>> this is "bbc world news america." >> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network 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 america." this is "bbc world news america." and injured british photographer is smuggled out of homs. pier rare glimpse inside japan's took a shima plant one year after the disaster struck -- but she must plant. >> made more difficult by the fact that it is highly radioactive year. >> pumping up the volume on russian politics. critics of vladimir putin are voicing opposition in an unusual way.

>> welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the world. the death toll in syria has risen and the conflict increasingly looks like a civil war. that was the assessment from a top u.n. official today and the comments were echoed by secretary of state hillary the ton who said president's actions were that of a war criminal. and injured british photographer has been smuggled into lebanon. we begin our coverage from their rout. -- from beirut. >> homs, as unrelenting today as it has been for three weeks. the regime is killing 100 syrians per day, according to the un. many here. heavy artillery is being used indiscriminately. this little boy's home was

destroyed by a shell. incredibly, he is still alive. rescue workers freed him and he is now recovering in a makeshift field hospital. the british photographer paul conroy is now in lebanon. they say he is in good shape and good spirits. his family is overjoyed and relieved. >> we have heard he's out. we do not know where he is. happ quite -- we're quite y. >> the badly injured french journalist, edith bouvier, was with him. her current whereabouts are unknown. they were seized in a corner of the homs. is still had to get out of syria. this activist helped them flee.

>> they were coming under a lot of fire. they had to travel on foot moving from house to house. there were rockets fired at them and even tank shells. the evacuation took three or four hours. >> the cost was high. >> they were supposed to turn back. there is a tremendous loss of life. we lost three activists. a group returning lost six activists. >> this began with the deaf of a veteran war correspondent in -- teh death of a correspondent in homs, >> the loss of your boy friend is terrible, but the waiting is insufferable. i think all religions recognize that to say goodbye you need a body. we are not able to grieve. i have promised everyone, his

friends and family, that i will not leave him there. >> many others died today, as they do every day. evidenced by the red cross to get a temporary ceasefire appealing. many activists are risking their lives, some even giving their lives to help these journalists trapped in homs. those involved say they did it in the hope that the world will take action to help the many thousands of civilians who remain behind and under bombardment. bbc news, beirut. >> the british ambassador to lebanon say paul conroy'experiences is chilling. for more on the continuing assault on the city, i spoke to paul recent.y >> the u.n. says it's looking

increasingly like civil war. you have just come from homs. that look like civil war to you? >> it does and it is. homs is not the whole country. i have made two journeys into the city. we have had optimism -- opposition activists and we went to the place under the heaviest shelling. we encountered almost exclusively civilians and coptic christians. in homs and near it, there are places people withdrawing into the room communities. there is a question just hanging in the air wherever you go, who is a sunni, who is a christian? >> for almost one year, the have tried to keep this broad based and have emphasized the society.

the more casualties there are, the more the bodies pile up. the more people see this along sectarian lines and the impetus for revenge is growing greater. what we are seeing in homs today, could be syria tomorrow. >> what about the actions of president assaad? do you get any sense that more international pressure builds against him, the greater or the more intensified becomes his crack down? >> international pressure has not worked so far. i know the british foreign secretary was reiterating today that diplomatic and economic pressure would be used to try to get the arab league police -- peace plan. that has not worked so far. killed seven and 500 people, -- if they have

killed 7,500 people, what do they do? do they arm the free syrian army? >> paul, thanks for joining us. now to japan. nearly one year after an earthquake and tsunami devastated the country, new details are coming to light. today, it was revealed the danger posed by the radiation leak at fukushima dai-ichi was so serious that they considered evacuating tokyo. this news comes for the first time international journalists have been allowed on site. we go to roland burke. >> getting ready to face the radiation and fukushima. protection against the contamination, masks. we are being taken to the power station. the first group of foreign journalists allowed in. through the exclusion zone, 12

miles of overgrown fields and abandoned homes into the heart of this nuclear disaster, the source of fear for the japanese people who, for almost one year now, this is where this is being coordinated, the control room in the power station. minute by minute, they monitor the reactors, now stabilized. >> what we have in mind is to prevent the leak of radioactive gases. they have leaked to the paris stations before. >> in march last year, up this power station was rocked by explosions. the tsunami had triggered a meltdown in three reactors. they feared they would have to evacuate tokyo. when you were standing here, you can appreciate the force of what destroyed the reactor buildings.

these reactors are now in a state of coolness below boiling point. the next challenge is made more difficult by the fact that it is highly radioactive here. and it could be for 40 years. >> then we were driven right past the reactors, next to the power of the sea. the wreckage still littering the ground. in places, it's too radioactive for humans to venture. the workers are maintaining the colli system, vital to keeping the reactors under control. -- are maintaining the clothing system. >> i worked here before the disaster. i think it is my mission to stay here. >> what they fear is another earthquake, a second tsunami. it could pit the nuclear

disaster in disaster -- and to crisis once again. no one needs reminding now that sitting on the edge of the pacific, this crippled reactor is painfully vulnerable. roland berger, bbc news, inside fukushima dai-ichi. >> i spoke to james, a senior associate at the nuclear policy program just a short time ago. thank you for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> we know earthquakes will happen. did the japanese government underestimates and do they continue to underestimate? correct for this reactor, its stable unless there's another huge earthquake or tsunami. there are certainly plenty of earthquakes and tsunami is in the geological record for this area, it won every 1000 years, so it's quite unlikely to be another one in the immediate future. now have to worry about a

precursor quick. >> that is somewhat reassuring, but what about the information that the report says that was being withheld at the time? could that have been a game changer? >> it still very hard to know whether the japanese government deliberately withheld information or whether the information was withheld because it was a major disaster. the flow of information in a major accident is very hard. information just does not necessarily flow as fast dr. words. this will be an important issue for the investigation committee to look at in the weeks and months ahead. >> with hindsight, should the emergency response have been different? they talked about possibly evacuate in tokyo. >> of course should have been better. the problems we have discovered since the accident was that the

emergency response was not planned very well in advance. i do not want to criticize those who responded or the plant workers, i do not criticize anyone involved, but they needed to prepare for an effective emergency response in response -- in advance. >> other than a possible 3 earthquake, is this reactors the risk? >> barring an unexpected, and very unlikely to market quicker tsunami, this reactor, or these three reactors i should say, do not pose a significant risk anymore. >> a number of countries that the time curtailed their own nuclear programs in response. as the fear factor subsided it? are we continue to see an international impact from fukushima? >> we very much will see an international impact. the time scale over the decision on energy policy is made, we

have not seen an impact on state energy or the full range of the energy policy yet. it is high time that the responses have been it differently. with the exception of the u.k., nuclear energy has been viewed very badly. india and china are still continuing for aggressive programs, albeit in a slightly different way. >> james axon, thanks. hospital officials in ohio state's third student died following the east -- the shooting from chardon high school. if the prosecutors say he did not know his victims and chose them randomly. today, the dow jones closed above the 13,000 mark for the first time since may 2008. it comes just as the occupy

movement dealt another blow last night. after more than four months camped outside f st. paul's cathedral in london, british police had cleared away the protesters. jeremy cooke has this story. >> st. paul's cathedral, a renowned place of worship, and four months of home to the occupied encampment. last night, expecting trouble and on high alert. police came in overwhelming numbers. it has sharply divided opinion. little real violence. abdomens of occupation, after the long, protracted legal battles, the tents are finally being cleared away and loaded up into these dump trucks. if the protesters insist that they will remain. the message went out for all supporters to come and join the cause. police cordoned off the way. the court order was for the

removal of tents and other structures. the regretted sending in the bailiffs but had no choice. the clearing continued. if you the most committed manned until the last decade. -- few of the most committed. the result was never in doubt. >> this is an opportunity for us to move sideways and be creative and innovative. this is very much not the end, but the end of the beginning. >> confirmations and the landscape today had changed, dozens of tents gone and time for the cleanup crews to move in. the high-pressure hoses were put to immediate work. some local businesses were clearly glad it is all over. >> business is back to normal. >> the occupied campaign has been difficult and at times embarrassing for the church authorities.

this was their response. >> last night was about the removal of tents and camping equipment. it was not about the removal of protests, debates, or ideas. those things carry-on, but perhaps they carry-on now with a sharpened focus. >> of my peers returning to normal with a court order portents, not the protesters. many say, and their message, we'll be back. >> jeremy cooke reporting on the removal of the occupied london camp. if you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come -- down to wires in detroit. the voters in michigan have their say. if mitt romney and rick santorum, a lot riding on the outcome. >> by now, the red carpet is backed away and movie studios are already looking at next year's oscar ceremony.

the party is still under way. meryl streep and the winners may have gotten all the headlines, but they're getting ready to welcome home harry george. they won the oscar for their short film which was shot in the village. mark simpson went along the sea the preparation for a party befitting their new celebrity. [cheers] >> never mind the oscar parties in los angeles, this one is still going. this. barr was one of the main locations used in the oscar- winning short film, "the shore'' it is the story of a father brings his american daughter to see northern ireland. 25 years after he left, but the troubles. behind the movie was a real-life

father ram daughter. -- father and daughter. >> its about reconciliation and where we are in northern ireland. if >> it shows a side of northern ireland not often seen beyond the shores. it could do wonders for tourism. >> the place is buzzing in here. they're talking about it. i have had to place an order for more beer. >> they will need it for another celebration later this week. they are preparing for a welcome home party for the oscar-winning director, terry george, and they are doing their best to make a deal at home. mark simpson, bbc news, ireland. >> today, president obama

proudly embraced the bailout of the autumn industry and took aim at his republican opponents saying they would not have used bailout money to save general motors and chrysler. speaking before the uaw, the part of the crowd with an impassioned about. >> we are going to keep on fighting to make our economy strong turf, to put our friends and neighbors back to work faster, to give their children even more opportunity to come to make sure that the united states of america remains the greatest nation on our. thank you, uaw. >> it is no mistake in timing that the president's comments, the same day that voters in arizona and michigan are hoping the auto industry goes to the polls. mitt romney is fighting to defend his home state of michigan from recent surge by rick santorum. as our north american editor reports from detroit, the audit bailout is a big factor.

-- the auto bailout is a big factor. >> manufacturing is michigan's beating heart, one that nearly stopped. now gm is making record profits. this plant in flint makes parts. >> we have seen a nice growth spurt been good for contracting, building, home starts. when i see heavy-duty trucks moving at this rate, it's a good sign for the economy. >> they got part of obama as the hugely controversial $18 billion bailout of the car industry. they're very grateful the government did step in. >> we may not have had jobs without the bailout. >> it would have been a tragedy for our country to lose general

motors. >> i grew up in michigan. >> mitt romney thinks the bailout was wrong. he stresses that in this television ad in defense opposition of the government stepping in. >> these companies need to go through a managed bankruptcy just like the airlines and other industries have. >> his main opponent degrees. >> that means pain. i understand that. we believe it will make them more efficient over time. >> he supported the wall street bailout while turning his back on michigan workers. >> when 1 billion jobs were on the line, every republican candid turned their back and said, "let detroit go bankrupt." >> there read and missing the bailout was appalling. >> i have a problem of government coming in and picking and choosing. a lot of us here are small

business people. if we bail, we fail. >> i had a record stores went under because the record industry changed. nobody bailed me out. i had to go on to doing something else. i did not even think to go to the government asked for millions of dollars. >> we keep inching our way toward socialism. the first step is to taking over businesses. they now own a two of our largest automobile companies. >> this will be essential to the general election in november. obama argues that by saving plants like this when he has saved the economy from a much worse off fate. as opponents will say that big spending and big government is putting this country on a bad track. >> there may be eight months to go into the presidential election, in russia they will make their choice this weekend. prime minister vladimir putin is

expected to win. as we report, putin's critics have up on the most unusual way to voice their opposition. >> they have asked us not to reveal where they are, or who they are. it is all very hush hush. not for long. ♪ this punk band is rehearsing their latest song about vladimir putin. you do not need to understand a russian to realize how big deal. here, they pray mr. putin will soon be chased from power. why? >> this singer, who goes by a code name, said she believes mr. putin cheated in the last parliamentary election. that is why she wants him out. when pussy riot performs, they select high-profile venues like

this roof opposite a jail where anti-government government protesters have been locked up. earlier this month, they conquered red square and saying, "putin has let himself -- wet himself." punk protest songs on the doorstep of the kremlin showing how much the political scene, and the music scene has changed in russia. it was not so long ago that vladimir putin was the tops. there was a time when girl bands sang his praises. likeant a strong anman putin." vladimir,is like puti puit." >> the more people that criticizes the power, the better

it is for society in general because it makes the power realize that they are vulnerable. they're not invincible. >> there is still one girl band backing putin for president. these are wrapping russians have become an internet sensation with songs about how clever, and athletic, mr. putin is. they are against electing anyone else. vladimir putin will hope that, come election day, they will be singing the same tune. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. >> that brings today's show to a close. you can get constant updates on our website. to find out what we're working on at any time, visit our facebook page. for all of us here at "world news america," bank for watching and to in tomorrow. -- thank you for watching and

tune in tomorrow. >> 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 use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

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