>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> more than 5000 people are now

believed to have been killed in anti-government protests in it syria. in karachi, dozens of boys have been found chained in basement of an islamic summit. canada becomes the first country to withdraw from the kyoto protocol on climate change. welcome to pc world news. whistle-blower's strikes back. japan's olympus returns in a bid it to clean up the board. the god particle. a revolution that could revolutionize the way we look at the world. top human-rights

official says there has been a huge rise and the number of people killed in it syria. since the anti-government protest started in march, it is believed that more than 5000 people have now died. she said her figure suggested that 14,000 people have been arrested and more than 12,000 have fled to neighboring countries. syria accuses her of not be objective or fair, since her report took no account of the more than 1000 syrian security forces they say have been killed. jane o'brien reports from washington. >> heavy shelling nrocks houses in syrian city. one of the focal points that has resulted in a crackdown by the government. president al-assad has been condemned by the international community, and the u.s. says he must step aside to allow the transition to democracy. still, the killing continues.

now the united nations estimates that is many as 5000 civilians have died. the u.n. human rights chief says the situation is intolerable. >> it is based on the evidence and the widespread and systematic nature of the killings, the detentions and the acts of torture that constitute crimes against humanity. i recommend that there should be a referral to the international criminal court. >> part of the problem is the lack of independent information coming from inside syria. these pictures were obtained from a social media website. the purport to show a fire blazing on the outskirts after an explosion ripped through a gas pipeline. there are also reports that a toddler and a 5-year-old child were killed by sniper fire at the weekend.

the security council could refer the syrian authorities to the international criminal court, but russia and china were to hold the power of veto have so far refused to join u.s. led efforts. why the international community continues to debate its next course of action, observers say president al-assad will remain undeterred. >> more on that story later in the story. now, pakistani police say they have rescued 45 students found in chains in the basement of an islamic madrasah. two have been arrested. the head of the trust has this date. police have launched a full scale investigation. >> initial reports suggest this group of students were kept in

to what amounted to an underground torture chamber. they have been quoted by local media as saying they work beaten and deprived of food and pressure to join the taliban. most of those recovered were in chains. the ages ranges from 12 to 50. a a senior police chief has told us that many of the group or drug addicts and there were being chained to stop them running away. that is the reason he is giving. we know that two of the clerics associated with the madrasah are in custody, but we know the person in charge has managed to flee. several of the boys who were freed have said the report under extreme pressure to become taliban. one boy was quoted as saying that members of the taliban visited the seminary and told them to prepare for battle.

another bar was quoted as saying there would be trained to fight in afghanistan. what we do know for certain is that this group was being kept in this madrasah. some of them certainly appear to have been kept there against their will. >> canada has become the first country to formerly withdraw from the kyoto protocol on reducing greenhouse gases. by doing so, it avoids paying over $30 billion to meet its kyoto target. the announcement comes days after international climate talks ended without any agreement on what would replace kyoto when it expires next year. >> there had been clear signs that this was coming, but now canada has confirmed it is pulling out of the key of a protocol. >> it is not covered the world two largest emitter is, the u.s. and china, and therefore cannot work. it is not clear that kyoto is not the path forward for a

global solution to climate change. if anything, it is an impediment. >> we adopt this text. >> canada signed the agreement under its former liberal government which applies the country to cut emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. by 2009, they were still way off target. some 17% above their 1990 levels. at the un's climate change talks, canada's conservative government came under heavy criticism for its opposition to extending geoduck, later described the deal as the past. the green party accused the priority of misleading the summit in south africa. >> striking a blow the day after you get back, having it is canada arguably negotiated in bad faith. we function as though we were kyoto party.

we weakened agreements in canada. >> canada's position is related to its vast deposits of tar sands in the west of the country. to guarantee the countries future as an oil producer for decades. turning that into oil creates huge amounts of greenhouse gases. the environment ministry says canada remains committed to the path toward set out at durbin. opponents believe the decision to pull out at kyoto was taken in the interests of the tar sands industry. >> china has expressed regret at canada's decision to withdraw, saying that they went against the ethics of the international community. aaron is with me. sorry. >> take it away. olympus. the saga continues.

this has been of gripping, fascinating story. michael woodford, there he is in the shot. he was the first non-japanese ceo of the japanese camera maker. he was ousted on october 14, because he started questioning some rather obscure funds. basically the background to this, reminding everybody, olympus had basic recovering -- been covering losses for 13 years. they have been using these rather obscure acquisition fees. he started raising questions about that. the board ousted him. now the company has admitted their wrongdoing. it is under investigation. the externals order is tomorrow -- all of the accounting will be released over the past five

years. the whole reason is to try to prevent the company from being delisted. it would not give them access to any funds on the markets. mark woodword is back in japan today. he is trying to reestablish himself and get back on the board as ceo. the current board is likely to resign. i will have more on the world business report. we will speak to a japanese expert. we will talk about the u.s. the fed. is their last meeting before christmas today. we could face some rather tweeking, communication changes at the fed. >> thanks very much. now, an iranian official has rebuffed a request from the u.s. to return a drone. the defense minister is quoted by state news agency saying that news agenc -- saying the

drone will stay in iran. her party has reportedly been legalized by authorities. the opposition national league for democracy was banned in burma after boycotting national elections last year. by allowing it to read-register, it will pave the way for her to stand in a parliamentary election early next year. it's regarded as the most and it maydalusiaelusive -- have been seen briefly for the first time. scientists are expected to prevent preliminary evidence that they have identified the particle that is thought to give atoms their mass. the particle is crucial to our understanding of the universe.

it has never been observed by experiments before. here is our science correspondent. >> shortly after the big bang when the universe was created, the hickes-bosun came into being. that is what some refer to it as the god particle. its discovery was one of the main aims of the hadron collider, the most powerful particle accelerator ever built on the swiss-french border. its collections were so powerful that they recreate the conditions that existed after the big bang. >> even if we do fight the particle, it will not be the end of the store. -- even if we do find the particle. this has now become a bottleneck. this is the stumbling block. we need to know if this particle exists or not. >> there are strong rumors circulating among scientists that two of the experiments have

found a signal of the hicks. even if it's so, the scientists will not call it a discovery, because both results may be just blips in data that may go away after time. what is causing excitement is that people are saying it each experiment, using different methods, has found it in the same place and more less in the location the theory predicted. if that is so, it will be described as a hint that it exists. as far as things go, it will be a pretty strong one. >> very intriguing. you are watching "bbc world news." stirs uptragic past all conflicts. -- old conflicts.

carola has a literacy rate of 90%. for decades, it has produced millions of young engineers. cannot persuade them to stay home, because there simply are not enough jobs. today, we look at the skills and the jobs mismatch on a weeklong series. we discover how some are trying to find work in any way they can. >> reaching for opportunity. mohammed is one of karola's pickers.coconumtt but it is not what he expected to be doing after graduating as an engineer. >> there are not that many jobs. i'm just picking coconumts. >> learning new skills is one way that the youth are trying to

stay at home. a state that lacks big business and heavy industry, even the best and brightest are having to adapt. the reality of a skilled mismatch is even dawning on those who are yet to venture into the workforce. there are not many jobs in sectors like engineering here. to get work, most of the students will have to accept doing something different or moving away from home. now the government and business are hoping for a new dawn. they are trying to match the right professionals with the right job. here, they are building to business parks, even ports in an attempt to lure big industry and generate employment. >> the logistics, the i.t., the electronic hardware, the industry's and light engineering. the idea is to create this 5

million employment industries. >> new jobs may be in the offing, but for now, the airport remains busy. since the 1990's, millions of educated people have boarded planes here in search of opportunity. after years of inertia, the state is trying to reverse the brain drain that has plagued its economy and had more of its best and brightest leaving duties departure dates. >> now, the security services in mali arrested the kidnappers of two frenchmen who were seized last month. the west african branch of al qaeda says it carried out the kidnappings of the french citizens who they described as spies. the same group posted images on an islamist website. this is "bbc world news."

the un's humans rights sheet says that more than 5000 people have been killed by syrian authorities. that is our m ain story. to discuss it more, i am joined by a syrian writer who lives in syria during the 1982 uprising. thanks for coming in. what do you think of the figures, the numbers involved? what are you hearing directly from people in the country? >> the figure of those killed is very close to what she did say -- 5,102 is what i have heard. but the figures of those incarcerated, not just in prisons but in hospitals and stadiums and every place that people can be held, in appalling conditions, are now over 52,000 people. including many, many

disappeared. the figures for those disappeared is really terrifying. families to see young men and women go out of their house, not involved in protests, certainly not involved in anything to do with anti-government, and they just do not come home. >> have you heard from people directly there, stories you believe are true? >> yesterday, someone from the suburb of damascus took a huge battering from the security services, mainly on armed poor people because they are the day laborer for cities like domesamascus. a woman had her 14-year-old sun comes out of the house to watch what was going on. he was shocked. this was a boy that was in perfect health until yesterday.

now he is a vegetable. human tragedies like this are constantly coming out of every single city and town of syria. another problem that has not been mentioned in the yuan report is how many people have remainbeen maimed. they do not dare go to hospitals, because they are kidnapped by security services or they are finished off in their beds. sometimes, shockingly, by doctors with pro-regime tendencies. >> what do you think it can be done? we have seen increasing international pressure? >> yes, we have, but nothing like what is needed. first of all, a lot still can be done. the women have been let off scot-free. >> all assad's family member. >> his wife, his wife's family, his sister, his extended family,

all that can still be done, because the movement of money out of syria from these criminal regimes is happening, and probably happening through the women. >> we will have to leave it there. there is much more to say, but thanks for coming in. >> thank you. >> the president of the european commission has said britain's decision not to support the euro-zone treaty threatens the single market. speaking in the last couple hours, he said the u.k. risked being isolated from the rest of isolated from the eu. >> the united kingdom and exchange for its agreement ask for a specific protocol on financial services, which was a risk to the integrity of the economic markets. this may compromise impossible. >> our reporter is in strasbourg. >> he's very keen to assure

members of the european parliament that he really did go the extra mile to try to find a deal with britain, but that it is simply not successful in the end. he said this was not the deal he wanted. he wanted 27, not 27 minus. but he then went on to explain to the members of parliament that now the 26, who have agreed to the deal, must get together. he tried to reassure them that this cannot be a deal based on austerity and sanctions. yet to be more about growth and jobs as well. that is the future of europe's economy. the overriding mood in strasbourg is regret that britain is not on board, and a bit of anger. >> finally, they have conceded something. >> they have been virtually

perfect in the premier league. this season, they were unbeaten before yesterday's game. fabulous start of this season, but 2-1 by chelsesa. they lead manchester united by two points. it's quite an achievement. also, manchester city's performance. the number of the games they have played. it has made the premier league more interesting as a result of the ochelsea win. >> frank lompard, first time on the pitch and a long time. >> he got the winning goal from the penalty spot. chelsea beating manchester city by 2-1.

he's 33. he feels the manager is not allowing them to play as much as he could. he is very frustrated that he's spending far too much time on the substitutes' bench. >> i want to play. is as simple as that. i was in a good runner form. i want to play. there is frustration. >> how difficult has that been for you to take? has it been explained to you will have not started? >> i do not know. it is as simple as that. >> fair enough. thanks. now, some very sad news from china. 15 children have died in a bus crash in eastern china. the children apparently drowned after the vehicle fell into a ditch. 8 children are in hospital. the accident is the latest in a series of disasters of the country's roads.

it happens a day after the state issued new guidelines. the mexican navy said it captured a leading member of a drug cartel. among thesays he's list of 37 most wanted in mexico. they offered a $1.2 million in reward. christian bale has become the first hollywood star to have a lead role in a major chinese movie. it is controversial, because it tells the story of the massacre of tens of thousands of chinese people by the japanese army. we have the story from beijing. >> this is a big budget film about one of the most sensitive to events in chinese history, the massacre of 1937, when japanese troops raped and murdered tens of thousands of chinese civilians. it has become one of the most

infamous the events of the second world war in asia. the film stars christian bale, whose previous roles included playing batman. it is being billed as the first chinese production with the western side. >> i did not realize that it had not happened before when i signed onto it. i feel like a pie leonard -- i don't feel like a pioneer. i just feel like an actor who wanted to work with him. it felt like it would be interesting to do it, and an adventure, which i am always looking for. >> he plays a priest trying to save a group of school girls and prostitutes. many say the film has a strong anti-japanese beam. but the hollywood actor says it would be wrong to view it as chinese propaganda. the director hopes it will not stir up anger. >> all directors hope the

audience will focus on the characters, their emotions and fate within the story and the glorious side of human nature. >> but the massacre is still an emotive issue in china. each year, ceremonies are held so people remember the atrocity. this new film is sure to do something similar. >> now, you may remember a recent story about a little girl in china who had been hit a hit a vby a van. a number of passes by ignored her and she died in hospital afterwards. there has spent a similar tale, but with a somewhat happier ending. cctv images show the girl in the middle of the street. she does get hit by a car. a couple of minutes later, a crowd gathers to help. she was rescued and sent off to the hospital. according to reports, she has had no serious injuries.

>> make sense of to national news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.