>> 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 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. what can we do for you?

>> and now "bbc world news." >> hello, and welcome. >> timeout -- events in afghanistan are set to dominate david cameron's three-day visit to the united states. china's premier hold his last international news conference as the national people's congress concludes the annual session of parliament. >> syria is accused of targeting the refugees and land land mines along its border with turkey and lebanon. the government is under pressure to provide justice and reconciliation for its people. it is 11:00 in singapore. >> broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the

world. welcome to "newsday." >> the british prime minister has said the public wants an end game for the war in afghanistan. he prepares to hold talks with president obama about the conflict. the two leaders are expected to agree on plans to pull back from their lead, but wrote in the middle of next year. our political editor is traveling with the prime minister. >> that is for millions of americans are headed to night. not everyone gets to go to the basketball game with the president of the united states. this is a symbol of a relationship between britain and america.

it is a partnership of a heart. the question here, though, is their war effort headed? it is a partnership which now is fighting an unwinnable war. today, there were protests in afghanistan after the murder of innocents by an american soldier. the prime minister spoke to american television about the sacrifices both countries have already made. >> the toughest part of the country, we have been there for many years. that is why i set a deadline, the end of 2014. >> 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 the afghan army would lead all security operations from mid to late 2013. it could be an opportunity for u.k. and u.s. troops to start withdrawing in significant numbers next year. >> today, i will be meeting with prime minister cameron. we will have an opportunity to consult about the way forward as we prepare for the nato summit in chicago. 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 were crowd onto the lawn to welcome mr. and mrs. cameron. there will even be a 19-gun salute. what will matter is not the latest pictures, the decisions of these two leaders make, not just about how to end the war, but to how to avoid a new one

with iran over its nuclear program. >> the bbc said the two leaders are leaving this serious work until wednesday. >> a bit of a timeout on night number one of this visit. they have been in ohio. a crucial swing state for the u.s. presidential election. barack obama wanted to take david cameron to this basketball game. they watched the hoops. barack obama explained the finer points of the game to the prime minister. he admitted that he was not overly familiar with basketball. they are describing as the essential relationship between britain and america. these two leaders -- the serious talking begins on wednesday morning.

afghanistan will be front and center. the timetable of the drawdown, and beyond that issues of our time. syria, iran, the arab spring, the global recovery of the global the economy, all of which present -- all of which are pretty much in lockstep on. >> the special relationship upgraded to an essential relationship. how good is this relationship? >> it is quite interesting. barack obama came into office, he talked about a different type of foreign policy. moving toward a pacific foreign- policy. many observers in britain thought he was looking to sever ties to an extent with the old world. here we are at a time of some tension in foreign affairs of afghanistan, iran.

he is turning back to this tried and tested out why. the two men are expressing the warmth of their relationship. >> we know about this from the papers and the amount of media attention. what kind of attention is david cameron said visiting in american press over there? >> id is getting attention and so far as it relates to afghanistan and a terrific shooting -- and the horrific shootings over the weekend. some attention paid to the fact that they are in a crucial swing state. that is drawing some attention, as is the fact that mr. cameron is not meeting mitt romney or any of the other contenders. >> the vote had been counted in the u.s. states of alabama and mississippi.

in the latest round of u.s. republican primaries, it was a tight race. in the end, rick santorum's campaign strategy work. the former speaker of the house and represented his, newt gingrich, took second place in alabama and mississippi. it was a disappointing night for the front runner, mitt romney, who came in third. ron paul came in fourth with just 5% of the vote in alabama and for% in mississippi. -- 4% in mississippi. china's annual national people's congress is trying to close in beijing. the fate of the economy has dominated the meeting. this is the scene at life with the premiere -- the scene live there with the premiere. economists have caught -- have formed the fundamental reforms

are vital if china wants to avoid serious economic problems. there he is closing this session and speaking, of course, to the members of the congress that had gathered there in beijing. martin, lowering the country's growth target is what the premier spoke about a week and a half ago. looking at this parliamentary session the past two weeks, any big announcements or policy changes? >> what is important is what he is talking about now. , this time next year, he will no longer be china's premier. in the last few minutes, during his press conference, he has been striking a very humble town. -- tone. i assume responsibility for all the problems that occurred in china during my time in office.

i am truly sorry for that. i extraordinary thing for a chinese leader to say. i have the courage to face the people and history. this is marking the end of the premier's term in office. we will start to sing a new generation of leaders taking over in china later this year. this will be his last press conference at the end of the national people's congress. he is speaking about his time in office and he is talking about some of the problems that have occurred during that time. he is also offering an apology to the chinese people. >> that is extremely significant. unprecedented for a premiere to do this. what's would you say -- what would you say it has played his leadership in the last couple of years?

>> he has been good at cultivating this image of the man of the people. somebody who can connect with the chinese public. when you go out into the countryside, there is a sense of affection. he spent a long time, many years in office, the economy is starting to slow down, looking forward into the future, most economists said the country needs to undertake major economic reforms. that will be very painful. we have also seen -- we have not seen any political reforms during the premiers' time in office. certainly, there have been suggestions that he is more of great reformer than other senior

chinese leaders. that could be -- it is very difficult to know. he is a popular figure in china, but he knows going into the future, china will face tough times and decisions made now will have an impact on the future. >> thank you very much for taking -- for talking to us through that. we believe back there in beijing. we're hoping to speak to an independent chinese specialist in about 10 minutes. dramatic footage has emerged from syria. >> that is right. the pictures from the associated press news agency were shot on sunday. they showed serious troubles in the streets fighting off an offensive by the syrian army. government forces surrounded the town earlier. many people are reported to have been killed and wounded.

the exact numbers are not clear. the government says the forces are fighting terrorists. on tuesday, a government report says -- forces had captured the town. as the uprising continues, nearly a quarter of a million circassians have fled their homes so far. concern is growing -- a million circassians have fled their homes so bar. human rights watch has accused the government of lying land mines near its borders with lebanon and turkey. the refugees are using those routes. our correspondent reports from the turkish-syrian border. >> blasted by presidents bashar al-assad artillery, many are carrying gruesome injuries. they're too frightened to show their faces.

i was in a protest. the army was 500 meters away, he says. the explosion hit me. opposition activists -- they have not gotten much. they rely on young volunteers to carry food and medicine into syria. it is a dangerous job. and then over into syrian territory. they have to evade the turkish military watchtowers. and the syrian soldiers, never far away on the other side. there are no shortage of places where people can cross the border into turkey. behind me, for example. getting to that border it is a

whole lot more dangerous now with minefields and bands of syrian troops shooting at anything that moves. despite that, the numbers of refugees are steadily increasing. the new arrivals at this camp. journalists are not given access. the refugees can get out to tell their stories. >> it was terrible. the soldiers kept firing at our village. >> this man arrived last week. we had to carry the elderly and children, he says. when they were built last year, these camps were meant to offer temporary shelter who people they thought they would be going home. 10 months later, the camps are still here, and they're filling up. >> you are watching "newsday."

live from singapore and london. keeping watch and stand on guard, we go on board the tanker. >> the mother -- she wants the government to be open to a formal inquiry into response murder. there are concerns the initial investigation 19 years ago was hampered by police corruption. a detective on the case have been to the father of one of stevens killer. a thousand new jobs are to be created. the car maker is taking on more workers as it moves 24 hour production in order to meet strong demand for its range rover.

home secretary has signed papers to expedite a 23-year-old man to the united states over copyright infringement. his website provide links to power to films and television programs. -- pirated films and television programs. >> this is "newsday." >> david cameron and barack obama have spent some time watching the basketball game ahead of three days of talks. the withdrawal of u.k. and u.s. troops from afghanistan is high on the agenda. >> in his last international press conference, china's premier says he regrets he was not able to sell the number of economic problems the country is still facing. >> let's stay with that story.

the premiers last address to the annual national people's congress in beijing. i think we can bring you some pictures live as this is taking place. we can also speak to an independent china specialist based in hong kong. he joins me on the line. welcome to bbc news. thank you for joining us. within the last half an hour or so, the premier has openly apologized to the people of china for any mistakes that may have taken place under his leadership. extraordinary development. >> china is at a crossroads. china is -- 170 million people still lived under the poverty line. there is a huge inequality and a

feeling of lack of equity and social justice. it is not just the question of economic reform. there is the process of political reform. there are increasing numbers of social unrest. society is not as harmonious as it wants to be. having said that, though, the premier has achieved a lot of progress. there remains to be a lot of things to be done. i think he points out that at the end of his term, the leader should adopt a humble stance and have a bit of reflection as to what have been the achievements.

heat is prepared to face the people. and the judgment of history. >> he does talk about the political reforms and social justice reforms. he does remain a popular figure in china, doesn't he? how will this legacy be remembered? >> i think he is going to be remembered as the premier of the people. the people still remember how he immediately came to grips with the natural disaster. within hours, he was flying to the center. he was looking out supervising what was being done on the ground. that is a very moving kind of experience.

during the time when china was hit by natural disaster of the snow, during the new year. he appealed to the local government to do their best. i think he will be remembered as the premier of the people. >>. grateful for your time. thank you for joining us. " the civil war may have ended three years ago, but there are precautions that the conflict is being felt. there has been a rise in abductions and disappearances. the u.n. human rights council asking sri lanka how did intends to receive reconciliation for its people. >> her purse to the hindu deity are almost all she has at the

moment. life has become a nightmare since her husband's father was snatched by eight armed men at their front door, the go. -- a month ago. >> he was screaming, calling for help. there were people in the street, but no one seemed to help. they pushed me down and date pushed him -- and they pushed him inside. after that, he vanished. >> a businessman had already been held by the police for more than two years. he said he was severely tortured in detention. just before his complaint of torture came up in the courts, he was adopted. he is not the only victim. human rights campaigners said there were 32 unexplained objections from october to february. he was taken right here at the law court.

snatch from the prison guards. only five have escaped of the 32. seven have been found dead. 20 more have just vanished. then -- last year, they organized these protests with people whose loved ones disappeared. in december, in the north, they themselves vanished. seemingly adopted as they prepared for another demonstration. -- abducted as they prepared for another demonstration. security forces denied involvement. >> we are conducting investigations into the matter and we will find the perpetrators. >> some people would say that you have death squads. >> we do not. we totally denied that allegation. >> days ago, something unusual happened. one of the notorious white vans was caught on camera after a man

said its occupants tried to snatch him. the crowd upper hand of the would-be abductors. it turned out to be soldiers. the military denied plans to kidnap anyone and released the men. meanwhile, the rule of law is being flouted, disappearances are continuing to and distraught families wonder they will see their loved ones again. >> it was written by a doctor on board and posted to this mother in belfast. a century later, it has been bought an auction by a mystery benefactor. this is the story that comes very close to home for him. " one of the surgeons on board the titanic was dr. jack simpson. three days before the ship went down, and he wrote a two-page letter to his mother elizabeth.

>> dear mother, i traveled to liverpool. >> his family has a copy of the letter, but they do not have the original. it was expected to be snapped up by a titanic enthusiast in america. a mystery buyers stepped in and now the family has been told letter is going back to belfast to be put on public display. >> when i took the phone call, i had to sit down. i was lightheaded. i had to ask the person to repeat the news several times. >> last night, he shared the good news with the belfast titanic society. [applause] >> this is the icing on the cake. this letter has been missing for a number of years. it is a very rare thing that is unique to belfast. >> the timing could hardly be

better. the first titanic visitors center in belfast is opening at the end of this month. there are plenty of copies of the letter, but now members of the simpson family are looking forward to seeing the original, including me. dr. simpson was my great- grandfather's cousin. one question remains. who bought -- who bought the letter a for belfast? whoever it is wants to remain anonymous. >> you have been watching "newsday." back to take you beijing. this is the scene live where the annual national people's congress is closing. the speech by china's premier. he regrets that he was not able to resolve a number of economic problems the country still

faces. we will be back, stay with us. >> 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. what can we do for you?

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