>> 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 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?

>> and now "bbc world news." >> the un top human rights official tells the bbc but there's enough evidence to indict the syrian president assad for crimes against humanity. allegations that the syrian government forces have been involved in systematic abuse of children. >> they have gone for the children forever purpose in large numbers, hundred detained and tortured. -- for whatever purpose. >> hello and welcome. i'm george alagiah with a world of news and opinion. the most extensive face transplant operation ever performed. american surgeons: to giving a new chance in life.

what do you do when the captain of your airplane and dangerous safety? the passengers decided to take action. london, early morning in washington, 1:00 in the afternoon in damascus. ahead of the u.n. human rights commission has told the bbc that there's enough evidence to indict siri's president on charges of crimes against humanity. navi pillay says syrian security forces have detained and tortured children. she was speaking before the news that the regime has accepted a cease-fire plan proposed by the usnr league envoy kofi annan. now this special report. -- un arab leaugue envoy. >> this is a kind of therapy for the syrian survivors. children that in all undergo to

school -- that can no longer go to school. some of them have seen their parents dragged away in the nighttime. others have fled from the bombardment of homs. this child describes being at a march, cheering and chanting, and then the moment the army opened fire. now in an exclusive interview, a top human-rights official of the un has accused the syrian government of deliberately targeting children. >> they have gone for the children for whatever purpose in large numbers, hundreds detained and tortured. i have seen some of the evidence gathered by the commission of inquiry who spoke with parents and children. it is horrendous. >> the syrian government denies the accusation and accuses the high commissioner of bias. but does the president and their

commander responsibility for crimes against humanity >? >> there's enough evidence pointing to the fact that many of these acts committed by the security forces must have received the approval or the complicity at the highest level, because president assad could issue a single order to release all these children and stop the killing. >> by commissioner also criticized abuses by opposition groups. but the u.n. and human rights organizations say the majority of violations are being carried out by the government's side. much of the bombs and bullets, but they do to the bodies of children is simply a too distressing to show. the trauma inflicted on young minds is beyond calculation. in homs a freelance cameraman met a boy whose father had

vanished. >> is bashar al-assad ever going to face justice for the atrocities that you say that he bears responsibility? >> this can go on a long time, but one day they will have to face justice. >> in syria in these rooms of refuge, justice is far away. bbc news reporting. >> in other news, and american man has been given a new phase, teeth, tongue, and jaw in the most extensive facial transplant ever performed -- a new face. he was disfigured in a gun accident 15 years ago and had

been reckless. the surgery can be life changing. >> this was richard norris and his high school prom, but a gun accident four years later left him disfigured beyond recognition. he lost his nose and his lips and his mouth. after 15 years hiding behind a mask and 36 hours on the operating table. more than 150 doctors and medical staff last week were involved in transplanting his face from a donor. richard norris was given a new upper and lower jaw, teeth, a portion of the accou -- the tongue, and more. >> only six days after his surgical procedure, mr. richard norris. [applause] >> we looked at the donor and look at richard and it is a blend of two individuals. clearly there are specific

features like the nose and chin. but behind the soft tissue and behind a skeleton, it is richard norris. >> then he described the moment the patients on his new face. >> he put the mirror down and hugged me. it was a wonderful gift. he will make a functioning member of society again. >> surgeons have been amazed by his progress. richard norris is already able to taste, smell, shaved, and brush his teeth. the man spent 15 years doing the shopping at night out of view is now able to face the world in daylight. >> let's take a look at some other stories making headlines around world. sudan. bomb -- sudan will not bomb

south sudan. this almost today's of clashes at the border region. the african union says it is deeply concerned that the escalating security situation could get worse. the campaign group human rights watch says hundreds of afghan women have been jailed for what are called moral crimes, which usually involves putting a forced marriage or domestic violence. many of them are victims of rape, convicted of having sex outside marriage. a u.s. technology firm, apple, has offered to refund a steady customers who felt misled who4g capabilities of the ipad. a human watch group has taken apple to court. basic and apple computer does not work on 4g network. an assembly of 100 egyptians task with right in the country posing new constitution is due to begin working today. the liberal and secular parties have not sent any delegate to

the panel, saying is too heavily dominated by islamist groups, some of whom would like the country to follow sharia law more strictly. i'm joined by a senior adviser to the freedom and justice party, which represents half the moslem brotherhood inside egyptian parliament. thanks very much for being with us on gmt. will you tell us what is the formal position of the muslim brotherhood, of your party, as regards sharia law? >> the second clause of the current constitution of egypt as well as the previous constitution's stated that the principles of sharia law are the guiding preference for lawmaking in the country. this clause is in a consensus with all parties including the liberal party as well as the coptic church and christian churches of egypt. >> usa but the principles are there, but might it be possible

that under a government dominated by islamist parties that it becomes more of principle and practicality that it will mean more people subject to share real law? >> there's a big misunderstanding of what sharia law is. even though this exists, we believed that all civil rights and all minority rights and all egyptian rights will be equal under the law and protected. egypt is a signatory to all the international conventions. >> you are saying there will be no change from what has happened before? >> no, there will be changed. before this was a political issue and there were many human rights abuses and minority and women abuses. we tend to empower women to make sure religious minorities get their rights as well and get equal opportunity within the state. >> non-muslims will not be subject to sharia law? >> non-muslims will be subject to their own religious rules. >> can you imagine a woman becoming president?

>> of course. if such a thing happens, we will work with her and make sure that the real issue is the economy. >> why is it you think some of these secular people on the constitution assembly have decided to boycott the negotiations? >> the constitution assembly has been put together by an election process in the upper and lower houses in parliament. the force is divided. half from one house and half from outside. aboutsts represent 47 members, about half. our party has only 16 members in the 50% of the upper and lower houses. this is much more of a superficial kcontroversy. >> it is not superficial, because they have not turned up for the talks.

" it's not one of them has officially withdrawn on paper from the committee. at the moment it is nothing more than media campaigns or media statements. there has been a certain controversy and the parliament is discussing it. due to the fact this went to the process of democratic elections from the people, we'd think that it has enough merits -- >> let's move on to another thing. when i was in cairo last year i was given an assurance by from justice party officials that your party will not be running for election for the presidency, and other words to show but you are not trying to crowd out the political space. >> shares currently discussion about revising this because of the fact that the military council -- >> you will go back on your word correct? the current military council has been trying to undermine the parliament and standing in the way of the parliamentary will.

this is back on the table. we are discussing it and it might be resolved. >> thank you very much for being with us. >> thanks very much. but an airplane making an internal 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 that he had to be locked out of the cockpit and was heard pounding on the door and ranting about the al qaeda. >> it is one of those terrifying moments you usually see in the movies. the captain of this light that you cannot see 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 135 passengers. bus tour this is urging people to remain calm. >> please remain seated. -- the flight attendant urges

people to remain calm. >> 3 and 1/2 hours into the journey, the passenger left the conflict, forcing an emergency landing in amarillo, texas. an off-duty pilot had been on airplane and landed it. this off to a police officer pinned down the captain. pepsi started cursing at me and telling me that you better pray and iraq and iran. so i put him in a chokehold. i was not letting go of him until we landed the plane. >> on the tarmac, the captain was carried away. he is receiving medical attention now. the passengers, who continue to las vegas, came to terms with what happened. but all i could think of was my wife and my children. that's the only thing i could think of. >> this cannot happen. >> many people are calling for

tighter screening of pilots before they can take to the skies. bbc news. >> still ahead, we find out what lens baghdad security forces have gone as arab league ministers meet in the city for the first time in two decades. on our topore now story. the la cygne regime in syria has accepted a peace plan to end the violence -- the assad regime,. but hillary clinton sounded a note of caution in the u.s. in reaction to the endorsement for. >> it is an important initial step, but the regime has written to the united nations to accept kofi annan's plan. let me pause to say that, given bashar al-assad's history of

overpromising and underdelivery, that commitment must be matched by immediate action now. we will judge his sincerity and seriousness of what he does and 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's forces to stop firing and begin withdrawing from populated areas. >> hillary clinton right there. the operator of japan posted crippled fukushima nuclear plant says damaged one of the reactors is much worse than previously thought. reactor 2 gave british and readings 10 time legal levels and showed far less cooling water inside the reactor than expected. tepco says the findings could make decommissioning harder. a tibetan exile who set himself on fire in india to protest a visit by a chinese leader has died. he was taken to new delhi

hospital, but died from extensive injuries. people have been setting themselves on fire in the past year in protest of beijing's heavy-handed rule in tibet. military rulers in mali have announced the adoption of a new constitution after the president was toppled from power just days ago. this is gmt from bbc world news. i'm george alagiah. the syrian president is accused of systematically detaining and torturing children. an american man has been given a new face in the most extensive facial transplant operation ever performed. time for business news with aaron.

>> hello. lords of london.o >> they've had a bad year. 2011 was disastrous in terms of natural disasters. thinking about the devastation by the japanese earthquake and the tsunami. the floods in australia and thailand. a second earthquake in christchurch, new zealand. all that at resulted in a costly year for the insurance company in terms of natural disasters. the company paid $7.5 billion in disaster claims. the company lost in 2011 a hundred $20 million. -- 820 million dollars. the company sells to underwriters and the and the underwriter sells to retail insurance, which then sells to us. given the extent of the claims made in 2011, the company believes it is inevitable around

the world that are premiums will increase. >> when you see claims of this level, you would expect insurance market to respond with rates increasing. insurance needs to deliver sustainable profits over seven- year period. you do expect rates to increase to generate profits for future years. " so watch out for prices. >> let's talk about oil. talks between america, britain, and france about letting go some of their reserves. >> this is a big story. talking about the possible release of strategic oil reserves. they don't do that on a whim. the reason being crude oil prices at $128 a barrel. given the geopolitical tensions in iran, oil prices have risen 15% since jan.. if we look at the oil outages, the shortfalls, the world at the moment is running by more than 1

million barrels less per day. that is worrisome. all this equates to a higher petrol and gasoline prices at the pumps. leaders are worried these higher prices could derail the little economic growth in have. in the u.s., president obama hopes to be reelected in november. higher prices at dupont typically generates anger toward the leadership. although most experts believe at the moment the current situation that the leaders are not to blame. >> in this country, and gas prices go to $4, everybody blames the president and that's not fair. the president cannot change the world markets. it is a global commodity. it is supply and demand. >> here is basically saying it is out of their hands of a moment. and tensions in iran ongoing. >> thanks very much. for the first time in two decades the iraqi capital baghdad is hosting an al lees

endorse the six-point proposal for syria from special envoy kofi annan, which is seeking a cease-fire. security is tight in baghdad with checkpoints set up, entire streets closed, and extra troops. now report from the city. >> putting on the final touches to make baghdad fit for kings and heads of state under the watchful eye of the man charged with keeping it safe. tens of thousands of police and army have poured into the capital for iraq pose the first arab league summit in over two decades. it is a show of force designed to prevent anything disrupting this event that the government has so much invested in. they are not taking any chances. many of the roads are closed and students and public-sector

workers have been sent home for the week just to keep them off the streets. it has worked. this is normally one of the busiest markets in baghdad. today the shopkeepers have plenty of time to talk. >> how is business? he tells me no one has come to his electronic shop in a week because of all the security. and this man says that he would not mind if the checkpoint made things safer, but they only bring suffering. instead of 30 minutes, it takes him in three hours to get to work. as the shopkeepers prepare for their long trip home, we find optimists. he is a local poet writing about everything from love to democracy. have you written anything about the arab league?

>> no. >> he has a poem about everything. in summary, this arab summit is a shot to iraq as enemies and a blessing to iraq's friends and will mark the beginning of the arab consensus. arum leaders will seek consensus in the heavily fortified greene's own. they will not visit the rest of the country, which still faces continuous violence. they will not see places like solder city, -- sadr city, where they might not receive a warm welcome. some people in the crowd tell me neighboring countries brought a lot of violence to iraq, but most of them don't really care about the arab league. this woman says that she lives

austerity and wonders when she will benefit from the country's oil. for all the high hopes of the government, after the vip's fly away, they will have the same problems and with a lot less security. bbc news, baghdad. >> the former cuban president fidel castro says that he will happily meet pope benedict on wednesday and at the end of his three-day visit to cuba. the pope will hold a mass in havana in which thousands of cubans are expected to attend in the next few hours. now this report from havana. >> a moment of quiet prayer before the patron saint of cuba. 400 years since this statue of the virgin mary was discovered. the pope came here as a pilgrim. this visit is also political. he as gently been urging a change. >> i have prayed for the future

of your country that it may advance along a path of renewal and hope for the greater good of all cuba. cracks in sunday ago, he brought the message of renewal to havana where the catholic hierarchy came to greet him. the church in cuba is just finding its feet, increasing its influence. in response to the pope, cuba has made its position clear. >> there will be no political reform in cuba. what we are talking about is updating the cuban economic models to make our socialism sustainable, which is for the well-being of our people. >> it was all smiles when the pope and the president finally met. the church hopes all this can strengthen. its strengthen it is a rare moment for cuba in the international spotlight. on the streets, there are hopes

for this papal visit. economic reforms are popular, but somewhat more. -- some want more. >> the cuban people need a little bit more freedom. we are deprived of many things that we cannot get because they are forbidden. >> pope benedict is treading a diplomatic line that has his world vision so often at odds with the cuban reality. the main mass will be at revolution square in the cuban capital. reporting from havana, bbc news. >> we will look at what effect his visit has had on calls for reform in cuba. a reminder of our top story, the head of the u.n. human rights commission has told the bbc that there's enough evidence to indict president bashar al-assad of syria on charges of crimes against humanity. syrian security forces have detained and tortured children. 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. >> 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. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.