opinion piece that was published in "the washington post" newspaper. the serious talking begins on wednesday morning. afghanistan will be front and center in those talks. the timetable of the drawdown,

as you heard in nick roobt's report, and the very much defining issues of our time, serious, iran, the arab spring, the slow global recovery of the global economy. all of which britain and america are pretty much in lock step on, so these two leaders claim. >> yeah, interesting isn't it, steve, to see this special relationship be upgraded to an essential relationship in the eyes of these two leaders. what is the health of this special relationship? how good is it under these two men? >> well, it's quite interesting, because when barack obama came into office, he talked about a different type of foreign policy pretty much moving towards what he's termed a specific foreign policy. said america is a pacific nation. i think many observers in pretty tan thought he was looking to receiver ties to an extent to an old world. but here we are in a time of some tension in afghanistan, on iran in particular, and he's turning back to this tried and

tested ally and the two are together stressing the warmth of their relationship. >> we know all about this from the papers here and the amount of media attention it's getting. what kind of attention is david cameron's visit getting in american press over there? >> not a huge amount at this point. it's getting attention insofar as it relates to afghanistan and the horrific shooting of 16 afghans by an american staffs sergeant over the weekend. clearly there will be a lot of attention paid to what the two lead verse to say about that. some attention paid to what i alluded to earlier, the fact that they're in a crucial swing state. some perceive this to almost be electioneering by president obama. and the fact that he is not meeting mitt romney or any others. >> thank you very much for that. steve kingston. staying with the race to the white house for the candidates

there, as steve just mentioned, polls have closed in alabama and mississippi in the latest round of those primaries. the latest exit polls show that it's a tight race in both states. mitt romney is said to be doing better than expected in the southern states. rick santorum's campaign strategy is expected to be working. former speaker of the house representative newt gingrich, he is not expected to do as well. also taking place in hawaii as well as american samoa. we'll bring you the latest on those results, so stay with us for that. rebecca brooks, the former chief executive of news international, has been arrested for a second time by police investigating phone hacking. she's been released on bail along with her husband, who was also among the six detained on

tuesday morning on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. june kenny has more details. for years, rebecca brooks was the most powerful woman in british newspapers. she went from tabloid editor to the top of murdock empire. today she was arrested for the second time. this time with her husband charlie brooks. they've been questioned all day about a possible criminal cover-up. the couple here with james murdock were married in 2009. two months ago, through a surrogate mother, they had their first child, a daughter scarlet. it was the explosion in the phone hack scandal last summer which brought rebecca brooks in center stage. on july 15, she resigned as chief executive of news international. two days later, she was arrested for the first time on suspicion of phone hacking and corruption. today she's been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to

pervert justice. >> this story is nowhere near over and who knows where it will end up. but secondly, the original criminalities that they were investigating, phone hacking, is nowhere near as serious as what they're now investing, which is conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. >> they were arrested at their home after an early morning knock from the police. david cameron is a neighbor and friend of both of them. he was at eaton with charlie brooks, who became a leading racehorse trainer and the prime minister recently admitted he did ride a horse loaned to the couple by scotland yard. >> before the election, yes, i did go riding with him. he has a number of different horses. and yes, one of them was this horse razor, which i did ride. >> tonight, rebecca brooks was freed by police after hours of questioning. like her husband, she's been bailed until next month. of all the possible crimes rebecca brooks has been

questioned over, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice is the most serious. people found guilty have been jailed up to 10 years. of course, she like everyone else who's been arrested, has not been charged with any offense as the investigation here continues. june kelly, "bbc news" at scotland yard. >> rico, dramatic footage has emerged from northern syria. >> yes. the pictures from the associated press news agency were shot on sunday and they show syrians in the street fighting off an offensive by the syrian army. government forces surrounding the town base earlier and there have been heavy shellings. many people are reported killed and wounded, although exact numbers are not yet clear. the government insists its forces are fighting foreign terrorists. on tuesday, it was reported that government forces have recaptured.

there are still small areas of resistance. as the uprising continues, the u.n. says nearly a quarter of a million syrians have fled their homes so far. concern is now growing about the refugees across borders. human rights watch has accused the government in damascus of laying land mines near its borders with lebanon and turkey along routes the refugees are using. our correspondent jonathan head reports on the turkish-syrian border. >> a land mine blasted by president assad's artillery. the people here are too frightened to show their faces.

>> the expelosi hit me. >> opposition activists are trying to keep up the threadbare lines to those still fighting, but they haven't got much. they allow volunteers to carry food and medicine in. it's a dangerous path. and then over into syrian territory. they have to evade the turkish military watch towers and the syrian soldiers, never far away on the other side. >> there's no shortage of place where is people can cross the border into turkey relatively easily. for example, behind me, only to negotiate those flooded fields to reach safety. but getting to that border is a whole lot more dangerous now with mine fields and bans of syrian troops shooting at pretty much anything that moves. despite that, the numbers of refugees are steadily

increasing. the new arrivals are put into this camp just a stone's throw from the border. journalists are not given access. but refugees can get out to tell their stories. >> it was terrible. the soldiers kept firing at our village, i was told by this man, who arrived last week. in the end, we fled. we had to carry the elderly and children over the fields on our shoulders. when they were built last year, these camps were meant to offer temporary shelter to people who thought they'd be going home. 10 months later, the camps are still here and they're filling up. jonathan head, "bbc news" from the turkish-syrian border. >> in other news, share prices have surged in the united states , with key stock markets recording their biggest surge in a year. posted their biggest rise in

february helped the rally. the far right french politician says she has gathered enough support to stand as a candidate in next month's presidential election. her party, the national front, wants the reduce immigration drastically and take france out of the euro. still to come on the program, keeping watch and staying on guard. we go onboard a tanker off the coast of somalia. >> and britain's biggest life insurer says it's seriously considering moving its headquarters to asia. some news from around the u.k. now. the mother of steven lawrence has told the bbc she wants the government to reopen the formal mother. she says there are concerns that the initial investigation 19

years ago was tampered by police corruption. her call follows allegations in court last year that a detective on the case had links to the father of one of steven's killers. a thousand new jobs are to be created at jaguar landrover's plant. they are taking on more workers as it moves to 24-hour production in order to meet strong demand. the -- a 22-year-old man to the united states over copyright infringement. authorities in the u.s. say richard o'dyer's website provided links to pirated films and television programs. the u.s. also alleges that he made 147,000 pounds. >> i'm rico in singapore. >> i'm in london. the headlines for you this hour.

david cameron and barack obama have spent some time watching a basketball game ahead of three days of talks. the withdrawal of u.k. and u.s. troops from afghanistan is high on the agenda. >> rebecca brooks and her husband have been released on bail after being questioned in connection with the phone hacking inquiry. >> the waters off the coast of somalia have been a hot bed of pirate activity, and now nato is warning that attacks could increase. our security correspondent frank gardner is believed to be the first broadcaster to sail on a merchant tanker all the way through the high-risk area, witnessing first-hand how an armed security team copes with a threat from pirates. >> it's a forge made by thousands of ships a year through gulf of eden. it's also home to every captain's nightmare.

this is suspected pirates up ahead. the ship has activated its water cannons to make it more difficult. the call is to tell them they've been spotted. >> a boat is approaching. code yellow. security alert. >> the onboard security team is summoned. >> dead ahead. >> the commanders, they have a well practiced drill. the two boats you can see there of suspected pirate mother ship and a skiff behind it, that's one of the fastest attack boats. both the ship in front and this ship are pretty convinced that these are pirates. they could be, to be fair, innocent fishermen. they're taking a chance since they've got an armed team

onboard here and they've shown weapons, put them up in the air, just to make sure. this will be a very hard target to see. the suspect vessels move off, reportedly sending another ship soon afterwards. the seas here are full of such crafts, to take them over and depand multi-million-dollar ran somes. naval warships like this one from china do e skort -- escort con scoirs. -- convoys. though it's up to the ship to take their own defenses, putting up defenses like this is not always enough. the rifles being fired here have stronger range than the pirate's weapons, keeping them at a distance. some nations still don't allow armed guards, and recently

innocent indian fishermen were shot and killed. somalia's pirates are well armed and determined. >> the weapons is a final choice. we'll fire several warning shots near to the skiffs but not engaging them at all, and the use of lethal force is an extreme and very last resort. >> this ship's company policy is to always put armed teams on this route, and so far no armed vessel has ever been hijacked. but until somalia finds peace, maritime piracy will continue, making ships like this run the gauntlet of some of the world's most dangerous water waves. frank gardner, "bbc news," in the gulf of eden. >> sri lanka's civil war may have ended three years ago, but the repercussions of the con flibblingt are still being felt. -- conflict have still being felt. there have been a rise of

abductions and disappears. they will ask sri lanka to explain how it intends to ensure justice and reconciliation for its people. charles howell reports. >> her prayers to the hindu dayties are almost all she has at the moment. life has become a nightmare sins her husband was snatched by eight armed men at their front door a month ago. >> he was screaming and calling for help. they pushed him down, then they dragged him to the ground and pushed him inside. after that, they vanished. >> a businessman had already been held by the police for more than two years over alleged association with the tigers, which he strongly denied. he said he was severely tortured in detention.

just before his complaint of torture came up in the courts, he was abducted. and he's not the only victim. human rights campaigners say there were 32 unexplained abductions from october to february. one victim was taken right here at the lower court, snatched from the prison guards who were bringing him for a bail application. of the 32, only five have escaped. seven have been found dead. 20 more have just vanished. >> then, there were the two seen here. last year, they organized these protests with people whose loved ones disappeared at the war's conclusion three years ago. in december in the north, they themselves vanished, seemingly abducted as they prepared for another demonstration. government and security forces deny involvement and say they're trying to solve the various cases. >> we are conducting an investigation into the matter and we will -- the perpetrators.

>> some people would say you have death squads these days in sri lanka. >> no. we don't have. we totally deny that allegation. >> just days ago, something unusual happened. one of the notorious white vans, said to be behind so many abductions, was caught on camera after a man said its occupants tried to snatch him. the crowd apprehended the would-be abductors. they turned out to be soldiers. the military denied plans to kidnap anyone and released the men. mean while, the rule of law is being flouted. disappearances are continuing. and distraught families wonder whether they'll see their loved ones again. >> the prudential, britain's biggest life insurer, says it's seriously considering moving its headquarters to asia. it's blaming new european rules on the amount of capital it is required to hold. prudential was founded in london in the mid 19th century.

its pre-tax profits rose by a third over the past year and much of that growth came from its asian business. our business editor robert testin reports. >> the prudential, a pillar of the city of london, british insurance and finance for 160 years. now, huge in asia, the biggest contributor today to the profits. and the chief executive told me, doing very nicely in general. why, against that back drop, would you think of relocating this venerable british institution abroad? >> it's a problem we wish we did not have. because we are very happy in london. the company was created in london. we are looking at options. we cannot deny that. because we have employees, shareholders, and this whole process has been too volatile. >> the prudential says that new

rules emanating from brussels go by the unappetizing name of solvency 2 will make it more expensive for the insurer to keep its home in britain and damage the value of many people's pension savings. so why do members of the european parliament want the new law? >> we've had a financial crisis. people want to make sure that we don't have any of the systemic threats that we've had in the recent past. an insurance law at european that will make sense, everybody has agreed it to. companies are all signed up to it. they may argue about the finer points, but let's be realistic about the situation we find ourselves in. this makes perfect sense and a much safer financial world for all of us. >> why haven't the british government and the british regulator made stronger representations on your behalf? >> i think they've been very vocal on our behalf, to be fair to them. but the u.k. is one country among 27. the prudential is not the biggest issue at stake here. i know a lot of the media attention has been focused on us.

but my concerns for the u.k. are much more significant than what may or may not happen to prudential. it's about job creation. it's about equality in this country. >> if the pru were to move to asia, its shareholders were protected, but there would be less money provided by insurers for investing in britain's economic future, which is why the pru still hopes brussels will back down. >> you've been watching "newsday" from the bbc. >> a reminder of the main news this hour. the british prime minister david cameron is in the united states for an official three-day visit. the situation in afghanistan is expected to dominate his talks with president obama on wednesday. mr. cameron became the first foreign leader to be welcomed on to the presidential plane air force one. lucky man. stay with us. headlines on the way next.

>> 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 use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major

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