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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome to newsday on the bbc. i am in singapore. >> i am in london. the headlines this hour -- but the ultimatum, rebels warned supporters of colonel gaddafi to surrender by saturday or face attack. in syria, more reports of violence and torture as protests against the government continue. >> aftermath in the united states begins the cleanup operation following tropical storm irene. wiki-leaks names alleged terror suspects. it is 11:00 a.m. in singapore. >> it is 4:00 a.m. in london broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world. welcome to newsday. ♪

>> forces remaining loyal to coral gaddafi in libya have been told to surrender by saturday or face military action. the deadline comes as the spokesperson for the libyan rebels says they have a good idea of where he is and they are confident they will catch him. here is this report. >> village by village, the rebels' advance toward sirte. they plan to be there by saturday to back up the leadership's ultimatum. thousands of gaddafi loyalists there have until then to surrender or the rebels will attack. this settlement still flies the old regime's lives. -- flags. the rebels will soon see to that. there is a movement coming from

the east, too. the rebels have been leapfrogging forward another 20 or so miles over the past day. this is the most forward position they have. if they go up the hill behind me, they say, they invite incoming fire from the loyalist forces. and though the loyalists are abandoning their possessions, there seems to be no panicky flight. nato even believe colonel gaddafi is directing things. >> the troops that we see are not in total disarray. they are retreating in an orderly fashion. it is the ability that he still displays to command-and-control troops movements and weapons movement and the deployment of these weapons. >> the rebels are not sure that colonel gaddafi is really in charge. members of his family have already fled to out kiryat.

his whereabouts are unknown. even so, they're worried that die-hards in this sirte will never give up because they have blood on their hands. >> the troops have no way unless they fight because they know that they killed a lot of civilian peoples. >> in villages that have just changed hands they're preparing for the muslim feast. over the holiday, there will be more talks with the sirte's tribal leaders. the rebels say they are being blocked by loyalist troops. perhaps, if nato is right, by colonel gaddafi himself. whatever the truth, there is just a few days left to avoid a bloody battle for sirte. bbc news in eastern libya. >> the united nations has given written permission to release over $1.5 billion of libyan

money for humanitarian aid. the notes, which were frozen under u.n. sanctions, will be delivered to be the be in central bank as quickly as possible. the money is desperately needed in the country running short of food and water. jeremy reports on the challenge of getting the the attack on its feet. >> suspicion and insecurity are never far away in tripoli. it is remarkable how, the city see this now. this is a suburb of opposition to the old regime. mop head, say the children, using ended may and inspired by colonel gaddafi's hair that might have put their parents in jail two weeks ago. it's >but not everyone is happy. this woman wants her salary.

there is $2 million in there, she says. we need a good system, we are tired. everyone else queuing at the bank, all state employees, want to get paid, but there inpatients anchors the men. shut up, he says, do not talk like that. we will get everything in the end. "i will not shut up. i'm hungry. i want my money." she retreated to an alleyway. it has been three months to repay, she says. the women were sympathetic. "i am divorced. my salary is $400. i have three children. they cannot wait." but the men said they are happy with a diet of revolutionary euphoria. >> we do not need food or water. just freedom. >> other arab revolutionaries in tunisia and egypt were just as

happy when they toppled their government. more than six months later, their excitement has been lost in my state the struggle. but freedom from fear makes you feel rich if you are just out of prison like this man. he was arrested in early march after organizing the first anti gaddafi protest. it he does not want him dead. he wants them -- can to see their triumph. >> we were building this country. i wanted to see that. >> during the last six months, these streets were always tents, sometimes frightening, always a very violent. the challenge has already begun. for 40 years gaddafi has taken away all institutions of government and that means in many ways they have to start again from scratch.

that is going to be difficult. >> jeremy with our report. at least seven people have been killed by security forces in syria during demonstrations separate out after the muslim month of holly ramadan. the united states has stepped up the pressure on president assad by freezing the assets of several members of the syrian regime this is our correspondent, alan lyttleton and it contains the images you may find disturbing. >> despite the danger, the protests go on. the system ask us today, the muslim holiday -- this is damascus today on the muslim holy day. it did not stop security forces opened fire. four were killed and three others died elsewhere in syria.

but there is also killing in secret. amnesty international say 88 have died in police detention, often after torture. this was a 43-year-old doctor. he was arrested in may after a visit to america. a fellow doctor saw him in detention. of three days later he was dead. >> his eyes were gouged. his genitals were mutilated. an electrical shocks were all over his legs. and his feet. >> this was one of seven men who denounced the regime at this demonstration in may. he was arrested the next day. he was dead 10 days later. his face was so badly disfigured that his family recognized him only from a tattoo on his arm. amnesty international has obtained video and photographic evidence taken by the families of the dead after the bodies were returned to them. we have seen some of it, too.

it shows mutilations and injuries so a graphic, so appalling that we cannot broadcast them. >> there are said to be 12,000 to 15,000 people detained in the country at the moment. there has been widespread torture over many years and it has gotten much worse. the levels of abuse in detention have gotten worse, back to the times of the 1980's. it is quite likely that people have died in custody. >> 10 of the 88 in today's report or under 18. this one was 15. he was arrested in april. if a fellow detainee later released saw him beaten by security for it -- security officials and covered in blood. >> i heard the child screamed loudly and pleading for help. they get him off with a gun on the back of his next -- his neck and he collapsed. afterward, he was hit with a sharp sword. he was beaten on his back. the boy fell unconscious.

>> his body was returned to his family in june. his funeral stirred grief and rage. despite western condemnation and strengthening economic sanctions, it was one more fatal reminder of what syria's securities dayquil due to crush opposition. bbc news. >> news of the recovery that is under way after hurricane irene. >> rescue workers in the eastern united states are airlifting food and water to towns been cut off by flooding after up to 40 centimeters of torrential rain fell in the wake of hurricane irene. many roads and bridges remain closed. laura trevelyan reports. >> dealing with the devastating aftermath of our grain. in upstate new york, this committee like many others on america's east coast is trying

to clean up after the worst flooding in living memory. >> we have had a loss of human life, which of course, breaks our hearts. we have lost three and are searching for another. it is a tragic story of a father who went in to check the water treatment plant for the city and took his 25-year-old son with him and the bank gave away and we found a father's body and are still looking for the sun. we have found extensive damage to homes that were swept down river. damage businesses, bridges, roads, railways, you name it, we've got it. >> the storm left destruction in its wake. >> the water level got right here. >> and massive delays, too. all new york's airports were closed. airlines are putting on extra flights to clear the backlog. but trains, too, have been cancelled along the east coast, ruining travel plans. across the east coast, americans are still reeling from the devastation wreaked by irene.

travel plans canceled are among the many consequences of the storms raft. -- the storms wrath. >> an official says wiki-leaks has been incredibly irresponsible by releasing a u.s. diplomatic cable that appears to name the names of australian terror suspects. the names of the australians believed to have links to terrorist groups in yemen were listed. i asked if the disclosure is affecting australia's close security ties with the u.s. >> the australian government will not comment specifically on those individuals named by wiki- leaks, who may be of interest to the security services here. newspaper reports rico is suggesting six women in australia have been identified in these diplomatic cables, four australians, two britons, and another from the philippines with allegedly connections to the philippines and yemen.

jiabao of these women say the claims are basis -- based less. -- two of these women say the claims are baseless. with the early 1950's signing of the security alliance pact, this has damaged that. >> you are watching newsday on the bbc live from singapore and london. still to come on the program, asia's population problem -- will declining birth rates have that damaging economic impact? >> and the bottom line, why the modern baby demands more. there have been violent clashes in south africa between police and supporters of the leader of the anc youth league. he is facing a party disciplinary hearing. >> it started off with peaceful

protests in support of the anc youth leader. very quickly it turned ugly. the crowd tried to march on anc party headquarters. police fired stun grenades to try to get control. when that did not seem to work, they brought a water cannon out. the anger here is the singling out of the anc youth leader, who could be dispelled from the party for being a divisive force. he is a powerful figure. the flamboyant head of the anc youth league has become a thorn in the president's side. and his supporters say today's hearing has more to do with an internal power struggle within the anc ahead of a leadership contest next year than the antics of a youth wing.

in the battle over providence, he can mobilize votes. it seems this should serve as a warning to the president, who has ambitions for a second term. >> the crowds behind police lines are chanting-slogans. -- are chanting slogans. >> there are private deliberations over him set for wednesday. the anc leaders have announced it will be away from the center of town. it is a move to try to diffuse tensions within the ruling party and minimize the threat of open rebellion. bbc hannesburg. >> it is to stay on the bbc. i'm in singapore. >> i am in london. the headlines for you this hour

-- the last forces remaining loyal to colonel gaddafi in libya have been told they must surrender by saturday or face military action. >> activists in syria say several people have been killed, at least seven, during the latest anti-government demonstrations. the australian high court is expected to rule on the legality of a controversy will plan on removing illegal immigrants in the country. they want to send it hundred asylum seekers to malaysia in exchange for resettling refugees from the asian nation. lawyers are questioning whether such an agreement can be struck with malaysia, which is not a signatory to the united nations convention on refugees. our correspondent, nick bryant, is in sydney. what would happen if the government's case fails? >> it would put a very big hole in the asylum seekers policy of the government. this is a major logistical headache because of the

overcrowding at detention centers, the offshore detention center on christmas island, the mainland detention centers as well. it has caused a really big political problem because border security is a big issue and labor government in particular are very sensitive about being seen as soft on security. there is a high court ruling -- if there is a high court ruling against, it would be a major political embarrassment as low as a setback. >> and briefly, is the -- if the high court supports the government's plan, house and with the plan materialize? >> very quickly. there has been a plan to actually take the first batch of asylum seekers to malaysia. if the high court gives its ruling, they will be on their way to malaysia's very soon. >> nick bryant in city. asia's more developed countries are now facing the problem of declining birthrate because women are choosing their careers over having a family. falling populations can have adverse economic consequences as

a number of young people fall and the elderly grow. taiwan has seen its birth rate dropped to the lowest in the world and considers it to be a national contest -- national crisis. here's more from taipei. >> this hospital in taipei might have a lot of newborn infants, but a country -- the country is facing its birthrate crisis. last year, 24,000 fewer babies were born in taiwan compared to the previous year and that decline is having social and economic implications. >> taiwan's birth rate is at a record low. there are fears that the island will not have enough workers or talent to compete with other countries in the future. a number of reasons are contributing to the problem. fewer people are getting married or starting a family. many complain it is too expensive to raise kids. and young women are increasingly focusing on their career and life styles instead.

this is a 32-year-old accounts manager at an insurance company. she is not planning to get married or have kids any time soon, not least because she says, society expects to much of married women. >> i am quite financially independent and i have a lot of freedom in our spend my time. i can do whatever i like. my marriage friends do not get to go out as much because they have to take care of their kids and their husbands. and they also have to take care of their parents. their time is quite inflexible. >> other countries in asia and europe are facing a similar problem. but taiwan's government believes the problem is more serious. for an island where the population is only 23 million. the government is trying to encourage people to get married and have babies. as well as tv commercials like this one, it is also giving

subsidies and tax breaks for families with young children otherwise, it fears of long-term economic problems. >> in the future, the labor force will be insufficient. that means the consumer markets will also shrink. it that will ultimately affect our economy and our industry. >> despite the government's rush, it is unlikely to find a quick fix. analysts say it would take years and more than economic incentives to reverse taiwan's declining birth rates, especially as society's attitudes about women and family may have to change before the island sees a baby boom. bbc news, taipei. >> and now for more on this issue, i am joined from bangkok by a professor from the institute's on population and social research thank you for joining us. how big a problem is declining

birth rates across asia? professor? professor, are you there? all right, we have lost the professor. that is in bangkok. we are experiencing some technical problems at the moment with our bank online. but now, let's cross over to be tough. you have details of a new fashion trend. >> to the other end of the spectrum because the world's top models make a lot of money, but designers are setting their sights on a much younger market and is paying off in a big way. here are the details. >> they are not even two years old, but these kids are setting a hot new trend of their own.

and it is one that has moms all over the world clamoring to keep up with a passion he says -- fashion east as next door. some 60 million sold in just a couple of months. suddenly, plain white was out and everyone wanted designer diapers. >> parents today are very unique. they brought with their own sense of style and like to share that. we live in a very highly styled world and this is something that parents seem to like. >> experts say these designer diapers give parents a chance to keep their little darlings in fashion without breaking the bank. >> diapers are a baby's accessory. sometimes it is the only thing a baby has on. and even if ayman cannot afford an entire outfit, they can afford a designer diapers. >> it is a multibillion-dollar business. manufacturers are also offering

to make them with exclusive designs chosen by the customers. bbc news. >> the system has been fixed in bangkok. back to you. >> thank you so much. there may be a problem if there is an issue about birthrates. we are joined from bangkok to discuss this issue by a professor. thank you for joining us. how big a problem are the declining birth rates across great -- across asia. -- across asia? >> the problem across asia is the industry is in northeast asia, like in japan, we already have low birthrates in korea, china, hong kong, macau, even in mongolia. there is a repressive level already.

how much concern? there is very much concerned about the low birth rates because of the aging population. we also have problems with the other young people, alison people, but -- adolescent people, the path they choose because of the labor. >> what about thailand? kindhey also have the same of problem? >> yes, in the near future we will be approaching the taiwanese case. right now, the birthrate is 1.4 in thailand. >> in the long term, professor, what kinds of problems are posed for policymakers, and what should government do right now

to be able to address this declining birth rate issue? >> in terms of the labor supply, we will focus more on the quality rather than quantity. looking at the economic structure to be less labor- intensive, invest in human capital. and in the future, in 2015, will have a free flow of labor if we can manage well. in terms of improving the mother and child health, and not only that, we also want to try to have a cash allowance for the mother and baby. >> we will have to leave it there. thank you for your insight on the birth rate issue. you have been watching newsday on the bbc. i am in singapore. >> i am in london -- in london. thank you for watching. plenty more to come on bbc news.

♪ >> makes 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.