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>> at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. thats why were supplying cleaner burning natural gas to generate electricity. and its also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol, a biofuel made from renewable sugar cane. >> a minute, mom! >> lets broaden the worlds energy mix. lets go. >> and now, bbc world news. >> another massacre in syria. u.n. observers head to the scene of an onslaught which left women and children dead. it's two speed ahead for the e.u. as germany's chancellor merkel seeks countries willing. pakistan is testing the u.s.'s patience as insurgents continue their cross-border attacks on u.s. troops in afghanistan. welcome to "bbc world news." i'm david eades.

also coming up in the program -- the japanese tsunami made its presence felt in the united states more than a year after the disaster. >> hello. welcome and children, some of them burned to death, others shot or stamped, are among around 80 people killed in the latest massacre in syria. they are all believed to be civilians. the attack took place in the village of qubair in hama province. opposition activists say it's the work of pro-government militia together with syrian security forces. government officials insist armed terrorists, as they called them, carried out this latest brutality. u.n. observers who verified previous recent massacres, are once again in hama to assess the scene. tom esselmont has the latest. >> once again, hama is a focal

point of this conflict. these are apparently the victims of what activists say were the killings carried out by the regime militia, plus government security forces in the village of qubair. these pictures apparently show the aftermath of an earlier attack later, also in hama province. the activist said many people in qubair were shot at close range, while others were stabbed to death, with men, women, and children among the dead. >> its army is defending more and more on gangs in order to intimidate people and lessen pressure on its army, which is losing battles everywhere. >> as these unverified pictures emerged of violence elsewhere, siriano officials went on state tv to blame the qubair attack on armed terrorist groups. officials say security forces

then attacked those groups after appeals from locals. the activists are comparing the killings to those of houla 12 days ago. then there was international condemnation with some western powers laying blame firmly at the door at the assad regime. the latest violence comes as kofi annan prepares to report to the u.n. security council. there's talk of widening his so far ineffective peace plan by involving countries like iran and turkey in negotiations. but countries like britain and france, meeting in istanbul, have already dismissed any suggestion that iran be allowed to play a part. >> i think the inconclusion of iran in any such group would probably render it unworkable. this is a country that is supporting some of the unacceptable violence and supporting the syrian regime and what it is doing to the syrian people. that would pose a great

difficulty. but for innocent civilians because they're turning far too slowly. tom he is incident mount, bbc news. >> our correspondent, paul denahar, is in damascus. we have got some pictures from this scene, and they do tell us another pretty shocking story, don't they? >> they do. what they don't tell us is how it happened and who's behind it and where we go from here. what someone said to me yesterday, someone in the international community here on the ground, was that houla was the beginning of a sectarian aspect of this conflict, and today may be another one, another step down that road. i think what we have to recognize now is that we do not have a black and white situation in syria like we had perhaps in libya and in egypt, both countries whose revolutions i covered. there are many more shades of gray here now. it's probably getting to the stage where the militia are

basically not taking direct command and control necessarily from damascus anymore. these sectarian killings are beginning to look more like a boss unanimous scenario than a libyan scenario, which is what the conflict referred to in the past. i think we have to accept that it is spiraling out of control and it's very difficult to see how anything is going to stop it. >> where in that case, paul, do you think that leaves president assad and his loyalty, and if they are, as you put it, no longer calling these sort of shots? >> well, they're clearly running the country. what i'm saying is the clash inside the country is such and the chaos inside the country is such that it does leave room for people to go freelancing. you know, we're looking at a plan b that kofi annan is expected to present today. the problem with that is it is suggesting some kind of noth solution at the top of the

regime to leave, the kind of yemeni solution, if you like. the problem with that is many people here -- and i mean international observers and diplomats are saying that you could then hand over the power to people even more hard line than the president, because it isn't cut and dried here anymore. >> right. with regard to what you're saying -- we're just showing pictures at the moment of residents from a village in hama maintaining their protesters going up. you saw one occupant screen, which is actually saying you can kill as many as you like, but we are coming after you. i suppose, paul, your point is magnified there, isn't it, that whichever side you're on, as you said, for sectarian, vicious sectarian issues, it's only going to grow. >> the international community that i've spoken to here are saying that the sectarian issue we spoke to at the beginning by people within the regime are trying -- they believe this is

not a syrian revolution, but a sunni revolution. the question now, are those people that were instigated to think this way still under the command and control structure of damascus? a lot of them probably are, but some of them probably aren't, because to be very frank, what happened today or what's come out today, if it turns out to be true, does not work in the interest of the syrian government. they're not foolish people. and to carry out a massacre as kofi annan is going to the u.n. to report on the situation here would be very foolish indeed. >> paul denahar in damascus, thank you very much. let's move on now. british prime minister david cameron is on his way to berlin for talks with german chancellor angela merkel will the deepening eurozone crisis. he spoke in oslo before heading for germany and said that his first priority was the stabilization of the financial situations by recapitalizing banks and reassuring the markets. >> all countries across europe

can help by offering the right advice and the right steps forward to the eurozone countries. as we were discussing last night, the first priority is to stabilize the financial situation. that means recapitalization of banks and building firewalls and reassuring markets. that needs to take place. but then, norway has done and britain is doing, we need structural reforms that can increase the long-term growth rates of our countries. that is absolutely vital. but we also, as norway has done, as britain is doing, we need proper and credible plans for deficit reduction to show the world that we can pay our way in the world. those steps all need to take place, and those are some of the things i'm sure we'll be discussing with chancellor merkel today. thank you. >> that's david cameron. the german chancellor has said that europe needs a political union to make the monetary union work. in an interview on german television, she said countries, including germany, needed to be prepared to cede more power to

brussels. steve evans joins me from berlin now. steve, to pick up from the vantage point of cameron and merkel, they're not going to have an awful lot in common to talk about when they meet, are they? >> no, because mr. cameron comes having talked to president obama and the two of them saying that it's an urgent situation and the eurozone countries need to do more. chancellor merkel has been on television here in germany this morning, downplaying the idea of any kind of immediate solution and saying the way forward lies in much more political integration in europe, and the implication is you get that integration of institutions, and then you can talk about a collective shouldering of debt. none of that does anything about the immediate difficulties in greece or with

the banking crisis in spain. so the question will be, i suspect, if chancellor merkel support going to go towards euro bonds and absolutely nobody in germany thinks she is, then how do you deal with the short-term problem? she, i suspect, would say it's a step-by-step approach. that's the phrase she uses. but the implication of that is you then have these little difficulties, if i can call them that kindly, and you have to deal with them on that very, very difficult step-by-step path. >> steve, we'll see how that meeting goes. for now, thanks very much indeed. i've got something to bring you from athens, in fact, a bit of a ruckus here. the spokesman for the extreme far right golden dawn party on tv in a debate with a couple of left wings -- you can see in the bottom left hand corner here -- hurling mortar across

the desk at one of the other characters then, then attacking, quite violently, one of the other participants. essentially, it referred to remarks made by the representative who, of course, wants to pull out of the eurozone to a court case involving there. tensions high, perhaps no surprise. aaron, nice bit of calm. another volatile day, really. >> just hot off the press, we just discovered -- well, we've got the rilts of the spanish bond auction. this is spain, of course, the spanish government selling its debt. let's remind everybody, it was only within the past couple of days where the spanish government said effectively we're being locked out of the international markets. we'll prove they're not actually being locked out of the markets. they managed to raise $2.6

billion in medium to long-term debt. long-term debt is the one we keep our eye on, because that really kept investor confidence, 10-year debt came in, they sold it, but they did once again have to pay a considerably higher rate. they paid 6.1%. that's very, very expensive money. the last time they went in april to the money market, for the same size debt, they were paying about 5.7%. that in itself was very high. so, proof that they still have access to money, but in the long term, it's unaffordable money. of course, the reason i've been reading from some of the experts is it was somewhat successful in the fact that they still managed to raise the money was the talk of a bailout for the banks. that's the big focus at the moment, of course. it's not a matter of if. it's a matter of when, and just how much is this whole in the banking system. some are suggesting it could be around $100 billion. of course, the question is, what sort of -- the bailout, how will that look?

spain kind of wants it through the back door. spain wants a bailout, but it wants the money to go directly to its banks, not to the general coffers of the government, because that way they wouldn't have to follow the very harsh measures that come with a bailout, some say the i.m.f. or the e.u. now, germany and many are opposed to that, but the other question is depending on how much spain gets, what does that leave left in the emergency pot for the others? portugal is very likely to need further bailing out. a lot going on, but i'll have a lot more in the "world business report" in about 20 minutes' time. i'm being told to get off. >> that must be a first. aaron, thank you very much. leon panetta said it will remain difficult to secure afghanistan against militants as long as they got safe havens across the border in pakistan. he was speaking in kabul. he said america has made it very clear pakistan had to take action against the fallback areas in the tribal belt, which is used by members of a

network. he also added the u.s. was reaching the limits of its patience, those are his exact words. joining me from kabul -- it seems a very stark message from panetta. >> indeed. i attended that press conference, and the word safe haven, the word pakistan, the word that pakistan needs to step up to the plate to put more pressure on the insurgents was pretty much what dominated the press conference. it's not acceptable for u.s. forces to come under attack. it's very critical of pakistan, mr. panetta, who also said that you will never be able to bring peace in afghanistan as long as those safe havens exist on the other side of the border.

>> given hamid karzai's remarks about the latest nato assault, killing a number of civilians. do you think in part this is to reflect away from that? >> for afghans, it's nothing new. they've always alleged, including president karzai, who's been very critical, the safe havens in pakistan, the support and others, they must end. if anything, these comments will be welcomed and this will be seen as something positive by the government. it will not help, because already the president is cutting its trip short from china. he criticized the killings, calling it an unacceptable mistake and has admitted that any time civilians get killed, it only strengthens the taliban. president karzai has asked again that the killing of

afghan civilians is not acceptable, and he will not accept any explanation when it comes that. >> thank you very much indeed, the latest from kabul. thank you for watching "bbc world news" with me, david eades. still to come in the program -- aaron was telling us spain successfully sold its bonds at auction. it doesn't mean they're smiling in madrid. we'll be there live in a moment. food gourmets in california have embarked on a fois gras fringe in their home state. it produced by force feeding ducks and geast to fatten their livers. some animal groups say that is cruel and unfair. more from jamie mitchell. >> three weeks to go and what is being called fois-magdon. there are festivals and dinner

parties, some determined to fight the ban. >> i've been up to sacramento to lobby and really just try to make everyone up in sacramento a little bit more aware of the impact that it's going to have on us chefs, on tourism, and the dining guests. >> animals are tortured -- >> outside one feast in santa monica, animal welfare campaigners, who claim that force feeding amounts to torture. >> fois gras is a barbaric product. it shouldn't exist in 2012. it cruelly force feeds ducks, and there's no justification for it. >> the ban is due to come into effect on july 1. some are skeptical about what water tight it will be. >> truth is, i think that it's going to be like pot, where it's supposed to be illegal, but anybody can get it, because if you want to get cuban rum, you can. if you can to get cuban cigars, you can. >> in the meantime, enthusiasts

are gorging on it. >> i'm sad. i'm disappointed. i'm going to get as much in as i can while we can. >> janie mitchell, bbc news. >> american drug enforcement agents have arrested 33 people during a major operation of puerto rico's main international airport. federal agents arrested airport workers, baggage handlers, and others suspected of belonging to drug operations in the u.s. caribbean territory. this is "bbc world news" with me, david eades, and these are the headlines. a fresh civilian massacre in syria. u.n. observer teams are on their way to a village in the province of hama. the german chancellor, angela merkel, has said europe needs a political union to make the monetary union work. >> coming up in sport today in about half an hour -- the

spanish coach dies just a day after agreeing to coach villareal next season. if this happens at the euro, stop the game. that's the message to referees ahead of friday's kickoff. and so close, and yet so far. the l.a. kings must keep their stanley cup champagne on ice. >> as we've been hearing, the spanish government has just managed to borrow around $2.5 billion on the bond market, so the interest rate it had to offer has gone up further still this. comes just days after it said it was impossible to access any funds due to prohibitively high borrowing costs. it's borrowing again. my colleague is in the heart of madrid, where, john, i don't suppose they're celebrating. >> well, no, there's not much cause for celebration here. i mean, you know, so much of the talk is about what's happening on the bond markets, as you've been describing, the need to recapitalize the banks. then you've got ordinary

workers who come out in hundreds behind me outside the regional government headquarters to protest about the fact that their pay has been cut and the number of hours that they've been asked to work has increased. let's talk to a couple of people who are very interesting. james babcock is the editor of the english edition of the spanish newspaper. so, why are you protesting today outside your regional headquarters? >> we agreed that they have to cut with a lot of expenses, but we know because we work inside. they could be cut from lowering people's wages. the problems are extensive, so they want to cut. we have done anything before,

now people can send it in longer. so people who won't be able to pay their represent or buy food or things like that so they can send it in. >> how tough is it for civil servants working here? >> it's starting to be tough, because there are more politicians and less workers. it's what we're demanding here. we want more workers and less politicians. before the administration with like that, workers get over it, and politicians get to the top, and now it's like that. the editor here, i mean, is that the mood you're picking up as well? i think you talked about there being a lot of anxiety, but are you recognizing this anger that's coming? >> yeah, i think anxiety is turning to anger. we've seen a lot of demonstrations, they're almost daily now, one thing or another. it's the may 15 movement topping to solve, it's people

protesting outside the bank here, branches, people feel cheated by that particular bank. >> they were told it was a proper company, turns out it made huge losses last year and has an enormous hole in it. anger is creeping in. civil serve can'ts, they've had -- civil servants, they've had their pay cut twice here. it's a crisis, but also an opportunity. they're cutting, you know, seemingly quite merrily at some public services and public workers as well. education has been cut, not just once, not in an ordered way. in the last month and a half, there have been three different announcements of cuts for the education budget, public education budget. public healthcare is also having its budget cut. you know, anger is definitely growing. >> ok, thank you very much indeed. of course, all focus as well on

what's happening in berlin, not in madrid, where so many of these crucial decisions are going to be taken. but for now, from here, back to you in the studio. >> john, thanks very much inside. john sopel there. let's get more on the situation in syria. we've heard about the latest massacre. i'm joined by an expert in the region, the director of the middle east center at the london school of economics. thanks once again for joining us. we hear more talk of sectarianism and civil war beckoning. is that how you see it? >> absolutely. i think what the massacres do, david, just the whole massacre and today's massacre is to intensify and escalate sectarian tension, and i think the conflict is taking on more and more of the sectarian bend in the last few months. this reminds me of lebanon in 1975, the beginning of the

civil war. the writing is on the wall, car bombings. i fear that it's set in, and the more killings and bloodshed we witness, the more syria seems to be descending into all-out sectarian strife as opposed to a limited, pro tracted bloodshed. >> we've seen what has proved to be a pretty toothless kofi annan attempt to bring some sort of peace process to bear. do you think the formation of a contact group perhaps, a stronger body, maybe even bringing iran in, could make a difference? the kofi annan peace initiative has failed. it has also failed to bridge the divide between the syrian government and the opposition. it has also failed -- and this is the big point, david -- to even bridge the divide between the russian and chinese camps

on the one hand and the american western camp on the other hand. >> but the russians do seem to be suggesting there could be something in a contact group, perhaps if it's brought in. is that realistic? >> i think that's really what's happening behind closed doors. i would argue it's very, very important. the russians are beginning to realize that the situation is extremely grave, not just for syria, but also for its neighbors, and that's why i think ideas are being floated around about bringing in turkey and iran and other powers in order to basically begin the process, of course, at that transition. the reason why russia and i would say kofi annan are proposing to bring iran in, because the idea is you want to really find ways and means to convince president assad that it's time to go. >> right. we'll have to leave it there on that very point, whichever way you look at it, it is a painful process indeed. thank you very much indeed for that.

now, a concrete dock torn from a port in northern japan by last year's tsunami has floated ashore in the u.s. state of oregon. that's after a journey of more than 8,000 kilometers across the pacific ocean. it took a while, didn't it? the dock itself is more than 20 meters long, weighing 165 tons. if you want to know why it didn't sink, that's because it was built with styrofoam inside. more of this story on the website, an extraordinary tale, the aftermath, a postscript, if you like to the tsunami. you're watching "bbc world news." >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newmans own foundation. union bank. and shell. >> at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. thats why were supplying cleaner burning natural gas to generate electricity.

and its also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol, a biofuel made from renewable sugar cane. >> a minute, mom! >> lets broaden the worlds energy mix. lets go. >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.