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>> hello and welcome. >> an alarming upsurge of violence in syria. with reports from the heart of the uprising. -- we report from the heart of the uprising. the first u.s. president to back same-sex marriage, barack obama polarizes america. >> allegations of police brutality after malaysia's biggest rally. it is 11:00 in the morning in singapore. >> it is 4:00 in the morning in london. broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world.

the u.n. observers were supposed to help bring peace to syria, but they have come under attack themselves. while traveling in the southern province, a bomb exploded near their convoy. there have been reports of intense shelling in the city of homs. activists say it was the worst in weeks. >> they called homs the capital of the revolution. today, much of it is a ghost town. deserted, devastated. the syrian government rarely gives the media permission to enter here. we are traveling with a small team of unarmed u.n. monitors, trying to maintain a fragile cease-fire. a tough job. there is no truce in homs, only a defacto division of the destroyed city.

notice how slowly we are moving through this neighborhood. the syrian police have left us. the u.n. monitors in an area controlled by the opposition. not a single person is on the street. the area is completely [inaudible] the first people to welcome us our fighters from the free assyrian army. not afraid to show their faces -- free syrian army. not afraid to show their faces or their guns, they are defiant. they said i was dead, but here i am, this man says. football star turned popular revolutionary singer turns up for a message -- with a message for anna.

his plan is not working, he tells me. the tanks are still on the streets and fighters are still killing people. last year, he saying to thousands of peaceful protesters, but his hopes -- about his hopes for peace. now leasing's as a lament for the marchers paraded -- now he sings us a lament for the ma rtyrs. the governor insists homs is not divided. >> you say some people are afraid of the army, he says, but i tell you many more people want the army to protect them. then it was time to meet the monitors. he said the plan will work, it will just take time. homs used to be such a vibrant city. it took a year to destroy it.

it is hard to imagine how long it will take to rebuild. >> barack obama has become the first u.s. president to publicly declare his support for same-sex marriage. in an interview, he said the understood religious and cultural objections, but thought it important that all people be treated equally. when he ran for office, mr. obama favored civil partnerships for gay couples, but stopped short of endorsing a marriage. since entering the white house, he has acknowledged that his views were evolving. >> there are few more divisive sites in today's america than a same-sex weddings. for almost two years, the president failed to take a clear stand. but now, barack obama has come out in favor of demerits. >> at a certain point, i had concluded that for me personally, it is important for

me to go ahead and confirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> he told abc news he had reached the decision after talking to his family. >> they have friends with parents that are same-sex couples. we have been talking about their friends and their parents. it would not dawned on them that somehow come at their friend's parents would be treated differently. >> this is an important day for lesbian, gay, bisexual, a transgendered people in america. it is important for our leader to support our families. this is one example of him doing that. >> the president's view has shifted in sync with public opinion. four years ago, he on the majority of americans opposed to gay marriage. today, a narrow majority is in favor.

politically, this is still a big risk. new policy may not play well in more conservative swing states like north carolina, where voters decided same-sex weddings were unconstitutional. the republican challenger for the white house formally opposes gay marriage. >> my position is the same as it has been from the beginning. marriage is the relationship between man and a woman. >> november's election will not be won and lost a game marriage. the economy remains the overriding concern. it is the kind of touched on social issues that defines a candidate, it tells america who they are. on this question, there is a clear dividing line between the president and the man who will challenge him. >> the greek drama continues. >> a stalemate once again.

the lead -- the latest letter to attempt to broker a deal. euro zone government have agreed to give the country another 5 billion euros to keep it afloat. we have the latest from athens. >> grace is trying to navigate its way out of a crisis. as the rank and to form a government goes on, this nation is left hanging. the majority here voted against the bailout and the austerity that is brought greece to its knees. can a future government square the circle, a state in the euro -- stay in the euro? >> i am living on 120 euros a month. i cannot pay all of my taxes. but state in the euro, but let's live with dignity. >> -- lets us stake in the euro,

but let's live with dignity. >> it will be destroyed. >> he is the second party leader to fail to form a government. his leftist coalition wants to rip up greece's agreement with brussels. the leader of the third-place socialist, his party is seen as the architects of austerity. he is highly unlikely to secure the numbers needed for a majority coalition. if the greeks are speaking out against the bailout, the eu is standing firm. which side will blink first? the country's year-old membership is at stake. -- euro membership is at stake. >> the question is about the

euro area as a whole. if this agreement is not respected, it will be a very negative for greece. >> the focus of the political crisis goods and shift here if there is no agreement on a coalition, the president will summon all party leaders to his office and request a national salvation government until fresh elections. a last-ditch attempt to fill the power vacuum. the instability in athens is not dampening spirits 300 kilometers away in the great city of valencia. final preparations are underway for the lighting of the olympic torch. a lavish ceremony to be followed by traditional relay. a reminder of this agent country's greatest legacy -- this ancient countries legacy to the world. >> in malaysia, opposition leader has started an

investigation into violence that broke out in the capital. police and protesters clashed at the end of the rally pressing for the electoral reform. speculation is growing that the government is about to call for a general election. >> for each of the last 10 days, he has been writing down the testimony. in the biggest rally malaysia has ever seen. schools of people have come forward to speak to say they were beaten by the police. >> the punch to me. they pushed me on to the floor. -- they punched me. they pushed me to the floor. >> there is little agreement as to what exactly happened at the demonstration on april 28. as the rally came to a close, protesters breached a barricade and tear gas and water cannons were fired. footage posted online showed

police attacking demonstrators. and demonstrators on to a police car. what was it? at that brought over 100,000 people on to the normally calm streets of malaysia's capital. an organization jointly run by a lawyer and a poet, who both believed the electoral system is rotten to the core. >> we stand for free and fair elections. we are a civil society movement. our aim is to ensure that there is a level, certainly in the next general election, and we want to see a total reform of the electoral system. >> the turnout at the rally was -- the government claims that it is a front for the opposition parties.

>> we are quite confident, with some minimal measures taken, we would still be able to make it. >> malaysia's prime minister has promised to investigate the rally violence. his officials say changes have already been made to the voting system. >> i believe this is a strategy by the opposition to question electoral systems as a political tactic. >> they are not planning any more demonstrations, but if a general election is called, the opposition parties may have little choice but to try to

compete in a process they regard as being fundamentally flawed. >> we are live from singapore and london. still to come, fashion pioneer and stylus to the stars died at the age of 84. -- stylist to the stars dies at the age of 84. >> let's take a look at newspaper headlines around the world. the leftist leader a failed bid to form a coalition. the financial times -- they will listen the moderate starts to -- the spain.

the moscow times says of cloud has been cast over the russian aviation agency. china daily it leads a new era for china's oral industry. -- oil industry. >> a roadside bomb had exploded near a convoy of u.n. cease-fire monitors in syria. >> barack obama has become the first u.s. president to back same-sex marriage. >> rescue officials in indonesia say that a spot the debris in an area where a superjet 100 it's

got to crashed on wednesday. the russian plane with at least 46 people was on a demonstration flight near the indonesian capital when it went missing. joining us now for the latest is our next guest. where did rescuers spotted the plane wreckage? >> not too far away from the area where it is that that the plane first went missing, first lost contact with controllers on the ground. an indonesian official has said that the wreckage of the plane was spotted during an aerial search made by a helicopter in the early hours of thursday morning. at the start of the day, search and rescue operations were hampered by bad weather. it was making things quite difficult. at this stage, what we know is

officials are saying they have spotted the wreckage of the plane. no one has managed to make it to the site just yet. in the last hour, the indonesian president has been speaking during a nationally televised press conference. he said that it is very likely the plane has crashed after it went missing on wednesday. he is also called for a thorough investigation into exactly what has happened. he said that he is concerned about the 40 or more people who are thought to be indonesian citizens on this demonstration flight. there were around 50 people on board the russian made superjets 100. it was on this performance promotional flight when it ran into this tragedy on wednesday. that is where we are at this stage. >> before we let you go, how the authorities said anything regarding the communications between the pilots and the

control tower before the plane vanished from the radar screen? >> what we understand, officials have said to us that at around half an hour into the flight, the pilot on board requested to make a dissent from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet. around the area where the plane went missing. officials had told us that this is very much part of the normal landing procedure that one would expect a pilot to make when he is beginning his dissent. that is all the information that we have about the communications between the park -- the pilots and controllers on the ground. >> thank you so much. u.n. special envoy is concerned about the increasing use of firearms against human rights activist in cambodia. one activist was shot dead by military police last month and a ribbon several other incidents

over protest -- -- last month and there have been several other incidents over protests. >> before -- the people who will be affected do not seem to have any -- have been compensated properly. they are losing their livelihood. they are losing their homeland. they are losing their breeding grounds for their animals. they have no way to -- >> and during your visit, the prime minister has announced a suspension. what effect is that likely to have? >> it will not undo some of the damage already done. i would like to make sure in

this country that -- these laws have not been implemented properly. the new regulations are implemented properly. >> there are local people who are monitoring this situation and protesting, too. it has become somewhat of a hazardous occupation. we saw the shooting of a forestry activist by military police. how much of the concern is that for you? >> i am quite concerned. they have been increasing the use of firearms against offenders. i was very much concerned. on my way, i went to his grave to pay my respects. i interacted with a family member. i wanted to understand as much as possible about the background

leading to his killing. there are a number of other incidents that involved the use of firearms. i am very much concerned. >> during your visit, you always meet high-level government officials. how receptive are they to your concerns and your suggestions about what can be done? >> iowa been making the recommendations. i come here on a fact -- i have been making my recommendations. i come here on a fact-finding mission. the implementation of my recommendations, it is slow. >> has been sold at sotheby's in new york. they sold for more than 1700 -- they were originally displayed

in london before the exhibition had to be shut down. an art broker that was at the sale told me why you thought the work was valued so highly. >> i think it's international renown speaks for itself. heat is the only chinese artist -- he is the only chinese artist -- his detention by the chinese authorities resounds allow the world. -- around the world. everybody in the art buying world knows about that. this is support for his actions as a chinese dissident. >> was the art being sold because of his controversial stature? is there also demand for a chinese and asian contemporary arts in global auctions? >> i would say that it is to do

with his stature. in the international community. a larger version of this work was shown in london. he is the son of a prominent intellectual. he was freed by his social media networking. the subject of this work, sunflower seeds, it is significant for all chinese. it is a combination of these factors, but as with all art sales, the artist is the dominant factor in price. later in the auction, a liechtenstein extolled -- sold for millions. these prices are all to do with the stature of the artist. >> that was re waterhouse.

the sports car maker ferrari has apologized for a publicity stunt. video footage shows one of the high-powered cars during burnouts on the ming dynasty wall. ferraris suggested the incident was the fault of a single reckless employee. archeologists condemned the stunt. the british-born hairstylist vidal sassoon has died in los angeles. he was 84. he revolutionized hairdressing in the 1960's with wash and wear styles like the ball. -- like the bob. >> it would make a noise.

he rarely came up with the famous five-point peristyles. he always wanted to be an architect. his mother decided that he would be a hairdresser. he started sweeping the floors in a london shop. he better do something about that cockney voice. he spoke the king's english in later years. >> you have your hair cut by him. what was that like? >> it was a little bit embarrassing. i was so young and i want to be trendy. he said, you know, you have to do it my way.

i sat down, and it looked sensational. i got a lot of attention. he came up with those vidal sassoon products for a reason. my hair was not wash and wear. it took a lot of where to make it look like i did absolutely nothing. >> he worked with all the stars. he actually cuts mia farrow's hair in "rosemary's baby." >> it was very trendsetting. he did work on all of the major stars. he was known as a great storyteller. they came to him to -- noel coward came in and said. >> you have been watching "newsday."

>> 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.