>> two tales, one city. gaddafi says tripoli is peaceful, and our reporter finds the unrest has reached the libyan capital. stepping up military might in the region, as world powers consider a no-fly zone. thousands are trying to flee across the libyan border with tunisia. the u.n. is calling this a humanitarian crisis. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs in america and elsewhere around the world. my name is mike embley. another day of rage in yemen, but the president tells the u.s. to stop interfering. and he is known for shaquita andino -- shocking o on the catwalk, but dior has fired john

galliano. hello again. in libya, colonel gaddafi is making efforts to shore up areas around capital of tripoli. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton is warning that the country could go into a protracted civil war. jeremy bowen says that gaddafi says there are no demonstrations against him, and jeremy has a different account of how peaceful the city is. >> colonel gaddafi supporters were in the town to wave off the convoy.

they say his authority will be restored. >> forever. forever. >> the regime's power is concentrated in the capital. colonel gaddafi has genuine support here, but there are protesters in tripoli, too. this is the center of the city, and green square. authorities say the foreign media has not been showing signs like these because they are wrongly portrayed in libya as chaotic and violent. here in tripoli, it is not normal, and if they thought there wasn't any chance of a violent regime change, they would not be in the streets pitches if there was any chance. -- and if they thought there was any chance of a violent regime change, they would not be in the streets. in the suburbs, it feels very different.

this area is only about 20 minutes away. the shops are closed as a gesture of defiance and mourning. they say gaddafi's men come at night, firing shots and sometimes taking people away. >> talking to you, sometimes, if someone sees me right now, maybe i will not stay at home tonight. >> they have buried seven dead since last friday, according to local doctors. the authorities say single figures show there have not been massacres. the people in this area would not agree. they gave us pictures to show what happened. on friday, protestors tried to get to green square. the security forces were shooting to kill.

the regimes as its men are only firing in self-defense. -- the regime says its men are only firing in self-defense. one doctor treated wounded people being taken away by armed men loyal to the regime. colonel gaddafi told the bbc that all of the people love him. not here. this is the grave of a 22-year- old killed last friday. he left a child and a pregnant wife. jeremy bowen, bbc news, tripoli. >> in those areas of libya held by anti-gaddafi forces, there is concern they can use military force. the opposition holds one town,

and as john simms and reports from there, so far, it has seen at three attacks by air -- as john simpson reports. >> slowly, the rebels in the east are preparing themselves for a showdown with colonel gaddafi. in benghazi, there is no shortage of volunteers. they are looking for intervention from western powers. >> everybody here, they do not want military, international. we saw it happen in iraq. >> we would like them to not fly over us. >> there is a strategic town. there's more enthusiasm for the idea of a no-fly zone. for the rebels here, this guy is the danger. -- the sky is the danger.

colonel gaddafi has set his plane's three times to attack this huge weapons dump. in fact, two of the three pilots who have been sent to attack this dump have deliberately missed, the latest only yesterday. that is a relief, since the ammunitions in this area are hopelessly neglected. there are explosives that have been stored here. you can see the conditions are pretty terrible. people are just wandering in and out. it comes from various countries, russia, america, china, and in a room down there, there is a large number of mortar bombs made in britain. the british stuff, like the rest, is all very old.

but if a bomb went off, it would be a major disaster. one of the rebels said land mines had been planted here, but he said no one knew where. everyone we spoke to is hoping for a no-fly zone by the western powers. >> please, the free people in europe and america, listen to us. >> but for now, there is no protection against the air force. just a few nervous volunteers, going off at random. john simpson, bbc news. >> well, the air force, of course, is one approach -- one of colonel gaddafi's last assets. imposing a no-fly zone is said to be challenging. the argument is considered. >> the threat of an attack from

above could be stopped if raf and american jets were flying the libyan skies, enforcing a no-fly zone. but it was said that libya could end up with democracy or in the chaos of a protracted civil war. >> one of the actions that is under review is no fly zone. there are arguments that would favor it, questions that would be raised about it, but it is under active consideration. >> america is worried about its image. hillary clinton says some in the area are fearful that america will invade. that is not going to happen. but some say their presence could bring help from britain. senior sources say david cameron it sees this as a defining policy moment and seems to enthusiastic about a no-fly zone. >> we have a situation where

colonel gaddafi can be murdering his own people, and we need to make sure if that happens, we can do something about it. >> no fly zone is nothing new. britain and america had one in iraq before the war. there could be a serious campaign, bombing libyan air defenses. >> it would be telling people not to fly airplanes. >> but that is not the real obstacle. president obama seems very different than george w. bush. in particular, he is afraid of america being seen to use its military might to impose its will on other countries, wanting the international community to speak with one voice. but the voices are very divided. nato would not consider it without u.n. backing. the russians and chinese are not keen.

>> i would noted that the u.n. security council resolution provides no authorization for the use of armed force -- i would note that. there is no unanimity with in nato for the use of armed forces. >> tens of thousands of crossing the border from libya into tunisia. america is moving its warships closer to the coast for the humanitarian crisis. not is obama's priority, another war. bbc news. >> as tens of thousands of people fleeing the unrest in libya, the situation near tunisia has reached a crisis point. they are struggling to cope with the flood of people into tunisia and egypt our correspondent -- and egypt. our correspondent ben brown is at a point there on the border. >> out of libya but not yet safely into neighboring tunisia.

this border crossing point has been overwhelmed by a tide of humanity. more than 70,000 people so far and counting. the vast majority of them migrant workers in countries like egypt. many are exhausted and sick, and no wonder. they have been traveling for days to get here, fleeing from the terror and turmoil that is libya.'s gaddafi's >> we need to try to ease the situation a little bit. it is a humanitarian crisis. there has to be a concerted effort, and the government has to take action now. >> once they do get through the border, many end up sleeping

rough on the roadside. for the fortunate few, there is a transit camp that has been set up by the tunisian army. the united nations have just created another camp. suddenly, these people are living like refugees, but one of them says it would have been worse to stay in libya. >> some people may be killed. and other is maybe face the military -- others maybe face the military. >> they are calling for a coordinated military evacuations so that they can get home, but tonight, these people are preparing to sleep rough on the roadside yet again. it is cold, wet, and miserable. ben brown, bbc news, on the

tunisian-libyan border. >> you are with "bbc world news." first though, just 39 years old, the german defense minister looked to have a bright future. guttenberg was even looked at as being a future leader, but today, accusations that he plagiarized some of his ph.d. thesis have forced his resignation. >> until now, he has lived a charmed political life. young, a glamorous wife, an aristocrat, richy. -- rich. today, he resigned because of a plagiarism scandal. he says, in a friendly talk

with the chancellor angela merkel, i would resign from a ministerial job. he was resigning his role as defense minister. the dr. doom thesis he said he wrote, he did not write entirely. it to -- the doctoral thesis he said he wrote, he did not write it entirely. he is no longer a jumper of hurdles. but today, chancellor merkel said she had accepted his resignation. she says, "this morning, i was surprised he asked to speak with me by phone. i have accepted his resignation with a heavy heart." the german army is being radically restructured. so his departure leaves a gap in government, but he was also tipped for the very top job, so that throws politics into uncertainty.

the chancellor had stood by her defense minister, and now, he is being forced out. that cannot strengthen her position. bbc news, berlin. >> the latest headlines for you this hour on "bbc world news." the united nations is calling the situation on the tunisian- libyan border a full-blown humanitarian crisis. the u.n. general assembly has voted to suspend libya from the human rights council, accusing them of gross and systematic human rights violations. and under arrest is flaring across the middle east. the gulf state of oman has seen anti-government protests for a fourth day in a row, and troops have been deployed to try to quell the demonstration. and next war in yemen, another day of rage.

tens of thousands of protesters are demanding an end of the three-decade rule of the leader. we have this report. >> the opposition said this was the biggest protest in yemen so far. thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of the capital, calling for the president to step down. he has been facing daily protests since the call for reform in tunisia and egypt. and this was a clear rejection of his offer to for not -- to found a new unity government. "we refused to take part in the dialogue proposed by the ruling party," says this woman. this is the end of the regime. "all of its members must leave." joining the rally was a leading cleric. "if it is your view that the regime must be changed," he said, "it is you're right.

no one can prevent you. otherwise, what is the meaning of freedom of expression?" they are also concerned about youth unemployment. this is exacerbated by rebels in the north and secessionists in the south. the president has been on the offensive, as well. he spoke at the university. he blamed america and israel for the current unrest. the operation is in tel aviv, which is causing a destabilization in the arab world, he said. there are imitators. the operation is in tel aviv, and it is run by the white house. the president's supporters also came on to the streets. until today's outburst, the yemen leader had been an important ally in the war on terror, but these are uncertain times, when nothing can be taken

for granted. peter boyle, bbc news. >> protesters have clashed with iranian police in several areas. there are militia on the streets, using batons and tear gas to disperse the protesters. we understand dozens of people have been arrested, and there are other demonstrations, we have heard, in other iranian cities. the first gulf state to cease such protests -- to see such protests one-shot -- once egypt and tunisia felt, by rain. -- fell, bahrain. david cameron was talking about the withdrawal of troops by 2015. afghan troops will then play an important role in security.

an operation against the taliban. the northeastern province. >> the afghan police are on the offensive. half an hour from here, the taliban territory begins. they plan to take it back. the aim is not just to kill the insurgents. it is too diffuse and attack, to get into change sides. two taliban commanders come to negotiate. they lead just a few dozen men, but they meet the general in charge. they joined the taliban, they say, to fight a corrupt local officials. now, they tell the general exactly where the other taliban fighters are located. it seems the almost casual act

of betrayal, but these are not ideological taliban. the police hope that others will make the same calculation. if you do not do a deal, this is what happens. the fighting is village by village. just a handful of taliban in each. this is the first. we are at the police for position overlooking the village. the taliban are holding out. down below, there is a german mine clearance team. this is an afghan fight, and that is exactly what the international community wants to achieve here. an accurate volley of gunfire

from the insurgents. i thought that would go over. the fighting is now in the village. bullets and rocket-propelled grenades. this is the taliban firing as they retreat. they are being pushed out. the police kept going. incredibly, there were no significant casualties. the commander of the taliban of this village was killed. this is where he fell. relatives collect the body. the police help. it emerges that he is related

to one of the police officers. war in afghanistan is a murky and complex business. the general leading the assault is carrying the dead man's weapon. the ammunition area is empty. he fought to the last bullet to, says the general. -- to the last bullet, says the general. the insurgent commander is mortgage. nato and the afghan government certainly hope most taliban would do this rather than fight. victory in afghanistan may depend upon it. bbc news, afghanistan. >> the brazilian police are

questioning a man accused of driving his car at high speed through a crowd of cyclists. at least 40 were injured. the accused man says he accelerated in self-defense, as the cyclists were banging on his car and that he and his son were being attacked. this is part of a campaign for more respect for cyclists on the street. 11 muslims have been sentenced to death for an armed attack on a train nine years ago that triggered some of the worst violence since independence. 20 others were given life sentences. 59 hindus and others died in the unrest that followed. a two-minute moment of silence for victims of the christchurch incident one week ago. the death toll is at 154, but officials say it could rise as high as 240. now, the designer john galliano

has been sacked by designer dior. he would show and being drunk and apparently hurling anti- semitic abuse. he denies the charges. >> he is no stranger to the limelight, but with paris fashion week here, they should be focused on his new collection. instead, it is what he did in a paris bar that is taking the industry's breath away. he is now connected with three episodes of anti-semitic abuse. dior said they have had enough. the chief designer will be fired. there was the abuse allegedly of a female customer. he denied using anti-semitic language. there was an incident in october, and there is another incident in december.

altogether, it paints a disturbing picture. it is the talk at paris fashion week. many are in it of support of the designer. -- are in support of the designer. >> is sad. that is the only thing i can say. it is sad for me. >> but christian dior has a brand to think of. tonight, the oscar-winning actress natalie portman who promotes perfume for the fashion label said she wanted nothing more to do with him. mr. galliano's lawyer says he still says he is not guilty. the allegations he faces could cost him far more than his position with christian dior. cristian fraser, bbc news, paris. >> we have to leave it there.

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