>> this is bbc world news america reporting from washington. gaddafi must go, that is the unanimous conclusion of leaders gathered in london even as fierce fighting continues in the viet itself. >> -- in this libya itself. >> there is sustained artillery fire and the rebels are sustaining a position just ahead. >> he fired his entire cabinet and prepares to address his citizens. >and have you heard that there s a world wedding in the works -- royal wedding in the works? just a month ago until the big day. -- a month to go until the big day.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we are here to help the libyan people in their hour of need, that is help british prime minister david cameron describe the mission against gaddafi's forces today in london. and while the wheel of diplomacy continues to spin, on the ground where it counts, rebel forces are still facing stiff resistance from the libyan leader. tonight, coverage on both fronts and it starts with the battle -- the bbc middle east. it starts with jeremy bowen in london. >> the u.s. jets returning to their base in italy. the decision to use air power against colonel gadhafi in libya was taken quickly, so quickly that they are still sorting out the politics behind it. if that is one reason for the london conference, assembling ministers and diplomats from 40

countries, and the arab league and the african union to back u.n. resolutions. though thertheir enthusiasm for military action varies. the mandate to protect civilians also means taking sides in a civil war. >> we made the right choice, that was to draw a line in the desert sand to halt the murderous advance of gaddafi's forces. no one has yet to explain when or how that commitment ends. the conference also said -- started the process toward more legitimacy. this is the closest of rebels have to a political leadership and would like more help on the ground, too. >> the americans said they would consider arming the rebels. is that something you would like? >> you can see that they are fighting with machine guns, etc.

>> the u.s., france, and britain are talking about army the rebels. bombs will fall near gaddafi's compound in tripoli again today. that war showed bombing alone -- the war in iraq showed bombing alone will not guarantee regime will fall. >> it is our interpretation that could 1973 amended, or overrode the absolute prohibition of arms to anyone in libya so that there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country were to choose to do that. >> france, britain, and the u.n. -- and the u.s. wanted to end with an exiled gaddafi.

u.s. intelligence is wondering whether other rebels want a different future. >> we have seen flickers in the intelligence potential, al qaeda, hezbollah, different things. >> at the conference in london they were careful to say there were only authorized to protect civilians, not change the libyan regime, even though the missiles and bombs have done the colonel's forces severe damage. and the western mission over libya is at the moment open net and. -- open ended. >> this conference may iron out some of the differences, but even if it can, there is so much uncertainty that for the future, it does not look certain or clean for anyone involved in the libyan crisis. >> they are starting a contact group to oversee what happens next. that suggests the conference did not expect the crisis to end soon.

>> as the diplomatic channels work through london, the libyan prime minister has claimed that rebel forces are losing ground every day. in the desert, rebel fighters and government troops continued to clash, especially along the coast and east of the country. fighting has been concentrated near colonel gaddafi's hometown. our correspondent sends us this report from the front lines. >> the fight forbinjawad, for the rebels, it was a rematch. they were driven from the town last night. today, they were on the fact -- the offensive again, disorganized but determined. at the front line we found them firing their heavy guns, pounding colonel gaddafi's forces with anti-tank rounds and

katyusha rockets. the rebels planned to take the fight to his hometown. >> the fighting has really intensified. the rebels are trying to push forward, but they are meeting heavy resistance from the other side. they have sustained artillery fire and the rebels themselves are firing rockets from two positions just ahead. >> fighters came rushing back from the front for fresh supplies of ammunition. among them, a defector from the army who says he is fighting for just one thing. >> [speaking arabic] >> freedom, he says. we just want to live as others live. alongside the road, some paused for prayer and while the fight raged around them. soon, the rebels were streaming forward, retaking the town of bin jawad.

enemy tanks had fallen silent. they started going house-to- house, hunting for any that might have stayed behind. the rebels were jumpy. their victory was tense and short-lived. in less than an hour they were racing away after heavy artillery fire from gaddafi supporters. >> the rebel advance has now turned into a chaotic, disorganized, and he's to retreat. once again, they have been pushed back from territory they have captured, showing how little they have managed to achieve without a strong coalition support. >> the rebels have been relying on air strikes to pave the way. and they need a lot more help if they are ever to topple colonel gaddafi. but for how long will the international community be willing to fight their battles?

bbc news. >> for more on the diplomatic and military maneuvers, i spoke to john byrne of the london times. i asked him if this could translate into a winning the war on the ground. >> there are many aspects to this, including what happened today with hillary clinton and david cameron. but there was an air of some relief because they navigated some diplomatic waters that were very difficult in the last two weeks. it was only about two weeks ago that the united states was reluctant to get involved in the no-fly zone. david cameron and nicholas sarkozy effectively marshaled present obama into the corral on that one and they have made a lot of progress and there is confidence that they are going to get the job done. that means getting gaddafi out

of libya. >> one of the issues as they were dancing around today is whether the rebels will be armed on the front. is there any unanimity of ground that? >> i do not think there is. the boys at this conference that was most marked on the high question of possible -- the voice at this conference that was the most marked on the hot question of possible army and the rebels was a hell of a clinton. -- hillary clinton. we now move becher -- the united states now wants to move back to a more traditional leadership role. she made the point that the no- fly zone rolls back the previous provision on supplying arms to the rebels. she said there was no plan to do that, but nothing to prevent, as she put it, "any country that chose to do it" to begin

supplying arms. she did not say which country that would be. >> did you get an idea of what the visual future for the bmi be? especially with gaddafi clinging on? -- for libya might be? especially with gaddafi clinging on? >> there is some talk in the corridors of hope. it may not be much more than that, but if the gadhafi's regime -- but that the gaddafi regime will crumble under enormous internal pressure. as the ring closes around him and his sons, they would do better to bolt, to go somewhere, venezuela, zimbabwe and try to garner as many games as they can. because almost no one believes he can restore his state. he is never again going to be

the unchallenged dictator of all libya. they do not have to fight all the way westward to tripoli, but the regime travels from within and they could get a rare -- fairly rapid success in this. this could go on for some considerable time. >> and yet another sign of unrest throughout the region. today, the entire cabinet in syria resigned. here, too, is in an attempt to quell a wave of protests in the last two weeks. the president and his supporters are making their voices heard in the street. >> contents of thousands on the street in damascus, the syrian capital. similar scenes in cities elsewhere in the country.

but unlike other arab countries, these are protesters in favor of the ruler. the president has been in power since the year 2000. his father, for three years before that. but now, despite the crowds cheering for him, he faces an unprecedented challenge. anti-government protesters in the south in at least six cities on friday, sparking down and crackdown by security forces. at least 60 people are thought to have died within the last two weeks. but alongside the violence has now come -- have now come some concessions. state coverage program to coverage of the pro-government's rally. >> we have just received the basharng, president' assad to accept the resignation

of the prime minister of the country. >> it is thought that he will announce a package of reforms, including prouts emergency laws near the in place -- in place for nearly 15 years. but with more anti-government protests taking place this week, it remains to be seen if the perot -- of the pro- government or anti-government side will be stronger. >> other news from around the world tonight includes a big legal challenge for wal-mart and a dangerous standoff on the ivory coast. but first, an update from japan with two and a half weeks after the disaster struck. they're trying to prevent radioactive water from seeping into the sea and the u.s. and u.k. starting to detect very low levels of radioactive iodine in the air and water.

in the ivory coast, trying to escape fighting. 30,000 people have reportedly taken refuge in a church compound. the u.s. department of education has find virginia tech to receive $55,000 for waiting too long to notify students that a campus massacre was taking place. 33 people were killed by a fellow student who went on a rampage in 2007. the department said a far larger fine was warranted, but the amount imposed was the amount -- the maximum amount allowed by law. the u.s. supreme court has been hearing evidence on -- in one of the largest sex discrimination cases and whether richard go ahead. -- whether it should go ahead. these women have brought a class action suit on behalf of 1

million women against wal-mart. wal-mart denies the allegations. there are reports of computers of top government officials, including the prime minister possibly, have been hacked. we are joining sydney with more. 10 ministers have had their computers hacked into, including the foreign minister and the prime minister. this is not just hacking, if it is true, is it? it is espionage. >> according to the newspapers in australia, this amounts to a breach of national security. these allegations have emerged in a couple of australian newspapers and you are absolutely right, the finger of suspicion is pointed at try now. an expert here in australia believes they may have been after international secrets, give an australian resources have helped to industrialize china. for their part in beijing, a spokesperson there says these

allegations are unfounded and the government there says they do not comment on specific intelligence matters. >> is there any doubt it was the chinese? or is it just the newspaper's reporting it? is there any other indication that it could happen then? >> we understand an investigation has been launched, and if there is proof that chinese agents were involved in this allegedly cyber spying, it could well destabilize relations between these two countries. they enjoy economic relationships and fdot -- and diplomatic ties have been strained in the last couple of years. there have been times when mining has caused friction in that department. the attorney general says australia is always looking to strengthen its cyber security. earlier this month it said that a new unit has been set up especially to deal with that. >> how did it australia

actually discover the hacking? >> we understand from the newspaper reports that this hacking went on in february for a few months and that thousands of e-mails were allegedly breached by foreign hackers. we are not sure what the ordaz -- what direction the investigation is taking, but it is safe to say that computer experts have said that the government should do all it can to strengthen security in those various computer networks. >> just a reminder, you are watching bbc world news. still to come, with just one month ago, and details of the royal wedding are stacking up fast. it is an occasion that is rather short on spontaneity. now to our week-long series on the american dream. last night, we have shown you how it has changed over the years and what it takes to achieve it today. much is connected to ronald reagan, the 40th president of

the united states. he trumpeted the american dream and did so at a time when optimism was at a crime. we take a look at the american dream and where it stands now. >> we talk a lot about the american dream, whether it is still relevant or not, and your father to many people, perhaps to himself, and body of that dream. >> he probably did. yes, i think so. small town out west, came from nothing, his death was a shoe salesman who lost his job in the great depression and went to work for roosevelts wpa. my father was a small town life guard, but he had big dreams. he wanted to go to hollywood from a young age. >> were those dreams encouraged by his mother? i think his mother may have been the only one who m.a.s. -- who encouraged those dreams.

and his fiancee at the time, mugs cleaver, she left him over his dream of going to hollywood. he told his friends, though, there in dixon, ill., within five years i will be making $5,000 per week, which at the time was an astronomical figure. and he made it. just under the wire he got a contract in hollywood. >> do you believe in the american dream? >> that is a good question. i do not think i believe in it as wholeheartedly as he did because i think i have a perception that there are some people for whom the american dream is a very distant prospect. there is some -- there are some people for whom the american dream is much more difficult to attain. >> it is literally a dream? >> it is literally a dream, by virtue of the circumstances of their birth, their race, or even gender to some extent. >> would your father became to to find out you have that

opinion? >> -- be pained to find out you have that opinion? >> possibly. >> what would your father say in this era of self doubt to make americans feel better? >> i think he would dream big, think they'd still. -- think big, still. i think it's a mistake at this juncture in history for americans to fall back into incrementalism. >> are you happy the way that he is remembered in this country? especially by the conservatives? >> it is inevitable. who else are they going to remember that way, richard nixon? i don't think so. but warren harding? maybe. but he is sort of the rubber bustiers of the ride. -- of the right. they have to all touch him. [laughter] >> thank you very much, indeed.

and to be sure to check out our website for more on the american dream series. you can tweak him what you think of the american dream in 140 characters or less. all atbbc.com/news. now to injured servicemen secretary is trying to give a boost. he joined four servicemen wounded in afghanistan to raise more than $3 million. in just one month from now, harry will be trading in that rough year for something a bit more formal when he serves as his big brother's best man. it may be the most watched wedding in history. and our correspondent has a rundown of what to expect and what not. and a warning, there is a flash photography. >> weddings and their dues and

go out of the -- dos and don'ts at the wesbest of times. imagine the royal wedding. how will prince william and kate middleton make sure april 29 keeps everyone happy? the guest list, one of the thornier issues of wedding planning, especially when you are embarking -- inviting almost 2000 people. more than 50 members of the british monarchy will be there, as well as various other representatives of other european royals. and there will be a sprinkling of celebrity. david and victoriya beckham are invited. then there are the friends dating back to the school days. much to the excitement of those who stumble across the royal party. there are some unwritten rules for a wedding dress.

do think modern, but modest. do not go too short, and if possible, try to avoid decreases that diana had to deal with. -- the creases that diana had to deal with. >> everyone is thinking slim and it has structure to it, and maybe not. maybe she will make a big statement and it will have an effect on wedding dresses in the future. >> williams -- william's brother and pepper have the star roles in planning. she may also become kate's lady- in-waitings, affectively her assistant after the wedding. there will be two receptions. that should keep the family happy. the first one, a cross-section of accommodation, including charity workers for the couple. at the second, that's one to let -- that's the one to let your

hair down. >> the evening reception is the invitation you really want. it is hosted by prince charles. it is described as dinner and dancing. that is royal speak for a big party. it is family only and strictly private. >> i think it is important that they do have their private reception with their best friends and close family because they need that kind of human shock absorber around them so they do not get overwhelmed by the whole media circus and attention. from what i gather from reading kate, she has a lot of close girlfriends and fantastic family support, too. that gives us the idea that she will survive the whole ordeal. >> married life is packed with dos and don'ts. it will not always get it right, but this president -- relationship has already been tested over its nine years together. there is a strong belief in the family that this will be much

needed, long, and happy world marriage. -- royal marriage. >> for a complete rundown of everything connected to the royal wedding, simply go to our web site. you will find comprehensive coverage of every detail leading up to the event just a month from now. for details about the case, which guests will be dining, and also about the royal pigeon, it is all there and more than you can possibly -- the royal kitchen, it is all there and more than you can possibly imagine at bbc.com. and you can see what we are working on, too, at our facebook page. we do hope you can turn into pashtun in tomorrow here on bbc world news america. -- we do hope you can tune in tomorrow here on bbc world news america. >> hello and welcome.

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