children. we meet the british mother who has not given up hope of finding her daughter. alice takesprogram, a look at what is happening in business. >> aside from syria, the other big topic at the g-8 summit is tax. the british prime minister david cameron promises to focus on eve asian and avoidance amid the row about how little some big corporate space and the use of offshore tax havens. hashis year's g8 summit the worlds most powerful nations, and they say say they want peace talks on syria and and into the conflict. there are no signs of agreement. we go live to our correspondent in northern ireland. to northern welcome

ireland, the host for the g-8 summit. in the last half an hour or so, we have seen quite a number of helicopters like that arriving as world leaders begin to arrive for the talks which officially get underway in just a few hours time. as a scene setter, we have seen president obama arrived in northern ireland on his first official visit to northern .reland a rapturous reception for him in belfast. let's are member ourselves -- remind ourselves for what is on the agenda today and tomorrow. david cameron hosting the summit. that means he gets to host -- set the agenda. it looks like syria will be dominating with the news that the u.s. announcing on friday that it may arm some of the rebel groups.

that is a move which has angered russia, which has always supported the assad government. before the summit officially opens, there will also be talks on the prospect of a trade deal between the european union and the united states. it would be the beginnings of talks on that matter, but it is something if it comes to fruition, david cameron hopes it could be worth up to 10 billion pounds. close to david cameron's heart, leaders hoping for some progress on measures to clamp down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. let's summarize everything that has been happening so far today in the run-up to the official opening of the talks. this report from chris page. >> air force one is a more familiar sight in northern ireland than in many other places. the peace process has generated five presidential visits in the last 15 years. but this is the first time president obama has come to the province. before president joins other

world leaders at the summit, he and the first lady went to belfast to pay tribute to northern ireland's transformation. having the president in time meant rush hour was canceled. belfast was in lockdown for the special guests. there are at waterfront hall, 1500 people from a range of schools were waiting to witness history. for one of them, it was an even more incredible experience. she was picked to voice the hopes of her generation. >> as a 16-year-old, i do not want to live in the past. i want to live for the future. i want to live in a country where it is not my religion which is important but my values as a person which is significant. [applause] >> then a huge welcome for the president himself. most of his audience were too young to remember the worst of the violence. mr. obama told them that the

move for peace had been extraordinary. >> that is what your parents and grandparents dreamt for all of you. to travel without the burden of checkpoints or roadblocks or seeing soldiers on patrol. to enjoy a sunny day free from the ever present awareness that violence could blacken it at any moment. to befriend or fall in love with whomever you want. for the teenagers, the morning was unforgettable. >> absolutely blown over. it was the fact that he knew so much about northern ireland, it showed that he really cares, and he focused on people our age. it really touched us. >> president obama's visit to belfast was all about the feel- good factor, with some hard work lies ahead where the president will travel next for the g-8 summit. david cameron expects const -- the conflict in syria to be high

on the agenda. >> president assad wants us to think that the only alternative to him is extremism and violence, yet there are millions of people in syria who want a peaceful and democratic future. we should be on their side. >> otherwise the leaders will focus on trade and international tax transparency. the talking will begin in a few hours time. chris page, bbc news. here, ands security for a very wide surrounding area. you got the sense of that in the last few pictures we saw in that report. there are thousands of extra police officers drafted in from other parts of the uk, working long shifts to cover the summit over the next apple of days. president obama, one imagines, to be here relatively soon. he is coming by helicopter from belfast to the resort. then, as we say, the hard work really does begin, particularly

regarding that issue of syria. we will keep you up-to-date with any developments that emerge on that thorny issue all day here on bbc news. in northern ireland, thank you ry mh. the crisis in syria is at the top of the agenda at the g8 meeting. much of the debate will focus on the issue of sending arms to the rebels. the syrian government warns such a move would fuel the rise of islamist groups did -- groups. as our chief international correspondent has been finding out, a campaign is underway in damascus to try to make common cause with europe on this issue. at oneitional song mosque in damascus. christian leaders sit together. who lost their sons and war. this is not a private moment.

cameras have also been invited, as well as mothers from tunisia and fathers. their sons are on the other side in this war. they were captured and put in prison. -- i do notrgive me know my son was coming here. our sons were brainwashed. >> she has come to find her son, one of thousands of foreign fighters who join battle with syria possible rebels. hundreds are from tunisia. -- syria's rebels. hundreds are from tunisia. the cause was taken up by tunisian human rights activists. , theys hotel in damascus argue over details of the joint declaration. tunisian loiterers -- lawyers

want due process for prisoners, but syrians see a much bigger opportunity. they want to get all foreign jihadist's off the battlefield. a syrian businessman with close ties to president assad's family has made this his mission. he knowst weapon, this is also europe's growing worry. >> europe today is having a new pakistan on their border. in thensit in turkey incubation of the muslim brotherhood in turkey for all of those fighters that are coming from europe, and they will be coming back to europe. >> last week, group of european ,embers arrived in damascus hours before a double suicide bombing. politicians, mainly from far right parties, inspected the damage. for this belgian senator, the

presence of hundreds of european fighters makes the recent decision to end an eurms embargo a grave mistake. >> the weapons we will deliver to syria through the so-called free syrian army, but also al qaeda, will be used within a few months or years on european soil. i think it was very naïve and very stupid. >> there may be common interest, but it is quite another matter to make common cause. he has not taken his message to syria's state tv. so far his plan has brought mothers here to damascus. , evensociety activists from a country with no diplomatic relations here, but what about the west? most of their diplomats left the capital along time ago. will this kind of initiative ever work? will the other side even listen?

all sides talk about ending a brutal conflict, but some in the west are now focused on army what they call a moderate opposition. , iran, andom lebanon iraq are backing damascus. with every month that passes, this is not just syria's more. war.ria's >> that special report from syria. that issue dominating the agenda at the g-8 summit. another one is a tax issue. alice is here. specifically transparency, trying to get tax avoidance. >> the uk prime minister david cameron who is hosting the summit has promised to put evasion and aggressive avoidance at the very heart of the summit. it comes after the weekend meeting, places like the virgin

islands, places many viewed as tax havens, labels they strongly dispute. he had a promise to be more open and transparent and tax dealings. to share the details, the owners of companies registered in those jurisdictions. over the weekend, the government announced a plan to make it the law that all uk companies must theare the full owners -- beneficial owners -- and what he is hoping going into this g- 8, is that all other g-8 companies will sign up to a similar action plan on beneficial ownership. >> i know they are looking at big multinational companies. >> the issue of multinationals and how much tax they pay has long been a hot pocket -- a hot topic of debate here in the uk. the monies like apple, amazon, google -- do they pay their fair share, or do theiy move their

profits around in order to bring down their bill? britishr part, if the government wants us to pay more tax, they say, you need to change the tax laws, but around the world, it is a topic for discussion. also later in this month in paris, the next meeting of the organization for economic cooperation and development, they are going to publish their proposal on how best to tackle the issue of multinational tax avoidance. >> you've got more to come on that. thank you very much. you can onh us if bbc world news. much more to come, including this -- no more than a year ago, brazil will stage the world cup. what are the costs of the tournament? to a scandal which is developing in the yugoslav, that is the when court set up

to prosecute those responsible for atrocities committed in the balkans. an e-mail has emerged reportedly written by danish -- a danish judge which alleges that powerful external forces are amenability and the court to protect themselves from investigation. -- are manipulating the court to protect themselves from investigation. >> the free syrian army as well as government troops are suspected of committing war crimes. security officers established and trained the notorious paramilitary squads to terrorize serbs. a judge said there was insufficient proof that the men had specifically directed that the weapons should be used for illegal operations. the not guilty verdict reflected some lawyers a

change in earlier judgment which could have international implications. >> leaders of the u.s. and uk do not have to fear to be prosecuted when they assisted groups like rebels in syria, who they know are likely to use the weapons and money that they , at leastmit crimes some of them. under the old law, they would be liable for prosecution for aiding and abetting. >> peter robinson said it is setting unfortunate precedent for human rights. for survivors who look to the icc for truth and justice, this change of focus is for them destroying the legacy of the icc. they are now among those calling for an investigation. international law is still in its infancy, growing with every judgment. ultimately, some legal experts say it may be more difficult for courts to end impunity at the highest levels. >> it is, as they say, every

parent's worst nightmare. turn your back, and your child disappears, never to be seen again. the estimate is 8 million children go missing each year. -- usually the child is found quickly. speaking toe're four families from different parts of the world who have been affected by losing a child. the first of our reports will be in the south of england. one doctor has been missing for more than 30 years. >> she was a delightful, happy girl. she absolutely adored her older sister. she was a very happy little child. home to a british military army base in germany where the lee family lived and worked in the town. in november, their lives changed forever.

on her lee disappeared second birthday. it is a day her mother will never forget. >> i reached the checkout and i realized i had forgotten some crisps we were having for tea party that afternoon. i put patrice down by the checkout. i picked the crisps up and got back to the checkout and i said to my sister, where is patrice? she said, she has run off to you back up the aisle. that was the last time a daughter was ever seen. , the british military police led the investigation into her disappearance. they have since admitted mistakes were made at the time. hemy current chief officer, has openly admitted there were flaws in the original investigation. wever, it was an investigation, and police have developed and evolved over 30

years. >> we had no support as a family. that the believe system failed you, failed you and your family? >> yes. they failed my two-year-old child. of a missinge child, what happens in the hours and days after a disappearance is crucial. it is estimated that around 140,000 children go missing in the uk each year. 99% of all reported missing cases are solved within one year. >> this is the central focus where all the information comes in too. >> last year the royal military police decided to reopen its investigation into her disappearance. a dedicated team are reviewing case files, interviews, and new lines of inquiry.

it is hoped by using the latest police search techniques investigation will move forward. the julyere taken in before patrice disappeared. >> share and lead said she will never stop the campaign to raise awareness about her daughter's disappearance and believes will one day be reunited. >> i've never not had hoped. nd, that would beame that i did the day i will stop doing media and press releases. i have always had hope that there will be an ending to our story. >> bbc news,, england. , you can get know the full version of that report as well as others from our correspondents on missing children, that is this sunday on bbc world news. let's turn to jeff lewis, director of research.

he is in our newsroom. thank you for your time. to have a child missing for more than 30 years, how common is that? >> 30 years is a very long time to have a child missing. i think of course you can see the real impact that has had on the family. it is actually devastating not whether to fear the worst. we do know it is relatively rare that 99% of children will 99% ofd -- rare -- children will be found. >> have the authorities in general gotten better at responding to reports of children the same, and does this vary from country to country? 15-20tainly over the last years, there has been a lot of work in the uk to examine the police response to missing children. my organization, errands of of -- parents of abducted children, has conducted a study looking at

child abduction cases in uk. the practice is quite different here. we have a lot of different types of child abduction, right from parental a job -- objection, to a production by a stranger. abduction by a stranger. >> do you think we do enough to warn children about the dangers of being abducted? >> this is one of our challenges. our research has found that over 270 victims of child a production last year were abducted by a stranger. i think that is quite astonishing. i think most people think the number is a lot less than that. a lot of those are attempted abductions. there is a need to speak to young people about staying safe outside. we used to have the old stranger danger campaigns. i'm pretty sure that those are no longer fit for purpose. but we need to be making sure

the message is getting out, that children need to be keeping themselves safe. >> just about everyone will remember madeleine mccann missing and portugal. she was a british child who went missing abroad. does that couple kate the response? -- comp legate the response? -- complicate the response? >> i think it does. having said that, these cases are rare. haveof the abductions i seen in my research has been completed in the uk and the child has remained in the uk. i think one important message, even looking at child adoption, which is a very specific type of missing child case, most of these cases are resolved quickly. the child is not going too far away. >> briefly, i know you are the first international conference on missing children -- that is happening this week.

what would count as a success from that conference? >> for me personally, i want to talk about the findings from my reporting on the different types of child adoption. -- abduction. i think it is fantastic we are having an international conference. there have been a number of domestic uk conferences involving the police and many charities involved for a number of years, but to be reaching out to the whole world and having speakers from so many different countries. we know increasingly a lot of these issues are connected. children travel over borders. i think the most important thing is that we can learn from each other and improve our response so that children are found as soon as possible. >> jeff lewis, thank you very much. now the czech republic is in the midst of political scandal. the prime minister says he will resign today because his

closest aide has been charged with corruption and abuse of power. she is accused of asking the secret services to spy on three people, including the prime minister's wife who he is -- who he is divorcing. >> as political scandals go, this one has it all. bribery, corruption, and rumors of a love triangle. little surprise it has caused the prime minister to resign crude ministers arrived at their offices to hear their leaders step down after some of the most turbulent few days in czech republic politics. attentivelyy following the developments of the political situation itch started last wednesday -- which started last wednesday. tomorrow i will step down from the role of prime minister. i would like to stress that i know about my political responsibility, and i am facing the consequences. >> his resignation came after his closest aide was arrested

for bribery and a legally using military intelligence to spy on three individuals. one of the targets was the prime minister's own wife who he is currently divorcing. alsoide is a woman he is accused of being romantically linked with. she is now in custody along with some former politicians accused of accepting bribes. the prime minister claims he knew nothing about the surveillance, and his aide denies many of the charges against her. it will not stop the prime minister from handing in his resignation to the president later on monday. no more than a year to go before the football world cup in brazil, but not everybody it seems is looking forward to it. tensions have been running high over the high cost of the event and whether the stadiums will be ready in time. to make matters worse, protesters have clashed with the lease - police. thank you for being with us. stay with us. much more to come.

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coming up, balancing privacy and security in the debate over government surveillance. we talk with michael kessler of georgetown university. also, a new public policy spokesman for the southern baptists. russell moore tells kim lawton he wants to assert traditional values with respect and kindness. >> and, as the g-8 leaders meet in northern ireland, david tereshchuk recalls the history of both violence and forgiveness in the town of enniskillen. major funding for "religion and ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lili endowment an indianapolis based private family foundation dedicated to its founders interests in religion, community development and education.

additional funding also provided by mutual of america. designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting. welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. this week of capitol hill testimony and widespread debate over the government's massive surveillance of phone calls and internet activity. one key question -- how to find the right balance between protecting citizens' privacy and assuring national security. we want to talk about that with michael kessler, an ethicist, a legal scholar and associate director of the berkley center for religion, peace and world affairs at georgetown university. professor kessler, welcome. >> so how do we get the right balance between privacy on the one hand and security on the other?