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>> hello and welcome. >> ultimatums -- the free syrian army gives the regime a 48-hour deadline. a british mother and father are charged with the murder of their six children who died in a fire. >> fears for spain as the cost of borrowing rises slat -- sharply. a nationwide manhunt is launched in canada. it is 9:00 in the morning in singapore. >> it is 2:00 in the morning in london. broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world.

the free syrian army has given the government in 48-hour deadline to withdraw all of its forces from syrian cities and villages or it will abandon any commitment to the international peace plan. 13 bodies were found, some shot in the head. the un security council is searching for a new response to the syrian crisis. this report contains images of the bodies. >> there is no sign of kofi annan's please for peace in syria being heated. -- heeded. syrian forces may have stepped back from this checkpoint and houla. >> at the syrian government, the syrian people, are extremely

troubled with this heinous and unjustified terrorist crime. >> today in eastern syria, another massacre was uncovered. 13 corpses. some had been shot from close range. he did not blame any particular group. kofi annan in jordan today fears that the killing is increasingly sectarian and could spread through the region. >> the worst case, which seems to be the most probable, and that is the violence escalates, the conflict spreads and intensifies, and reaches a higher degree of severity and involves countries in the region. it takes on an increasingly sectarian form. we have a major crisis, not only in syria, but in the region. >> what are some of those risks?

iran already are meant president bashar al-assad could get more involved. turkey fears instability so close at hand. saudi arabia is increasing the flow of weapons to the opposition rebels. let the non, -- lebanon has already seen it sectarian violence spread from syria to its streets. syria is facing the bloodiest course of the so-called arab spring. -- horrors of the so-called arab spring. the free syrian army give the regime of 48 hours to stop fighting or face greater violence. the signs are increasing polarization and determination on all sides to fight on. >> for more on this, we can

speak to our next guest who once served as an ambassador under president clinton. when the current u.s. ambassador to the united nations said the conflict will escalate, the violence would escalate and would spread to different regions. is she right? >> she is absolutely right unless the world stands up to president bashar al-assad of syria. he is acting with impunity, the slaughter will continue until the international community mary's the brilliant diplomacy of kofi annan with the use of force. >> kofi annan has been trying to implement the peace plan. it is not working, let's be honest about it. the u.n. observers are showing less and confirming bloodshed, incredible violence. it is not working. what other diplomacy can be

used? >> the diplomacy is about to get a strong guard with russia supporting stronger sanctions. if russia moves, china will follow. what will stand up to be regimes forces in the short term? that has got to be a multinational force to protect the city's on the ground. only that will prevent the violence while negotiations go forward. the international committee lacks the will to do that right now. that is the missing ingredient. how many lives will need to be lost before the international committee it's the world to do that? -- gets the world to do that? >> what kind of a multinational force do you suggest? what do you see as the solution? >> in a multinational force of turks and well selected arab groups, western support in

getting there. to enter the cities and protect the population. that has what has been going on for the last year, 9000 people are dead. i do not know how much longer this killing can go on until the international community realizes that he is not going to negotiate his way peacefully out of this. he has to be stopped with force and eventually the negotiations, it is ok if they take a while, but he will need to recognize he has to step down. i do endorse putting force on the ground to protect lives. >> thank you very much for your thoughts. three people have been killed and two others critically

wounded after a gunman opened fire in a seattle cafe. police are searching for the suspect. local schools and the committee's interim locked down during the manhunt. thousands of burmese cheered suu kyi during her visit to thailand. 130,000 of her countrymen have fled to persecution to live can thailand. she will attend the world economic forum on friday. the french journalist abducted by left-wing rebels in colombia, the bill has been released. romeo langlois was handed over to a group of international mediators. he spoke to reporters and said he was fine and had been well treated. he was captured while sending the destruction of cocaine laboratories.

a mother and father have been charged with murdering their six children who died after a fire at their home earlier this month. mick philpott and mairead philpott will appear in court this thursday. >> it is almost three weeks since the house fire in which the six children died. it is a crime which has dominated the front pages of the newspapers in the u.k.. ever since then, so far the funerals have not been held. arrangements are still being made. their parents will appear before court, charged with their murder. in the days after this fire, they gave a very emotional news conference in which they were crying and they sat alongside members of the police who had been investigating the incident. the spoke very highly of neighbors who tried to rescue their children. since then, the officers who sat beside them have arrested them.

tonight, they have been charged with the murders of their six children. there was a statement from police this evening, people have come forward and the last 36 hours with information they described as useful. this is not the end of the investigation. they are determined to get to the truth of what happened at this, in england. after reviewing all the evidence, detectives are taking the decision to charge both of them. they will appear tomorrow morning in court charged with killing their six children. >> there is more bad news for the future of the euro zone. >> problems continued to escalate. now you have the spanish government borrowing costs haven't risen again to record levels. -- having risen again to record levels.

it has prompted new fears that spain will need a european bailout. >> today, the european commission has published its report. the gaps are widening between the leaders. germany is expected to see growth. not great, but well ahead of many others. the italian economy is expected to shrink by 1.4%. an even bigger contraction for spain is expected, 1.8%. that has heightened concerns about the spanish economy. they're big challenges facing spain's banks. a rescue operation for one of them is under way, but there are question marks about the ability of the government to find bailout. the money could be used to directly support ailing banks. but he warned there are no easy solutions. >> there is no magic bullet, there is not going to be a miracle solution.

they require a sustained effort to. >> a key barometer is the spanish government's borrowing costs for 10-year loans. the interest rate was near six. 7%, dangerously close to the rates greece, portugal, and ireland had to pay. then it fell back to below 5% as the european central bank pumped funds into euro zone banks. in the last few weeks, it has gone up again. markets are concerned about spain's public finances. >> spain is in a very serious situation. it is inevitable that it will need some sort of bill at. -- bailout. >> the uk will be affected if there is a serious spanish downturn. british banks have lent money to the government and private sector. the commission says the outlook

will keep u.k. growth subdued. british consumers will still be squeezed with inflation well above average. >> a nationwide manhunt is underway in canada fall and the postal delivery of human body parts to political parties. luka rocco magnotta is wanted in connection with the gruesome packages. a decomposing food was sent to the headquarters of the canadian conservative party. a severed head was found in the mail at the ottawa post office. >> police say they are dealing with a very disturbed individual. the man is wanted in connection with a torso found stuffed in a suitcase in some rubbish near an apartment building in montreal, the decomposing food sent to the conservative party's headquarters in ottawa, and another in deceptive --

intercepted package contains -- containing a hand. these body parts are all part of the same body. they also say they fully expect the other missing body parts to ship -- to show up in more packages mailed to different parts of the country. >> to police think there is a political motive behind this? >> i think people are completely mystified. each of these revelations comes out. canada dealt with a terrible serial killer case is before, but nothing quite as bizarre as this. as you mentioned, they named the 29-year-old suspect and the country wide warrant that has been issued for him. they say he has no criminal record, although some journalists have discovered a past fraud conviction.

police are cautioning the media about some of the material available on social media about a man known on the internet to as a gay porn star. >> you are watching "newsday." >> armed only with his trademark -- he goes under the hammer. a quick look at the international headlines. the international herald tribune asked if spain is rescued, benefits -- who foots the bill? the financial times says the

disjointed response to the crisis is the reason why investors are fleeing to safe havens. brussels has put french president on notice, the european commission is concerned about his economic agenda. a problem usually associated with the west is moving east. hong kong's aging population is accelerating and could hinder its development. corn flakes, special k -- a former chef to queen elizabeth has revealed her. normal meal habits. -- has revealed her normal real habits. >> the free syrian army has

issued a 48-year-old ultimatum to the government to pull its troops out of towns and cities. >> borrowing costs in spain have risen to new highs. the lawyer for the former president of liberia says he will appeal against his sentence of 50 years for war crimes. last month, he was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in sierra leone during the civil war between 1991 and 2002. the judge described mr. taylor's crimes among the most heinous in human history. >> when charles taylor arrived in court, he knew there was no precedent in modern times for sentencing a former head of state. if mr. taylor had hoped that might help him, he was wrong.

>> charles taylor which is to underscore -- this potrero alloys the distinctions that might otherwise pertain to the liability discussed. >> the judge spoke of a new era of accountability. because george taylor had been a powerful man in west africa, -- because charles taylor had been a powerful man in west africa, he should have shown more responsibility. >> which -- we sentence you to a single term of imprisonment of 50 years. >> the court reminded the world of some of the atrocities committed by the rebels mr. taylor backed in sierra leone. the council -- the hallmark of the rebels was hacking off people's limbs.

there are scars, the judge said, that will never heal. >> the long-term impact on their lives is devastating. amputees' without arms, who now have to live on charity because they can no longer work. young girls who had been publicly stigmatized and will never recover from the trauma of rape and sexual slavery. >> mr. taylor could only sit and listen. his defense team has never denied awful crimes were committed in sierra leone. at issue, they said, was whether mr. taylor had directed them. the defense had always said it was political theater. that was an argument the judges rejected. the stories of the victims would be told. a man the judges found responsible for their plight was there to hear them.

>> the editor of the website in thailand has been found guilty of insulting the marquee. -- monarchy. the high-profile case has renewed debate about freedom of expression in thailand. i am joined on skype from human rights watch in washington. thank you so much for joining us. your reaction to the verdict and what it means for freedom of expression in thailand? >> this is not unexpected. it does not suggest that thailand has any commitment to free expression. it is bad enough that thailand is abusing its laws to lock up all kinds of people who have no intention of insulting the monarchies, which is what is

going on here, but rather expressing free expression. in this case, it is even worse. someone being sentenced for not doing enough to police the content to of her own web site. it is intermediate liability. facebook and google could be held liable in certain circumstances similar to this. >> do you believe that going forward, this practice of royal censorship laws will undergo some kind of change or reform? >> the questions about reform, none of us are suggesting that the laws be gotten rid of. a simple reform and make a big difference, to remove the capacity of private individuals to bring complaints under the

law. this is what has led to the abuse. you could cut down on the salem witch trial mentality where every citizen can accuse any other citizen. it is very harmful to the public discourse in thailand. >> the think that the administration -- do you think the administration will make these changes to the strict censorship laws in thailand? >> that remains to be seen. that is something that we recommended. at the end of the day, it is also something the business community needs to stand up and say. you cannot have a vibrant, modern economy, if you are putting these kinds of restrictions on the internet sites. companies like google think twice about locating servers in

thailand because they may want to file the country's draconian laws. it is very serious from a business point of view. thailand should think twice about having these laws be so easily abused. >> thank you for your insight. >> a british aid worker has been released after nearly three months in captivity in sudan. he was kidnapped by an armed gang while working for the world food program. he is the 40 of the aid worker to have been kidnapped in the region in the past three years. >> the long wait is over. he was held for 86 days. now he is free. exact details of not come out, but it is clear that he has been through an extremely testing

time. >> he has been through an ordeal. he has held his head high. >> the authorities insist no ransoms are paid. here at the airport, he did not want to talk to the press after an ordeal which lasted three months. now he is on his way to the united kingdom. his kidnapping highlights the continued instability. nearly a decade after the war began, the three rebel movements are still fighting the government. the u.n. estimates 300,000 people have died. all the fighting has died down, darfur is still a dangerous and violent place.

millions still need food aid. his story has had a happy ending, but many are not so lucky. >> he is a fictional, but character renowned for his crime fighting skills. a collection of tin tin memorabilia is about to go under the hammer in paris, expected to fetch a 1 million euros. >> here in paris, they're putting the final touches to its latest escapade. rare first editions of the belgian comic-book heroes adventures as well as pictures, toys, and postcards, are about to be auctioned off. also going under the hammer will be an original cover. it could be worth up to zero million euros. -- up to a million euros. >> that is the magic of the

collection. >> he was one of the world's most famous reporters of the last century. he captured the imagination of millions of children around the world. although he was often accused of promoting colonialism and racial stereotypes, the heroes latest caper at auction could sugar -- could secure his position as the ultimate adventure. >> you have been watching newsday. >> a quick reminder of our main news. the three syrian army has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the government to pull its troops out of towns and cities or abandoned the commitment to the international peace plan. thank you very much for watching.

>> 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 solutions and 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.