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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> reports of fresh explosions in the libyan capital of tripoli, as allied forces say they now control the skies. colonel gaddafi's trees are showing a town. -- forces are shellibng a ton -- shelling a twon. -- town. welcome to "bbc world news." also on this program -- >> you make me sound just awful. >> one of the last icons from hollywood's golden era, elizabeth tyler -- elizabeth taylor has died at the age of 79.

welcome. once again, there are reports of fresh explosions in the libyan capital of tripoli, as air strikes from international forces continue for a fifth night. one resident there says the blasts were heard in one area, which is a military district. meanwhile, the officer leading the british air says duffy -- gaddafi's forces are no longer in control. but the forces are still violating u.n. security council resolution 1973. there was the last rebel-held city in the west, misrata, se ized.

we have a report from the eastern stronghold of benghazi. >> their city was saved in an 11th-hour intervention from the coalition, and today, the people of benghzie came out to give thanks -- the people of benghazi. this is what the rebels and civilians are facing. we cannot verify were these pictures were taken, but they seem to show gaddafi forces attacking from the desert. they say the skies are not enough. they want the coalition to bomb them, allowing the people to rise up. on their own, the rebels are a poor match for government sources. the continued to try to push to a strategic town of both sides,

and if the opposition can we take it, then they will control the east. -- if the opposition can retake it. some are being held in a prison in benghazi, and they were being paraded in front of cameras, saying they were well treated, but they were forced to fight for colonel gaddafi. this man was shot six times. he is ready to face whatever judgment he is given, even if that means death. he has hit in his face to protect his identity. -- he has hit in his face. he admits civilians have been killed -- he has hidden his base. he urges both sides for a peaceful resolution. tonight, for strikes by the coalition against the military,

including the compound in tripoli. but unless these attacks are capable of sufficiently working, it is hard to see how they will capitalize on it. bbc news, benghazi. >> bullets light up the tripoli sky. the libyan authorities say air strikes on residential area have taken many civilian lives. it has not been possible for the bbc, independently, to verify these claims. >> the air strikes that happened today did not differentiate between the civilians or the armed people. to get life back to normal, the air strikes should stop immediately. >> for their part, those leading

the international community have reiterated their message to the regime in tripoli. >> we would certainly encourage that they would make the right decision and not on institute a real comprehensive ceasefire but withdraw from the city's and military actions and prepare for a transition that does not include gaddafi. >> but now, one key member of the u.n. security council has announced its disquiet over the tactics used. >> having in mind the protection of the civilian population, how can one use air strikes, which lead to more losses among the peaceful population. we cannot help but be concerned. >> and among those actively involved in the air strikes, control remains as to who is an overall control of the operation.

france, britain, in the u.s. have taken the lead so far, but nato has yet to agree whether the alliance should have a leading role in the mission. the meetings for talks have been scheduled for all of the key international players in london next week. ministers will be hoping to have resolved the issue of control by then. bbc news. >> earlier, i spoke to the former u.s. ambassador to the united nations under president bill clinton, and the arab league, the african union, and others that are not fully committed to air strikes, and president obama said the international community is fully behind the action in libya. >> first, you have to remember that the international community did pass this through the union, so there is that international credibility. as this goes on longer than people expect, this is the first

time they have done this. it happened very quickly. it is a healthy debate going on. it is not clear it will remain an unanimous block to do it, but i think with the american leadership, you will see it largely remaining intact. >> i would like to ask you another question about the united states, but first, for the united nations and the question of moral relativism, there are so many other instances in which the u.n. could have sanctions some kind of action but did not. >> welcome to the real world. we are not going to be the world's policeman, but when we have a brutal dictator who is threatening to kill this people and is marching his army to do that, the international community for the first case in history has agreed to violate another country's sovereignty to protect -- to execute a purely humanitarian mission. it is a new day. we are still working it out.

this is happening very quickly, and i think you have to give the international community credit on behalf of the libyan people. are they going to do it everywhere? no. in a chance where you can get eight new security resolution, i think we should be proud. >> do you think gaddafi is still in power in 12 months' time, that would negatively affect president obama? it may even be seen as evidence of the united states decline as a world power? it is a possibility? >> no. all this talk about the u.s. declining as a world power is talk. we are still the biggest superpower. things happen when we decide to go forward. we decided to move forward on this. what is going to happen in 12 months if the duffy is still in power? i think that is very unlikely. i do not think his regime is sustainable. i think over time, he will be

isolated and will eventually go. >> more violence in syria. at least 10 people have been killed after witnesses said police opened fire on people protesting with anti-government demonstrators. one city had become a focal point for protests. human rights groups say at least six people were killed in that raid. from the capital of damascus, our reporter. >> outside, the police had fired on hundreds of protesters marching towards the city. the death toll is high, according to eyewitnesses, but it is been hard to verify the number of casualties. people have come here from neighboring cities to show their solidarity after a deadly attack on a mosque in another part of the city. we managed to come here to check for ourselves what is happening

on the ground. earlier, an eyewitness told us that there has been some gunfire coming from those parts of town. >> residents say this is being used to treat people in clashes with police. the regime has ruled syria for 30 years. in the early hours of wednesday, the security forces attacked with tear gas and live ammunition, killing six people. the government says it was an armed gang responsible for killing protesters, but people say it was the police.

there was a response to the protesters' demands, but it is clear that the standoff between the syrian government in the intimate government protesters is not over yet. bbc news. >> workers resumed at the damaged fukushima plant. smoke was seen at the no. 3 reactor, where they are trying to avert a meltdown. many people have already fled to safety, and residents in tokyo, they have been advised to not give the tap water to babies. singapore and hong kong have banned imports from the affected region. we go to our bbc reporter who is in tokyo. he joins me now. do you think more people are going to be leaving japan after these radiation levels, there rising levels? >> certainly, among the japanese

people i have been speaking to, there was a sense that they were going to be getting out of tokyo as a result of the rise in radiation levels, particularly the tap water issue, but there is a great deal of widespread concern. yesterday's warning applied only to imports, , and they said that more than double the level was found in the tokyo tap water and that children under a certain age should avoid drinking it. many people rushed up to the shops to try to buy already depleted shot. supplies of bottled water, and many supplies have run out. they're in a very difficult position. the city authorities said they were going to be making one quarter of 1 million bottles of water available to those with babies, and in the last hour, what we have heard from the

secretary really reinforces this message. it is really becoming an issue here. we are seeing it in some way they are conquering this fact, and the aim is to try to reassure the public that that limit is a conservative one, that the levels at the moment pose no danger to anyone over the age of 1, and there was reassurance, also, that the stocks of bottled water that the government will be urging all producers to step up to try to meet the demand, and when asked if he would be sourcing major shipments from overseas, the chief cabinet secretary said he was not ruling out any options. >> tell us about the latest from the nuclear plant, fukushima. >> it has been a story of progress followed by seeming setbacks. they stopped about five or six hours ago, allowing workers to go back in again. with some of the details we have been given about the struggles

they are facing and the difficulties, once the reactors being dangerously hot, we were told the measures taken to deal with that, to cool it down, and then they saw the pressure rising. containing that kind of balance is very difficult, and to give an idea of the ongoing struggles, seemingly very volatile. >> from tokyo, thanks a lot. this is bbc news. still ahead, bomb attacks in jerusalem. at least one is killed. britain's finance minister has offered help to motorists and others in the budget to revive the economy. the budget was delivered amidst a backdrop of disappointing growth, and there are tax rises and spending cuts already in the pipeline.

>> did you wonder if you would ever see this again? the price of petrol coming down? this was today's budget day surprise. the chancellor is taxing the company's more rather than taxing motorists more. writing his own headlines in the process, trying to put fuel in the tank of the british economy. >> i have cancelled the fuel situation when it is high, and one final thing. i am today cutting this. this will take effect at petrol stations from 6:00 p.m. tonight. >> with a pledge not to increase it above inflation, george osborne got money from the oil companies of about 2

billion pounds. there was a package of measures designed to korea with an enterprise in britain. >> i can announce that from april this year, the corporation tax, it will be increased by more -- it will be changed more than i said. >> families will not be fooled. >> the future of the economy depends on more than just petrol. the question will be whether or not it really does." . bbc news, westminster. >> this is bbc news. the headlines, there are fresh reports of explosions in tripoli, as air strikes by international forces continue for a fifth night. at least 10 people were killed in syria as security forces

clashed with anti-government protesters. portugal is facing political and economic uncertainty. the prime minister resigned after failing to convince parliament to approve his plan for dealing with a crushing level of debt. this is likely to spark another round of market speculation about whether a default on that debt could be next. our bbc reporter is in lisbon. >> it was a step too far from portugals minority government. sweeping austerity measures, designed to reduce the public debt as a drastically and a final appeal from the finance minister. >> [speaking foreign language] . >> they cannot be just any measures to overcome of problems. it demands clear and ambitious objectives. we need measures that create methods and reduce expenditure,

that reduce deficits and public debt. we need reform which will allow more flexibility for our economy, to help the global economy and which facilitates our growth. but this time, the opposition in parliament said no, and the government was defeated. from the prime minister, a swift and angry response. he told the country he had handed in his resignation. portugal is now heading to early elections, and immense pressure to accept a multi-billion euro bailout from euro zone funds. the interest rates portugal is being charged to borrow money on international markets are ruinously high. many people here already assumed the country would have to seek financial assistance. the prime minister said no. it would be a humiliation, but this is a political battle he has now lost korea on the eve

of a european summit, which had been designed in part to help stabilize the single currency. bbc news, lisbon. >> a ministry judge has sentenced one person to 24 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy with fellow soldiers that led to the murder of three unarmed civilians. the corporal was one of five u.s. soldiers accused of the killings in ken doll province -- in kandahar province. on monday, there were pictures of soldiers posing with a severed head. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said they will act wisely after the first attack on a bus in jerusalem in seven years. one person was killed, more than 30 others injured, after the explosion at a crowded bus stop. there is much concern about another cycle of retaliation. our correspondent has this report.

>> chaos and confusion and a central area this afternoon. traveling on a bus had been considered safe again, after the bombings of the early 2000's. people had almost forgotten when a bomb in the middle of the city sounds and looks like. this was a target, a bus full of commuters and shoppers. police are now pretty sure this was not a suicide bombing, and they are looking for someone who left the device just by the office there. it exploded and caused many injuries on the no. 74 bus. we now know at least one person has been killed. jerusalem has seen nothing like this for many years. as for ridzik workers scoured the curbside mlicki blevins, angry onlookers gathered. the israeli prime minister delayed but not cancelling a visit to moscow, appeared to

promise retaliation. >> certain elements are trying to break the, and determination, but we have a will of iron and will respond firmly. >> the jerusalem bombing comes the time of increased tension in the palestinian territory. eight people were buried in gaza. the dead included two boys and their grandfather. while world attention may be focused elsewhere in the middle east, it is the region's most intractable crisis, sliding toward the period of renewed violence. bbc news, jerusalem. " egypt's most senior prosecutor has sanctioned a trammell, a criminal trial.

one man is accused of ordering police to open fire at demonstrators, killing 350 people in the protests. the parliament in yemen has received a request to impose a 30-day state of emergency. it gives security forces far reaching powers to detain protesters. the president has offered to step down in months. the opposition insists it must go immediately. and finally, she was born in london, but her life was hollywood with a large. actress elizabeth taylor, once one of the best known faces on the planet, has died at the age of 79. she made over 50 films and won two oscars. she married eight times. we look back on her a list -- a remarkable life and career. >> you make me sound just awful. >> the actress, elizabeth

taylor, interesting -- in meeting recognizable, totally unforgettable. glamorous, and very, very famous. she was more than a movie star. she was an icon, a hollywood legend. >> opportunity. >> to elizabeth taylor was born in london to american parents. the family moved to beverly hills when she was 7. it was her kind of town. she had a film contract by the time she was 10 and by 12 made a name in this film. >> would you know where to find a job >> she also made quite an impression on costar angela lansbury. >> her appearance was absolutely stunning. she had the most beautiful eyes, and of course, as she matured, it became evident that this little girl was wrong going to become one of the most beautiful women in the world. >> overcoming the tricky

adolescent years. some started to doubt her talent. until she started beside montgomery clift in "a place in the sun." it was a career defining film. made her a star. and a better actor. >> i learned that you had to feel it in your gut. being that person and being true to that person and what they would do. >> and then, there was her private life, which is just as dramatic as your movies. by her mid-20s, she had been married three times, divorced twice, and with good. >> elizabeth taylor. >> meanwhile, her film career was flourishing. she received three oscar nominations in a row before receiving the oscar. >> i thank you.

thank you with all of my heart. >> there was this performance in "butterfield 8," and then there was "cleopatra." she fell in love with the role and richard burton, her costar, leading to one of the most 20th- century documented love affairs. they acted together in a series of films, including "who is afraid of virginia woolf? " before that, she won her second oscar. >> i wear the pants in the house. >> they married and divorced twice, but remained close until his death. the film roles began to subside, but her face and did not. she used it and her remarkable energy to work towards aids. elizabeth taylor had problems with ill health at and depression, but she could not be thwarted. as michael caine said today, she was a great human being.

elizabeth taylor has died at the age of 79. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

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