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we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> a call for global sanctions against the i air role of president bashar al-assad -- the iron role of president bashar al-assad. >> russia and china will pay a price, because they are holding up process. it is no longer tolerable. >> welcome to gmt.

also coming up in the program -- two chinese baby trafficking rings are smashed with more than 800 arrests. the new oath for girl guides in australia. hello. it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, and 1:00 in the afternoon in paris, where u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has demanded russia and china and their support for president bashar al-assad. the united states and others are threatening new sanctions on assad. the british foreign secretary says countries who did not impose sanctions were effectively allowing killings to continue. the syrian opposition wants military action instead. >> from their fathers, they inherited syria's now vulnerable

dictatorship. on the left, president bashar al-assad refusing to step down. a commander, manaf tlas, has now abandoned him and left the country. i'm less tense times, they were often seen together at damascus restaurants. his father was defense minister until 2004. last year, he also left syria after he was personally named on a list of sanctions. president assad needs the cohesion of his inner circle if he is survived been in office. itsyria's gilded elite, built and supports the institutions of brutality. the question, how many need to defect until the regime crumbles? these are pictures of some of the latest violence. the u.n. says it is at unprecedented levels, with the

direction coming straight from the assad family. under orders from the president's brother, who controls the republican guard and other elite units. in paris, another high-profile conference aimed at bolstering the syrian opposition. it once a no-fly zone. it is only likely to get tougher sanctions. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the syrian regime has no strategy, except escalation of the massacres. this regime thinks that violence will discourage people from asking for their freedom. syrians, on a daily basis, are joining the opposition. >> russia and china are not there. a sign of an unchanging disagreements within the international community -- with which america is losing patience. >> what can every nation and group represented here do?

i ask you to reach out to russia and china, and to not only urged but demanded that they get off the sidelines and begin to support the legitimate aspirations of the syrian people. >> with no unity among world powers on the way forward, refugee camps across the border indicate the hemorrhaging of the nation. >> with a more on that meeting. we go to paris and speak to our correspondent there. increased frustration about russia and china, peter. in terms of concrete moves, what more can be done? >> it was always suspected that russia and china would stay away from this meeting in paris. russia has made it clear it is a one-sided affair.

they did turn up when kofi anna convenedn the meeting including russia and china. apparently, the all signed up to the idea of a political transition in syria. there are different interpretations of what the various parties made of that. especially around the issue of president assad's future. the diplomacy is slow. it's one step at a time. there's frustration they cannot move quicker. the violence has escalated in the killing goes on. >> francois hollande, the french president, calling for stiffer sanctions. other countries are calling for that, as well. in what area? >> economic sanctions, travel bans, asset freezes. the feeling in the west among members of the european union and the united states is the gulf states can do more to put

pressure on the regime. >> thank you very much. we will be speaking to somebody in a few minutes, as well, about the defection of manaf tlas, the brigadier-general who is believed -- his home in damascus has been ransacked. a very close ally of president bashar al-assad. now to some of the other stories making headlines around the world today. two men have been found guilty of systematically stealing babies from the families of political prisoners. they were jailed in an argentine court together. here is our correspondent. >> jorge videla has already been convicted of crimes against

humanity. the trials of stolen babies is probably the most gruesome of charges he has had to face in court. mr. videle and bignone received lengthy jail sentences. the verdict was met from cheers from relatives and friends. this had been one of the most compelling cases in argentine history. the accused were said to have overseen a systematic plan to steal babies from political prisoners, who were tortured and killed there in the country's last military rule, which lasted until the early 1980's. the trial is the result of years of campaigning. the human rights organization -- >> this is justice. we started this in 1996. we did not know if we were going to make it to this moment or not. it's important for society to know they have been tried and

sentenced and will continue to be tried and sentenced. >> at least 100 of these stolen babies have been identified since then. human rights groups estimate there could be hundreds more. >> [speaking foreign language] >> we still have a huge amount of work ahead of us. all these civilians and intermediaries are still free. all those have to be tried and jailed. >> although there are still numerous trials in argentina, this verdict will give some closure to those affected by one of the darkest episodes in the country's history. >> the russian parliament is debating a bill that would impose harsh regulations on foreign-funded non-governmental organizations involved in political activity. it would force groups to label themselves as foreign agents, a term associated with spies in

russia. the government says it needed to protect russia. critics accuse them of trying to crush dissent. church of england clergy are gathering for a meeting that could allow women to become bishops. the proposal is deeply divisive. it will be discussed to allow traditional parishes to ask for a male bishops. in hong kong, a drug seized at a value of $100 million. 650 kilograms of cocaine or found in a container arriving from ecuador. three men have been arrested. in china, authorities claim to have broken up two major baby trafficking gangs and freed 180 children. more than eight hundred people have been arrested in an operation right across the country.

it has become a serious problem in china during the one-child policy and lax adoption laws. a massive operation, martin. >> that is right. i think this operation highlights the extent of the problem of human trafficking in china, especially when it comes to child trafficking. as you said, almost 200 children rescued in this operation, which involved police officers in the 15 provinces across the country. the numbers of how many children are adopted across the country are not known, but there are estimates putting it anywhere from an astonishing 20,000 to 70,000 adoptions every year. in particular, there is a preference for baby boys. the reason for that -- in china, traditions dictate that they have a male heir in the

family. >> these babies, these were all abducted, but were some sold, as well? >> the details are pretty sketchy of this operation. what is clear is the authorities are trumpeting the success. in the many ways, this underscores the significance, how big a problem human trafficking is in china. in many ways, these children can count themselves among the lucky ones that have been rescued, according to organizations -- it could be a thousands, if not tens of thousands. why is that? because of lax adoption rules, but also because of this preference for a male heir. see thehy we trafficking of boys. >> how seriously -- can child

traffickers get the death sentence? >> in this case, they've just made an arrest. we've seen heavy sentences handed down in the past. authorities do think that they are taking this seriously. in many ways, this type lights -- this highlights the general lawlessness in some areas of china. where these people can thrive without oversight from the police -- authorities say they're taking action against this problem. i think they even realize that it is a huge problem and that far more needs to be done on this issue. >> thank you very much. >> still to come on gmt -- would be a prepares for the first free national elections in more than 50 years -- on gmt -- libya

prepares for its first free national elections in more than 50 years. police used teargas to break up the protest by thousands of people who set up camp in city center. many have walked hundreds of kiloliters. >> the price for trying to break police lines. >> [speaking foreign language] >> if this is the change that you wanted, then throw teargas at us again. as well as the tear gas, water cannons. the aim is to push out protestors who set up camp near bolivia's presidential palace. thousands have marched 600 kilometers from their businesses to oppose plans for a new highway. police accuse them of assaulting

officers. the protesters say the police have been heavy-handed. >> [speaking foreign language] >> we have been gassed. five people among them, children and seniors, have been affected by the tear gas. they were just sitting in their tentss in protest when the government acted in violence. >> the government suspended work on part of the new highway after previous protests, but says it has received approval from leaders to hold a referendum. >> [speaking foreign language] >> we have to point out that the government has replaced our representatives with their own people. if the government tries to reach our territory through our roads without consent, we are going to respond. >> other indigenous groups are in favor of the new road. a referendum is expected to be held at the end of this month.

>> this is gmt from "bbc world news." i am tim willcox. there have been calls for sanctions regime. the u.s. urged russia and china to stop supporting president assad. two of the leaders of argentina's military have been found guilty of overseeing the systematic theft of babies from political prisoners. thousands have been protesting 9 pakistan against the opening of the nato supply route. in retaliation of the killing of two dozen pakistani soldiers. the report contains some flash photography. >> anger on the streets . these protesters are accusing their government of treachery.

the reason, of this. the first trucks carrying supplies to nato forces that have been allowed to cross the pakistani border in seven months. pakistan agreed to reopen nato supply routes to afghanistan after america said sorry for a nato raid last september. for the thousands gathered at another demonstration, sorry was not good enough. the former cribber call on the crowd -- former cricketer called on the crowd. it was the duty of this parliament to restore the nato supply only when america stopped its war in afghanistan. stop the drone attacks. >> there may have been a political solution to the war against terrorism, but these pakistani politicians are

american slaves. since this began, hundreds of nato supply trucks have been standing idle near pakistan's main port. pakistan is planning to resume further talks on cooperation. >> it is a moment for a great opportunity for both countries. we've had a 67 month hiatus, almost a stalemate, -- a 6 to 7 7-month hiatus, almost a stalemate. now we can use this to build on convergences. >> some here continue to believe that their leaders have given in to easily to u.s. pressure. militant groups have threatened to attack the convoy. >> some business. jamie is on the side of me. >> these are estimated profits.

it looks extraordinarily well. the topline is really the banks. they're doing extremely well, competing head-on with the iphone, with apple. everything going extremely well and probably will be for the rest of this year. then you get to the point where apple brings out this new iphone and they've got to come out with something else. you can look down the road. things like tvs and home appliances, not so good. this is what andrew has said. this is what he references. >> basically, it's leading the android charge against apple by producing devices that are very attractive to consumers in getting the timing right. the samsung galaxy 3 that they released but just recently, they got the timing right between the two apple launches.

they're getting the marketing mix just right. they also have a variety of different price points for multiple devices. apple tends to be fixed with a much smaller number of devices that can be purchased. >> slightly less rosy. >> the prime minister putting forward the privatization now. >> yes, privatization almost the entire economic policy. this is what the coalition has agreed to. privatization is key. just to give you an idea about what a bad state the railways are in. they're losing $3.8 million per day. a really serious situation. some people feel real ways in greece are almost untenable. whether they manage to do it is a moot point. during the entire boom period,

they did not manage -- the privatization was a disaster. it was more reason they sold off during that entire period. the chairman of the athens the chamber of commerce said this. >> it is fully recognize that we must proceed with privatization. over and above the privatization, which we expect during the next three days in parliament to be discussed and hopefully voted in on sunday. other stimulating points, such as the reduction of the eat as far as the tourist trade is concerned. the heavy industry in greece is tourism. >> it's got to play out. it's got to go ahead.

of course, they have got to of the unions. >> thank you very much, jamie. eight months after the death of colonel gaddafi, libyans will vote for tomorrow in the first free national elections in more than 40 years. despite concerns about poor organizations and the threat of a boycott in parts of the country, calls for the election to be delayed have been dismissed. >> colonel gaddafi is dead. for almost 40lefd decades is history. the concrete walls are now prominent billboards for candidates in this weekend's election. >> even a year ago, to help the face these walls would have meant certain detention and perhaps even torture. the fact that these elections are taking place shows just how far libya has come to the job

now is to rebuild the country from the ground-up. the elections are an integral part of the process. >> in the compounds shadow, a bustling free-market stance on streets where libyans used to fear to tread. the economy collapsed by 60% during last year's revolution. rebuilding that is a political party. for some, the sheer joy of being able to vote for the first time is enough. >> i cannot ignore the current situation. every libyan is now feeling -- i am sure every libyan is enthusiastic to see a new future. >> hundreds of candidates are standing for a new national assembly, which will oversee the drafting of a constitution. it is a complicated process taking place in difficult times. in tripoli, at least, there is overwhelming support. these elections have already been delayed once.

in some parts of eastern libya, there are calls for a boycott. amid concerns there could be violence, the vote is going ahead. >> for more than half a century, the australian girl guides have pledged allegiance to god and queen elizabeth. that will change. the organization says its members will now pledged to serve the community. >> i promise i will do my best to serve my nation and my country. >> australia's 28,000 grow guides are to embrace a new promise. senior officials say the change is designed to attract new recruits to a new modern, relevant organization for many

faithful culture. grow guides in australia will now pledged to do their best to be true "to myself and felt my beliefs," rather than to -- >> not all believed systems have a god. many belief systems are very good spiritual systems, indigenous people, and there's not a specific god. we are open to girls of all cultures. we feel that to "develop my beliefs" is much more inclusive. >> it follows a two-year survey of all girl guide. while no offense is intended for the market, some people think it's time for a change. >> not everyone thinks the queen should be part of australia still. not everybody believes in god.

>> there are those who believe it's wrong for the new pledge that excludes god and britain's queen elizabeth. >> the vast majority of australia is a christian nation. we also largely support our system of government. they should be reflecting that in their oath. while the guides may be embracing change, the australians doubts movement -- australian scouts movement says it has no plans to change the wording in its promise. >> a reminder of our top story on gmt. more than 100 countries have been meeting in paris to discuss syria to leaders say assad's government is a threat to syrian peace. the french government has confirmed that a general close to assad's family has fled the country and is on his way to

paris. manaf tlas is reported to have fallen out with the syrian leadership. that is the news for the moment. stay with us on "bbc world news." bye for now.