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>> and now "bbc world news." >> turkey and gulf states lead a charge against syria at the u.n. human rights council. expects condemnation for the syrian government goes the brutal crackdown against opposition stronghold. wounded british photographer smuggled out of homs. hello and welcome. a world of news and opinion. also in the program, the fukushima nuclear disaster, the government considered it back to waiting tokyo. >> you can appreciate the strength of the explosion. >> one of the longest surviving

anti-capitalist protest groups is disbanded. british police have evicted protesters from st. paul's. it's midday in london, 8:00 in the evening in hong kong, 1:00 in the evening in geneva. the u.n. human rights council is meeting their right now as the crisis in syria is at the top of the agenda. delegates will discuss a motion drafted by turkey and the gulf states of saudi arabia, qatar, and kuwait. given their past record of condemnation, expect a similar message. an armored in the division had entered the besieged city of homes. -- homs. a wounded photographer paul conroy has escaped just in time. >> the pounding of the city by syrian artillery continues. these are some of the latest pictures of the shelling. it's impossible to verify

precisely when they were taken. this coincides with news that at least one of the wounded journalists trapped in the city is now safely out of syria. he is the british photographer paul conroy, working for the sunday times. last week he describes his own ordeal in syria. >> i was wounded in a rocket attack yesterday with wounds to my leg. any assistance that we can get, government agencies would be welcome. >> now he is safe. but the whereabouts of french journalists edith bouvier remain much less clear. the reporter was seriously wounded. five days ago spoke of needing an urgent operation. they survived syrian government attacks which killed their colleagues of marie colvin and and french photographer remi ochlik, called a deliberate assassination by the french president recently.

and human rights council is considering further condemnation of the syrian president posing regime, something in has done three times already. >> the world is observing us. expectations and hopes in particular by the syrians. we are meeting at a crucial moment for syria. >> the 47-member human rights council is expected to approve a new resolution condemning the use of heavy artillery and tanks to attacked residential areas. russia is likely to lead a minority which will vote against the strong appeals of leading u.s. officials. >> more than at any other time those committing atrocities in syria have to understand that the international community will not stand by and watch this carnage and that their decisions and actions they take today ultimately will not go unpunished. >> but the syrian representative

rejected all that, saying damascus did not recognize the legitimacy of the sessions or any resolution it might adopt. >> everybody in the world knows unilateral economic sanctions are the worst form of violation of human rights to, because they target first and foremost/foremos -- civilians. >> the majority still hopes somehow the killing and president assad's increasingly violent rule can be ended with the help of moral and diplomatic pressure. >> jim muir is in beirut. we don't want to speculate in a way that might endanger anybody in homs, but can you clarify anything about the fate of the journalists beyond what james has said? >> we know pretty much for sure

that paul conroy is out, but three others are not accounted for. edith bouvier, a french correspondent seriously injured. very difficult to move her because her leg was fractured. two others, a french journalist named william daniels and javier espinosa, who is a spanish journalist, they are trapped in homs in a district that is coming under heavy attack. there had been reports that edith bouvier and had crossed the border into lebanon. that has not been confirmed. we believe she is probably still inside homs, although we cannot confirm anything. ordon't know if she is out the other two. that is the situation. >> we heard in that report, talking about the international

community will not stand by, will not allow a couple crimes to go unpunished. presumably, the syrian regime that is beyond caring. these are just more words, in the end. >> the only thing that really matters for the syrian regime at this stage is to have continued the sydiplomatic reports from beijing and moscow. almost a cold war going on, russia and china defending their position very strongly, counteracting western positions that it says are only one side in a civil conflict, accusing the west of fueling the flames of civil war. as long as president assad can count on that, sanctions by the u.n. body will not matter. it is a regime that is fighting for its survival. it is just words according to his regime. >> thanks.

in a report in to look fukushima nuclear disaster in japan last year suggests the government did consider evacuating tokyo. the inquiry by an independent panel says government officials feared the disaster could engulf the capital. for the first time since the tsunami, international journalists have been allowed inside the fukushima reactor. tokyo correspondent was one of the first in. >> 3000 people every day are working inside the fukushima plant. before they go inside, they have to come here. what you have to wear is to protect from radiation. first of all, there is thinking sui, a double layer. plastic boots. there are gloves. a surgical mask. and, of course, a full face masks to protect us from anything that is in their air. -- the air.

this is the main control center. there are perhaps 100 or more men sitting at laptops monitoring what is going on in the reactors. the reactors themselves are just next door big. because the air is filtered, they don't have to wear protective clothing right here. there are messages, good luck messages. and the japanese flag. the japanese character in the middle is a symbol of hope. if anyone comes here, they can appreciate the strength of the that tore the reactor buildings apart. you can see that man working up there. this area is highly radioactive still.

they could dismantle this power station ended could take up to a four you are years. >> let's look at some other stories around the world. 16 people have been killed in an attack on a convoy of buses in pakistan. a gunman opened fire on the vehicles in the northern district. the convoy was traveling from rawalpindi to a northern city. let's get the latest now from islamabad. can you give the details of this latest attack, ali? >> yes, police are telling us now and the details have changed over the last couple hours. they said gunmen in military fatigues stopped the convoy of four buses on this road and the gunman then enter the buses and checked everybody's id cards. you can tell from names sony

muslims from shiite muslims. they removed from the bus all of those they thought were shia muslims and executed them, shot them dead, and the rest were left alone. at the moment police don't have many claims from any group that carried out the attack. there have been any attacks in the past against shia muslims in pakistan. >> how worrisome is? this is the idea that far from being a bomb attack that indiscriminate, people are selected because of their religion and then executed? >> unfortunately, even this kind of scenario has happened many times in the northwest of the country and in the baluchistan province close to the iranian border. there have been attacks against shiite muslims for years since the 1980's and even before that. earlier this month there was a suicide bombing outside a she a mosque. -- shia musliosque.

this has been going on for some time. there's a feeling there's sort of a resurgence of this. there are constant complaints from this minority group and other minority groups that the government does not do enough to protect them and in some ways even encourages them through laws. this type of discrimination in these kind of attacks on minority groups. they feel militants accused of carrying out the attacks have been released. >> thanks very much. a crippled italian cruise ship which was adrift more than 12 hours in the indian ocean with more than 1000 people on board is now under tow by a french trawler. the company but owns the costa allegra is bringing the passengers to the main

seychelles islands to ensure the safety of those on board. the company also operates the costa concordia, which ran aground off italy last month killing more than 30 people. peter has this report. >> the costa allegra ran into trouble southwest of the seychelles while sailing from madagascar are. if fire in the ship's generator room caused it to lose all power. the fire was extinguished, but the vessel now has no air- conditioning or cooking facilities. today's 636 passengers were served cold breakfast. >> apparently all the passengers and crew are safe. they all spent the night on the outside decks because the heat was too great and there was no lighting so it was dangerous to be in the corridors. i believe they spent the night under the stars. >> the costa allegra is now being towed towards the seychelles by a french fishing vessel. >> we have no reports of anyone

being sick or injured. the situation is very calm. the captain is in control. >> it's been a bad year for the company. the ill-fated the costa concordia ran aground and capsized off the coast of italy in january. the costa allegra is from the same fleet. >> what is crucial about this is that it followed in the wake of the costa concordia, which, i think, is going to define this company for as long as it continues. it may not be that long. >> somali pirates operate far and wide in the indian ocean, but they've never sees the cruise ship before. and members of the italian navy's anti-piracy unit are on board the costa allegra as a precaution. the ship does not appear to be in any danger and the weather is good. but the priority is to get the passengers ashore. bbc news. >> for more on the safety of

modern crew ships, go to our web site, bbc.com. how the industry is keen to adjust safety regulations in order to speed up the evacuation in times of emergency. just go to the web site. you're watching "bbc world news." making art. german opera dramatizing the tension between berlin and athens. time now for look at the main stories in some papers around the world. in the u.k. a, a report that difficult times for the cruise operator six weeks after one of its ships catalyzed in italy and another one is in trouble in the indian ocean. reluctant support for greece, german lawmakers remain not convinced they should not abandon the debt stricken country.

and japan poses leaders considered evacuating tokyo during the fukushima nuclear crisis last year. an independent reports from the nuclear accident describes the chaos that group to the country's leaders as the crisis deepened. and spain as a dispatch from the barcelona world conference. the expo is highlighting the dominance of the relative newcomers such as google and htc or giants like apple and intel. this is gmt from bbc world news. the headlines. syria on the agenda at the u.n. human rights council. turkey and the gulf states to lead the charge against that government. a report into the fukushima nuclear disaster a year later, the government considered evacuating tokyo.

time now for the business news. we have talked a lot about the problems of getting the greeks to stick bought all the conditions attached to a bailout. rather better news now from portugal. >> the european union and imf and all the others have given them a pat on the back and another 15 billion euros. this will keep them going a bit longer. they have another 30% for the bailout fund to be dispersed to portugal by september next year and they should be fit enough at that time to go back to the market. if they are not, there's a possibility of default. default is a very interesting word at the moment. the question is whether the greeks have defaulted. this will be decided by the international derivatives association. they will decide whether they have defaulted or not.

>> we know that the private sector has already had to swallow a large hair cut. other people might say that is a default. they're called here cuts -- hari cuts. many people would like to see this called an official default because then they could cash in on their insurance payments. if it's not something necessarily that officials want to agree to. when is a default? maybe we will find out later in the week. but for the moment there's a lot of confusion. >> if it is a default, then people start to claim on their insurance. the credit defaults swaps. then someone one would have to pay and we could be talking billions. >> and the housing market -- >> there is a bottoming out of the housing market it seems. we are in a curious position with the housing market. it always happens when the housing market hits the bottom.

as it starts to recover in the coming months, people put their house on the market. so all waves of stock goes on the market and it goes back down again. i think we are trapped at this level for a long time. here's what an expert told me. >> we are faced with an economy that's improving at a slow pace, but it is improving. we are seeing some positive numbers periodically relating to housing. but the general consensus is that housing prices probably will still slipped the next couple years as we see more distressed properties go through the pipeline. >> and we will show your report later on concerning the hamptons, one of the wealthy and exclusive areas in the united states. they see a 50% drop in prices. big distress sales there. among the wealthiest in america and some of the most expensive properties. >>

thanks very much. dozens of police and the lives have cleared a camp set out of all your months ago outside st. paul's cathedral in london. it was one of the longest surviving encampments inspired by the new york protest against capitalist excess. 10-20 people were detained as officers removed tents and equipment. now this report from the side of the protest. >> it has been a dramatic sequence of events that has gone on throughout the night really. have a look. last night when the commuters were going home from work, this place was covered with dozens of tents that have been there several months in some cases. the police arrived just after midnight and went about their work poorly and quickly. there was some token resistance. there was a small amount of scuffling, but not much violence. i think the authorities will regard what has happened here as quite a success all in all.

midnight at st. paul's, the occupying camp on full alert. but when the police invaded, they were in overwhelming numbers to clear the tents. scuffles, yes, but little violence. resistance, but no hope of remaining. allmeasurmessage went out for supporters to join the cause. police made sure that did not happen. after many months, a long legal fight, this was a defining moment. >> i think this certainly is enough to get people to be innovative and creative. this is not the end. it's the end of the beginning. >> a few of the most committed manned the last barricaded.

occupy may survive, but it must change. this encampment had been a symbol of their cause. abc news, st. paul's. >> 13 people killed in an explosion at a chemical plant in northern china. more than 40 people are said to have been entered in the blast which tore through the factory near the capital of the province. the blast made it -- the plant made pesticides and other chemical products. the force shattered windows up to and two kilometers away. the cause is still being investigated. millions of children living in cities around the world are being deprived of the most basic services according to a report from the united nations children's fund. although campaigns against poverty tend to focus on rural areas, children living in slums and shantytowns are increasingly becoming more disadvantaged. amnesty international says that

iran has stepped up repression of dissent and increased surveillance of internet activity in the run-up to friday's parliamentary elections. if amnesty reports a wave of arrests of activists. lawyers, students, journalists, amongst others are being targeted by iranian security forces. with european leaders piling up the pressure on greece tune in implement painful austerity measures, it's not an easy time for many people. they reported on the frustrations felt in greece as what they see as pressure from berlin. greek people living in germany feel particularly uneasy, no surprise. our correspondent steve evans reports. >> ♪ >> the euro as you have never seen it. it has become a goddess to be worshipped in this new production complete with a h

alo. it is a reworking of the opera "aida" wet at the european central bank. et at the european central bank. best is what some germans say about greece. >> it is typical of greeks to take what is not yours. that is a phrase that makes the entire audience go [gasps]. >> it is an opera about the very real drama which is the euro zone with all the pain and emotion. but i have to tell you, there's no obvious, clear, happy ending. in berlin at this great tavern they don't expect a happy ending

in the real world either. this man is agreed father -- has a greek father and a german mother and notices the rising tension between the two groups. >> it breaks my heart because i see the misunderstandings and the distrust. i see that beneath the friendly relationships, there are all the stereotypes and cliches. >> at this meeting of greeks in berlin, some say they are patronized by germans, asked if they can pay their bill at the supermarket. some plan to go home. >> i am aware that the situation in greece is tragic and is a disgrace for european countries being forced to apply such austerity measures but i believe that we will have to contribute so togreece gets over this crisis, so i am planning to go

back. >> the euro is meant to bring countries closer together and economies merged. the drama which is the euro crisis is obviously not having that effect. bbc news reporting from berlin. >> before ending this edition, a reminder of our top stories. the u.n. human rights council is holding an emergency debate on syria. the heads of the council called for an immediate cease- fire to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. but the syrian representative walked out after saying damascus and not recognize the legitimacy of the session. the council is meeting as a british photographer paul conroy, wounded in homs is headed home. he was brought out from the besieged district with the help of syrian opposition on monday. that's all for the moment. stay with us on bbc world news.

>> 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. >> union bank has put its global 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. >> "bbc world news" was