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>> and now, "bbc world news". >> hello, welcome to "newsday" on the bbc. >> the headlines -- the u.s. says syria will be judged on actions not words, after president assad accepts the u.n.-sponsored peace plan. an independent report in england blames poor parenting, low academic achievement and materialism. >> a u.s. domestic flight makes an emergency landing after its hysterical captain has to be restrained by passengers. cuba rules out political reform, as pope benedict holds talks with president castro in havana. it's 9:00 in the morning here in singapore. >> from pbs in america and around the world, welcome to "newsday."

>> the united states has reacted cautiously to the news that syria has accepted a peace plan put forward by the u.n. arab league cove annan. the u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, said president assad will be judged by his actions, not his words. the-up united nations says they believe many people have been killed in syria. the latest estimate came as the city was visited recently. jeremy has more. >> the question is whether president assad on syrian tv in the ruins of the city is playing for time or whether he's serious about finding a way out of the violence. that would mean concessions to the armed opposition his men drove out of these streets. opponents the president

condemns as terrorists directed by foreign conspirators. up to now the assad regime has shown more enthusiasm for victory than negotiation. ♪ >> he congratulated the soldiers. some of the residents are coming back, he says, and it's thanks to you and your sacrifice. the soldier response, mr. president, we're here to defend the country to the last drop of our blood. cove annan was in beijing. he now has the support of china as well as russia, syria's two domestic protectors for his peace plan. he needs their help to keep the pressure on the assad regime. >> we will have to see how we move ahead and implement this agreement that they have accepted. >> coffee annan's peace plan now accepted by president assad calls the syrians to negotiate, not fight.

the regime has agreed to pull back its forces, but says the opposition must stop shooting first. among the other main points, the u.n. wants a daily truce to allow in food and medical aid and wants the release of detained civilians. it is a long list. the regime has made similar promises in the past and has found reasons not to keep them. >> in london the foreign secretary was with his bosnian counterpart. avoiding a repeat of the bloodshed 20 years ago in the balance cans is concentrating minds of the foreign office. >> this is a regime that has been involved in the murdering of many thousands of people of torture and abuse of many others. and so we have to see its actions in that light. but, of course, we want them to respond genuinely positively. >> for a while the fighting in syria spilled over into lebanon, a warning of the nightmare that could follow if the peace plan doesn't work, which is a real possibility.

jeremy bowen, bbc news. >> the u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, gave this reaction to the syrian announcement. >> it is an important initial step that the assad regime has written the united nations to accept the annan plan. let me pause here to say, however, that given assad's history of overpromising and underdelivering, that commitment must now be matched by immediate actions. we will judge assad's sincerity and seriousness by what he does, not by what he says. if he is ready to bring this dark chapter in syria's history to a close, he can prove it by immediately ordering regime forces to stop firing and begin with drawing from populated areas. >> well, our correspondent has been speaking to a spokesperson for syria's main opposition

coalition, the syrian national council. she says the peace plan is promising and cannot be easily dismissed by president assad. >> we very cautiously welcome the acceptance. we've seen over the last year many such false acceptances, unfortunately, so we are skeptical, we are very cautious, but we believe that mr. annan has launched an initiative that cannot be dismissed easily by the regime. so we are watching very carefully to see if there is the beginning of some compliance by the regime on the ground, and if we see concrete results on the ground, then we will believe that there is the beginning of something here, and we believe the initiative carries some promising elements in it, first and foremost, stopping the bloodshed. >> in your view, president assad has to go, that is an unnegotiable point. >> this is an unnegotiable

point. president assad needs to step down. we have seen many experiences across the world that show if the head of the states and the head of all the crimes, the man who has allowed those crimes to happen remains, the chances of a successful transition process has always been jeopardized by the leader, the head of state remaining. so i think in principle, thousands have died for his departure -- for him to depart, to leave, and in practice i conclude we need to see him go. >> now, in other news, an independent report into last year's rights in england has identified half a million forgotten families struggling with range of approximate. among the causes of the unrest, poor parenting, low academic achievement and too much emphasis on materialism. mark easton has more details.

>> over the course of five extraordinary days last august, england learned how order and chaos are close neighbors. rioting, looting and arson spreading like bushfires across the country. the politicians initially blaming criminality, pure and simple. but then commissioning a report to look at the deeper social causes and lessons to be learned. the panel, chaired by dara, went to many of the neighborhoods and was shocked by the sense of hopelessness they encountered. good i also find it shocking when presentsed with the starkness of some individuals' views about their lives and their prospects and the fact that they have no hopes and dreams. and the memory for me will be talk together some young people and that's what they said. we need homes, we need dreams.

>> the report recommends the government's planned family support program be expanded to cover 500,000 forgotten families who it says bump along the bottom of society. they want a new requirement for schools to develop policies on building character in young people and a government guarantee of a job for all young people who have been out of work for two years. today's report throws responsibility back at government. it identifies a slice of society which has been allowed to become disconnected from the mainstream, a half a million forgotten families, where children grow up without the character or the skills to become responsible citizens. >> each rioter has to take personal responsibility they made to burn down someone's shop or to drive someone out of their home. but in the end we know that parenting, that worthlessness

over generations, that materialism, all of those things contribute to this. >> bbc research revealed last year how the rioters in manchester came est areas of th. today residents of those communities gave their reaction to the support. >> there's a lot of families that are obviously suffering. there's no way out for people. >> i think it was everyone jumping on the bandwagon, here it was, anyway. i don't think there was a point to it. >> while the riots saw some neighborhoods turn on themselves, the appalling scenes also inspired a flowering of communities. after this convenience store in hackney was stripped bare by local looters, residents came together to help the owner rebuild his business. today he says he's forgiven those who raided his store and believes the real lesson is the need for government to help

young people. >> ministers have to listen to what the youngster thinks, rather than politician talks and listen to the yunsters, what they want. if you satisfy them, you'll be fine. it's never going to happen again. >> the riots were initially dismissed as criminality, pure and simple. today's report agrees it was criminality that concludes there was nothing simple about it. >> a u.s. domestic flight forced to make an emergency landing in unusual circumstances. >> that's right. an aircraft making a flight across the united states was forced to make an emergency landing after what the airline jetblue described as a medical situation involving the captain. passengers said he had to be locked out of the cockpit and was heard pounding on the door and ranting, with some reporting that they heard him

say "bomb." >> it's one of those terrifying moments you usually see in the movies. the captain of this flight, though you can't see him, is on the floor being restrained by passengers, apparently after an outburst of hysteria. these pictures were filmed on a mobile phone by one of the 135 passengers. the stewardess urges people to remain calm. >> please stay seated. >> the plane had taken off from new york's j.f.k. airport. but 3 1/2 hours into its journey to las vegas, the captain left the cockpit, forcing an emergency landing in amarillo, texas. that's where passengers gave accounts of what happened. >> two hours outside of las vegas, the captain of the plane left the cockpit. he seemed like he was suffering

from an anxiety disorder or something. within a short period of time he started screaming about al qaeda and possibly a bomb on the plane and about iraq and iran and how we're all going down. he tried twice to re-enter the cockpit and he also was scream together bring the plane back into neutral into the cockpit and to let him in. at which point an ex-correctional officer came up, choked him and took him down and about six of us went and sat on top of him. >> once on the tarmac the captain was carried away. an off-duty pilot who had been onboard the plane had been able to land it. many of the passengers were heading for a security convention in nevada, which may account for why many were quick to restrain the captain, who is now receiving medical attention. bbc news. >> world leaders have ended a two-day nuclear security summit in south korea with a threat to combat the threat the nuclear terrorism. the leaders said that strong

national policies and international cooperation were essential to ensure nuclear materials were kept out of the hands of terrorists. from seoul, lucy williamson reports. >> when you're out to tackle the world's greatest security threats, you're also going to be up against some pretty big expectations. at the close of a nuclear security summit, the south korean president tried to meet them. >> we have done our best to save the world from the perils that may come. so in that regard, i think this was a very good opportunity to re-affirm our commitment that was shown in washington and we have taken a big step forward. >> the u.s. and russia, he said, were in the process of eliminating 20,000 weapons worth of nuclear material, almost 500 kilos had already been removed from eight other countries. and new initiatives were announced here as well. >> as part of this effort the united states is pleased to worth with korea, belgium and

france to test high density low and rich uranium fuel and research reactors in france and belgium. >> but some are disappointed at the piecemeal volatile nature of the pledges here. individual nations have been given until next year to come up with specific action plans to reduce their stocks of highly enriched uranium and some nuclear-capable countries weren't presents at all. north korea for a start. though it wouldn't have felt too left out. it still made the news here every day over a rocket launch it's planning next months. at his closing press conference, president lee said he was aware of how critical the north had been of this summit but that it was in north korea's own interest to cooperate in the process and that it had nothing to gain from public indications. lucy williamson, bbc news, seoul. >> you're watching news from the bbc live in singapore. still to come, the plot thickens over the sacking of one of china's top leaders. is there a link to the

mysterious death of a british businessman? >> and is it time to face the music in indonesia? accused of corrupting the country's youth. now it's time for a review of the stories making headlines around the world. we start with the news detailing they koffi annan's peace plan. there was a neighborhood toured which had a month--long assault. the u.s. republican hopeful, mitt romney says that russia is the number one geopolitical foe of the united states. these words come after president obama was overheard telling russian's president medvedev that election politics are stopping the talks over disputes over missile defense.

the china post-reports moves about private aviation in the country. the fcmp says the number of private jets being flown in the mainland nearly doubled in the last year and demand is still growing. that's a quick look at the headlines in the world. >> this is "newsday" on the bbc. >> the headlines for you this hour. washington has warned syrian's president that he'll be judged by his actions, not words. assad accepted a u.n.-sponsored peace plan. >> an independent report into last year's riots in england has blamed poor parenting, low economic achievement and materialism. earlier this month one of china's top leaders was sacked in what is the country's biggest political scandal in

years. he had been seen as the candidate for a top position within the communist party when it begins its leadership change this autumn. but the scandal took a new twist after the u.k. asked china to investigate the mysterious death of a british businessman with ties to an ousted chinese politician. martin has more. >> it is known for its fog. it's a sprawling city where much is obscured from view. built on the banks of the yankscy river, it's easy to lose your bearings. on the streets normal daily life continues, but in the corridors of power here, there's been a purge. >> john is at the heart of the biggest political scandal in years. his removal from power revealed a power struggle at the very pop of chinese politics.

>> he had been expected to join the nine-member board that effectively runs china during a leadership change later this year. he had made his name launching a crackdown against organized crime. the venice police chief, shown here on the right, apparently tried to defect at an american consulate. it was this extraordinary political scandal that claimed bowl she lie. but the u.s. has china to investigate the mysterious death of a british businessman. neil heyward died in a hotel room last november. he was a friend of the politician's family. despite the sacking, he remains a popular figure in the city. he improved the lives of many here and still commands their support.

>> he gomped the city well and cared -- governed the city well and cared for the people. people here miss him. >> with the leadership change starting later this year, beijing had wanted to project an image. but with the political scandal, those plans are now out of stamp. martin, bbc news. >> in other news in libya, at least 50 people are reported to have been killed in two days of clashes between tribal militias around the country's fourth largest city. the tribe claims they are being persecuted. the army has sent hundreds of troops to the area to try to regain control. the united nations mission says the country is suffering because the governments are failing to live up to their promises of aid. the u.n. said it's withdrawn some services because only about 10% of the money pledged

for this year has yet arrived. it warned that this could worsen sanitary conditions, risks another cholera epidemic. an american man has been given a new face, teeth, tongue and jaw in the most expensive facial transplant ever performed. doctors say richard lee norris is recovering well after the 36-hour operation last week. he's already able on brush his teeth and shave. mr. norris was disfigured in a gun accident 15 years ago. >> pope benedict has talked to the cuban president castro in havana. he dismissed any prospect of political reform in communist cuba. earlier the pope said cuba's most important for catholics, when he called for cubans to pray for freedom. our correspondent is in havana. >> certainly very keen to play down any suggestion that

political reform is on the agenda here in cuba. it was a senior cuban official who spoke about this and seemingly in response to comments from the pope in his various speeches and his homily in santiago in the south of the island, talking about renewal and the need for openness in cuban society and mentioning several times human freedom, talking about the respects for human freedom. i think we can interpret the comments for the cuban official as a response to those messages and saying while cuba is in the midst of economic reforms, those were reforms aimed at maintaining, sustaining socialist model and not about any political change on the island. a strong message from cuba, and presumably that would have been on the agenda for the talks. after about an hour of discussions, they did come out, above of them, smiling and gnatting as they walked around the presidential palace and then presented each other with

gifts. it's not a confrontational meeting, but the pope making his feelings and thoughts pretty clear. >> he received a warm reception in santiago yesterday, sarah, and yet again today in havana. how significant a trip is this for the pope and for castro? >> well, it's extremely significant. people here talk about it being a privilege that the pope is visiting this island. it's an island that's extremely isolated, so this is a big moment for cuba. for the church, it's important. this is a church which has struggled for many years in a communist country, which is atheist for many decades. it's about reviving the faith, supporting the churches and institution in cuba at a time when it's trying to carve out more space for itself and society. as far as the government is concerned, it's a chance as well to have its voice heard, talking about its socialist model, about the reforms and, as we heard earlier, talking about the fact that political reform isn't on the agenda,

that they believe the socialist model is the right one for this country. >> indonesia, the world's most populist muslim nation wants to register music as part of its heritage. it takes its influences from india, arabic and is extremely popular. but a growing group of conservative muslims are unhappy, saying the traditional music is being corrupted by vulgar lyrics and erotic dances from jakarta, we have the details. >> the rain kept coming, but so did the fans. braving the bad weather, hundreds turned up to attend the show. melinda, a popular singer, was invited to perform here at a wedding reception. >> everybody in the neighborhood has turned out for the performance tonight. even the young children have been allowed to stay up late. but although it is an integral part of indonesian life, critics say it's become

increasingly vulgar over the years. >> and this is the singer muslim clerics have the biggest problem with. julia perez, on the highest rated morning tv show in the country. ♪ this song, what she looks the most is banned on radio stations in one province because of racy liarics, suggesting the sexual positions she prefers. there are concerns that she's corrupting indonesia's youth. >> in indonesia sexy is a crime. this is vulgar in a different way. if you are already porno in your brain, so i cannot blame you. if you see me like this, that i'm vulgar, so, i mean, there's something wrong in your brain, not my brain. >> but muslim clerics say singers like her are ruining the city and turning it into something it's not meant to be.

>> it isn't jazz or rock 'n' roll, that you can do erotic moves to. you can gyrate, but it shouldn't be erotic. it's just too sexy. >> but fans may not agree. back at the neighborhood consulate. melinda is busy raking in the tips and working the crowd. it has always been the music of the masses. it's popular with indonesians of all ages, even young children. that's why conservative groups want to clean it up. but the majority of indonesians are dancing to a different tune and they're not complaining. bbc news, jakarta. >> you've been watching "newsday" from the bbc. >> stay with us. asia business report coming up for you, and a reminder of the headlines on the way next.

>> 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 understand the industry you operate in. working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries.

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