america." >> this is "bbc world news america." returning home, israeli sold year shalit is exchanged for hundreds of palestinian prisoners. >> i have always believed that the day will come when i will find myself outside prison. >> four mentally dissabled -- disabled people are found in a basement. and one man's passion became a quest. >> welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. an israeli soldier, captured by

hamas five years ago and held in gaza is tonight home with his family. it's part of a controversial prisoner swap which will see a thousand palestinians freed. there was a huge celebration in gaza as they welcomed their sons and daughters home. some had been in prison for up to 20 years. we have reports now from jerusalem. >> this evening, shalit was flown home. his family campaigned for five years to get him back and won the sympathy of israelis, whose military service is a rite of passage. he was smiling. most israelis support the deal that was made for his freedom, enthough it was the release of people who are regarded as terrorist murderers. as his family was picked up, he was waking up in gaza for the last time. then shalit, pale and thin was

marched to freedom by the hamas military wing and bodyguards. he gave an interview to egyptian tv. >> i miss my family, being active. he hoped the deal would end wars between israel and the palestinians. from dawn, hamas fighters were across gaza a show of force of what they saw as a victory. and palestinian families were gathering to welcome the prisoners home. men and women who were jailed for taking up arms against israel are ex halted for actions seen as legitimate resistance against a brutal occupation. this 11-year-old was waiting for her mother, in prison for 10 years for helping suicide bombers reach their targets. her father wasn't being released. back in israel, shalit was being

welcomed by the prime minister, netanyahu. he needed good news after a difficult political summer. and there was a campaign that helped israelis pay a high price for his son's freedom. in gaza, palestinian prisoners were welcomed by hamas whose own victory meant that they cashed in assets for less than they hoped. other prisoners are being deported, an illegal act say some campaigners. clashes started as they waited for the prisoners. no sign of a positive atmosphere here, just the old one. the west bank was led by the palestinian president, abbas. but as palestinians celebrated, they all knew that hamas, believers in force had succeeded by president abbas.

after 12 years inside, a hamas fighter summed up the mood. our enemies, he said, only respond to force. >> these men are being treated as heroes. what freedom was the transaction between the hamas and israelis. it doesn't get them closer to a peace agreement because there are still the big issues of war and peace and future of this land that remain. is in gaza tonight, they are still celebrating victory, not a chance for peace. that will have to wait for palestinians and israelis. >> a short time ago, i managed to speak to jeremy who is in jerusalem. how significant has this exchange been given the wider context of the peace process? >> it's significant for the shalit family and significant

for all those israelis who believe that israel should bring their soldiers home when they get captured by israel's enemies, it's significant for the families of palestinians who have been in prison and who are being let go and also for those many palestinians who believe that their people in israeli jails aren't terrorists, but, in fact, they are brave fighters for the independence of palestine. it's not a particularly good or indeed bad day, i would say, for the chances of a wider peace. shalit was effectively for sale as long as the price was right. they made a deal. the price was acceptable to both hamas and to israel. they didn't have to make political leaps. to make peace, you have to make massive political leaps. >> hamas has been credited with ceiling the deal. has it strengthened its position? >> yes, it has. hamas is celebrating a victory

tonight and many palestinians and quite a few israelis would say they've scored won. weakened by this is president abbas who doesn't believe in violence and who has in the past asked israel to release prisoners and they haven't done that, but they have done it for hamas who has been holding an israeli soldier for five years. and the message that palestinians have taken away from that is that force works. >> thanks, jeremy. for more on the implications this prisoner swap has on the wider prospects for peace in the region, i was joined by the director of a center for the middle east at the atlantic council. what does this do for the peace process? >> well, cortet mediators are supposed to go to jerusalem next

week and speak separately to israeli and palestinian negotiators because they rpt ready to speak to each other directly, but i can't imagine those talks are going to be productive because of this prisoner swap. the fact that israel released the prisoners to hamas, not to the palestinian authority or the palestinian liberation organization and that has been the negotiating party. in effect, what this ends up being is a step that hurts the palestinian negotiating side and strengthens hamas, the political rival of the palestinian authority. the other important development is that israel has announced that it's going to move forward with building a large settlement, new settlement in east jerusalem and that is a step. >> how much has it strengthened hamas because haven't they lost their leverage by letting shalit go? >> they couldn't hold on to him indefinitely and they figured

under the circumstances, this was the best deal. the strategic ground has been shifting under hamas' feet because of the uprising in syria. syria has been the base for hamas and the syrian regime has been a major supporter for hamas. hamas has to look about itself and a new headquarters and might be thinking about egypt, which served as a mediator here. >> and you have just come back from egypt. how important was that role and does it show that the diplomacy is shifting regionally? >> egypt played an important role. the talks have been going on for more than two months now quietly between israeli and hamas diplomats. egypt has always played a role between israeli and palestinian authorities, even if it was hamas and even when ara fat was

alive. and moving forward without consulting with the united states or other parties. >> there are thousands of other prisoners still in israeli jails. what hope is there for them? is this a one-up deal, do you think, or likely to be freed? >> it's in two phases. the first half of the prisoners are being released and some more in a couple of months. it's known who is going to be released. but israel has done this several times in the past. this is not the first of these prisoner swaps. there are prisoners released as good-will gestures by israel in order to move negotiations forward. >> michelle, thanks for joining us. in the last few minutes, a number of palestinian prisoners who were released today have arrived in syria. these were the scenes broadcast live on syrian tv at the airport as the prisoners got off their

plane to a crowd of cheering well-wishers. under the terms of today's exchange, 40 detainees were immediately deported from palestinian territory. turkey and qatar will also take in some. for the latest on the prisoner swap deal, head to our web site. you will find reaction from families of the thousand or so prisoners due to be exchanged for shalit. and that's all at bbc.com/news. now to libya and the u.s. secretary of state, clinton has held talks with the leaders of libya. at a town hall style meeting, mrs. clinton said she was proud to be standing on the free soil of libya and seeing its future being born.

we have this report from tripoli. >> hillary clinton flue into tripoli on a military transporter not her usual american boeing and not equipped to deal with the threat of surface-to-air missiles scattered around libya. on the tarmac, no government ministers, but grateful anti-gaddafi fighters chanting god is great. the welcome was warm. not every day that the u.s. hears words of thanks. >> they give us military support and moral support and political support and we thank and respect what the americans have given us. >> libya is rich with its own billions of dollars, so mrs. clinton did not pledge any money but offered expertise and assistance to help rebuild the

country and called on all fighters to unify under one leadership. >> they want to get all the militias under national command and want to prevent reprisals and stocks of weaponry that have come off the battlefield or discovered from the previous regime. >> the u.s. played a key role in the nato-led military campaign, but kept a low profile so there was no victory lap here for mrs. clinton, but did mingle with people, but kept a low profile also because of security concerns. the challenge is tremendous not just for libya but also for the united states. mrs. clinton's visit here is part of an effort by washington to help shape the future of libya, but also of other countries in the region where the u.s. wants to maintain its influence. >> we well leave the middle east

for a quick look at some of the other news. europe has ruled that stem cells from human embryos cannot be patented in a case that could have major implications. the decision may impede european research into the use of stem cell therapies or drive research abroad. a car bomb has exploded outside of mogadishu killings four people including the suicide bomber. kenya's defense and foreign ministers were holding talks. kenya sent troops to somalia on sunday to fight the militants that it blames for recent kidnappings. here in the united states, a 51-year-old woman has been charged with kidnapping four metropolitan tallly handicapped individuals who were found in the basement of a house. they is alleged to have kept

them in an underground space while they claimed their social security checks. the f.b.i. is investigating where there mave additional victims in other states. reporting from washington, here's steve kingston. >> a grim-faced detective opens the door to a tiny world, in this underground space, vulnerable adults were kept prisoner without food, without light and surrounded by their own waste. they barely had room to stand up. one of the men was chained to a boiler. they had been locked up with dogs and just a single bottle of drink. and here are three of the alleged victims giving local television a graphic account of their deal. they are thin and not just the physical scars that are shocking. they have severe learning difficulties, making them highly susceptible to abuse.

>> she did this to me, too. >> i escaped one time to one of the houses that we used to live in of hers and i didn't get away. >> 51-year-old weston is charged with kidnap and false imprisonment and a prior murder conviction for the death of a man who starved after being locked in a cup board. it is alleged that she and two others preyed on the individuals to pocket their social security 3

malaria has moved a step closer. the chance of getting malaria is in half. >> this is a common sight in many african hospitals. row upon row of children laid low by malaria. a vaccine would transform the

life chances of millions. this is one of those to receive the experimental jab being trialed in several african countries. malaria is a global threat, about three billion people are at risk of infection, but most of the deaths are in africa. nearly 6,000 children under two were involved in the trial. results showed the vaccine cut cases by about half but its effectiveness might have waned. we will get a clear view of what is happening with protection. do we need a booster dose or not. >> bill gates has given billions for vaccines in the developing world and is encouraged by the trial results. >> it is very promising and the fact that this vaccine worked gives us data about how to build

better vaccines and gives us a tool to combine with the bed net, the spraying, mosquito-killing, all these different interventions that will help us bring the number of deaths down quite a bit. >> bed nets will remain vital in the fight against malaria. the vaccine is no magic bullet, but even a jab that was 50% effective could save huge numbers of lives in the years to come. >> returning to the middle east now and to bahrain where allegations of beating, torture and murder in police custody are due to be published in an independent report. it was commissioned by the king of bahrain following international criticism over how his government dealt with the failed spring uprising. our security correspondent has been to the gulf state where he

heard the testimony from some of those who gave evidence to the commission. >> the shiite majority protest the killing of a teenager, part of a wider movement to get the leaders to share more power, land and wealth. so much tension in these villages. but when proceedingses meet the security forces, it ends up with more wounds. to see the other side, i joined a patrol with a special security force. the people feared and hated by the protestors. they do this every night going out to the villages and checking out the demonstrations, the protests, the rod blocks. they are confronting sporadic civil disobedience. roadblocks and rock throwing by

shiite youths who government supporters call traitors. some have no sympathy for these protests. back in february, at the height of bahrain's uprising, the security forces tactics caused international outrage. one of those attacked was this doctor, who gave the bbc a bedside interview at the time. >> they beat me with sticks. i told them i'm a doctor. i'm a doctor, but i believe they are not listening. so they start beating me. they told me to get up. we will not lift you. we'll kill you and let you die here. >> the king has responded to all these allegations by commissioning an international inquiry. the government is on something of an offensive.

>> there were abuses of human rights. the government has addressed them. those mistakes were not just done by the government. it was even by the demonstrators. and those issues have been faced. >> the demonstrators are not in charge. >> what i'm saying is that abuses happened from everyone. were they gross? no, they were not. >> they agreed to let me see inside a police detention center. this is not the main prison, nor is it where most of the interrogations have taken place, but this was the first visit by the media. most said they were well treated, but one, a convicted criminal, said he had been beaten. how the government reacts to the findings will help determine what happened here next. >> a fascinating look inside

bahrain to an equally fascinating look at life under water. one man in the u.s. is fighting for the creatures of the sea. he was named the "national geographic" explorer in residents. we caught up with him at the national aquarium in washington and in this first person account, the biologist describes his work diving to the depths of the sea. >> i'm the newest explorer in residence at the "national geographic" society. i'm a marine biologist and my job is to help save the last wild places in the ocean. it's funny what inspired me was tv, actually. and i remember watching the documentaries on spanish tv when i was a little kid. i wanted to be a diver on the

calypso. so i decided to study marine biology. we have eliminated 90% of the large fish of the ocean. i wanted to find solutions. this is why i decided to become conservation biologist. at a national park in costa rica, we conducted an investigation and were down 30 meters and we were told to wait. and after 10 minutes, we could see all these hammerhead sharks coming from the deep. it was like a tide of sharks swimming above our heads. one percent of the oths is protected and recommend that 20% should be protected. it's going to be a long fight. and not everybody wants to

listen. this is 300 miles off the coast. they were there breeding. these turtles are in danger because people have killed them for their meat and for their eggs. this seal was caught illegally. the populations of tuna and sharks and large species have been so depleted throughout the pacific ocean that fishermen try to catch the last big one. the ocean right now is like a bank account where nobody makes a deposit. at one point, there is no money left in the account. it is such a beautiful, peaceful experience. this is not just about the science but trying to experience and imagine what are these animals feeling. i have this huge curiousity and

i wanted to be the first place to arrive and discover new things and feel the awe and wonder of nature, which i have enjoyed since i was a little kid. >> well, we just have time for an amazing story of survival from china. a three-year-old boy was with friends when he fell down this well shaft and managed to grab on to that rope and hung on for an hour until they managed to hook him on to his clothes. he was taken to the hospital. well, you can find that story and much more and all the day's news online at bbc.com/news. thank you for watching and which hope you'll tune in tomorrow.

>> funding was made possible by, the freeman foundation of new york, stow, vermont and honolulu, new man's own foundation, june bank. and shell. >> this is kim. about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we are developing more efficient fouls in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go.

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...and from: (lively drum intro) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ ♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ is so glorious ♪ glorious ♪ george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ ♪ is so wondrous ♪ wondrous ♪ ♪ there's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ and meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ i know you're curious ♪ curious ♪ ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ marvelous ♪ ♪ and that's your reward ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ if you ask yourself, "what is this?" ♪ ♪ like curious... ♪ like curious... curious george. ♪ oh... captioning sponsored by nbc/universal