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>> at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. thats why were supplying cleaner burning natural gas to generate electricity. and its also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol, a biofuel made from renewable sugar cane. >> a minute, mom! >> lets broaden the worlds energy mix. lets go. >> and now, bbc world news. >> still no access to the site of reported massacre in syria for the u.n. monikers. bombardment in the hans province as the u.n. warns the country heading closer to civil war.

hello and welcome to "g.m.t.." also come up in this program, the japanese government says the country is running out of power and is restoring some of its nuclear power. but is a lesson to be learned? and we have a special report on the lengths that chinese students and their families take to get to university place. >> these are the last-minute arrivals then and these are the anxious parents waiting a the school gates. no one does exams quite like this. what's it like being a student in the middle of it all? >> it's midday here in london, 7:00 in the morning in washington, and 2:00 in the afternoon in syria where u.n. monikers there again trying to reach the village to try to -- reports by government

militiamen. they were shot at and forced to turn back but it's not clear what they will find if they do manage to get through. activists say syrian forces removed the bodies of both of the 80 people killed. here is steve kingston. >> terrified residents in the syrian town. the images showed families running for gunfire. one of the envoy admits his peace plan is failing and the country is in danger and spiraling out of country. in new york, kofi annan had a blunt message for the security council. spell out the to president assad of what will happen if he continues to wage war on his own people. syria is not -- syria is not liba.

it will not employed. it will explode beyond its borders and cause real problems in the region that nobody wants. if this group can look at the issues, let's cooperate and probably suggest a road map for the syrians to come sit down. >> his proposed contact group would aim to bridge the divide between the two sides in syria by involving countries like saudi arabia and iran, with close ties to president assad. but that idea left britain and america weary. >> iran is part of the problem in syria at the present time. there's no question that it is actively engaged in supporting the government in perpetrate the violence on the ground. where it to be stop, that would be significant. but time is short as evidence and atrocities mount. the u.n. secretary jean says it

may amass ground to death. mr. annan's trip to washington today is a sign that the onus is on government to act. there is no sense of urgency. some would say desperation about these discussions. if the diplomat tries to reinvent a plan that has failed. kofi annan is speaking of the immediate alternative. >> well, i am joined by our correspondent who is in hama and paul, you are traveling with those u.n. monitors definitely trying to get into the village where that civilian massacre took place. tell us what's going on. >> we just left the u.n. headquarters and there's a couple of u.n. cars but they're

unarmed. they were in their body armor. they did try yesterday when they tried to get in. they were stopped at some directions by villagers who wouldn't let their cars past. in other areas, they couldn't get in and the government said they couldn't go out due to safety so they are hoping today that they checkpoints of them stopping them before would be cleared and try can work out what happened in the village on wednesday. >> paul, how many monitors are there? >> well, they tend to travel in groups of two. there's about six in this trip. there was four when i was -- when i went to the trip earlier in the week. and what they'll do is try and find the bodies, record the number of dead that they can find, take some eyewitness testimony, if they can find it the problem they have here is it's been two days. these are people that are very scared. when the u.n. leaves, they will have to live among the people but some of whom will carry out this attack.

so how much information they can get and how accurate that information will be be difficult to assess. >> what's the morale of these monitors like? they must be frustrated but also they know they're under attack. it's very rare for the u.n. to say that u.n. convoy has been deliberately targeting as this one was. >> well, that happened yesterday as we were leaving the area when shots were fired. two small rounds hit the side of their vehicle. you have to give credit to the u.n. monitor. on the ground, they're going to into a very dangerous area. they really pushed the envelope when it comes to safety. there's a variety of concrete from egypt and nepal but they believe in what they're trying do. it would be fair that the pigs that they've done in terms of carrying out their brief has been a success. the six-point plan has been a failure because of the agreement carried out on the ground. >> paul, where are they as far

as you can tell as far as the diplomatic movement that's going on in new york at u.n. headquarters and comments being made by the u.n. ban ki-moon that sir yace getting close to civil war? >> well, they don't need to be told that because they can see it's around them. the reality in this country is what began as a black-on-white affair has brought many shades of gray. you have foreign governments interfering in the opposition. i was following one case deliberately wrecking a cease-fire that have been bombed by a local town. a militia group that steeps have been spiraling away from the sinner -- syrian government. and you have radicalized element

within the opposition in which they are concern about. i spoke to the people in lebanon a couple of weeks ago. they are still sbhault they say if there isn't any intervention and the people in desperation will start listening to other voices and those voices are heavy. >> paul, thanks very much indeed. trying to get into the village of qubair where that massacre of civilians took place. let's look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. a bomb has gone off in pakistan killing at least 18 people near the northwestern city. the blast was close to a bus carrying government employees. more than 30 people trort have been injured. it is close to the tribal region and is often been targeted by militants in recent years. the u.n. nuclear watchdog is urging iran to allow its access to see it where is teheran is

expected to make an atomic bomb. the ambassador has arrived to the talks of the u.n. international atomic agency in vienna. western powers in israel believe iran is trying to develop a bomb. tie run a insists its nuclear program is peaceful. thousands of police officers in japan are hunting for the last person still at large from a doomsday cult that killed 12 people in a nerve gas attack in 1995. officers have been handing out fresh photograph of the suspect who is reported to have fled his home on monday. and the japanese prime minister says the country must restart two nuclear reactors to protect the economy and people's livelihood. he said measures have been taken to ensure the two reactors in western japan restarting them has been a public concern

because of the fukushima disasters last year. we're joined by the bbc's roland burke. the government there saying quite clearly that power cuts are very much a real possibility . >> yes. he was talking about a 10% gap between demand and supply. he said the japanese decide he couldn't survive without the abundance of cheap and stable electricity. he talked about a hollowing out of japan's economy, the fear that manufacturing could go abroad. the risks to people's jobs. what the prime minister was doing was setting out the reason why the oil reactors, those two reactors in the west for the country should be switched back on. the idea is to try to get some kind of consensus, to try to persuade local authorities around that reactor to disagree then the government will be able to make a decision to restart those reactors perhaps as early

as next week. and i think that the thinking of the government is that this could set a template of how reactors could be restarted because it's not just about this one plan. across japan, all 50 of the country's nuclear reactors are now offline because of course of fears after the fukushima incident and before that disaster, they provided 30% of japan's electricity so you can see how tough it is for this big economy to get by without them. >> and are you able to gauge public opinion? do they believe that lessons are being learned from the fukushima disaster or still very worried? >> people are still very worried. opinion poll show many people would rather try to muddle through the hot months this summer when demand for electricity is at its peak but using less of it. and people around those nuclear reactors are very concerned as well. but japan really faces a choice

between its fears of the potential of another disaster and the reality of the affect on japan's economy of not having enough youk power. but somsak about vizners say this is an opportunity that if japan left these reactors off, it could then move into developing renewable forms of energy, perhaps use that to boost its economy. >> roland burke, thank you for joining us live from tokyo. now british scientists have worked out exactly how a parasite has wiped out millions of honey bee colonies throughout the world. they find that the m.i.t. -- mi texas injects directly on to the bees. >> honey bees are some of the world's notice precious pollenators. with each bee visiting up to 2,000 flowers every day, the

crop pollination are valued at 100, pounds a year in the u.k. alone. but the tiny mite has been infested and decimated honey bee colonies worldwide. it was clear that this parasite gave these viruses but a new study pinned down which virus is the honey bee killer. scientist studied hives but have been recently supposed to this one. -- exposed to this one. it reveal that the parasite spread one specific strain of deformed wing virus. usually, bees that have this common virus have many different types of it, all different. but this one incubates one nasty strain, gradually filling the bee's bodies with it. the virus itself is untreatable. but identifying it could mean that beekeepers can screen their hives to only those that are infected need to be destroyed.

it's a significant step in the battle to hope the spread of the biggest single threat to honey bees worldwide. >> still to come here on "g.m.t.," people in france are preparing to vote again. this time in parliament. elections weeks after that dramatic presidential race. the u.n. high commission of the human rights say that u.n. grown attacks raise serious questions about compliance with international law. but the u.n. defense insist such strikes will continue. >> this man described as al qaeda's second in command was killed in by an unmanned drone. the latest in a series of such attacks reach which the u.s. sees as necessary tool as the fight against international terrorism.

but others are not so sure and are voicing their concerns. >> drone attacks, do face a serious question about compliance with international law in particular, the principle of distinction and proportionality and ensuring a validity for any flour comply with international law is difficult when drone attacks are conducted outside the military chain of command. >> it is highly controversial. pakistan has repeatedly condemned it. the u.s. says the drone strikes are legal. and official stress they have to hit hard because pakistan won't. >> we are reaching the limits of our patience and for that reason, it is extremely important that pakistan take action to prevent this kind of

safe haven from taking place and allowing terrorists to use their country as a -- as a safety net in order to conduct their attacks on our forces. >> pakistan call those comments unhelpful. but america is unrepentant. the drone strikes will continue. janie mitchell, bbc news. >> this is "g.m.t." from bbc world news. these are our top headlines. as the u.n. secretary general warns of imminent civil war, syria's opposition group plan a day of protest. and japan's prime minister says two nuclear plants shut down after the fukushima disaster must come back on line. let's get the latest business news with aaron. france talked about the parliament elections coming up but also very clear signs now

that the downturn is leaving a much clearer imprint. >> absolutely. hit the nail on the head. this recent escalation of the crisis leaving its mark on the region's second largest economy because the french central bank came out and told us that the french economy over the next few months is going to contract by 0 .1%. because a month ago, the french industrial australia bank saying it's not going to crafpkt it's the speed of this deterioration on top of that, we also learned that french unemployment topped the 10% level. that's the lowest level for france in 12 years. and for the new french president, a man who is more in line to wanting to go growth measures. the challenge is greater. also of what is at interest is the president and his socialist party have enacted measures that really guide a trend of the rest of europe. for example, they cut the

retirement age for certain workers. on thursday, they announce it's going to be more expensive for companies to lay off workers. two moves that would add cost to an economy and not reduce expect he's the question i ask experts. would moves like this help an economy grow? here's the pans >> if you look at the former pension system, it's entirely funded by additional taxes so the trend, yet is different from what you've seen from the rest to the union since this lifestyle reform. more about taxes and not so much about cutting spendture. but it is not about inflating the deficit. it is still a program that is consistent with austerity. >> now, going to japan, the big camera maker olympus mired in scandal are looking for a new way out. >> yes, they're trying to play the comeback kid, if you will. and i say comeback because let's

remind everybody you mentioned that scandal. they were involved in the biggest corporate scandal in japanese history. 1.7 billion dollars in its last financial years. it lost nearly $620 million. it paid out reportedly, still not confirmed around $10 million to the boss the man who blew the whistle over the scandal. they announced a 5-year turnaround plan, involving 2707,000 jobs to go but it's the company saying we just want to go back to basics so we ask our man on the ground in tokyo, roland, he's been a very busy boy today. but since that's tokyo, i want to ask him is there a general belief, a sense there that this company can turn around its misfortunes? >> i think there is that belief but it's never got into the position where its liability exceeds is assets. it's got a good market share, a dominant market share in end doe scopes. it is going to concentrate its

sandrrks d efforts on medical devices. they're still making cameras. what olympus really needs to do is shore up its balance sheets. >> a lot of work ahead of that company. that's it with the business. >> all right. aaron, thanks very much. just weeks after the dramatic presidential election in france, the country's going to the the polls again for a parliamentry vote. two rounds, the first this sunday and the greatest focus is the renewed battle between the far right and the far left. their respective leaders go head-to-head from where our correspondent reports. >> the ghost of a forgotten age. the sams site factory employing over 200 people closed five years ago. jobs went to eastern europe. and half of those are still

unemployed. if you want an image of the economic disparity in northern france, then here it is. it's a story of corruption, mismanagement, perhaps in these charred remains and the broken glass is also the reflection of what damage global san diego and foreign competition can reek in a town such as this one. it's election territory for the right, fertile. nowhere in the right in the recent presidential election. on this weekend, she stands for the paurl triseat, one of the handful of constituency where is they believe they can win. >> i'm voting for change. no to europe. we want to go back to the franc. we don't have the means to live anymore. but also here with an appetite for battle is the champion of the far left.

descending to shine a light on the vampires and snatch from them, the seat that it once looked so assured. i'm an outsider, he told me. born and raised in north africa. i've moved around like many people in this country. marine stands for a france that no longer exist. but while they divide italy on the issue of immigration on the economy, they stand closer than you might expect. both advocate a rise in the minimum wage and both pledge to defense french industry from outside competition. and yet, marie insists there are fundamental differences. >> only the french people can guarantee their own prosperity, security, identity. the far left is opposed to our brand of nationalism. they are not against europe. far from it. they want more europe. >> she needs to capture to

capitalize on her performance in the presidential election. she falls ahead but will be defeated later in the socialists stand in the decisive second-round vote. >> now, wherever you are in the world, exam times always stressful to students and their families but in china, the pressure is even more intense. nine million students competing for fewer than seven million university places for kids and many students wouldn't get a place and that is why they push themselves to the limit. here is a report from shanghai. >> with the road blocks in place, not even traffic noise is allowed to disturb china's stressed out students. these the last-minute arrivals then and these are the anxious parents wait agent the school gates. no one does exam stress quite like this. what's it like being a student?

well, for the past year, we've been given access to chiang hay's number eight high school. it's the final year students prepare for the university and entrance exam. this girl is feeling the pressure. she's hoping to attend the prestigious university and needs to do well. it's tough. there's little time to relax, the she tells me. despite her family's low income, they've moved house, paying more tronalt live closer to the school for her final year. private tutoring, anything she needs, we try to support her, her father says. she does an extra six hours of study every night, china's policymakers admit the system puts too much pressure on families and robs children of their social life. so why is it proving so hard to change? >> we have more than 2,000 years

of road to landing. we have more than 2,000 years of examination. so you cannot say in one night, all this behavior changed. no. >> this year, one chinese school was shown to be giving children energy boosting injections from intravenous drips. there has been some reform. in theory, schools must provide an hour of physical activity every day. and in some ways, china's problem is a nice one to have. the system of intense study means shanghai leads the world in reading, math, and assigns scores, including the students -- science scores including students like these. one can't help but be impressed the students in this school, the struggling ones and the concentration on display would be the many systems with more resources and much more advantage.

but china needs creative thinkers, not just hard-working test takers and without urgent reform, its economic prospects may grow increasingly dim. >> now a quick reminder of our top story on "g.m.t." in syria, u.n. monitors are trying to reach the village in qubair of a civilian massacre allegedly by pro government forces. that's all for the moment from g. goodbye. -- "g.m.t.." goodbye. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation, union bank. and sell. -- shell. >> at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies.

thats why were supplying cleaner burning natural gas to generate electricity. and its also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol, a biofuel made from renewable sugar cane. >> a minute, mom! >> lets broaden the worlds energy mix. lets go. >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.