>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is 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 financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> libyan rebels in misrata say they have captured the city's airport after heavy fighting. tank and machine-gun fire in the city of homs as the crackdown by the syrian government continues. two earthquakes rocked the southeast of spain. welcome to bbc world news. coming up later, the onetime wall street billionaire convicted of insider trading. he could face 20 years in jail. family, friends have been mourning the passing of a legend.

anti-government forces in libya say they have taken control of the airport in the western city of misrata. this comes after days of heavy fighting against troops loyal to gaddafi. there have been reports of celebrations on the streets of misrata. a government spokesperson has denied the claims of success. our correspondent has a story about the fighting. >> they have managed to take control over the airport. gaddafi's forces have control over a small part. it is not safe completely. at any moment we are exposed to long-range rocket attack.

>> state television has shown pictures of gaddafi meeting with officials. they say these are from wednesday even though this cannot be independently confirmed that this would be the first time that the libyan leader has been seen in public since the 30th of april when a nato airstrike in the capital killed one of his sons. thousands of students have staged a demonstration in aleppo. reports say security forces used batons to disperse the protesters. earlier reports suggest that the army has been shelling residential areas in the city of homs. human rights groups say that 18 people have been killed. journalists have been banned from entering libya. >> the latest flare-up in homs, several days into a harsh

crackdown. scores of people have been arrested. the authorities say they have killed or wounded what they call armed terrorists. one resident described the latest situation. >> every morning at about 5:00, we have a severe and heavy guns with the tanks. this was continuous for about three hours and now there is no way for the people to go out to the hospital. >> defiance has continued despite the crackdown and arrests. this demonstration was staged on tuesday. one of the few foreigners was picked up by security. >> i was taken to a windowless basement detention center in a nondescript apartment block. behind a steel door i saw scores of young men huddled in that

room. as i sat there, more young men were brought in. clearly they were wholesale arresting any mail of a certain age in that city. >> they were still protesting down in the south. this is one of several towns near deraa. troops and tanks have moved into the area overnight. several people were reported killed and. deraa was invaded by tanks more than two weeks ago. the government says that this is now under control and back to normal. they have shown some pictures on state television. the u.n. has not been able to get the promised humanitarian mission. they are concerned about the whole situation. >> i have been wanting --

watching and listening more attentively and engaging in dialogue with the people. i urged him to take a hold -- bold and decisive measures to for it is too late. >> the president and his associates show no sign of changing course. they believe that a harsh crackdown is the only way to bring things under control. so far, they show no sign of flinching, no matter what some outsiders might say. >> security forces in yemen have opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital. at least one person was killed and 40 others wounded. thousands of protesters have been marching towards the cabinet building in the latest effort to force the president from power. >> it has been marching on government building, the

protesters repeated their call for the end of the president's 30-year rule. the security forces responded with the crack of gunfire and water cannons. at least one protester was killed in the capital and dozens more were injured. two more were killed in another city. the more than three months, and the government demonstrators in yemen have pushed for the president to step down. -- anti-government protesters in yemen have pushed for the president to step down. the president said that if he leaves power, it could allow al qaeda to move in. with all hospitals inundated with casualties, the protesters are losing patience. >> so many people were hit by bullets. so many people were killed. this regime is not no mercy. i call for a revolution that destroys this regime. -- this regime does not no mercy. >> diplomacy is getting harder.

efforts by the gulf nations to broker an accord appeared at one stage to have been accepted by both sides. but now it is becoming clear that neither the protesters nor the president are prepared to give ground. >> nearly 300 workers have been fired at the bar rain state oil company for taking part in recent anti-government protesters. -- nearly 300 workers have been fired at the>> hello and welcome. almost 50 women are weight in the democratic republic of congo nearly every hour. nearly 400,000 a year. -- almost 50 women are raped in the democratic republic of congo. more than 900 million people around the world suffering from hunger. about 1/3 of all annual global

food production, more than 1 billion tons is wasted or lost. it's just that developing countries should increase oversight. it also says that industrialized countries must of foreign food away. 8 people have been killed in the magnitude 5.2 earthquake in southern spain. there was major damage in the town of lorca. the government has sent an army rescue units. the latest from madrid. >> this was the impact of the earthquake in lorca. it brought the bell tower of the town church crashing to the ground. this landed meters from a reporter who was live on television at the time. the second most powerful quake measured 5.2 on the richter scale. this sent a shower of rocks and debris raining down from

buildings. that is what caused most of the fatalities. it was just before 7 in the evening and the streets were full of people. those inside rusted to open spaces. they gathered clearly shocked and distressed. -- those inside rushed to open spaces. most will sleep outside for safety. patients from a local hospital that was damaged have been evacuated. an emergency response team from the military has been ordered to the area for help. this is the most deadly earthquake in spain for over five decades. the tremors were felt hundreds of miles away here in madrid. residents are most nervous. they're worried that there could be more >> to come. -- more quakes to come. >> -- spoke to us from lorca. >> there are several cars

parked. people are spending the night for fear of returning to their homes. very near here and one of the edges of the city. >> have you been told to move away from buildings? >> yes, the mayor has recommended people not to return to their homes. >> any idea when you might be able to go back? >> that is almost impossible to say. we have been feeling aftershocks all through the evening and in the night. i guess things will have to settle down a little. several buildings will have to be assessed. i really don't know. i hope that we can return home tomorrow. >> do you have any idea how wide the area of destruction is? is this quite dispersed or is this quite concentrated? >> from what i've heard from

friends of ours that we have contacted, this is mainly centered in neighborhoods of the town that has been most affected because of the type of terrain there. apparently, this amplifies the seismic waves. for instance, in the building across our street, there is a crack that goes all the way from the top to the bottom of the building. i don't know. our building looks fine but we will have to see. >> are you getting any reports of people still missing? >> we have contacted all of our friends and they are all safe. we are thankful for that. i think that there are crews working on some buildings that have collapsed.

it appears that there might still be people under some of those buildings, the debris. >> in the u.s., the onetime billionaire and hedge fund manager raj rajaratnam faces up to two decades in prison for profiting from illegal stock picks. this is described as the largest trial in the history of insider trading. the jurors were unanimous in finding him guilty. >> raj rajaratnam a merges looking dazed. his lawyer says they will fight on. >> we will take an appeal on his conviction. we started out with 37 stops, we are down to 14. this is 23-14 in favor of the defense. >> after the trial, the jury found raj rajaratnam guilty of

insider trading. he said to have made more than $60 million in one of the biggest insider-trading cases in two decades. now, the founder of the hedge fund faces 19 years in jail. raj rajaratnam was once a well- known wall street name running one of the biggest hedge funds. he has now been found guilty on all counts by a jury here in manhattan of insider-trading. his team says they will appeal the conviction. the defense argued that he is -- that his -- came from solid research. the government based their case on hours of secretly taped phone conversations. this could reset the bar for wall street. >> i think a new generation of hedge funds, securities analysts, and traders will come to recognize that insider trading is a very dangerous game which sooner or later, if

you repeated, will give you detected, caught, and your career ruined. "21 other people have pled guilty to charges related to this case. -- >> 21 other people have pled guilty. prosecutors say this verdict shows white collar laws apply to everyone, even the super wealthy. >> this is bbc news. a new contract with america. newt gingrich has formally announced he will be running for president. scuffles have broken out near the greek parliament in athens as thousands of trade union activists marched to protest against government austerity measures. the greek unions have been facing a 24-hour strike which has caused a major disruption around the country. this was called after the government announced another

austerity package in an effort to reduce the deficit. we have a report from the greek capital. >> their goal was to bring greece to a grinding halt. the general strike largely achieved that. the public service workers were trying to buy their private- sector counterparts. -- were joined by their private- sector counterparts. tens of thousands of workers marched on the parliament to tell the government to think again about yet another round of austerity measures which have already pushed the country deeper into recession and have forced many to take 25% average pay cuts or a quarter hours. the ugliest scenes were when protesters hurled missiles at police and responded with tear gas and pepper spray. for the greek government, the timing of the strike was unfortunate. eu, imf officials had just

arrived to see if greece had done enough to receive the next part of its bailout funds. the government is pushing through another round of tax increases and spending cuts. the financial markets remain convinced that all of that will not be enough and greece might have to default on their sovereign debt. this would be if you're decides not to let them more. the signals from the parliament have not been promising. -- this would be if europe decides not to lead them more. >> this is bbc news, the headlines. libyan rebels said they have taken control of the airport in the city of misrata after days of heavy fighting. the crackdown and syria has spread to the city of homs.

there are reports of tank and machine-gun fire. nato says that they have made 6000 raids on the country since the bombing campaign began. without troops on the ground, how is nato able to choose their targets? our defense correspondent is the first broadcaster that was allowed to film on side -- inside of a spy plane as it flew air reconnaissance mission over libya. >> the ground crew makes their checks. there is sensitive radar equipment that can scan thousands of square kilometers in minutes. the mission is to fly the skies over libya. their job is to stand and build a picture of what is happening on the ground. they will pass the intelligence to nato commanders and force in the no-fly zone. this is the first time that the crew has been allowed to film it

during an operational mission over libya. we cannot show you exactly what is on the screens. we cannot give you too much detail about what they're looking at. the information they gained candy used for choosing targets -- they have gained can be used for choosing targets. movementsooking for and try to identify the pro gaddafi forces over libya. also areas in the eastern part of the country so we can build a picture of the movement of forces and we can take action against them. >> below, the lights of benghazi are clearly visible. the radar scans towns up and down the coast. this does not come cheap.

this cost a billion pounds of a decade. tonight, it seems quiet on the ground as the images sent back could still yield crucial information. >> we absolutely must others dead the environment we are operating in. -- must understand the environment we are operating in. we must change the movement and we can discern that. >> these planes are due to be retired early to save money in 2015, a mere 8 years after they went into service. the crews are operating night in day in libya and afghanistan and providing vital information that can save lives in the air and in the ground. -- on the ground. >> we are just getting some news that comes from the -- french news agency.

there have been four explosions in libya. the sound of jets flying overhead was heard. four explosions have been reported in quick succession in tripoli. the bbc can revealed that the long running industrial dispute involving british airways cabin crew and management is on the verge of being settled. we get the latest from heathrow airport. >> talks have been going on for some weeks. those talks have been concluded to the satisfaction of both parties and union representatives in the talks are saying they are content with what has been agreed. tomorrow, the new deal will be recommended to union members at a mass meeting of cabin crew out here at heathrow. it is down to the union members to decide what to do. the likelihood is that they will accept it and it will be

interesting about parent of this means that this long-running dispute that has involved 22 straight days. -- the likelihood is that they will accept it and it will be interesting. this means that the long-running dispute has been resolved. >> president obama said that he will run for president. who will be republican candidate? newt gingrich has announced he will seek the republican nomination despite his rather turbulent past. >> facing barack obama in 2012 will be tough. he won under the slogan "yes,cat himself as a candidate. >> i am announcing my candidacy for president. >> he is going into battle once more. he is 67, 10-years out of

office, and a lot of baggage. he led the republicans to a famous victory in congress. >> i know seeing shocking to not be in the majority, but get a life, grow up. >> he clashed with president bill clinton over the budget. it ended with a government shutdown and him getting the blame. it sounded in -- he hounded president clinton over monocle wednesday but he was also have an affair with his aide. >> there's no question partially driven by how passionately i felt about this country that i worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not prepared. >> new gingrich and his third wife are now a power couple. they have released a documentary about the virtues.

>> has many of us forgot why america is an exceptional nation? >> he has to answer some tough questions. >> he has to show discipline in the way he talks about issues and a seriousness of purpose of which is very capable by which a sometimes people question. >> maybe it is a black mark that his time in congress ended in failure but at least he is famous and is seen as a big player. many others think that he is not credible, dull, or both. most of the main players have not declared. sarah palin will probably not run. many consider the potential republican candidate unknown unknowns. >> no, no, no. >> what do you think of the field? >> i think the republicans feel

this week. >> that is why gingrich has a chance. some think that he does not have a chance but the field is wide open. >> some of europe's top golfers were among thousands of mourners at of the funeral of seve ballesteros. his ashes were carried a from spain to his family's church. >> in a tiny village where he first picked up a golf club, the fondest farewell to a sporting legend. family andteros' friends were joined by some of the most famous names in golf and thousands of people who lined the streets to remember a man whose skill and charisma charmed the world. a photo of that a famous open

when -- win. underneath, the tools with which he conjured some money on likely escapes. he asked for a simple ceremony. his celebrity made that difficult. thousands of fans watched outside of giant screens. >> the whole atmosphere, the whole villages sad. you can see their faces. i am delighted to see it. >> a beautiful sendoff for him. he was so young. a great man. >> a private family ceremony followed but there was still time for one final standing ovation. a suitable sendoff for one of sport's greatest entertainers. >> and a reminder of our main news -- government forces in libya -- anti-government forces say they have taken control of the

airport and the western city of misrata. >> 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 financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations.

what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.