And major corporations. . Hat can we do for y and now, bbc world news. This is cody bbc world news america. The government in syria swaps prisoners for 49 iranians as the said it is time for change that country. One family was forced to escape the flames in this fire. And need the nominations for the britons Academy Awards and and the nominations for the british Academy Awards are released and we have the films that made the cut. Welcome to our viewers on Public Television in america and elsewhere around the globe. The Syrian Government has released 2000 prisoners, including women and children. The release was made in exchange for 49 iranians being held by rebels. It marked the first prisoner swap of its kind during the war. It comes as people continue to flee the country at a rapid rate. Among them is one refugee, who says he was the only man to escape a firing squad near the city of aleppo. He has since fled to turkey. James reynolds has this report. Muhammed olli works at a petrol station in southern turkey. Customers barely notice him. But the man selling chris has one of the most astonishing selling crisps has one of the most astonishing stories to tell. He tells me he was stopped at a checkpoint in the city of aleppo in august. The militiamen mistrusted his village, so they took him away. After three days with no food or water, they told me and the other prisoners that they were taking us to another station. They put us in a car and then stopped at a deserted area. This was aleppo at the time. Rebels, filmed here by the bbc, go after suspected pro government militiamen. They are accused of carrying out mass killings. They put us all on our knees, all 21 of us. They began firing. I fainted when they shot at us. I woke up after 10 or 15 minutes and saw the gunman the gunmen meeting and i saw everyone around me was dead. I was hit by five bullets, one in my shoulder. One of them is in my year. Two in my leg and one in my hip. Government and rebel forces still fight for control of the busiest city. Aleppo produces no winners, only refugees. Some people might say it is a miracle that you were the only survivor. I do not know. I do not know. Perhaps, it is because i was able to withstand the gunfire. In islam, we believe no one dies before their time. Perhaps, it was not my time to die. From his small bedroom at a petrol station, muhammed reflects on what to do with his second life. He trained as a tailor and may go back into the business, but not back home. Southern turkey. One of the harrowing stories that do keep coming out of syria. Today, our chief International Correspondents sat down with the envoy from cairo. He had this to say about the need for change in the country. I think that what people are saying famine for 40 years is a bit prolonged period change house to be real the change house to be real. I think president assad has to respond to this aspiration of his people rather than resisting it. For more on that resistance, i spoke with the u. S. State departments formal former special advisor now out the Atlantic CouncilsCareer Center for the middle east. Thank you for coming in. Believe me, they are trying to be diplomatic. It is time for assad to go, but is he making any push to go . I think is going to be very difficult for him to be to make progress in light of what president assad had to say a few days ago in the damascus opera house. I think that mr. Beldini mr. Bohimi at this point is placing an emphasis on getting support from americans and others. The Transitional Government of National Unity, so to speak, that the United States and russia would try to then sell to the u. N. Security council. Is there any indication that moscow is prepared, or moving toward the decision of putting its eggs in assads basket is not the thing to do . Are you seeing any shift in russias position . I do not detect a shift in the position exactly. But what i do think what were seeing is a change in the russian and of a Court Judgment as to whether or not president Bashar Alassad is going to survive politically. Until recently cannot until recently, the russian conclusion is that he would survive. I think they have come to a different conclusion of together. Now is a question of whether the policy it lined up with the alico conclusion. You have been working on this. If assad had gone a year ago, would the future of syria be clearer, easier than if he is to go in the next six months, lets say . I really believe if president assad had cooperated with a managed, peaceful transition some time back, syria oppose the prospects would be much better than they are now. In serious prospects would be much better than they are now. In fact, a consensus was reached between the permanent five members of the u. N. Security council sometime last year on an outline for transition in syria. An ally whereby the assad regime would transfer full executive powers to make government of National Unity created by negotiations. Very briefly, what are the problems . Because it did not happen already. The central problem is that time is the enemy in syria. Along with president assad has to wage a sectarian struggle, the more likely the longer president of thought has to wage a sectarian strife, the more likely it is bad syria faces a failed state, and ongoing conflict. Thank you. Time is the enemy in syria. In australia, Emergency Services continue to battle wildfires in vast areas across the south east of the country. Cooler temperatures have brought some relief, but forecasters say scorching conditions will return at the weekend and new fires are spreading. From south wales, here is nick bryant. 1 4 glance burning out of control. If buyers forest lands burning out of control after a fire scorched its way through. This used to be thick, green bush. Within minutes, it was transformed into a goackened wasteland, and here end of world field and an end to end of world fiel and an eerie, end of the world feel. 130 bush fires are still raging across new south wales. It is amazing that no one yet has lost their life. The storys key emerging, though, the extraordinary sks, especiallyd of extraordinary escapes, especially in tasmania. He was babysitting his Young Children when they were caught up in the firestorm. The children and their grandparents were forced to seek shelter in the sea as flames engulfed the shoreline precaution engulfed the shoreline. Huizar tornadoes of fire coming across toward us we saw, tornadoes of fire coming across toward us. It was all around us. 43 horrifying hours, they hid under the jetty, nec and for three horrifying hours, they hid under the jetty, neck deep in the water. And finally, they were rescued. Hear the fire crews were containing a blaze, literally fighting fire with fire. Yesterday, the flames were in the treetops, fanned by the ferocious winds. Today, this fire is very small and is moving very slowly. If only the other fires were so easily put out. That was one terrifying escape. Lets get a look at the other news. The Venezuelan Supreme Court has backed a decision by the assembly to delay the inauguration of president hugo chavez. It was he was due to be sworn in for his next term in office on thursday, but is still in hospital in cuba for cancer treatment. He will be inaugurated at a later date to because he is the sitting president who had been reelected. A commuter ferry hit a pier in lower manhattan. Part of the dow was ripped open around 300 and and around 330 passengers and crew were on board. Two were critically injured. The death of a certain after she was gang raped on a daily bus has prompted international outrage, but also internal debate about indias foust modernizing society. Despite the countrys advantage, there are still well documented cases of female fetuses and female infants been killed. That is causing a shortage of and the trafficking of girls. At the man of india northern india are known for being strong, fit, and sigel. It is hard for them to find a bright here. That is because of it and illegal widespread practice that started around the time they were born, female feticide, abortion of baby girls. This frustration fuels crime across the country. We followed police as a raid a house. This is a girl they have come looking for. She is 14. And this woman says she bought her for her son. You cannot take her. I paid money for her. She screams. Later, the girl tells police how she was kidnapped, taken across the country, and then for your, beaten, raped and abused by those who bought her. Her fatr listens, overwhelmed. I was walking home from school one day when three men pushed me into a car. They showed me and i fear they threaten to cut into pieces. As soon as they got me into the house i was made to all of the housework and they beat me if i did not do it well. Every year, tens of thousands of girls in india are sold into prostitution, domestic slavery, and increasingly, into marriage. Many of them come from west bengal. This is just overwhelming. It is so easy to become invisible in this crowd. I could not tell you if a man here is traveling with his daughter or a trafficker. But right at this very station, there are girls who are being sold. Police sources tell us this train alone carries dozens of trafficking becomes every day. Some are as young as trafficking victims every day. Some are as young as 10. The demand is rising. I traffic 150 to 200 barrels per year. I tell parents we are taking them to work. I get them to a Placement Agency in the city. Then what happens is not my concern. The police know what i do. I have to pay them in every state i work in. In calcutta, how brianna. If i run into trouble with the authorities, im not worried. If i have to go to jail, i will be able to drive myself out. Police deny these allegations, but some ad make that correction is a huge problem. Another issue is that attitudes in india and show no sign of changing. Back at a center for victims of trafficking, we met women who had been sold into marriage, then forced to have abortions because they were pregnant with girls. In india, the cycle of abuse carries on. Northern india. An alarming to attrition for girls and women in india. You are watching bbc news. Still to come, getting america back to work. We talk to one business of executive about what he thinks it will take. Now to another nightmare for the dreamliner appeared in another of the boeing 787s is being cancelled, this time to break problems occurred this is the third incident in two days. It has raised safety worries about the aircraft. Heres a report from new york. In grounded, the 787 dreamliner was bound for it had to be sent back to the gate bound for tokyo. It had to be sent back to the gate because of the problem with the brakes. On tuesday, a fuel leak caused Japan Airlines to cancel take off of one of its 787 jets in boston. A day earlier at the same airport, a battery pack caught fire on an empty plain. Speaking of the battery incident, boeing said it is cooperating with the relevant safety authorities and before providing more detail, we will give our technical teams the time they need to do a thorough job and ensure we are dealing with facts, not speculation. Boeings stock price fell on the news after years and after years of delays, the dreamliner went into operation in late 2011. Now some question how safe is the 787. It is something the ntsb will take a very careful look at. If youre looking at things like the brakes, boeing did revamped its Software System in november. It would be troubling if it turns out to be a similar issue, because that was a challenging fix. Going can at least draw comfort from one of the words of their biggest customers. Qatar airways and dismissed the issue as easy problems. There are still plenty of fans. Bbc news, new york. Tonight, the white house has confirmed that labor secretary bill so this hilda solis is resigning. This at the time that president obama has picked jack lew to replace tim geithner as treasury secretary. Whoever runs the jaret the treasury has a critical job. So far, 2013 has been marked by fighting over the fiscal could. But americans say they are looking for solutions, decisions. We have the ceo of accounting giant duch joining me from deloit joining me from new york. What would your message be to the new secretary, jack lew . My message to jack, as well as what novartis said to the president is to get on to what i have already said to the president is to get on with solving the fiscal cliff issue. There are some big deadlines coming up in march between sequestration and the budget resolution as well as the bigger issue around the debt ceiling. And then we need to get to the longerterm issues in terms of where america is going, and that starts with tax reform as well as immigration issues and infrastructure issues. I hear the same message from Business People across the country. We need more certainty from washington if were going to kick start growth in this economy. Is washington helping or hindering in a bid to bring unemployment down in the country . Being the optimist that i am, i say washington is attempting to help. What was passed at the end of the calendar year was a good first start. But theres a lot more that needs to be done. They are helping. If we can get past some of the partisanship and get into citizenship, we can move along a lot more quickly. Businesses are frustrated. What are the bigger things you mentioned, the things America Needs to do to stay competitive in this challenging economic environment, domestically and globally . Absolutely. First, youve got to get through the fiscal issues. Balance in the deficit and budgets, number one. And then we need to get to tax reform. It is a big deal. There has not been a major renovation to the tax code since 1986, and that is before the internet. Immigration is a big deal. Getting the kids in school today studying the sciences and technology and engineering and the math to stay in this country and getting a path to his citizenship and dealing with the competencies to grow jobs. If you can deal with those issues, we would be off to a great start. You have many of your clients in the manufacturing business. Looking at the broader economic shift, what do you do in a post manufacturing world to provide the numbers of jobs that America Needs . Because it does not appear clear yet. We have roughly 12 million jobs through the Great Recession lost. We have filled about half of those. It will still take some more between fiveseven years to get unemployment down to the 5 range. And you are right, the skill sets are starting to move. It will have to be able to move with that prepared the first that we will have to be able to move with that. The first up is Immigration Reform and job training. You are a guide in ohio and you have lost your job at a car plant and you are 55 years old. Immigration reform will not help you much, is it . No, no corporate no, no. When you retool your work force for efficiency, that is from talking about. Those are the things that happen over time. Over the next decade, we could shift the labor force to what we need. In the meantime, American Companies will go offshore to find a competencies that theyre looking for. Thank you for a hat for joining us. Thank you for having me. Tomorrow morning, all of you will be up before the sun to watch the everimportant oscar nominations. Today, the british Academy Awards released its list pipa its list. I cannot end its war until we have cured ourselves of slavery. Daniel daylewis is abraham lincoln, the american president and campaigned against slavery it is that a performance that has put him aacrs short list. One of 10 nominations for stevn spielbergs lincoln prepare. Quentin tarantino made the list. His film also deals with the slavery in 19th century america. Two other films are based on corporations in the middle east. Argo, and zero dark dirty. This is it. Hollywood loves history lessons that we assure itself that america is great and on the right track. And from the evidence of todays nomination, seen from the same sheen. Of the british producer of les slavery miserables receivedl nominations. The film was also a short list it for its sound. The barricade scene was shot here in greenwich. The actors were singing live, as opposed to mining and recording at a later date, which is the norm. It has since been praised by critics and recognized by others. It was a huge team of people involved. Over 1000 people involved in the studios in london. Two danes have been trusted. Helen mirren for playing out for hitchcocks longsuffering wife, and judyfor her role in sky fall and judy bench for her role in sky. Youve got to love judy dench. That brings the program to a at thank you for watching that brings the program to a close. Thank you for watching. Funding for this presentation is made possible by the Freeman Foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. Newmans own foundation. Zte. And union bank. Bringing you closer zte. 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 wdo for you . Bbc nerlwowsd was presented by kcet, los angeles