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>> an american man has been given a new face, teeth, tongue, and jaw in the most extensive facial transplant ever performed. the syrian president is accused of systematically detaining and torturing children. and a u.s. domestic flight makes an emergency landing after its hysterical captain is restrained by its passengers. welcome to "bbc world news." with me, peter dobbie. also in this program -- the world's biggest insurer, lloyds of london, reports its largest losses since 9/11 and hurricane katrina. and the pope is expected to meet fidel castro, the former cuban pontiff, at the end of the pontiff's three-day trip to cuba. >> an american man has been

given a new face, teeth, tongue, and jaw in what his surgeons say is the most extensive facial transplant ever performed. the man has been a recluse since he was disfigured in a gun accident 15 years ago. doctors say the surgery will be life-changing. bill fink of abc now reports. >> his high school photograph. >> to remember his futh, it would be hard to understand why for the last 15 years 37-year-old richard lee norris has led much of his life behind a mask. seriously injured in a gun accident in 1997, this virginia man lost not only his nose and lips, left unable to speak with limited mouth movement, but also lost any sense of privacy. even after a dozen reconstructive surgeries, norris felt scorned by the public. but all that has now changed. >> providing this drape of mr. richard norris only six days after his surgical procedure. >> after 36 hours in the operating room, norris received a transplant of teeth, upper and lower jaws, a portion of

the tongue, in addition to all facial soft tissue from the scalp to the neck. >> when we look at the done or and we look at richard, obviously it's a blend of two individuals. clearly there are some specific features, like the nose or maybe the chin. but behind that soft tissue draping, behind that skeleton, it is richard norris. >> university of maryland calls this the most extensive full-face transplant to date. for 10 years, the medical center has researched treatments for veterans. richard norris became the perfect opportunity to apply this expertise. >> the team used innovative surgical practices, as well as computerized techniques to precisely, and i would say amazingly, transplant the entire face. >> and on his sixth day post-surgery, norris' progress is beyond everyone's expectations. >> he's moving his jaws, opening and closing his mouth. he's on a clear liquid diet, so you can move his tongue, open and close his eyes. >> what seemed simple measures

success for these doctors. dr. rodriguez remembers norris' reaction when seeing his new face for the first time. >> he put the mirror down and thanked me and hugged me, which was a wonderful gift to give him. and ever since that day, you can see that we're going to restore those 15 years that he's lost and make him a functioning member of society once again. >> that report from bill fink of abc. the u.n.'s human rights chief, navi pillay, has accused of syrian authorities of deliberately targeting children. in an exclusive interview with the bbc's fergal keane, recorded before the latest peace moves, she said she was deeply concerned about the fate of hundreds of children currently held by the government. >> this is one of the shocking developments in the way the syrian government has been reacting to legitimate calls of the protesters, is that they've gone for the children, for whatever purpose, in large

numbers, hundreds detained and tortured. i've seen some of the evidence gathered behind the commission of inquiry, who talked with parents, who talked with the victims. it's just horrendous, children shot in the knees, held together with adults in really inhumane conditions, denied medical treatment for their injuries, either held as hostages or held as sources of information or just the sheer brutality of this whole clampdown. >> you spoke about the -- you spoke about going after the children, which you suggest ubbles it's systematic. >> it seems to be systematic and targeted. what troubles me now is we don't have access to these children. >> presumably this is something you believe could be stopped if president assad were to give an order. he could stop it. >> well, when you see that the

security and intelligence sections report directly to president assad, then truly, it follows that he's the one who can issue a single order and release all these children and have them rejoin their parents and release people in custody and stop the killings. >> how worried are you by the reports of abuses being committed by the opposition? >> it accords with our own evidence on kidnappings, abductions, and also ill treatment and torture. i unequivocally condemn that. nothing entitles anyone to inflict killings and torture on others. international law absolutely forbids that. >> navi pillay in conversation there with fergal keane.

the assad regime wants to end the violence, but speaking in washington, the u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, sounded a note of caution in reaction to that syrian endorsement. >> it is an important initial step that the assad regime has written the united nations to accept the annan plan. let me just pause here to say, however, that given assad's history of overpromising and underdelivering, that commitment must now be matched by immediate actions. we will judge assad's sincerity and seriousness by what he does, not by what he says. if he is ready to bring this dark chapter in syria's history to a close, he can prove it by immediately ordering regime forces to stop firing and begin withdrawing from populated areas. >> the bbc's jonathan head in istanbul explains what is now

required from the assad regime for that peace plan to work. >> it has to meet the first two or three points of the annan plan, and those require an immediate pullback of its troops from towns and villages where it's been engaged in fighting for the last few months, also release political prisoners, freedom of assembly, all things that simply haven't happened in syria's history. these promises were made before. the arab league tried a similar deal last year, and admittedly, that didn't have the support of their key ally, russia. that may be the difference here. and there's no time table for this, how fast it has to happen, nor for you it's enforced, what kind of monitors are going to be on the ground to make sure it's happening. it's no surprise people are skeptical. although they don't envision talks at some stage, opposition

leaders have been meeting here and are saying we can't imagine that president assad is going to fulfill these requirements. the next few days are crucial, but even as the syrian government was making this promise, parts of homs and other cities were still being bombarded by assad's forces. >> aaron following the big business stories for us, talking about lloyds of london. they've had a very bad 12 months. >> you look at 2011, the natural disasters that occurred, the horrible quake and tsunami in japan, the floods in australia, thailand, the second earthquake in christchurch, that turned out to be the costliest year for lloyds of london. let's explain it. lloyds of london sits at the top of the insurance pipeline, if you will, the underwriters take on risks from lloyds, and they go and sell -- the underwriters sell the insurance to retailers, and we all get our insurance from them. lloyds of london paid out around $7.5 billion on disaster claims. that meant during 2011 they had an overall loss, lloyds of

london had an overall loss of $820 million. it could mean, of course, or should mean that our premiums all around the world will go up for insurance. in fact, lloyds of london said they're disappointed the insurance companies haven't already increased premiums. the third largest top microchipmaker in the world in japan, leaders in d-ram, but since we've got these gadgets, this is connected to peter's hip, but smartphones, tablets, they all use flash memory. it just shows the strength of those guys. but we're talking about the biggest corporate failure in japanese manufacturing history, an astonishing story. i'll have a lot more on all of the business stories -- they've hidden the clock, but it's about 15 minutes, right? >> a little less sarcasm then maybe? >> see you. >> ok, talk to you then. aaron is back with "world

business report" in 21 minutes' time. a maid from the philippines does not have the right to apply for citizenship in an important test case for foreign domestic workers. the three judges overturned the ruling last year by a lower court, stating that the woman should be allowed to seek citizenship. hundreds of thousands of foreign aides are employed in hong kong, but they are excluded from laws allowing people to apply for permanent residency after working in the territory for seven years. the case has split the city. 300,000 maids are there, and lawyers for them said they would take the case to hong kong's top court. >> well, it's a loss. it's a setback. but it's highly likely that we're going to go to the court of final appeal. i think that was anticipated right from the beginning given the issues involved, certainly the legal issues and the wider issues of principle as well that are involved. we're still quite confident of our arguments legally and even

more confident that as a matter of principle, that, you know, for justice to be served, you shouldn't have interpretations that basically lead to second-class citizens. >> now, a plane making a flight in the states was forced to make an emergency landing after what the airline, jet blue, described as a medical situation involving the captain. passengers said he had to be locked out of the cockpit and was heard pounding on the door and ranting about al qaeda. we now get this report. >> it's one of those terrifying moments you usually see in the movies much the captain of this flight is on the floor being restrained by passengers, apparently after an outburst of hisser it i can't. these pictures were filmed on a mobile mobile phone by one of the 135 passengers. the stewardess urges people to remain calm. >> stay seated, seat belts fastened. >> the plane had taken off from

new york's j.f.k. airport, but 3 1/2 hours into his journey to las vegas, the captain left the cockpit, forcing an emergency landing in texas. an off-duty pilot had been on the plane and landed it, while passengers, including this man, pinned down and even sat on the captain. >> he started to curse at me and tell me, hey, you better pray, iraq and iran, so i said, you know what, i'm going to show you what iraq and iran is, and i took him on a chokehold. i wasn't letting go of this guy until we landed the plane. i was still on top of this guy until we landed the plane. >> the captain was carried away on the tarmac. he's now receiving medical attention. the passengers who continued to las vegas came to terms with what happened. >> all i could think of was my wife and my twin children, and the only thing i could think of, and that -- it hit me there . >> though now safe, many of

these people are already calling for tighter screening of pilots before they can take to the skies. >> you're watching "bbc world news." still to come -- fidel castro is expected to meet the pontiff during his visit to cuba. our big story here in the u.k. -- the stars are replacing p.i.p. breast implants could fly in the face of common sense, according to british m.p.'s. here's our medical correspondent. >> nearly all the 47,000 women with p.i.p. breast implants in the u.k. had the surgery done privately. the present, if clinics can't help, northern ireland will remove but not replace the implants, which were filled with nonauthorized silicone. in its report, the health select committee said this response was inadequate. >> i don't think it's fair, nor

do i think it's good medicine to expect a woman who's got a faulty implant, knowledge that that should be removed, but who wants it replaced, then to go through a second separate surgical procedure. >> the health select committee here at westminster suggests that private patients in england should be allowed to have their p.i.p. implants removed and replaced and women pay the n.h.s. for their new implant to be fitted. the m.p.'s said the health service in england should not go as far as that in wales, which offers replacement surgery free of charge. the health minister said the prospect of two operations was difficult and distressing for women, but it was a founding principle of the n.h.s. that people did not pay for treatment. >> more people from the ethnic minorities in the u.k. need to join the justice system to stop the public from losing confidence in it, that's the finding of a new report from the house of lords.

recruitment should still object merit, and they don't want to introduce targets on diversity. the duchess of cornwall got very special treatment during her visit to denmark this visit. a self-confessed addict of the show "the killing," she was taken to the set, where she met the actress. >> you're watching "bbc world news." top stories this hour -- an american man has been given a new face, teeth, tongue and jaw in the most extensive facial transplant ever performed. and the syrian president is accused of systematically detaining and for touring children. apple has offered to refund its customers in australia who felt misled about the 4g capabilities of the new ipad. the country's consumer watch dog has taken apple to court

for false advertising because the tablet computer doesn't work on the 4g network in australia. however, the company does not accept that it misled its customers. joining us live from sydney is our correspondent, duncan kennedy. so, if it didn't mislead the customers, what did it do, duncan? >> well, it claims it didn't do anything. if you read the small print on the boxes and elsewhere, it never quite claimed that its new generation ipad worked on the 4g network in australia. the consumer watch dog said all the advertising said otherwise, and the consumers would have been led to believe that the new ipads didn't work on the new 4g network here in australia. it's all about frequency, peter. the system here in australia works on one system, in america it works on another, but the new ipads do work now. apple said, yes, we'll agree to compensate anybody who wants to return the machines. they feel as though they're going to be misled, so they're going to put up signs and other

retail outlets warning people these ipads don't work on the 4go network. this is all going to go to trial in may, to see whether apple has broken any australian law. >> i assume it's the same as you are, people almost banging at the doors to get their grubby little mitts on the ipad 33. >> me included, yes. it's one of those things that went on sale first here in australia. it was the world's first here. they're expecting to sell one million ipads this year. that's 75% of the market here. so, although this is something of an embarrassing setback for apple, it may yet face heavy fines in the court if it loses that battle. really, this corporate monolith goes on and on, selling iconic products to tens of millions of people around the world. there may be a few that want a refund because it doesn't work on the 4g network. frankly, most people will put up with it. they can work it on other networks, and most are saying

they're very satisfied with these incredible iconic machines. >> thanks very much, duncan kennedy. to nigeria, where the government has announced it intends to build hundreds of new religious schools to fight poverty and extremism in the north of the country. the bbc's reporter traveled to one of these new schools. >> a call for food from this 18-year-old boy. he's been forced into begging because of a decision his parents took to send him here. he's one of millions of nigeria's young boys moved far from home to master the curran at informal schools. now the nigerian government wants to build hundreds of official religious schools to help them. here, with the state

government's blessing, they've opened the first. >> is your aim to drain the demand of the informal ones, to close them down effectively? >> well, the school's principal is a former boy. he says teaching western as well as islamic education would help students to integrate better into society. >> science, mathematics, arabic as a language. >> a model school is an easy sell here, the home of the spiritual leader of nigeria's muslims and the state with the highest proportion in poverty, but the government's plan to build schools in other northern states is a gimmick driven by security fears, some say.

>> the government is motivated by a desire to change the heart and minds. >> security concerns have heightened a recent failed joint british and nigerian rescue attempt. the killing of the kidnapped foreigners at this compound here wasn't the first sign of high-profile criminal activity, disturbing a relatively normal northwest of the country. a militant group has said that its members are present here. whatever the government's motives, at these schools, it's passed from generation to generation, and there's little appetite for change. >> time for sports news. amelia joins us from -- i was going to say a few hundred

miles away. never mind. moving on. chelsea getting it just fight at exactly the right time. >> indeed, peter, thanks very much indeed. yes, chelsea has now gained a first leg quarterfinal advantage. they won by a goal, giving them the advantage next week. it was the goal later on in the first half, in a much changed lineup. mateo taking a gamble, but one that paid off. he rested six players, including those who inspired the historic comeback against napoli. he even played ramirez just to make sure of that advantage. and the nine-time european champions real madrid were in action again, a bit of a goal fest for them, putting three past their opponent, giving them that advantage, again, ahead of the competition.

>> staying with soccer, amelia, bradford city, a bit of a dustup. >> yeah, a little bit of a dustup, or hand bag as the city manager referred to it. things seemed to boil over on the pitch and a drawl ensued. the referees were unable to control it. three bradford players given red cards in that dressing room . not what you want to see. bradford lost by 2-1. >> amelia, thanks very much. the former cuban president, fidel castro, says he will happily meet pope benedict. the pope will also hold a mass in havana, which thousands of cubans are expected to attend. >> a moment of quiet prayer before the patron saint of cuba. it's been 400 years since the

statue of the virgin mary was discovered and the pope came here in a pilgrim. but this visit is also political. pope benedict has gently been urging change. i prayed for the future of your country, he told this crowd, that it may advance along the path of renewal and hope for the greater good of all cubans. from santiago in the south, he brought that message of renewal to havana, where the catholic hierarchy came to greet him. after 40 years of state atheism, the church in cuba is just finding its feet. but, in apparent response to the pope, cuba has made its position clear. >> there will be no political reform in cuba. what we're talking about here is updating the cuban economic model to make our socialism sustainable, which is for the

well-being of our people. >> but it was all smiles when the pope and president finally met. the church hopes all this can strengthen its position. for cuba, it's a rare moment in the international spotlight. and on the streets here, there are hopes for this papal visit. economic reforms are popular, but some do want more. the cuban people need a little bit more freedom, he says. we're deprived of many things we can't do because they're forbidden. >> pope benedict is giving voice to his world vision, so often at odds with the cuban reality. the big event is still to come with the main mass here in the cuban capital in revolution square. >> military leaders in mali who seized power in a coup last week say they will not stand in presidential elections. they announced a new constitution on tuesday guaranteeing basic human rights.

the west african group, ecowas, has suspended mali in response and put regional troops on standby. mali's new military has not announced a date for the elections. the u.n.'s mission in haiti says thousands of people made homeless by the earthquake two years ago are suffering because governments are failing to live up to their promises of aid. the u.n. says its withdrawn some services because only around 10% of the money pledged for this year has yet arrived. it warned this could worsen sanitary conditions, risking another epidemic of cholera. sand sculptures are being made in japan for a forthcoming exhibition of the sand museum next month. the theme is london, where this year's olympic games are being held. you can see the latest on that sand museum, and also more news on our website, bbc.com/news. you can get lots more on all our top stories whenever you want it. good to hear from you, so drop us an email, or the address to have your say at bbc.com/news.

>> make sense of international 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry to 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

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