>> 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. 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." >> hello, and welcome. >> are headlines this hour. a defiant message from one of crow gaddafi's sons. he says his father is alive and well and they will fight to the death. >> in tripoli, the focus is on rebuilding the city and creating a new form of government. >> a warning from the u.n. that billions could die of starvation in somalia if more aid does not reach them soon. president obama at travel to new jersey to weekend to see the damage caused by hurricane irene. it is 11:00 a.m. here in singapore. >> it is 4:00 a.m. in london. we are broadcasting to viewers on pbs in america and around the world.

>> in libya, a message apparently delivered by one of colonel gaddafi's sons, saif al- islam, has been brought -- broadcast on television this evening. he insists that his father is alive and well. there are reports that another of the suns is saying he is going to negotiate with anti- gaddafi forces. he has been in touch with an opposition commander to end the bloodshed. there is still no sign of the fabled the government been formed in the capital of tripoli. >> the war has swept the tripoli

and back out into the desert, taking the colonel with it. in this fragile capital, gunfire is for celebration, not killing. paris -- paris for the end of the holy month of ramadan. just after dawn, the former square was full of people and memories of almost 42 years of dictatorship. they killed their children and raped are women, he is a murderer, and god will punish them. suburban roads still have barricades put up by their residents to keep the violence of colonel gaddafi away from them. the war had already touched into the street on the 19th of june, a nato mistake killed a

family here. the children can play outside now. >> he can say that the fighters give their lives and we think it is gone to be fine for our family now. tripoli is a feeling very local at the moment. people are looking after themselves and their families and they're looking out for their neighborhoods. there is a vacuum at the top. the national transitional council has been recognized by some of the biggest powers and the world. decision making on the street starts with these men, locals and picked up guns to fight the regime, stopping to chat. -- to check. anyone suspicious gets taken. these three were suspected mercenaries. the prisoners said they were innocent migrant workers picked

up because they were black. their captors went through their papers. what do you suspect the mob? -- what do you suspect them of? >> everything is going to be fine. >> they were terrified and not much reassured said there would be justice in the near libya. >> the hard part is starting now. we're going to build our country. we are going to produce, everything. >> men with guns still set the pace here, not civilian politicians. long term, that does not equal stability. >> he has an update. >> saif al-islam, the man who was supposed to be colonel

gaddafi's dara parent, an audiotape was broadcast -- hair -- heir apparent. he said that victory is near. he referred to colonel gaddafi's compound, which the rebels are pressing in on them. he says you are welcome to visit sirte. very different tone coming from the other seven. he is someone new is almost as prominent as his brother. he used to be a professional football for some time in italy. he has been sending out a number of messages, send that he is interested in some kind of a deal to stop further bloodshed. he is speaking with his father's authorization. i of also spoken with a good friend who confirms all of that. e-mails are being exchanged, a lot of the time calls are being

made. he is trying to do something at this last minute. i think both statement reinforced the idea that the nets is tightening on them. however, aggressive and bullets, saif al-islam is trying to sound at the moment. >> reported from tripoli. later today, leaders of libya's interim government will set out their plans for the country's future. delegations from the 60 countries will be there and political reform and economic reconstruction are expected to top the agenda. they're calling for the protection of civilians, but also feature highlights its director of advocacy. what are you expecting and hoping to hear from the interim government? >> we are hoping that the interim government in libya will start and all-inclusive national

dialogue that does not exclude anybody in the hopes of building a new libya that heralds a break with the dark past of colonel gaddafi. there are responsibilities on this new government in libya. they include the protection of civilians and migrant workers. they have a huge task ahead of them and we hope that they will receive the aid and support that they need in executing this task. >> how much aid and how much support do you think the international committee should be offering? this is very much libya's revolution. libyan fighters and achieved this on their own without too much help from nato. how much involvement from the international community would you want to see?

>> i think the international community in order to support this uprising by the people of libya against their dictator. they should muster the same kind of energies, the same kind of mobilization, to help the national transitional council of libya to achieve what it needs. this support should go beyond words, there should be tangible efforts. i think that is something that will be on the table tomorrow at the meeting. >> it is good to talk to you. speaking to us from new york, thank you very much. let's get some other news. a man claiming to be the top legal official of the syrian city of hama says he has resigned. he has evidence of more than 70 executions and hundreds of cases of torture. it is not clear when he was

found. he was kidnapped, but a syrian activist said that it may have been attempt to discredit the video. to the famine in the horn of africa. despite repeated appeals for money, millions are still at risk. >> that is right. the u.n. refugee agency high commissioner says more than 3 million people in somalia alone could starve to death if more aid does not reach them soon. >> in the shadow of a church, rows of makeshift tents. some of these people walked for days to reach the city. such is their desperation for food and water. they live in squalor, but their chances of survival are far better than those outside the city. some aid is now getting through. it is only a fraction of what

is being delivered to somalia. they still control large parts of the region. it is reportedly stopping western aid agencies from reaching those in need. the u.n. refugee agencies high commissioner visited the camp on wednesday and talk to some of the refugees. he wanted to see it for himself the chronic lack of basic supplies. his message to the outside world was clear. not enough is being done for these people. if things do not change, millions of civilians will die. >> this deadly combination. >> at the young are particularly at risk. the u.s. agency for international development says that more than 29,000 children under the age of five starved to death in somalia in the last three months alone.

every day, hundreds more refugees arrived at camps all over the city. they construct shelters. this is, for the foreseeable future. the survival is wholly dependent on aid. right now, there are no guarantees. >> president obama will be traveling to new jersey to see the damage caused by hurricane irene. the storm swept across the east coast of the u.s. four days ago, but the effects are really only coming clear right now. areas inland -- it has that been seen in decades. >> hurricane irene may have gone, but the misery lenders up and down the east coast. it has left a trail of devastation that is still being assessed. in paterson, new jersey,

widespread flooding, the river. on tuesday night, triggering fresh evacuations. in vermont, sometimes were cut off for two days. roads swept away by a swollen rivers. national guard helicopters used to deliver supplies to stratton communities. >> it is more than i would ever thought i could see. >> he saw through the debris at his frame shop. he has seen floods before, but nothing like this. >> we had in 1927, and this one right here is hurricane irene. >> from north carolina to new england, more than 2 million people are still without electricity. estimates of the cost of hurricane irene differ wildly from a modest $1.5 billion to as much as $10 billion. a figure that would make this one of the 10 costliest natural disasters and the country's history. >> we have funds to continue response operations and

immediate needs. that has been our focus. we are working with the white house. we will have a better idea of the funding needs for this storm and all the other disasters we are still working. >> the government has less than $800 million to spend on disaster relief this year. in washington, part of that politics threatens to intrude. republicans saying that federal aid will have to be upset by spending cuts elsewhere. democrats have vehemently opposed. not the sort of bickering that those immediately affected need to hear. >> we are live from singapore and london. still to come, school is out, why some of the children in migrant workers in beijing are looking to get an education. >> we examined the legacy of

david petraeus. the bridge as high court has ruled that dozens of families can be evicted from a site, the biggest fight of its kind in britain. the travelers on deland, but did not have permission for their homes. -- the travelers' own the land, but not have permission for their homes. >> only divine intervention can save them now. time and options have all but run out for the travelers. they must be done by order of the courts. they say they're going nowhere. despite the defiance, the last glimmer of judicial hope was distinguished -- extinguished at the high court. >> no one should have to lose.

>> the travelers: the site. they were encouraged to buy land. they never gave the owner's permission to build homes on half of their land. the community put down roots. >> we will not be -- people will need to be aware. let them know when the operation will commence. that will give the opportunity for travelers to move off peacefully. >> the community it was talking of non-violent direct action when the bayless a ride. the courts have ruled, but the questions remained. is it moral? is there a clash between legal rights and human rights? is this really a showdown between conventional society and

the way of life at odds with the mainstream? >> in libya, one of colonel gaddafi's sons has brought up a message in which he promises to fight to the death and cysts -- and insists his father is alive and well. >> the u.n. refugee agency said that more than 3 million people in somalia could starve to death if more aid does not reach them soon. >> schoolchildren across china return to classrooms today, but several thousand in beijing are still not sure where they will be studying. the city has decided to close down 24 schools for the children of migrant workers. a group that beggarly effaces discrimination. we report from beijing. -- a group that were regularly

faces discrimination. >> the state provides little for their children. they are migrant workers, people who travel to the cities to find better paid work. the population gets less help on permanent residents. the school is one of two dozen for migrant sutter been forced to close down. parents are understandably anxious. they want to know what is going on. >> we got a letter from local officials at the end of july saying that we would have to close. they say that the school does not meet their standards. >> of the authorities turned off the electricity on the water. the teachers are fighting back. they have decided to open for the term. the government has been promising for years to give migrant workers more right so they are not treated by -- like second class citizens.

officials say these migrant children can go to state schools, but some wonder whether those places. she does not know what to do with her two children. she said that micro workers are at the mercy of the government. >> if they say we can go to school, we will go. we are migrant workers, we have no power and no choice. >> beijing might genuinely be trying to help migrant children, but the authorities are simply trying to drag them out. margaret workers will not be happy until they have the same rights -- migrant workers will not be happy until they have the same rights as everybody else. >> the high court in australia has blocked government plans to spend -- send speakers to

malaysia. they decided the human rights could not be guaranteed. david mann is the executive director of the legal center in australia. he gave me his reaction to the ruling. >> it is a victory for the very vulnerable people we acted for who came to us to your recently seeking protection from brutality in their homeland, only to be told by the australian government that they would be expelled to malaysia. they have a real fear that they would be harmed. it is an enormous relief that they will not be expelled to malaysia. the high court has ruled that the government's proposal to expel them to malaysia is unlawful. the government does not have the power to do this.

>> in other news, the red cross in nigeria says more than 100 people have died in floods. hardest-hit is heavy rains caused a dam to overthrow -- overflow. authorities say 1500 people have been displaced in recent rains. last year, half a million people were displaced by floods in nigeria. british energy giant bp has confirmed that bayless had raided its offices in moscow. the company said it was linked to a case in western siberia related to the collapse of the arctic oil exploration deal. the deal has now been done with exxon mobile instead. a wildfire is sweeping across the state of texas. it has scorched thousands of acres of land. the flames are raging across the north of the state. no injuries have been reported.

the flames come for months after massive wild " fires destroyed 150 homes in the same area. the headless remains of the infamous australia out what had been identified more than 130 years after its execution. kellie killed three policemen in the 1870's. he was captured after a shoot- out where he famously daunt a suit of armor. kellie was hanged in melbourne in 1880 and is remains were thrown into a mass grave. i spoke earlier to our correspondent in sydney about the significance of the discovery. >> his family has never been satisfied that his remains the been identified they called on the authorities to look again at the remains that were dug out in this jail two years ago. it had been thought that a

school -- skull, but that was discounted a few years ago. they found these remains that they matched dna with to the great great grandchild of ned kelly's sister. she happens to be a teacher in millburn. scientists is said that the match is as close as they can get it. there are satisfied that the remains are those of ned kelly. it is just a few bonds. it is not any more than that. this cold case has gone on for more than 130 years. it appears finally to open salt. -- to have been solved. america's most famous general has retired. but david petraeus has said farewell to the army after 37 years of service.

with this legacy still unclear. >> at 58, he is something of a pennant for in america short of heroes. a hardened warrior, an intellectual, a diplomat. even on his last day in uniform, deeply political, warning against defense cuts. >> it will be imperative to maintain that capitalizes on the extraordinary experience and expertise in our ranks today, but also maintains the versatility and flexibility that of the developed over the past decade. >> in full dress uniform for the ceremony to mark his service, he is more comfortable in combat fatigues. proud of driving on four hours' sleep and a single military. he is widely praised for saving the situation in iraq. >> he rose above it all, as he

always has. >> it was called counterinsurgency. >> we will bring 40 u.s. troops in along with iraqi security forces. stake in the neighborhood 24-7. live there, i eat there, patrolling a day and night. that gain the trust of the population. >> when the man in charge of afghanistan was sacked by president obama for making unflattering remarks about politicians, the president called on david petraeus to take his place. president obama and the general do not have the easiest of relationships. one soldier to fight as hard to when his political battles as the military one. in the end, the president rejected his advice and went for a quicker, larger withdrawal from afghanistan and the military wanted. general petraeus strategy has

tried to make it work. this is in the deadliest month for american troops so far. >> he did not quite managed to crack the nut. these missions are so difficult, even if you do 95% of everything right, you still only make a partial had a way. >> the general will become the head of the cia. >> a quick reminder of our main story tonight. in libya, a message apparently delivered by one of colonel gaddafi's son, saif al-islam, has been broadcast on television and which he promises to fight to death. thank for watching. thank for watching.

>> 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 offers unique

insight and expertise in a range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.