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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." >> welcome to "bbc world news," live from our studios overlooking the olympic park in london. i'm george al guya. coming up in this program, russia's president putin visits the olympics to watch the judo. and the badminton racket and the top players quit after they are thrown out accused of throwing matches.

and coming alive with cycling action. after bradley wiggins' time trial victory yesterday. activists in syria accuse government forces of executing more than 70 people as fighting intensifies in damascus and aleppo. >> hello and welcome. it's day six of london 2012. our first gold medals today are coming from the rowing center. new zealand has just gotten their first gold. there's action , too, in the pool and the badminton match-fixing scandal goes on with one of the chinese players quiting the sport. it's also a day when sports and

politics come together. president vladimir putin of russia visits great britain for the first time in seven years. mr. putin is here to watch his favorite sport, judo. no doubt prime minister david cameron will want to talk about syria at a meeting in downing street. in syria, more fighting is reported as the battle continues to control aleppo. opposition activists have accused government forces mandatory lisha of executing more than 70 people in the area southwest of damascus. most were men killed on suspicion of being fighters or activists. >> the latest reported victims of summarily executions. this is southwest of damascus.

they say most were men cut down on the spot by government forces or militia, accused of being supporters and government militia men captured by fighters. zeno known as their leader knows he is in deadly trouble. he and several others were taken out and put up against a wall and mowed down in a hail of gunfire. the rebels are clearly digging in, in aleppo, a vital strategy i can spot, the government thought they could clear them out in days. now battle looks like it's lasting weeks without an outcome in sight. >> the two sides are now equal in the current fighting, the opposition forces have many new types of fire arms and have opened up the turkish border.

>> there are fears there may be more abuses as more fighting intensifies, summary execution of prisoners is a war crime, but for some, the urge to resist is too strong. >> joining me now is david eades in london's kensington gardens where a russian theme park has been set up. looking ahead at the winter olympics in two years' time in 2014. david, over to you. >> thank you. we just listened to jim muir there and you have to recognize there are some things far more important than the fun and games that are an olympics. but sports and politics are often closely intertwined. we have vladimir putin meeting with david cameron watching judo. mr. putin's favorite sport, he

is a black belt. they will talk about ways in which they might be able to work closely together to find some sort of resolution at the u.n. talking about syria. it's a long shot but nonetheless an opportunity, and mr. putin hasn't been in the u.k. at all since 2005 and wasn't at the opening ceremony, so there's something in that. that said, george, it's also worth pointing out that this is a huge trade potential visit. so the likes of boris johnson, the mayor of london has been saying there could be plenty in it for the u.k. >> very good to see president putin. in the sense that i hope very much he will be able to deal with russia. and that will be at the top of the agenda. >> ahead of -- >> i hope he will likely take

part, dabble. i think that is what we want to see. the we want the politician olympics, that's what we want. >> that's boris, hoping we might get a word with alexander jew cough, the president of the russian olympic committee to get his views. but obviously russia trying to focus on the olympics, the games, difficulty to avoid the bigger picture, george. >> thank you very much. joining me now via webcam is an independent activist from hamah. we've been concentrating clearly on aleppo for a few days. what's the situation in hamah? >> the situation in hamah right now is in a state of war. we have been under constant shelling since the early hours of the morning and sniper shots every few minutes. i was just outside now, and it's really, really dangerous.

people are fleeing from certain areas to other areas quickly. it's not safe at all. and they cut communications completely now. i am talking to you via a phone line even though the internet lines are all down. we can't communicate with each other because networks are very, very busy. >> we, i was looking at a report from the syrian national council, and i'm using the syrian national council's word here, and they said hamah was more less liberated. from what you're saying, that's not the case. >> yes, we saw that report yesterday as well. it's like a joke. it's a massive lie to us. they lie through their teeth, and they don't -- and everyone believes them even though we sit here and we can actually show you the truth.

we have pictures and videos and have proof it's not true what they are saying. >> and what's the condition -- clearly as you say, there's fighting going on. and we've heard in places like aleppo there's food and water shortages. what's it like in hamah? >> there's electricity blackouts every day for at least two or three hours in several districts of hamah. water shortages, there had been earlier, but now there's nothing. it's normal. food shortages, there's plenty. there's food shortages and very high prices of food and gas. >> ok. abu, we will leave it there for now. thank you for your time. now back to the olympics. the chinese badminton coach has apologized on national television for two of his players disqualified from the games for trying to lose their

matches. one says she is now quiting the sport. two from indonesia were also thrown out for the same reason. mike woolridge reports. >> tads scandal continues, the chinese player says farewell my dear bad pin on the. a teammate wrote on her web page, you're not only disqualifying a match, you're disqualifying my dream. >> yu and the others are among eight players expelled for throwing matches in an attempt to obtain more favorable draws later in the tournament. the others from south korea and indonesia. as the players deliberately served into the net and missed easy shots, they were warned by the umpire and tournament referee and the spectators became increasingly angry booing and chanting. the head coach of china's

badminton team apologized on chinese television saying we didn't follow the olympic spirit and didn't follow the fighting spirit of the chinese badminton team. on the streets of beijing, mixed feelings about the whole affair and disqualification of the players. >> in a situation like the olympics, if you commit mall practice for selfish games, i think it's wrong this woman says. i think i agree they were right to have been punished this way. >> this man stays rules for the competition were flawed. athletes were thinking of the most effective ways to fight for the best rankings possible. it's not fair for the players to expel them. what's been known as the play to lose scandal likely to be a talking point for years to come. >> the international olympics committee gave a news conference. mark adams who is the

spokesperson answered questions on the expulsion of the badminton players. >> can we draw a line under it? as i understand the national olympic committees are now making sure those athletes are leaving the village and on their way home. i would suggest the matter is closed. but it's not for me to say. it's a matter for the federation. they have already said they are continuing to review the rules and how things work. i think the overall principle is one everybody would agree with and that's that the games are about a good sporting experience, and that's what we would encourage and when that doesn't happen, we need to take action. i think the i.o.c. helped to look that the and first and foremost it's a federation matter and is the line drawn under here? i hope in this case, yes. but it's a clear message that if this happens again, action

will be taken. >> with me now, i do want to talk about the badminton, but this is after all about sports. so let's catch up on results. i i did say right at the beginning, a gold for new zealand. >> yes. in new zealand, proud sporting nation. they had a gold earlier. george nathan and joseph sullivan who actually fought a really good tactical race. we see a lot of good tactics in rowing. they were holding behind the slow vaccineans and in the last minutes powered ahead like the britain girls to power ahead to win the gold. so to go with the silver they won in equestrian yesterday. >> all right. we've got to talk about this badminton and disqualification listening to the reaction in china. they are saying, hang on a minute.

you changed the rules. this was obvious this is what players were going to do. >> perhaps not advised the best way. they did what they thought was going to get them through as far as they could in the competition. and this is the olympics. the competition is to win the gold medal. you don't cheat but perhaps bend things your way. so there was the situation of a round robin as opposed to the outright form mat. some said this could lead to problems before. a former international table tennis player for great britain said he was in exactly the same scenario years ago. it's a big dilemma if you're a player. so it's the olympic ideals of let's be sporting and the ruthlessness of modern day, wanting to win. >> what are we likely to see?

>> everybody is loving cycling after the excitement of the cycling. it now comes down to the indoor stuff. a legend after winning three golds in beijing will be arriving today. don't forget, this is where bradley wiggins started his olympic career in sidney. we expect a lot of excitement later. >> thank you very much for that. and we'll bring you all of today's olympic news later in the program. now, it's a shocking case of abuse. this family is not unique. a pakistani woman whose face was mutilated by her husband, 32 years ago says she has been given a new life after surgery which reconstructed her nose. she had been forced to hide her face for decades. attacks like this still happen in pakistan today where domestic violence is widespread.

she went in the province in punjab where this report contains distressing images. >> rural pakistan, a place that seems unchanged by time where men make the rules and women can be killed for breaking them. last year almost 900 were killed across the country. in so-called honor crimes. those who survive can be maimed for life. that's what happened here in the village. 32 years ago. >> yes. >> the victim was this woman, then a teenage mother of two. she took me to the spot where her abusive husband grabbed her. as she was trying to escape him and his beatings. >> all of a sudden, he did this. and i fell on to my back. he sat on my chest and reached

for a blade in his pocket. and he slashed my nose off. blood poured into my eyes. then he got my ankle. from one side to the other. this was her before the attack. she was the beauty of her family. afterwards, she couldn't bear to look in the mirror and hid her disfigurement even from her own children. >> when i left my house, i used to do this. i had a piece of cloth to cover my nose. then i pulled a scarf around my face. >> i was like this for 32 years. i wished i was dead. it would have been better if instead of cutting off my nose, he had cut my throat.

>> underneath the coverings, this is how she looked until a local charity arraigned for surgery in march, free of charge. >> the professor is the surgeon who gave her a new nose. >> i can't forget what you've done for me, she said. you've given me and my family a new life. >> the professor is happy with how her scars are healing, but her torement isn't over yet. >> she is back under the same roof with the man who mutilated her. her ex-husband, and after the attack he spent six months in jail then divorced her and threw her out. >> whatever happened, she brought it on herself. >> so you're saying it was her fault. >> exactly. everything that happened was

her fault. >> she says he is threatening to evict her again. she says it's up to god to punish him. she's busy making plans for the future. she came back to be close to her son, a struggling laboror. she wants to get a job to help support him, and she wants to pierce her new nose. "bbc news." >> well, in other news, afghan intelligence officials say they have spoiled a taliban plot to attack in kabul. security forces were sent to a house in the east on a tip-off and they say five insurgents were killed in the subsequent gun battle and had three cars packed with explosives and had bombs in jackets.

>> sony has announced bigger than expected losses. it was in the red by almost $15 million in the first quarter of this year. >> now a deadly outbreak of the ebola virus has claimed 16 lives in uganda. special response teams are being set up after it was reported the disease reached the capital. >> well, this is "bbc news." still ahead. it may not be recognized by the u.n., but it's got its own olympic team. we speak to the head of the palestinian delegation at the games. now the u.s. women's track and field team has been warming up at a stadium in east london not far from here, at the olympic park. it hopes to dominate

proceedings once the games get under way. we hope to meet some of their medal hopefuls. >> everybody is so happy to be here from all the sports. we have really enjoyed meeting other teams and sports, because we don't get a team very often. it's just been a happy time. we've been winning medals. it's just been a lot of fun. >> it's great to be in london. everybody speaks english, so it takes a lot of pressure off. but it's been great. i have really enjoyed our time. we had our camp in birmingham. now it's time to focus and rest up and get ready to compete.

>> got a chance to walk in the stadium this morning which was a big deal for us. i really get to visualize my race. at this point it's getting ready mentally. physically i'm prepared. so i feel great. >> i feel great. i'm ready to compete. >> new laws to protect road cyclists in britain. it comes after a 28-year-old cyclist was killed in a crash with a bus near the olympic park in london. they say it should be a rule to make it compulsory to wear he wants. this is "bbc news." live from london. the headlines. russia's president putin visits

london 2012. his first visit to britain in seven years. china's badminton coach apologizes after eight players were disqualified from match play. now let's catch up on all the olympics news. andrew is at our studio across the stadium. news of the south african gold? >> their first medal nathan and joseph of new zealand have won gold in the men's double schools rowing. the world champions won ahead of italy and slovenia who were looking to reclaim the olympic title. they won in sidney, 2000. and in the last few minutes we've had our second gold of the day. as george said, south africa winning the men's lightweight. they got to the finals by .007

second. we'll keep you updated on what happens, and the host nation had to wait five days for a gold medal then got two at once. so bradley wiggins powered to victory in time trials days after winning the tour de france. that makes him britain's most decorated olympian. what a months been for the 32-year-old who also became the first britton win the tour. wiggins finished ahead of his teammate and wiggins now has an olympic tally of four golds, one silver and two bronze medals. >> and a woman retains the title she won in beijing a year after which she retired from cycling to have a baby. now she's dedicated this win to

her son, lucas. we will be the first to inform you of every medal here on "bbc news." we are your global scoreboard from london 2012. >> i like that. global scoreboard. very nice. thank you. well, it may not be recognized as an official state by the united nations but palestine does have its own team. five athletes made it to the olympic games all by invitation. one became the first-ever palestinian to make the nation's group qualification. we are joined. what did it feel like last week when you saw the palestinian's flag at the opening ceremony, and those athletes making their way around it? >> i am very proud of that. but also i think that the

dimension of having to be -- here came as a result of a very long and arduous process of >> and what part do you think sport plays? we know you live in a difficult and challenging part of the world. what part does sport play in society in the palestinian territories? >> i think that sport in the past had no place. had no place in the agenda of -- now i think sport, promoting

values. part of the leadership. part of the palestinian society, which i think is very important to show the world. >> all right. i'm so sorry. we are going to have to leave it at this. we have run out of time. do stay with us here at "bbc do stay with us here at "bbc world news."