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>> a decision at last. nato agrees to take control of enforcing the no-fly zone over libya. >> the allies are committed to fulfill their obligations on the u.n. security council resolution. that is why we have decided to assume responsibility for the no-fly zone. >> the united nations says that the libyan government must declare a cease-fire or face further security council action. fighting on the ground continues for -- as the libyan leader bombarding rebel positions. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in the u.k. and around the world. syria's government offers reform after recent protests erupt into

violence. a final farewell to a hollywood legend. mourners paid their last respects at the funeral of elizabeth taylor. welcome to bbc news. after days of disagreement and confusion, nato has agreed to take over enforcing the no-fly zone over libya. the secretary general says that the mandate of the alliance would not extend beyond that. there would be a separate coalition operation. the u.s. secretary of state said that plans for the united arab emirates will be joining be enforcement of the no-fly zone. >> final preparations for the french pilots as they contemplate another mentioned -- and another mission over libya. france was at the front of getting a no-fly zone installed.

while the pilot's mission is clear, who controls the interrupted -- international operation has been less so. >> nato allies have decided to enforce the no-fly zone over libya. we are taking action as part of the broad international effort to protect civilians against the attacks by the gaddafi regime. >> that will be music to the ears of the u.s. government, which is seeking to reduce the level of american involvement in policing the no-fly zone. news of the agreement brought this response from the secretary of state. >> nato is well-suited to court natick this international effort and making sure that all participating nations are working effectively together towards our shared goals. this includes countries beyond nato including the arab

partners. we expect all of them to be providing important political guidance going forward. >> maintaining the international support for the libyan operation is a key objective to nato, and now that it controls the no-fly zone. the french president indicating that he wants the coordination of the campaign to remain critical even as his armed forces remain on patrol off of libya. >> a french warplanes enforcing the no-fly zone has destroyed an aging libyan single engine jet. two government tanks are reported to have been destroyed in air strikes. tanks are said e inside the city in the port area. >> the battle for the city.

the way it goes could decide the outcome of the confrontation. the rebels have no answer to colonel gaddafi's firepower. that is why they happened so delighted that the coalition has intervened. will the coalition be enough? they have not managed to destroy all of colonel gaddafi's tanks. they cannot do anything about the snipers. the hospital has been hit by tank fire. these pictures have come in over the last few days. it is impossible to verify them. conditions in the hospital are bad. many of the people have been hit by snipers. some of the worst cases are children. this matters because it is the last big town in western libya that is still in rebel hands. the airport where the plane was

destroyed and the hospital seemed to be controlled by pro- gaddafi forces. the fighting centered on the porch. last night, the coalition bombed capital of tripoli. these coalitions broadcast this morning on libyan television plainly showed military vehicles burning. the government insists that civilian areas have been hit and 18 civilians have been killed. libyan television maintained that these pictures showed injured civilians. today, the authorities here took journalists to a funeral ceremony for civilians who they say were killed in coalition attacks. this, like so many other things, are impossible for us to verify? colonel gaddafi is still promising his supporters that he will win. a few days ago, they must of

wondered a bank that was true. the coalition intervention has not been as devastating as many people expected. as another night of bombing begins and there have already been air strikes on the edges of town, and opinion is starting to shift again. if the coalition cannot prevent colonel gaddafi from taking back the city, then they are started to quote that he may stay in power here after all. >> they are speaking to ban ki- moon. he mentioned additional measures. >> he did indeed. he mentioned that if be the audience continued to not comply with the resolution calling for a ceasefire and for attacks on civilians to stop, then the council could take additional

measures. he did not give a straight answer. he said that it was a matter for the council and not for him. i asked him of his assessment of the military campaign so far. >> i think it has proven very effective. for our military campaign. it was able to protect the civilians in some other areas. i believe that the superior military power will prevail. >> what is your concern as the campaign goes on? >> first and foremost, protecting civilians and protecting any damages to the civilian population and infrastructure. >> is it your personal view that colonel gaddafi should go?

>> colonel gaddafi kills people indiscriminately. whether he has to go or should be replaced by other people, that should be determined by the libyan people. >> another question that i put to the un secretary general and i did not get a clear answer on, that is whether the resolution has been passed to allow coalition countries to arm the rebels. they said to me tonight that the rebels do thewan -- want western arms because they do not believe they can defeat the forces without them. he said that it was not about arming and targeting. there was a big debate about whether the rebels can be armed by this sweeping revolution.

>> i want to take you back in time. why did the united nations refuse colonel gaddafi's offer to talk about a ceasefire? it was not that long ago. >> the united nations wanted attacks on civilians to stop. there will be talks on friday. the african union headquarters. the un secretary general told me that at those talks there will be representatives from the rebels and the libyan government. there will be opportunities for those talks to happen. >> thank you very much indeed. away from libya, the syrian president has ordered the release of all people who have been detained during the recent unrest. the government says that they will look for a legitimate means to meet the demands of the protesters.

>> shocking scenes on the streets. the troubles of the city at the center of a week of protests. demonstrators shot down by unseen and gunmen. these images were posted on social network sites. people in the city blamed the security forces for the killings. this protester's says, run, run. stay on the ground. do not move. nobody is lifting a finger. at least 45 people were killed. these figures cannot be verified. at the press conference with the president's adviser, i asked about the attack. >> we have verify the exact figures. the problem is come up with some

media orders that wanted to exaggerate what happened. i want to refer to one news item that was on bbc, cnn, that accused the security forces of attacking the mosque. they were not able to show anything. >> she denies reports that security had shot at protesters and insisted that form elements were responsible. >> they came to meet the demands of people here and across the country. there is even a consideration of lifting the stipulations below. >> some prisoners were released soon after the press conference. government concessions have echoed international reaction.

>> what the syrian government is confronting is in fact the same challenge that affects so many governments across the region. that is the unmet political and economic grievances of their people. >> i call for a nationwide demonstration went out. those demonstrations tested how people would receive the government concessions. >> in yemen, pro-government protesters have been out. the statement promised to transfer power peacefully. he gave no indication of specific timing. he did offer amnesty for military personnel who had defected to the opposition. anti-government protests are expected on friday.

one of the most violent incidents in three months of demonstrations. jordanians had set up a protest camp. they are demanding resignation of the prime minister and wider public freedoms. this is bbc news. concern for workers in japan's devastated fukushima plant continues. a man suspected of shooting a british police constable and outside of london more than 25 years ago denies killing her. she protested against gaddafi's regime in 1984. he has been arrested by rebel forces. he said that he did not fire the fatal shot.

>> the rebels have yet to find a winning plan. it is five days since coalition bombing began. they have only made small advances. these are the early days. bases that some weapons and hardware. one of them is omar. he worked at the libyan embassy in london when somebody was shot and killed by somebody inside. he is now in the hands of the rebels. he agreed to talk to the media, insisting that he was not in the embassy at the time of the shooting. >> as far as this matter and any other matter that we speak of. >> fletcher was killed in april, 1984, policing a demonstration outside of the libyan embassy. shots were fired from inside the building and the officer died.

a long siege went on. the libyans were allowed to return home. nobody has been brought to justice. >> for years, he has been associated with the case. he is in the hands of the rebels. he is also a reminder that for many years, libya has been a pariah state among nations. >> this is bbc news. nato has agreed to take control of enforcing the no-fly zone over libya. there were days of confusion. the united nations has implored libya to declare a cease-fire or face securities council action.

nato is taking over the no-fly zone part of the operation in libya. economy is a professor from georgetown university. charles, thank you very much for your time. let's deal with nato's political sensitivities. many people understand turkey's reservations about civilian casualties. what about the french concern? why'd you think nato leading the operation would befriend the arab league morton united states? >> at france has always had some discomfort putting the political part of nato under an american command. they see nato as american-lead. they fear that a nato operation would be more difficult for the arabs to swallow. they would want something that

looked more independent. we do not know if they actually felt that way. that is one of the reasons why we are reaching an agreement between the french, the turks, and the americans about giving control to nato. >> do you think united states or anybody will be concerned patsy uae will be sending some forces to enforce the no-fly zone. doing this to protect civilians in libya. taking action in bahrain against anti-government demonstrators. >> there are some sensitivities about what is happening in the broader middle east. why are we intervening in india -- libya but turning a blind eye to other places? the other issue that the nato command structure raises, what is the actual operation and how will it be divided between the

no-fly zone and the coalition operation, which is actually more aggressive. going after the libyan army. going after the fixed assets. if this does not get gaddafi to stand down, will we see a divide among nato? will they go after them in a way that does not constitute civilian protection? >> what do you make of the french defense minister anna's statement on thursday that there is a political aim to this action in libya, and that is to create dialogue in libya. the u.k. and u.s. have said that they want gaddafi to step down. it could mean a power-sharing government. >> i do not think we have a clear sense among nato allies about the mission here.

there is consensus on the narrow definition of the mission that will enforce the no-fly zone. what happens after that is anybody's gas. the united states has said that they would like to see gaddafi go. if be no-fly zone do not succeed in toppling his government, we will be in a no-man's land where we will need negotiations between leaders of the opposition and leaders of the government. the united nations and others may have to swallow hard and live with some other compact that would be to gaddafi -- leave gaddafi or some successor government to gaddafi in control of at least part of the government. >> two workers in these fukushima power plant that are being treated for high exposures

to radiation. their feet where -- came into contact with contaminated water. they have been trying to restore the cooling system, which was crippled by the earthquake and tsunami earlier this month. >> a first glimpse at the workers that they're calling the fukushima 50. they are battling to stabilize the nuclear plant. the risks of radiation are ever- present. this is dangerous, unpredictable work. japan is already calling them heroes. with smoke rising over the plant, confirmations to the risk that the workers based. 3 feared poison by the radiation, two of them seriously. >> the workers got their feet wet from the water that had a high level of radioactivity.

it is very regrettable. they have been sent to the hospital and they are being treated there. >> in tokyo, they were handing out water rations. stocks of bottled water are running low. fears about radiation in the top water remain, even after the authorities said that levels were dropping. >> it is hard to find water anywhere. i am worried about what is going to happen now. i am not worried about me. i do not know what to do about milk and the food i feed my baby. >> each day is something new. few in japan that the nuclear crisis was last sold long or proves so difficult to resolve. >> the west african regional body has called on the united nations security council to have

a mandate of u.n. peacekeepers in ivory coast. they will ensure that that power is transferred. this is the recognized winner of last year's election. the african union president says that diplomacy, not intervention, is the way forward. >> i think that sometimes you relied too much on the short term. after use of force, you have to use diplomacy again. >> i understand that. the people of the ivory coast are being raided by the police. in some cases, they have already been killed. everyday you give diplomacy a chance is a day that they may suffer the ultimate consequences.

>> you think that if we give up -- the killing has already started on both sides, will continue? you have a certain tendency of using ever where the use of force. where have you succeeded in that? in iraq? you have never succeeded. >> the funeral of a hollywood actress elizabeth taylor is taking place in los angeles just a day after she died of heart failure. she is in a cemetery where many of her fellow celebrities are laid to rest. she was a very public person. >> somebody who lived so much in the spotlight and seemed to

enjoy and relished the spotlight. this was very low-key. it took the people of los angeles by surprise. the forest lawn cemetery is the final resting place of many celebrities including michael jackson, who was a very good friend of elizabeth taylor. there is no indication as to whether it that was why she was buried there. there is a long drive way up there. that was blocked off so no press or fans could get in. there were privacy precautions within the grounds itself. a big tent was put up. 5 stretch black limousines brought families to the funeral. cars pulled up into the tense so you could not see anybody getting out. given her level of celebrity, there were news helicopters hovering overhead. they did not get any shots. it was extremely private and

lasted only one hour. >> any special tributes being planned for elizabeth taylor? >> there is an outpouring of admiration el love rather than grief for original -- for elizabeth taylor. for public figures and many other members of the public who were her fans. in terms of a memorial service, there has been talk of that. there has not been confirmation. given that the funeral was so quick and private, there are a lot of people hoping that france and other celebrities will be able to pay tribute to her. when she got married in 1959, one of 38 marriages, she converted to judaism. this required burial within 48 hours of death. >> there is plenty more on all

of our stories on the bbc news website. you are watching bbc news. >> 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.

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