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>> gadaffi's people show support and libya might collapse into a protracted civil war. >> [shouting] >> as the unrest to build, such as the exodus. thousands continue to flee libya. he faces more international condemnation, the un suspending libya from the human rights council. welcome to bbc world news. coming up, taking to the streets in the armenian capital and the call for the president there to step down. in a plagiarism scandal.

-- and a plagiarism scandal. libya is now in danger of collapsing into a protracted civil war according to hillary clinton. it has been suspended from the u.n. human rights council. there is a show of support in areas close to the capital of tripoli. we have reports from both sides of the divide. he will be hearing from our world affairs editor. but first, the middle east editor reports from the capital. >> they are in the streets to wave off a convoy.

they say it will be restored. the regime's power is concentrated on the capital. the colonel has genuine support here. this is green square. they are wrongly portrayed in libya has violence. it is fairly quiet. people would not be on the streets if they thought there was an eminent chance of violent regime change. into the palm of one of my colleagues. the showcase from an ak-47 assault rifle.

it feels very different. it is only about 20 minutes away. the shops here are closed in defiance in the morning. -- and mourning. >> to ask right now because i am talking to you. there is someone right now that i might not stay at home tonight. >> they have very saddened that since last friday. -- buried seven dead since last friday. they gave us pictures they have film to show what happens. protesters tried to get to green square. the forces shoot.

the regime says it's men only opened fire in self-defense. the protesters are told to stay away from state hospitals. they are taken away from the main hospital by armed men loyal to the regime. he told the bbc that all of his people loved him. not here. 32 years old, killed last friday. he had a child and a pregnant wife. >> [shouting] >> slowly, the rebels in the east are preparing themselves for a possibility of a showdown. there is no shortage of men

willing to volunteer. there is no great enthusiasm for any military intervention by the western powers. >> they don't want a military or international intervention. >> further along the coast in the strategic town, there is more enthusiasm for the idea of a no-fly zone. for the rebels here, the sky is the danger. he has sent his hair force planes three times to attack this weapons dump. everyone here is scared that it will happen again. in fact two of the three pilots have been attacked -- sent to

attack. the arms and ammunition stored in this area are hopelessly neglected. there is a very large amount of high explosives being stored here, but as you can see, the conditions are pretty terrible. the actual ordnance comes from various countries from russia, america, china, and a large number of mortar bombs made in britain. the british stuff, like the rest, is all very old. but if a bomb landed on it, there will be a major disaster. land mines would be planted here, but nobody knew where. everyone we spoke to was hoping for a no-fly zone by the western powers.

>> wheat persuade you to let the people of europe and america listen to our requests. >> for now, there is no protection against the air force. just a few nervous volunteers. gos>> one with the libyans have been venting their feelings is through art. our correspondent has been home to a makeshift gallery to see some of the pictures on display. we are unable to bring you that at the moment, but we will give you the package a little bit later. the situation has been unfolding in terms of the international reaction. much has been said about whether the international community w z.

>> of the threat of an attack from the above could be stopped if our air force jets were patrolling the libya opposed the skies. -- libya's skies. hillary clinton that it could end up as a protracted civil war. >> one of the actions under review is a no-fly zone. there are arguments that the favorite, but it is under active consideration. >> should some fear that america plans to invade libya, that is not going to happen. they could learn their lessons from britain. they are seeing david cameron hall giving the source fully. it is not acceptable to have a

situation where the kernel can be murdering his own people, and we can do something to stop it. >> britain and america and forced one of the door. it would mean a serious campaign. >> it would be a military operation. it wouldn't simply be telling people not to fly airplanes. >> in particular, he is worried about the idea abkhaz america being seen as imposing its will on other countries. the voice is very divided. nato would consider imposing a no-fly zone without u.s. backing.

i would note that the un security council resolution provides no authorization, there is no unanimity. >> thousands of refugees across from the border into tunisia. that is not another war. >> thousands of people continue to flee libya. the situation has reached crisis point according to the united nations. they are struggling to cope with the influx of people. countries where you sent this report -- they sent this report. >> we want to leveave, they

chant. out of libya, but not yet safe in tunisia. this crossing opint -- point has been overwhelmed by a tide of humanity. more than 70,000 people so far and counting. the vast majority of them are migrant workers for countries like egypt. many are exhausted and the sec. they have been traveling for days to get here. fleeing from the terror and the turmoil that is libya. >> there has to be massive effort by not just one country, but easing the situation a little bit. governments have to take action

right now. >> many end up sleeping rough on the roadsides. for the fortunate few, there is a transit camp set up by the tunisian army. these people are living like refugees, but one of them said it would have been worse to stay in libya. >> [unintelligible] >> the united nations refugee agency has called for an area of the evacuation. so that all of those can get home. these people are preparing to sleep on the roadside yet again.

where it is cold and miserable. >> and the u.n. general assembly is suspending libya from the united nations human rights council. the accused libya of committing gross a systematic violations of human rights. it was human rights council in geneva yethe requested it, but t was up to the general assembly in new york to actually do so. the fact that it did is unprecedented. it was also importantly, unanimous decision. it would have been the most likely to raise objectiosn. -- objections.

generally, this decision is being hailed as a strong one. >> still to come, we take a look at how some libyans are venting their feelings. tens of thousands of people in yemen have been on the streets for another day to press their demands for the resignation of the president. they're angry about the deaths of four people during protests last week. >> they say this was the biggest protest so far. thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of the capital calling for the president to step down. he has been facing daily protests, and this was a clear

rejection for his offer to form a new unity government. joining this anti-government rally -- [unintelligible] if it's your view the regieme must be changed, he said, you're right. otherwise, what is the meaning of the freedom of expression? there is also used her unemployment. -- youth unemployment. the president has been on the offensive as well. he blamed america and israel for the current unrest. the operation room who is plotting to destabilize the arab world, he said. they were implemented and

imitators. the president's supporters also came on to the streets. until today's outburst, it was an important ally in america oppose the war on terror -- america's war on terror. bbc news. >> you're watchin g bbc news. supporters of colonel gaddafi out in force. they are worried it might slip into civil war. refugees continue to see the growing turmoil in libya. at 39 years old, the defense minister looked to have a bright future. he was even a hint as a future german leader, but revelations

that he plagiarized part of his thesis has now forced his resignation. >> until now, he has had a charmed political life. young, a glamorous wife. today, the charm ran out. he resigned because of a plagiarism scandal. >> he says, and a friendly talk with the chancellor, i will resign from my job. the attention was diverting him from his role as defense minister. the doctoral thesis he said he wrote he did not write entirely. it was the work of others. it had gone from the minister, dr. google, dr. cut-and-paste.

chancellor merkel strode to the microphone and said she accepted his resignation. she says that she was surprised when he asked to speak to me by phone. i accepted his resignation with a heavy hearts. the german army is being radically restructured. his departure leaves a gap in government. but he was also kept for the very top job, so that throws politics into uncertainty. the chancellor had stood by her defense minister and now sees him forced out. stephen evans, a bbc news, berlin. >> leaders have called for an early election. protesters demanded the resignation of the president.

opposition members also mark the anniversary of post-election riots in which 10 people were killed. >> voting with their feet. for these thousands of opponents, the current wave of the uprising is an inspiration. they wanted to force him from power. >> i am happy that thousands of people have found the courage to defend their homeland, their country. i am sure that they will win. >> this marks three years since a police crackdown that followed the presidential election and killed 10 people and left hundreds more injured. they have called for the release of many political activists detained at the same time.

the name of the day's meeting is to get rid of the corrupt government. we want to elect a new government through democratic elections. he won the election three years ago with an outright majority in the first round of voting. his opponents claim it was rigged. independent observers said that a broadly met international standards. the next test of public opinion is sure to be the parliamentary elections next year. >> troops are being deployed to clear anti-government protesters after four days of demonstrations. the government says one person has been killed had witnesses claimed at least two people have died during weekend clashes. for the past couple of months,

many western journalists have been contacted by companies to stem the flow of negative headlines. they represent undemocratic regimes. >> it is the center of mia and advertising. it is not just companies that come here to furnish their brand. london is rapidly becoming a global house of government. some of them was very questionable human rights records. we want to give them a bit of a facelift. >> we talk about saudi arabia, iran, kuwait. >> he is a p.r. consultant.

he has had to deal with what he calls difficult to regimes. the key is to change the narrative about the regime of. there is only so much lipstick you can put on a dictator. you can try to change the narrative to point to as many positives as you can. >> why would they want to represent gadaffi's libya? there is also an opinion that every country is entitled to a defense. for some if not all, there are limits. the tunisian government was represented by a u.s.-based p.r. company. >> we decided we cannot work for

a country that was shooting its citizens from rooftops. based on principle, we decided to drop them as a client. >> if the country takes on a foreign government, it has to register that with the justice department. in the u.k., there is no such legislation. it makes london and attractive base. those in the industry are pushing hard to keep britain exactly as they are. there are others that fear that it is serious about regulating itself. the government will step in and do it for them. >> as promised, we have that report from our world affairs correspondent that looks at how libyans are venting through art.

>> this becomes the new art gallery of the revolution. there is only one subjects, that is colonel qadaffi. he is a thief, there someone is ordering mercenaries. puppets, dolls, and lots of people finding this interesting. what's your name? >> willy. >> which of these do you like? >> this one. the end of all killers. >> the end of all dictators. a>> a second one. this one. >> it is all very disrespectful.

>> [inaudible] you can't say what you want to say. >> he is still in power. >> all the people, one by one. believe me. >> even though he is still in tripoli, take a look at these pictures. his authority in his legitimacy is truly shattered. >> there are fears that he is making a concerted effort to shore up the areas close to the libyan capital.

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