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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> perce fighting in libya and rebel forces continue their push towards tripoli. more bloodshed in syria. security forces fire on anti- government protesters after friday prayers. washington and london condemn the attack on the british council in kabul, which left at least 12 dead. welcome to bbc news. i am deborah mackenzie. a month after the norway attacks, relatives of the victims visit the scene of the killings for the first time. late kickoff, a player strike over unpaid wages delays the start of the spanish football season.

intense fighting has been taking place in libya as rebels advancing towards tripoli. to the east of the capital, rebels or claiming a significant victory. they say they have now taken control of one city. to the west, the rebels have been fighting a fierce battles. the latest on the eastern front with our correspondent, but person this report from inside. >> this afternoon the assault began. high on adrenaline, the rebels accelerated, each shot taken them a step closer to tripoli. up to now have been using small

arms, but now they have blown up an old russian tank and they are firing down on the city into the square where about the's forces are still holding out. -- where gaddafi's forces are still holding out. the problem for the rebels and for us are snipers. we have taken up in the one high building the rebels now control. is there single vantage point overlooking the square. out of the wendell -- of the window, the green flag shows just how close we are to gaddafi's position. even up here, the threat from sniper fire is constant, just as it is for the fighters down on the street below. what is the situation down there on the square? >> there are many shootings in the square and the gunmen are behind us.

>> it got the's forces continued to return fire all afternoon. they are not running away. but the rebels note -- know that if we are here, then the road to tripoli will be open. >> the casualties kept coming, rushed to a field hospital near the front lines. by midafternoon, the death toll was more than 30. the rebels blamed their light weapons for their heavy losses. but they vowed to fight on, determined to advance to tripoli. we have chased bid up the from one hole to another, said mohammed. -- we have chased it out the. another casualty is now being taken away, brought to the hospital in misrata for further

treatment. would it have been arriving steadily here for the last few hours. a lot of heavily wooded fighters have been brought in. doctors say this is one of the worst days they have seen. nearby, this father, whose only son was lost today in the battle. but for other families, this was a day of reunions, a day when freedom finally came. hundreds of civilians who had been trapped here work bused to safety by the rebels. this family was stranded for five months after fleeing the shelling in misrata. words cannot express my happiness she said. i hope the same will happen in tripoli. then it was into the car to head for home. they had been dreaming of victory for months.

now they and many others here believe. and hopefully we will be talking to an oil engineer who is in their -- in zawiya later. he helped get out become to power in the 1979 coup but fell out in the 1990's. despite assurances from president assangd's government that all military operations of stock, security forces -- thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets. the bbc is not allowed to report freely from syria. we have this report from neighboring levitan. >> nothing much seems to have changed since presidents

assad's statement on wednesday that all military operations had stopped. activist videos on the internet cannot be verified independently, but many of them appear to show government forces in action once again against protesters on yet another busy friday in syria. in the third biggest city, troops appeared to be on rooftops as well as in the streets. several civilians were killed here. there was trouble in the suburbs of the capital, damascus, too. civilian deaths were reported here. at the united nations and elsewhere, patience is running short, but as well as telling the secretary-general that milkweed be -- that military operations had stopped, the president also allow humanitarian missions to visit the troubled spots and hopes to go this weekend. >> we want to concentrate on most places where there have been reports of fighting so that

we can see for ourselves exactly what has been going on. >> the pressures on mr. assad are building up. but the president told his faithful this week that syria would stand firm, whatever the pressures. he blamed armed terrorist gangs for all the trouble. >> syrian tv and newspapers have time and time again showed footage of people with rifles and guns and knives who are attacking the police or security, who are throwing them into the river. unfortunately, for some reason, the west will only see with one eye and only listen with one ear. ssad will take -- they and the russians they need more time to implement the reforms he has promised.

and so the struggle continues. the uprising is not going away, nor is the regime. by month on, nobody knows how this will end and how much longer it will take. >> israeli aircraft have continued strikes on the gaza strip in retaliation for attacks that killed eight israelis on thursday. medical workers say several workers were killed, including a number of civilians and including at least one child. during the day, palestinians fired rockets from gaza into israel, hitting a synagogue and a school and injuring several people. they have protested the death of five egyptian security personnel on thursday. there has been international condemnation of an attack by the taliban on the british council building in kabul. the attackers forced their way

into the compound by setting off a car bomb at the gate. 12 people were killed. while the attack took place, for british consul staff hit in a safe route in the basement. -- in a state room in the basement. >> with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the taliban came armed for a long fight. this was a battle they knew they would not survive. most of the six attackers were suicide desks. using a car bomb, that loophole in a wall and swarmed into the compound. -- they blew a hole in the wall, but afghan security guards kept the attackers at bay. >> we heard more than three explosions, strongly believing that two of them were suicide bombers. one of them is still hiding in one of the areas of the

building. >> it was new zealand special forces and afghan commandos that finally ended the fight, killing all the insurgents. the assault came in the west of the city knew the intercontinental hotel. dozens were killed there in june. we began, staff, including two female teachers, headed to an underground sake room. there they stayed, terrified, and the siege lasted eight hours. as the cleanup at the site began, the attackers had disguised themselves in burkas. >> we were in contact with them in the safe route. they have been extracted safely and they are now in the embassy, obviously shaken but well and uninjured. >> today afghanistan celebrated the anniversary of freedom from british rule.

that is why the taliban say they targeted the u.k. the british council exists to promote britain and british coals or overseas. it is an example of false power in the soft power. >> this is a particularly vicious and cowardly attack, but it is an attack that has not succeeded. >> this was an attack against british interest but also against the afghan government. british and american troops are preparing to leave here. increasingly, the afghans will have to take care security on their own. the insurgents have again shown that they can strike, even in the most heavily protected parts of the country. tonight, the city remains on high alert, but in fear there may be more attacks to come. >> relatives of norwegians shot dead by the gunman anders breivik last month have been

visiting the scene for the first time. family members have been accompanied by psychologists, priest, and investigators. >> is nearly one month since anders breivik murdered their loved ones. today, relatives of the dead were allowed to visit the island where the massacre had taken place. over the next two days, hundreds of family members of victims and some survivors will come here to the holiday island which became a killing ground. to offer support, there are teams of psychologists and counselors. the door to hope these visits will bring some degree of peace. >> it is difficult, it is hard for them, but nevertheless, they want to do this. >> i think they need to know, very often ask for details. this is the place it happen,

this is where they can learn more about the details as well. >> in oslo, the killer was back in court today at a closed hearing. the court ruled that anders breivik should continue to be kept in total isolation for four more weeks. he has admitted carrying out the shooting spree on the island and detonating a bomb which killed eight people in the center of oslo, but he has denied criminal responsibility. >> i was hoping that he would accept -- many people have been put in a very difficult situation. i think he was only speaking are thinking of himself. >> earlier this week, breivik was taken back to the island. he spent eight hours walking around and showed police how and where he gunned down his 69

victims. this weekend, norway will honor the dead at a special memorial services one month after acts of terror left the nation in mourning. >> still to come, shows of respect for the riot victims. the do conductors of cambridge visit the areas hardest hit by a england's recent violence. organizers of the music festival in belgium have described the freak storm which killed five people and injured 140 as a precedent. in just five minutes, went and hail brought down stages, tents, and trees. three people were still in critical condition. the rest of the festival near brussels has been cancelled. bedraggled, days, and shot. festival goers who weathered last month storm packing up and leaving.

belying the ferocity of the night before, the morning sunshine revealed the extent of the damage. organizers have canceled the remainder of the festival. it had all started so well, with the weather adding a dash of excitement, but that it all turned to terror. as tents and other structures are ripped from their moorings, the storm was as sudden as it was violent. torrential rain and hail stones 1 cm wide. >> powerful winds tore across the festival site, sending hundreds running for safety, but some could not escape. a staging gave way and lighting rigs were tossed aside. the storm passed quickly, but the carnage had rescue workers slithering in the mud caused by

the downpour. >> there are three patients critical, fighting for their bucks. >> is one of the biggest open- air festivals with some 60,000 people on site when the storm hit. organizers have described the storm as exceptional, saying weather forecasters had not predicted its intensity. sec officials learn how investigating why so many structures buckled and collapsed in the wind -- safety officials are now investigating. you are watching bbc news there has been another day of fierce fighting in libya. thousands of foreigners could be evacuated to escape the violence. activists in serious a security forces have opened fire on an anti-government demonstration, killing at least 20 people. to our top story,

the fighting in libya, where rebels have taken control of much of the city of zawiya. thank you for joining us here on bbc news. can you tell us whether zawiya is in your control now 100%? >> good morning to you. absolutely. this morning, the freedom fighters started to fight at 11:00 and pushed the forces all the way out to the east side of zawaiya. we are having a big celebration. we could say 100%. >> how important was it to take over the oil refinery? it is very important to us as

freedom fighters. it is very important location to take care of it. meantime, it will supply us with some fuel for the freedom fighters. >> we have not heard much of the activity of nato forces. are they still acting in the area? >> i would like to take this opportunity to thank the nato forces for minimizing the casualty scores of billions. friday morning there was some attack by the nato forces to the gaddafi forces. i could hear them there. >> nevertheless, you personally have lost many family members. will this have been worth the sacrifice? >> absolutely, absolutely.

i lost my best friend and my dear brother. he died last sunday. i lost another five members of my family, but it is worth it to feel the freedom. after 42 years of no liberties, no freedoms, it feels so good. the first time, we feel really good. >> minute thanks for joining us -- many thanks for joining us. there is the continuing turmoil on the markets, with worries about the health of the european banking system and the possibility that major economies could head back into recession. gold remains a favorite with investors flocking to buy into it safe-haven image. >> it has been another nerve wracking day on world markets, prices plunging first thing and then recovering some of the lost

ground. but the mood remains fragile. nerves are still on edge. across europe, stock exchanges and shares have fallen sharply. >> trust has evaporated, trust in politicians has evaporated. markets can i have trust in politicians, what else are they going to do? >> markets have been highly volatile. there has not always been a lot of logic in what has been going on, but there is one common thread in recent days, mounting concern among many investors that leading industrialized nations are heading for another recession. how far have u.k. shares falling? it looks like they have gone down a lot, but they are still well above where they were during the banking crisis nearly three years ago. experts say things are not as bad now, but nobody can be complacent. >> the worry is that we are

heading back towards that press of this began, and absolutely we must not go there. the question is, are the policymakers in charge now capable of preventing that from happening? it is not there to me that they are. >> many in the markets are worried about the health of their shares that have plummeted in recent weeks. >> we think that by the end of the year, world currencies will be stronger than we think and grow in the advanced economies will be picking up from what we see at the moment. >> some investments are shining. gold prices hit a record high as people look for somewhere safe to put their money. it is not just wealthy investors. one shopping center has installed a gold vending machine. put in 100 pounds and you will get this. it is another sign of these uncertain times. shares may bounce back, but the london markets could have one of its worst month since the

1980's. >> the spanish government has announced more austerity measures including an effort to cut hospital spending with the shift to generic drugs. new home buyers could also enjoy lower taxes. gay activists in spain have staged a kissing protest. about 100 gay and lesbian couples gathered in madrid. gay-rights groups believe the catholic church's teachings are homophobic. staying in spain, the start of the spanish football season this weekend will be delayed after negotiations to prevent a strike by players failed. vice growing financial difficulties. >> spain's fanatical football fans usually have a lot to cheer about, but this is not the result they want. a player strike means the start to the new season has been delayed. the players are on strike over

unpaid wages. some of spain's football clubs are in financial difficulties and many players have not been paid for months. on friday, there were talks between the players and a leak to resolve the dispute. there was no agreement. hasn's football league stood at the best sites in the world. its glamour and star appeal is hard to beat. sums was are worth hundreds of millions at -- of dollars. the pressure is on to get a deal, and more talks are due on saturday. >> the duke and duchess of cambridge have been in birmingham to thank those who helped restore order following last week's riot. prince william and kate met with local residents in a community center where three men were killed last week.

>> meeting, breeding, and thanking those on the front lines -- meeting and greeting. a happy to pose for family snapshots and told many of the guests house strongly that delta about coming here. the dig and duchess had begun by meeting privately with the families of the three men who died when they were hit by a car nearby. they were buried yesterday. the did conductress came here to listen -- the duke and duchess came here and learn more about the wider impact on birmingham. some of those left behind said there is much more to be done to stop further trouble. >> we are the people on the ground.

>> this pitch is a reminder of how bad it got. the owner of this shop called it a tsunami of looting. this afternoon, he got the chance to tell his tale directly to william and kate. >> after having six or seven sleepless nights, i feel so happy and delighted that they have chosen my shop and come here. >> a sentiment echoed by those outside. >> i think the fact that they took time out to come here and show that they do give a damn, it is appreciated. >> it is seen but locals here as a sign of respect. and the main is again, revels in libya fighting to overthrow colonel gaddafi have been in bulk -- involved in fierce battles as the close in on the capital of tripoli. i am deborah mackenzie, and this

is bbc news. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to

work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.