injured survivors, and it is the same story next door and in every other ward in this hospital for seven floors but need me. -- panisse me. -- panisse -- beneath me. >> handwriting could be the key to getting that job or not. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. prime minister has reportedly escaped an assassination attempt in the capital, damascus. a car bomb exploded as his convoy was driving through a government-controlled area. the attack happened as the un secretary-general ban ki-moon urged the assad government to allow an international inquiry into the alleged use of chemical weapons in the conflict. from beirut, jim muir has the latest. in a heavilyg bomb secured part of damascus controlled by government parsed -- government forces. it was not as massive as some of the recent bombs, but it was enough to wreck some vehicles and others on fire. state television said there were casualties, including civilian passersby. but it said the main target of what it called the terrorist explosions were the convoy of the prime minister, wael al- halqi. he escaped entirely unscathed. that version of the 10 -- of events seems to be borne out by footage on state tv, showing the prime minister at an important economic meeting. he is reported to have told him that what he calls such terrorist attacks only show the desperation and bankruptcy of the rebels and their backers after recent successes by government forces. this is far from the first time there has been a big explosion inside government-controlled central damascus. in december, a suicide attack caused heavy damage and casualties at the interior ministry. officials said then that nobody senior was hurt, but it later turned out that the minister himself was seriously wounded. this time, it does seems that the -- seem that the reported target of the attack, the prime minister himself, has survived. conflict continues. the rebels seem to be able to slip through the nets and strike at the very heart of the government-controlled areas. jim muir, bbc news, beirut. >> for more, i spoke a short time ago with a senior adviser of the u.s. institute of peace. the impression we had at the beginning of this year was that the rebels were making significant military gains. he do see them planting bombs like this -- we do see them planting bombs like this today in damascus. what is the balance of power? am i the regime has gone on the offensive. its own forces -- >> the regime has gone on the offensive. its own forces are being shored up. it has given them a new life, in effect. on the other hand, the opposition continues to make incremental gains in the south and in some areas of the north. we are seeing a stalemate on the ground. we are seeing a consolidation of that alliance. if the conflict continues along those lines without any kind of political process, we could easily imagine that they could turn into some kind of eventual boundaries. >> how much more do we know about this outside involvement of the hezbollah? where is the money coming from? where are the weapons coming from? >> hezbollah has confirmed it is participating in combat operations in syria. he justifies that role on the ground, says it is defending -- it justifies that role on the ground, saying it is defending shia communities, but it clearly is playing a larger role than that. iran says it has thousands of advisors present in syria, training -- providing training in warfare and a great deal of financial support to the regime. without that support, the survival of the regime would be much less likely. support,>> with that how much longer does this give the assad regime in power? >> with that support, the time horizon has extended indefinitely. this is one of the real challenges that the international community faces. the goal of the united states and of its allies is to create conditions that will lead to negotiations between elements of the assad regime and the opposition. but right now, the regime is feeling even more confident than it was a year ago. it feels as if it can prevail. and so there has been no shift in the strategic calculus of the inner circle of the assad regime that might lead them to enter negotiations. and that leaves the west and it leaves the opposition itself trying to figure out what to do about this shifting dynamics -- shift in dynamic. >> assad has this outside financial support. what are the options? america has spoken about this red line of chemical weapons hewed what are the options on that front? -- chemical weapons. what are the options on that front? >> we have seen an interest with -- from the united states -- eepen its in part to increase pressure on the assad regime and incremental way -- in an incremental way. there is the aim of increasing pressure on the regime. the question is whether it is moving quickly enough and far enough to have the kind of effects that the united states and its allies would like. in the meantime, more people are being forced out of their .omes the humanitarian conditions in syria are deteriorating. the opposition continues to struggle to overcome its current limitations. even though there has been a recognition that more pressure is needed, if negotiations are to occur, it is not clear that we have seen enough in that direction to have any significant impact. heydemann,german -- thank you very much. after the deadliest disaster to hit bangladesh's -- one week after the deadliest disaster to hit bangladesh's garment industry, the fallout continues. at least 380 people were killed. rescue workers at the site have day,ed a six day -- sixth but officials say they no longer expect to find any survivors. we have this report from the scene. >> an angry surge running through bangladesh after this disaster. clothing workers have attacked other garment factories. there isher eis -- extra security around the site of the ruined building am aware the remains of hundreds are still buried inside -- building, where the remains of hundreds are still buried inside. photographs of missing relatives tell some of those terrible stories at the entrance to the nearby hospital. still, survivors are traumatized by memories of being trapped in the ruins for days. >> people were so desperate for water, they were drinking their own urine. >> we saw cracks in the building the day before it fell. we complained. bosses told us if we did not return to work we would not get paid. >> every bed in this ward is occupied by survivors. it is same story next door in this ward, and in every other ward in this hospital for seven floors beneath me. there are hundreds of people here still recovering from their injuries after being caught in the collapse of the factory complex. this hospital has never seen anything like it. as questions grow over how the disaster could have happened, bangladesh's prime minister -- visiting the site for the first time a week since the building collapsed. making cheap close is crucial to bangladesh, accounting -- cheap clothes is crucial to bangladesh, accounting for 80% of its exports here but this disaster has been an earthquake for the industry. as the cleanup gets underway, it has emerged that bangladesh toned down british help search the ruins, which could have helped save more lives. even now, mothers and sisters pray and hope, struggling to comprehend how their relatives died. andrew north, bbc news, dhaka. >> desperate times in bangladesh. let's get a quick look at news from around the world. at least 40 people have been injured by what is believed to be a gas explosion at an apartment building in the central capital of prague. some people are still missing in the blast. eight people have been killed in a suicide bombing in northwest pakistan. many of the victims were on board a local bus. the region has seen a surge in bomb attacks in recent months. the taliban has warned that it considers members of the main secular parties to be legitimate targets. michael jackson's mother and three children have launched a court action against his former promoters here and family -- promoters. the family says that aeg is responsible for his death. they hired and supervised dr. conrad murray, who was convicted of killing the singer. it is an event which has not occurred in over a century, but, soon, thousands of greek civilians will be handed their pink slips. the cutbacks are the latest in a staring -- in austerity measures which have sparked bitter protests. from athens, this report. >> civil servants in the line of fire. they burned an effigy of the pipe -- of the public-sector worker, angry at plan to lay off that plans to lay off 15,000. the demonstration was smaller, more peaceful than before. inside parliament, the bill was passed with a clear majority. it is the first time that the sacred cow of the greek constitution, civil service jobs for life, will end, a condition formula -- for more bailout money. the prime minister was visibly relieved. >> this is going to be a success story. >> less so are those who think they will be laid off. this townhall worker already has a salary of just 600 euros per month. with the family to support, she is worried she will be among those sacked. -- y contract my family will be starting. >> -- starving. >> on the political lever -- level, greece is calmer than last year. but the social situation is dire. .nemployment over 27% one in three below the poverty line. then he say this will only make things worse -- many say that this will only make things worse. the public sector is already splitting at the seams. greek society is under threat by the long-term policy of austerity. >> conditns very harsh the moment. fact of austerity on public hospitals is a matter of life and death the impact of austerity on a look hospitals is a matter of life and death -- the impact of austerity on the hospitals is a matter of life and death. this isovernment says long overdue. it now expects almost 9 billion euros of bailout money within the next few weeks, but that won't calm the social unrest as greeks desperately seek a way out of its pain -- as greece desperately seeks a way out of its pain. >> another round of bad news for the greeks -- more cuts necessary in order to get that bailout money. the south african president, jacob zuma, has visited nelson mandela at his home in johannesburg. president zuma said the former president is in good spirits. he said the tee dead men had some conversation, shook hands, and even -- the two men had some conversation, shook hands, and even smiled. mandela received treatment for a recurring lung infection and you are watching -- infection. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come, un-american basketball player makes history by announcing he is gay. american basketball player makes history by announcing he is gay. a group of men have blockaded the foreign ministry in libya. we have more on the latest events. .> potentially very dangerous these men are heavily armed, but have no clear leadership amongst them. some threatening, others more problematic -- pragmatic. closelyloyees work with -- worked closely with senior officials in the gaddafi era. the prime minister has maintained a hard-line message in recent months since he came to power. it was no different on monday. >> this will make us more insistent that we will not surrender to anyone or bend to anyone come and no one can twist our armed. and no one can twist our armed. >-- arm. >> the law has been stalled and the national congress. it is meant to prevent officials who worked in the gaddafi government from participating in government -- in politics. they still have not grade -- agreed on terms. this is all against the backdrop of brewing tension between the government and the complex network of arms groups -- of armed groups that emerged since the toppling of colonel gaddafi. some are believed to be vigilantes and opportunists. a new security strategy will focus on gradually phasing them out and bringing in a national security governed by law. people who were used to fill the security balchem -- vacuum after the fall of gaddafi. >> now to a milestone in american sports. with the words "i am gay, co. -- i am gay," jason collins became the first male athlete in a major sport to come out during his career. the 34-year-old basketball player who had been in the league for 12 years with six different teams made the announcement in an essay that he wrote for "sports illustrated." .> a final barrier broken a basketball player proclaims "i am black and i am gay." jason collins has been playing top-flight basketball for a dozen years. loyalty to the team, he says, is why he did not come out earlier. now his relief at acknowledging his sexuality is clear. "i have endured years of minutes -- admin is -- of ministry -- of misery and gone extraordinary lengths to live alive. i was afraid my world would fall apart if anyone knew. yet when i acknowledged my sexuality, i felt whole for the first time." athletes have come out before, but only after they have --ired huge for gay and retired. for gay and lesbian activists, this is a big moment. >> this is a big moment. this is the last bastion of those barriers falling, or one of the last ones. as more and more people come out, the people who are still in the closet are now less afraid to come out because somebody has taken that step ahead of them. >> this is not just about sports. it is not just about the place of gay men. this is about a society in transition. the u.s. military dropped its policy of don't ask, don't tell. the issue of gay marriage is in front of the supreme court. america's attitude towards homosexuality is changing and fast. bbc news, washington. >> jason collins making history. for more on the significance of today's announcement, i spoke with a columnist. what amazes me about this story or amazed me when i woke up this morning is that it had not happened before. >> you are talking about the big four, men's sports, macho sports erie it is stunning that it had not happened -- macho sports. it is stunning that it had not happened. it now has stop in. >> just by the numbers, there must be. >> logic tells you there must be more than one. it does speak to that kind of all american, macho male, you're not going to be talking about this kind of thinking. obviously, that has changed as of today. >> and what do you think the penalties would be for a sports player who came out question mark jason collins thought his world would fall apart -- who came out? jason collins said that he thought his world would fall apart. >> i think there could be teasing in the locker room, jokes, that kind of thing. >> financial consequences. >> certainly. martina navratilova talks about -- talked about that. she was outed in the prime of her career. in a sense that maybe you would not even have a career anymore. maybe if the code of the locker room was broken him if there was a sense of brothers -- all of a sudden, you have one man who is honest and truthful and courageous, but now he is ostracized. does that change the chemistry for the team and effective for -- the performance -- and affect the performance on the field of play? >> isn't there something about proving your manliness. a british rugby player came out -- a welsh rugby player. you could not get much more macho than welsh rugby. >> you see it even with the little kids. the boys playing peewee football and baseball. even with that -- with jason collins talking about that. he wondered if he was such a tosical player, in some way make up for what he knew inside. seven7' feet tall -- feet tall. he is a wonderful teammate, april's pro -- a pro's pro. to think that this is the face of a gay man in sports, i think it is wonderful from the standpoint of smashing stereotypes. >> to some extent, it is a demonstration that attitudes generally in america are shifting. do you think by coming out, he can have a real impact? >> i do. i think we will see his name in history right there with jackie robinson, billie jean king. jackie robinson was integration in american baseball and the entire issue of race. billie jean king was women's rights, equal rights. i think this will be seen as that big of a deal, not only over time, but even today. it is such an important him and not just sports history moment, american history moment -- important, not just ports history moment, american history moment. >> now to a job requirement which might terrify you. as you prepare for the big interview, you are probably prepared for tough questions. but what about handwriting analysis? in france, budding executives are still required to submit samples of penmanship, which is then scrutinized for clues to their personality. we have the details from paris. >> he has 30 years experience as a graphologist -- she has 30 years experience as a graphologist. she takes samples of handwriting and draws conclusions about personality. it is about the pressure of the pen, the angle, the curves, the complexity of the letters -- all clues for those who follow the technique. someone's writing is to study the energy which guides the hand and the message which consciously and unconsciously the person wishes to transmit. >> some of her work is with private individuals in search of understanding. by far, the greatest use of morphology in france is made in the field of employment -- of graphology in france is made in the field of employment. the practice has certainly fallen with computers and e- mails and so on, but it is reckoned at least half of companies still make some use of graphology in their recruitment. at this ad agency, the humans resources -- human resources people use graphology as an extra tool to confirm their feelings about a candidate's suitability. >> we all think it is a good way to cut as we test it. we know it is true -- a good way because we test it. we know it is true. we know that the graphology analysis -- it fits. >> skeptics say it is mumbo- jumbo, but graphology training courses continue to draw. pathology is not a science. it is -- graphology is not a science. it is a tool. a very useful tool. we learn to interpret that projection. >> a projection of the personality. only one way to find out. obviously, we have to check out if what the experts are saying is true. i brought in a piece of my own handwriting which i did a couple of days ago. she has had that time to analyze it. i'm going to ask her now for conclusions. broadly, what she found is that the large, white spaces indicate a need for liberty while there is a nervousness in the word construction. free-spirited, but anxious, which is actually, i have been told, not far off the mark. thank you. bbc news, paris. >> my memory of going to french -- our writing had to be so uniform that it would be difficult to tell anything about anybody becaus had t write all the same. maybe things have changed. you are watching "bbc world news." i am katty kay. thanks so much for watching. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, united healthcare, union bank, and fidelity investments. >> your personal economy is made up of the things that matter most, including your career. as those things change, fidelity can help you adjust your retirement plan, rethink how you are invested and refocus as your career moves forward. wherever you are today, a fidelity ira has a wide range of investment choices that can fit your personal economy. fidelity investments. turn here. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. hi, neighbor! we're going to prince wednesday's castle for a... royal sleepover! sleeping outside is fun too. i'm going to sleep in a tent with my dad and o the owl. this is gonna be grrr-riffic! is made possible in part by... the richard king mellon foundation. dedicated for over sixty years to south western pennsylvania's quality of life, and competitive future. and by these pittsburg foundations. working together to enhance and enrich the lives of children for more than seventy-five years. and by the arthur vining davis foundations. dedicated to strengthening america's future through education. adcasting, dedicated to strengthening america's future and contributions to your pbs station, from viewers like you. ♪ and contributions to your pbs station, ♪ a beautiful day for a neighbor ♪ ♪ would you be mine? could you be mine? ♪ ♪ won't you be my neighbor? - ♪ it's daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ ♪ a land of make-believe ♪ won't you ride along with me? - ride along ♪ - ♪ it's daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ ♪ so much to do, so much to see ♪ ♪ won't you ride along with me? - ride along ♪ - ♪ i've got lots of friends for you to meet ♪ ♪ in this land of make believe ♪ a friendly face on every street waiting to greet you ♪ ♪ it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ♪ ♪ a beautiful day for a neighbor ♪ ♪ in daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ - hi, neighbor! it's me, daniel tiger! look, i'm wearing my pajamas! wanna know why? because i'm sleeping over at prince wednesday's castle tonight. and my mom and dad are too! - that's right! - bye, trolley! - thanks, trolley! it's gonna be so much fun! - ha! ha! ha! a royal hello to you! boop-she-boop-she-boo! and to you too, neighbor! - welcome to our castle. daniel, we're so happy, you and your family could come for a royal sleepover. - me too! - thanks for inviting us. - ok, sleepover time! let's go to my room. - ok! come on! - here i come! (daniel laughs.) you've got great toys, prince wednesday! - thanks! a royal hello! (daniel laughs.) - ♪ ba ba badada da - here you go, tigey! hug! i've never been at your house at bedtime before. this is my first sleepover. - you know what, daniel? mine too! i'm excited! let's play dinosaurs!