particularly challenging in the environment. in that case, it is very much an president. >> the pressure on you to succeed is huge. >> that pressure doesn't compare to when you're preparing to go into the chemical weapons environment, i assure you. >> mid-2014, the chemical arsenal stockpiled must be destroyed. what is your biggest worry about that? >> it is challenging. with the development of the goodwill the international community and all associated actors within this activity, we have demonstrated we can meet the deadlines that have been submitted. i believe this activity will progress and move forward and we will meet any devon required. >> opcw head of operations in syria. our foreign affairs correspondent explains how these chemical buttons are destroyed. opcw inspectors have been in

syria since october 1, and their initial mission was to identify and oversee the destruction of equipment critical for mixing and using chemical weapons. one day before the deadline, they've announced a completion. the group has inspected 21 of 23 sites that were disclosed by the syrian government. the others were too dangerous to get to, but they had already been abandoned. reduction sites have been identified and rendered unusable through quick, chea destructionh as cutting torches to get rid of the hardware. but that leaves the chemical agents themselves stored all over the country and will take much longer to get rid of. syria is said to have one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, more than 1000 tons. these include mustard gas, and exposure to the causes was to remove the skin and the nerve agent sarin. enough exposure can lead to death bikes position within minutes. szarin was used on the tokyo

underground in 1995. and then the most toxic michael warfare agent known to make it stick around for a long -- chemical warfare agent known that can stick around for a long time. they can destroy them either by consideration of very high temperatures to destroy the toxicity of the chemical, or neutralization by adding water or other products. this can be done either in mobile destruction systems inside syria, or by shipping them to a chemical weapons destruction facility somewhere like russia. but that raises concerns about allowing the shaman of chemical munitions through foreign waters. un security council resolution stipulates all of serious -- syria's should be destroyed by next year. the timeline is ambitious. bashar al-assad has said he is committed to the plan come in but it might take longer. thanks very much for coming

down for us. where does this leave us now on the question of whether chemical weapons convention be used in syria either by the government or by the rebels? knowledge of how to construct these has not been taken away from syria. >> the biggest question, is it over or not? are we going to witness any future attacks by chemical weapons in the future, yes or no? it is very difficult to answer. at least the government, assad is trying to show himself as a person complying with the international commitments and is very serious and sincere when he says i don't want to use these chemical weapons. if other parties in the

countries get a hold of chemical weapons, this could be a big problem. but at least, al-assad's tactics is to say, it's not me this time, so you have to look for the other parties who are getting access to these weapons. >> what new weapons will be brought in still or is there fear that there might be some weapons inspectors haven't found? >> what we're talking about is the accusations from the assad regime that some rebels later to al qaeda got ahold of some chemical weapons we don't know from where, what they're accusing of getting them from other countries, and launching them into battle. assad, it is not of his interest not to make any use of these chemical weapons. he has superiority. he has conventional weapons that he can use. yes air force and heavy artillery on and on the ground. he is in a good position now

comparing with before the previous faces of the war. >> we have seen some recent anger from saudi arabia, for example, the fact the u.s. didn't finish the military operation that president assad was to be threatened with. that threat cruelly early -- really brought this huge coup. what happens now diplomatically? will we see the same push to try to in the civil war? >> president assad is good at maneuvering. he is following the same style of his father by relying on time and trying to take everyday buys up and play it to the edge. this tactic is proving good so far for him because he remains in power. he is not losing much on the ground. on the contrary, the opposition is more and more criticized for having the islamist group related to al qaeda growing up and growing the fields among the

enemies of asad. isleast now we can say assad in a good position for negotiations. he excepted to go to geneva. he is showing, i'm really flexible, it's up to the other party to show flexibility. >> thank you very much. nastyt was a particularly gang rape of a 16-year-old girl which left her in a wheelchair. down 1.5 million people worldwide have signed a petition to protest the punishment handed down to three of the men involved. all they had to do was cut the grass outside a local police station. we go to kenya with the protesters. >> [indiscernible] is rapedor a girl who in a village in western kenya, and the story has captured the feelings of people from here nairobi and across the world. , you're here on a

conference in nairobi and you have joined this march. what do you want to see done? >> i want to see justice done. this is a worldwide issue. i don't want to see anybody -- anybody being raped in this world. >> more than one million people across the world have joined a petition and sign a petition to seek justice. what has angered people, the fact police arrested the suspects and punish them only to cut grass and then released them after that? this is why these people are here today outside the inspector general's police office, asking for justice, for this police officer to be arrested and the suspects to be arrested and brought to justice. >> rescue workers have found the bodies of 87 people who died in the desert of northern niger when their vehicle broke down. most of the victims were women and children, thought to have

died from thirst. one eyewitness said the losses were in a severe state of decomposition -- said the corpses were in severe state of decomposition and partially eaten. our correspondent told me many of the people there were children and there was one islamist teacher, so they could have been heading to some sort of school. we will bring you more as it comes in. let's catch up with the eurozone economy. numbers,are the jobless numbers, unemployment rate for europe still at a record high. 12.2% unemployment rate across europe. talking about 26.8 million people who don't have a job. the increase from when this crisis really took hold, which was say the end of 2008 in europe, 60 million people were unemployed.

just over an extra 10 million people we're talking about who have lost their jobs since the crisis and the subsequent low growth. putting a dent the labor market in the region was perhaps reaching a turning point. that is out the window. this is serious stuff. we're talking about a situation that is like a dog chasing its tail. these economies the more domestic consumption. basically, people in their countries on the ground spending money. did the economy growing. a growing economy physically creates jobs. if you're unemployed, no job, you're not spending money, even if you have a job you're worried about the economy and you kind of hold back. it is this persistent dog chasing its tail. very tough to create job growth in this particular region. >> no end in sight. >> the youth unemployment is a big worry.

73 million young people around the world who don't have a job. if you break it down and look at some of the european countries, one inn, one into use -- two youth don't have a job. in italy, 40.4%. this is not a worry, this is a crisis. you're almost looking at areas that are creating a generation who will never have worked before. they don't have the stability of their pensions. they just don't have the jobs. we're seeing the brain drain. a lot of people integrating and moving to other parts of the world. >> paris, teenage children graduating, something we're all hearing -- >> we will have a lot more on gmt. tweet the innts to talk about jobs, you can do so. i will get back to you.

thanks. >> stay with us. still to come, america's love wartimeith britain's prime minister continues. winston churchill is honored and capitol hill. -- on capitol hill. obama has been defending one of his flagship policies, obamacare, supposed to extend health insurance to 15 million americans who didn't previously have it. it has been billed as the biggest shakeup the country has seen in 50 years. but it has been plagued with problems. boston., >> a warm welcome for president obama and what felt like a campaign stop, the commander-in- chief took on the role of provider in chief, selling the

success of obamacare. >> today the affordable care act requires insurance companies to abide by some of the strongest consumer protections this country is ever known. a true patients bill of rights. [applause] hill, itck on capitol was the president's health secretary kathleen sebelius in the spotlight. she was forced to address americans frustrations with the website failures. >> you deserve better. i apologize. i am accountable to you for fixing these problems. >> but even as she spoke, those who try to log onto healthcare.gov got a now familiar error message. republicans have used the problems to paint the health care law as a failure. >> obamacare was signed into law 1256 days ago. and since then, there have been user problem after user problem after user problem. >> and they demanded to know who is to blame. >> who is responsible for

overseeing this project? is it you or your designee? >> hold me accountable. i am responsible. >> the white house has defended the law is one of the great policy achievements. it will take strong presidential leadership to fix the existing problem. >> this is bbc world news. international inspectors say all of syria's chemical weapons agreement has been destroyed. the number of people unemployed in the eurozone, trees -- countries hits a record high, more than 12% of the workforce. new york city has become the first major city in the u.s. to raise the minimum age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21. according to the city's health department, some 19,000 high school students under the age of 18 currently smoke in new york

and 80% of smokers start before the age of 21. they say raising the minimum sales age to 21 would reduce smoking among 14 to 17-year-olds by two thirds, and cut rates by a little over half for 18 to 21- year-olds. now, a researcher. >> it is very interesting. certainly, there is evidence that raising the age of sail can reduce youth smoking. we saw that in the u.k. when we raised it from 16 to 18. i think the age of 21 is maybe appropriate in the u.s. because alsoe sale of alcohol is 21. it is logical tobacco should be at the same age. but i think we will have to wait and see how the policy works out to see if it makes a significant

difference. >> if it works in america, other countries might pick it up, to? >> that's right. i think they need to see how well it works. there are other issues you can reduce smoking among young people. for instance, if countries have vending machines, it is a good measure to get rid of those because they're easy to access by young people. at the u.k., we have a ban on the point of sale of display cigarettes. exposedren are not cigarettes, don't see them on display, not easily accessible, that can help to reduce the likelihood of smoking. >> part of the reason behind this is how many people start smoking before the age of 21. people going to college or university. it is a key time to try to target people. 21 seems logical. why not have it around the

world? >> it is important to bear in mind that most people do start smoking at a young age. and there may well be -- but it is important to raise the age. but i think we need to see how well it works in new york city. but there are other things such as keeping the price high. the price is a key determination whether people take up smoking. raising the tax on cigarettes is very important. >> critics say, look, people are just going to go to the black art it -- black market. market, theyolled say that. i don't think there's any evidence of that from other countries where the age has been risen, say, from 16 to 18. most people are law-abiding. if the legal age to purchase is a certain age, most people under that age will abide by the law.

i think it will have -- it should have -- >> the prevalence of smoking is huge across different countries and regions. in the west, there's been a massive amount of money spent to cut it. it has been successful overall, hasn't it? >> yes. in the west, generally, developed world, the rate has been declining for several decades. certainly, in the u.k., it has dropped to half among 11 to 15 year olds. we think that is probably from raising the age from 16 to 18 for sale. also the ban on public smoking in the areas. the commendation of those measures i think really is what counts. and thosebination measures i think is what counts.

>> thank you so much, indeed. america's love affair with britain's wartime prime minister winston churchill goes on. he was the first person ever to receive honorary citizenship of the united states back in 1963, now he has received another honor. daily half a century after his churchill hasof been unveiled in a star-studded ceremony on washington's capitol hill. ladies and gentlemen, this is one of history's true love stories. a great statesman and a nation he called the great republic. >> the special relationship between the u.s. and the united kingdom, a bond that began with this man, winston churchill. todayare here to get a -- to come. go. >> with great pomp and circumstance, a proper ceremony kicked off on capitol hill to

unveil a new bust of world war ii's victoire is british prime minister. victorious british prime minister. it is no secret americans are fond of winston churchill. there are now three bus of him in washington alone. think churchill also loved america. i think americans know that. he came to this country for the first time when he was 20 and had a more or less 60 or 70 year love affair with america. what's we're here with peace, justice, and a touch of majesty, returns to thell united states capitol. and just as the statue of lincoln stands outside parliament, this must renews the ties between our peoples -- >> it was the first person ever to become an honorary u.s. citizen. >> is the proud recipient of the state department's first and only honorary american passport,

he will no doubt look to all of us today to use the privilege of our own passport as he did to help meet the world's challenges in troubled corners of the globe. >> ♪ stand by me >> he rocked the capital with a special tribute. >> it is the kind of offer you can never refuse, dissing of this kind of special occasion. it really is an honor to be here. i tried to choose songs that would reflect the man's views and where we are in society now. >> i think my grandfather would've been very, very proud to think his head would be in such a great champion. >> his fans say he struck fear in his critics. leaders hope winston churchill's presence inside the capital will be an inspiration to american lawmakers. it is a five meter high

bronze statue of the french headaller and his infamous butt. it has been removed from a prominent position. his culture had only been on display in doha offer few weeks, but prompted strong reactions on social media. it generated criticism for conservative muslims who believes it encourages idolatry and others in bad taste. and the pope.s a small boy made an unexpected appearance on stage with pope francis over the weekend during celebration of family day in st. peter's square. he even tried out a few chairs and started cuddling the pope himself. the pope didn't seem remotely ruffled by the little boy who was threatening to steal the

show. we are back in a couple of minutes. stay with us. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, union bank, and united healthcare. >> my customers can shop around, see who does good work and compare costs. it can also work that way with health care. with united healthcare, i get information on quality ratings of doctors, treatment options, and estimates for how much i'll pay. that helps me and my guys make informed decisions. i don't like guesses with my business and definitely not with our health. >> that's health in numbers. united healthcare. >> 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.

>> welcome back to "newsline." here's some of the stories we're follows at this hour. an ethnic group is blamed for a car crash in tiananmen square. senior intelligence officials have headed to washington to find out more about aelgtss that u.s. agents spied on the german leader. and japanese coaches are looking for gold in young athletes who

could become potential medallists at the tokyo olympics. chinese authorities believe members of an ethnic group were behind a deadly car crash in tiananmen square. a sport utility streak veered off a road on monday, weaved through a crowd and crashed in flames. five people were killed. the driver of the suv, the two passengers and two tourists were killed in the incident. 40 others were injured. authorities have detained five people who are believed to be involved. all of them were captured within ten hours of the incident. authorities suspect they co-lewded with the three people who died in the suv. state run media called it a well organized case of criticism. the reports did not say who carried out the incident, but they left the impression that

islamic extreatists were responsible. chinese prosecutors told police they can arrest a journalist who reported on corruption. he's reportedly confessed to pub lyricing articles. he's a correspondent for the newspaper. he wrote articles alleging corporation at a state-owned company. police took him into custody early they are month. a newspaper dedicated the front page of two issues last week to appeal's for his release buthe paper was forced to apologize to the readers after state, run media reported he told police that his stories were false. the news agency says he accused chen orote about. assad met with arab league envoy in damascus. brahimi has been working towards

peace talks in geneva. assad said terrorist groups must stop offering money, weapons and logistical support. he said this is important if any political solution is to be successful. many opposition groups on the other hand say they will not participate in negotiations unless they're assured that assad will be removed from power. . u.s. leards have asked their counterparts to help with syria. case of polio have been there for the first time in years. >> saki said john kerry spoke over the phone with russian foreign minister. russian leaders have had close relations with the syrians for years.

so kerry asked them to encourage the syrians to allow aid workers to do their jobs. w.h.o. workers say they've confirmed ten cases of polio in children in the eastern province. they fear refugees fleeing the civil war could spread the disease to neighboring countries. so they've put health authorities around the region on alert. >> another u.s. business magazine "forbes" has named vladimir putin as the world's most powerful person. it says anyone watching the chess match over syria has a clear idea of the shift in power towards the russian president. putin topped the list of the 72 most powerful people. barack obama came in second. he took the top spot last year and the year before. "forbes" says obama's lame duck period has set in earlier than usual for a two-term president while putin has solidified his control at home. the magazine says russia's role in averting u.s. military action against syria is an example