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>> this is "bbc world news america." revolutionary forces are going head-to-head with fighters still loyal to gaddafi. trafficking in children, we have a special report on the very young the risk being shipped from uganda to u.k. blackberry goes offline, the little black box is having trouble. welcome to our viewers on pbs in

america and around the globe. there is heavy fighting in libya denied as troops of the national transitional council push hard into the city of sirte. according to reporters, there are only a few streets still left in the hands of gaddafi loyalists. our middle east correspondent has witnessed the raging battle. >> sirte is being pummeled and pounded into submission. after a battle that has lasted almost a week, at this day began with soldiers of the new government loading their ammunition for what they hoped would be the last date for fighting. the war for libya has come down to a few streets and blocks in

gaddafi's hometown. the fighting is fierce. this afternoon, we went down to the front lines, scurried through the streets captured and the last few hours. the transitional government has declared more than once that the city is about to fall. they are now convinced that it will soon be over. >> 2 or 3 km/hour -- kiloliters. today is good news. >> sirte is a very dangerous place. this was a wounded gaddafi soldier being treated by his enemies. some wanted to kill him, most thought otherwise. amid the chaos, it was a positive sign. as the afternoon drew to a close, more and more fighters piled into the city, adding

weight to the fight and sensing victory. >> we have now moved as close as we can to the center. this town is being obliterated. this is the only way the new government will remove the gaddafi loyalists. as it falls apart, the civilians take the chance to flee. some of the gaddafi fighters are trying to hide in the convoy. most are frightened women and children, traumatized by days of incessant shelling. in perhaps one or two days, the city will be under the total control of the transitional government. what will be left a bit. -- left of it. >> i spoke -- the think that the

ntc has been surprised by the level of resistance? >>, undoubtedly. they have said that the end is nigh, it is only a matter of time before it ended in sirte. they have nowhere to go, and they have rejected any attempts to get them to agree to a surrender, means they will fight. the last couple of days were very different. some of the fighters from the new transitional government were starting to feel a little bit depressed because they were losing ground. there has been a very big bombardment and the last 24 hours and is beginning to have the desired affect.

some of those fighters inside sirte, it is having a devastating effect on the city itself. >> of what happens after the push is finally over? what are they going to do with all these gaddafi loyalists? >> it depends. civilians will be allowed to go. gaddafi loyalists were able to protest in favor of the old regime after the fall of the city in tripoli. the new democratic government or administration says it will allow those people to remain. the problem is the fighters, what did they do with all the fighters? we sell to very different acts today. i saw one gaddafi loyalists being treated and treated carefully, on the other hand, earlier today, we saw what could

be described as a mercenary. he had been beaten up incredibly badly by forces and the new government. we feared for his safety. there have been acts of kindness. >> thank you so much for joining us. the u.s. secretary of state calls it a dangerous escalation, a senior u.s. centers said it may be an act of war. the alleged iranian plot to kill the saudi ambassador to washington had american officials fuming today. hillary clinton also warned the government will be held accountable. the u.s. has charged two iranians. >> this is the organization at the heart of the u.s. allegations. iran's revolutionary guards corps. it is the most powerful

institution in iran. inside the guard corp. is a smaller group, special operations. americus says that this man, manssor arbabsiar, has admitted being hired by the force to carry out a first ever attack inside the united states. >> it is an outrageous act and the iranians will have to be held accountable. when you see the case presented, you will find there is compelling evidence for the assertion been made from local sources. >> his -- here is the target of the plot. saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states, adel al-jubeir. and theburden of proof hama amount of evidence is overwhelming. clearly, it chose official

iranian responsibility. this is unacceptable. something -- somebody will have to pay a price. >> iran dismisses the charges as ridiculous and fabricated. >> in my opinion, is libeling us. we are suspicious of these claims. they are looking for an excuse to impose more sanctions on this. >> since sanctions and other methods failed to cause any problems, they are looking off -- looking for other ways to present a bad image of iran to the world. >> we now wait to hear more from the suspects, manssor arbabsiar. u.s.-iran relations may hinge on the story that he has to tell.

>> the man accused of trying to blow up an airplane on christmas day in 2009 has dramatically changed all his pleas to guilty. umar farouk abdulmutallab from nigeria is facing charges of trying to kill the 300 passengers and crew on board the flight. this report is from our washington correspondent. >> slowly, perhaps nervously, a young nigerian man declares war on christians and jews. umar farouk abdulmutallab then took its fight to america, attempting to blow up a plane as it prepared to land here, using explosives hidden in his underwear. in a detroit courtroom, the defendant changed his plea to guilty. describing the underwear bomb as a blessed weapon to save the lives of innocent muslims. he told the judge, i intended to erect a u.s. aircraft for the u.s. wreckage of muslim lives

and property. it played out on christmas day two years ago when he boarded a flight from amsterdam to detroit. an hour before landing, he locked himself in a bathroom. back in his seat, he plunged a syringe into explosive powder. there was a pop, smoke, and claims, but the fire was smothered by other passengers. >> i was saddened by the whole thing. to see him act like he did not care about what happened. >> what made this case even more shocking was that these authorities in america had been warned about him. his own father had raised the alarms. barack obama later admitted that a rival u.s. agencies failed to join the dots.

umar farouk abdulmutallab told the judge that he had been inspired by the militant cleric killed by a u.s. drawn strike last month. -- drone strike last month. >> the burmese pro-democracy a leader has welcomed the release of more than 150 political prisoners who were freed as part of the general amnesty. amnesty international said the government must free more political detainees if it is seriously committed to reform. the president of the european commission has called for a comprehensive package of measures to deal with the euros of debt crisis and to recapitalize european banks. he says that banks in europe should increase their capital reserves and those who do not meet the necessary requirements

should be prevented from paying dividends and bonuses. last night, we exposed the ritual murder of children in uganda. tonight, for the second part of our investigation, which revealed the abuse of children from some witch doctors in great britain. this shows that 400 african children have been traffic to the u.k. and arrested by police agencies. some have become victims of sinister rituals performed by which doctors. chris rogers began his journey in uganda. it has become one of the main source countries for traffickers. >> across uganda, 9000 children have gone missing over the last four years. most disappeared from villages like this one. on the outskirts of the capital. according to a recent u.s. government report on global trafficking, children have been smuggled to europe to be

exploited. many are subjected to witchcraft rituals. how easy is it to buy a child in uganda? posing as buyers, wanted traffic children to the u.k., we went looking for one of the most prolific child the doctors and traffickers. within days, we made contact with them. >> 100 children, okay. i understand, i understand. we will talk tomorrow. >> ok. >> thank you, bye-bye. he claims to have a network of traffickers across the whole of uganda. he kidnapped children, provides an porgies in witchcraft and other forms of exploitation. -- provides.

he claims to have been selling children for use by which doctors in uganda and abroad over 20 years. he boasts about how it is done. >> it all depends on how you wanted done. i can take you to a family home. i will have no problem getting in child. >> in his second meeting, we asked him if the police would cause us problems. >> i have to find a house where we can take the supplies, a remote area, so the police cannot find them. >> he demanded a fee of 10,000 pounds per child. at this point, we withdrew from negotiations. britain has emerged as one of the main destination countries for children traffic from africa. it is believed that hundreds

past three british airports every year. >> our experience says that it can be anybody. they can be people with power, money, they can be people dealing in witchcraft. which doctors and other people in the community. >> in the last three years, police agencies have pursued for -- some of these victims of greed to share their experiences with us. still fearing their abusers, we did cost them to say their words. >> they told me i was evil, made bad things happen. i believed it. this was my punishment. >> of the traffickers or witch doctors take your hair and put your arms, legs, a dentils, and collect the blood. they said, i can kill you. >> which doctors are growing in popularity in britain.

hundreds of which doctors advertise what they said car life tinging rituals before about 350 pounds, involving prayer and herbs. as we discovered, there are some who engage in more sinister practices. posing as a couple with financial problems, we visited 10 witch doctors. to offered a ritual involving human blood, which is illegal. >> this country, and i have many customers year. >> he had a bottle of blood already prepared. he instructs is to release the smell of the blood into our home. >> a very bad, you know. >> forensic test reveals the bottle did contain human blood. although there was no evidence it was extracted from anyone against their will. the authorities only face a

battle with traffickers to abduct children, but also a growing belief in the power of human blood. taken from innocent victims for profit. >> you are watching "bbc world news america." the man who would be president and the rest to lead the republican ticket, could mitt romney's mormon faith be a factor? australia's prime minister has won a major political victory. the lower house of parliament has passed a bill for a controversial carbon tax. the plant is expected to approved by the upper house.

the prime minister stakes the future of for government. >> the question is therefore it resolved in the affirmative. >> just two votes, but only one victory. >> order. >> the carbon tax supporters cheered like christmas had come early. the opponents look like this season have already passed. for the prime minister, the gamble in the face of hostile political business and public opposition had paid off. >> today, this house of representatives moved from the words to deeds. it has moved from what has sometimes been a debate -- a rancorous debate, to action. this house, this parliament has seized the future. >> australia is a world-class polluter, given the size of its population. upon is to the tax says it still is only 1.5% of all global

emissions. why tax companies if will not affect climate change, but will affect jobs? the leader of the opposition has never been more blunt. >> we do not want a carbon tax. >> the carbon tax will become a reality in july. this debate has generated a bitterly divisive emissions. australia will not join a growing group of countries putting climate change at the heart of government policy. >> last night, it was all about the u.s. economy as the republican presidential candidates squared off in new hampshire. front runner mitch robbery charge that president obama was well-meaning, but over his head when it comes to the country's finances.

there is a controversy over religion. last week, an evangelical pastor claimed romney is not a christian because he belongs to a colt. a charge which has gone to a great -- garnered great backlash. what role can religion played? >> ♪ a warm night in utah, two local teams are about to square off. this is not just ended local rivalry. in red, the university of utah, a strictly secular institution. in blue, brigham young university, established by and for mormons. the fans are out in force and they say that their religion is becoming more accepted, there is still a gap between mormons and mainstream america.

>> i think the mormon religion is getting more well known. people know more about the church. as far as being mainstream, people still consider as different and not christian. i think they appreciate our values and appreciable we do for the country. >> if mitt romney becomes a candidate, even the present, does that change things forever for monism? >> i do not know it will change things forever. i think people will still have their perceptions. >> mitch romney tried to tackle the problem head-on. >> i believe that jesus christ is the son of god, and a savior of mankind. >> for years on, the debate is still alive. this is a close family friend. >> as long as people recognize him as the turnaround guy, the

governor, businesses, more monism is every bit a part 0 pimm and he will not shy away from that. >> at this point, on the other hand, -- it will be in south carolina that mitt romney's state will face the first test. south carolina is a dangerous territory. it is home to some of the darkest cards in the republican campaigning. it is also home to an evangelical christian community, which has little time for mormons. >> most baptist believe -- most baptists believe that the bible is true as it is written.

>> there are some who see mormons as a cult. ♪ >> for 1.5 centuries, mormons have been outside the american mainstream, even as they ascend to the peaks of business and politics. mitt romney is reaching for the summit, his fate may be his undoing. if the succeeds, a great american tabloid will be broken. -- taboo will be broken. >> to a problem plaguing millions of blackberry users around the globe. the devices are supposed to keep us connected at all times. here is our technology correspondent. >> for 48 hours or more, blackberry users have been

struggling to stay in touch. what has embraced many intel little the company has told about what is wrong. high-profile customers have been making their feelings known. the former spin doctor alistair campbell wants to know exactly what was going on. others have said it is hurting their businesses. blackberry users said they depend on being in touch at all times. today's is far too long to be disconnected. research in motion blames its problems on the backup system. at its u.k. headquarters, the company finally spoke. >> this is our number one priority. it is fundamental for blackberry that the service we provide is

crucial for our customers. it is our number one priority to get our network back to the level. >> the blackberry has been hugely successful over the years. 17 million users worldwide. it is the number one fallen would you take teenagers. in recent months, it has been overtaken by google's android and id iphone from apple. >> finishing a marathon is quite an accomplishment. he crossed blind in an impressive of third place. he dropped out, but caught a ride on a bus. that is the end of today's broadcast. thank you so much for watching. see you back here tomorrow.

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

>> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet los angeles. presented by kcet los angeles.