>> 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business. offering specialized solutions in capital to help you meet your group objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now, bbc world news. >> i am in singapore. >> and i am in london. here are the headlines. libya's security is under threat. un officials are concerned about the activity of militias loyal to the former regime. wall street stocks soared as the federal reserve says interest rates are likely to remain exceptionally low for the next 2.5 years. >> two western aid workers are freed in somalia after a nighttime raid. a new law to help those suffering from abuse. for many, it is too little, too late. it is 7:00 a.m. in singapore. >> it is 2:00 a.m. in london. this is "newsday."

hello again. senior united nations officials have expressed their concern about militias loyal to the former regime in libya. the militias are accused of unrest and holding thousands of people in secret detention centers. the comments were made to the security council by the libya envoy. there is also under arrest and benghazi. they have highlighted the government's center to bring the militias under control. -- the government sentiment to bring the militias under control. >> man who once called themselves rebels are again on the move. these vehicles are making their way through the mountains towards bani walid. their commander said he is going to keep the peace under orders

not to enter the town itself. judging by their numbers and weapons, the national transitional council is keeping these military options open. bani walid paid a high price for his support for the gaddafi's regime last year. when clashes arose on monday, it were those -- those loyal to the new government were forced to retreat. this is the new town that the ntc does not control. nobody from either side seems to be controlling the entrances and exits. the conflict here has nothing to do with pro-gaddafi sentiment. you can see a man walking with a post-revolutionary flag. there is a sense of a facade here. i am getting the feeling that not everything is quite as it seems. at a meeting of local officials, smiles all around as they

assured us the problems were solved. when the dignitaries at left, the ntc-appointed head of the local council locked in his office. he told us bani walid was full of gaddafi loyalists. >> they think that once the white out the ntc fighters, support for the ntc will disappear. there are senior people here from the gaddafi regime that are living freely in this town. these people think that one day, they will control libya again. they have money and weapons. history,bani walid's many of the men in this room were supporters of gaddafi. today, these tribal elders and military men are complaining about a campaign of harassment and abuse by ntc forces. it is a story familiar to those loyal to the former regime. unless the ntc can rein in the

excesses' of its own militias, the country as a whole will become more tenuous. >> the un special envoy for libya told us the violence is not being seen as a resurgence of gaddafi supporters. >> the ministry of defense says this is to be seen as a local conflict more than something that reflects pro-regime elements seeking a return to the previous status quo. we should be very careful in how we interpret what is happening in bani walid. it has been known for some time and we have been drawing attention to the need for reconciliation in bani walid and sirte, the last regime's to fall to the ntc. the ntc has been undertaking some reconciliation efforts to try to ensure there is a local

council there that is representative of the local community. i hope that they are going to continue to pursue that kind of mediation and hold back from a military approach. >> the man widely seen as the world's most influential banker has warned that the global economy is likely to remain weak for at least another 2.5 years. the chairman of the u.s. federal reserve, he has said financial conditions -- it is likely interest rates will remain at or around their current mark until around 2014. >> for anyone looking for a strong recovery in america, then bernanke hit a downbeat note. he has pushed back the date of the interest rate rise until 2014. extremely low rates will spur

faster growth. >> the committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate and anticipates that economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least until late 2014. >> the workings of the fed have been shrouded in secrecy. even more so after today. for the first time, benjamin bernanke identified a specific target for u.s. inflation, 2%. >> there is widespread agreement that clear and transparent central bank communications facilitate well-informed decision making by households and businesses, reduce economic and financial uncertainty, increase the incentives for monetary policy, and enhance accountability for the public. >> despite the gloomy outlook, u.s. stocks moved higher.

investors reacted positively when they heard the central bank was willing to act to support the recovery. president obama has a lot riding on the future of the economy. based on the central bank forecast, the unemployment rate will still be above 8% when he faces reelection in november. >> at least 11 people are dead or injured following the collapse of a multi-story building in rio de janeiro, brazil. witnesses say they heard an explosion before the building collapsed. rico, news of a dramatic rescue in somalia? >> that is right. president obama praised u.s. special forces who went into central somalia to west -- to rescue western aids being kept since october.

navy seals brought out the aid workers. concern had been growing about the pair. one was american and the other was a gain. -- a dain. -- a dane. >> kidnapped three months ago. jessica buchanan and a man from denmark. tonight they are sending -- tonight, they are free, rescued by navy seal commanders. this was how it was done. they were being held in a compound in northern somalia. u.s. navy commanders mounted the operation. they parachuted into the area, landing close to the compound at 2:00 a.m. gunfire broke out as they approach their objective. in the fighting that followed, all nine kidnappers were killed. there were no american casualties. the hostages were flown by helicopter to the safety of a u.s. base. the operation lasted for one

hour. >> the president personally authorize this. we have our security forces and i am not going to elaborate on that. they concluded they should go at this time and the president gave the go. >> it could have done very -- it could have gone very wrong. >> good job tonight. >> on his way to the state of the union address, the president congratulated his defence secretary on a successful military operation. he also told the good news to the father of jessica be met -- jessica buchanan. it was the highest grade of somalia since the u.s. pulled out in 1994. that still leaves over 100 hostages kept by somalian pirates. and the ransoms are rising well into the millions. >> these ransoms are making the economy in somalia worse.

millions being poured into a criminal economy in a country that is bereft of security administration and where millions are starving. >> one of those still held in somalia is a british tourist. snatched from a kenyan beach resort last november. david cameron called an international conference next month. the kidnapping is not want to stop with a single rescue operation. tonight, the two ex-hostages can sleep safely. negotiations are underway to free the next prisoners. >> the senior red crescent official has been killed in syria. he was shot dead in a car on his way from the capital of damascus. activists blamed the security forces but the official media blamed armed gangs.

the federal police chief was sacked, responding radical islamist group, which killed at least 180 people. he has been sent on leave pending his forthcoming retirement. you are watching the bbc. live from singapore and london. still to come, 30 years after, argentina remembers its war. david cameron says the european court of human rights should interfere less in decisions made by national courts. the president of the council of europe -- >> in the wake of the second world war, europe agree to a new convention on human rights. its aim was to give people back the freedoms they had lost. david cameron came today to say to the european court of human

rights that upholds the convention had strayed from its origins and it was time for reform. >> the court should be free to deal with the most serious violation of human rights. it should not be swamped with an endless backlog of cases. it should not act as a small claims court. it should not undermine its own reputation by going over national decisions where it does not need to. >> this is what mr. cameron is talking about. the european court's decision last week to prevent britain from deporting the radical cleric. he did not get a fair trial in jordan despite the british court's ruling otherwise. on the very same day, the court ruled that three of britain's most dangerous murderers, including one who killed four men in 1995, should not have their life sentences reviewed. the court says it is getting the balance right and warned that reform carries risk. >> some of the proposals from

member states such as the u.k. seriously threaten the right of individuals all across europe to seek justice for human rights violations. >> for now, david cameron has won some support and he has bought himself time. one day soon, the prime minister may have to decide between the democratic wishes of parliament and the legal obligations of the courts. nothing he said today will change that. >> this is "newsday." i am in singapore. >> and i am in london. concerned about the activities of revolutionary militias in libya. >> wall street stocks soared after the federal reserve said interest rates are likely to remain exceptionally low until 2014.

doctors in pakistan say at least 70 heart patients are believed to have died after taking contaminated medicines. the debts at a hospital in lahore have focused concern on -- focused concerns on health officials to keep costs down. these patients receive the drugs for free at a state hospital. samples of the drug have been sent for testing in london and brussels. baucus and is set to introduce new laws that will -- pakistan is set to introduce new laws. the laws will mean tougher sentences in cases of domestic violence. cases of brutality in the region against women are so often justified in the name of honor. >> she was 16 years old when her husband will for up in the middle of the night and attack her.

>> it was 4:00 in the morning. he tied me up and grabbed a knife. he cut off my nose and my lips. afterwards, my mother-and-what came and untied me. neither of them told me what i had done to deserve it. >> she now believes her husband had did it because she had taken longer than usual to get water from a well. he thought she was having an affair. the husband has been on the run since the attack. she says she will not be at peace until he is caught and punished. pakistan has patched -- has passed new laws to protect women. longer sentences in the cases of violence against women and make specific crimes of things like forced marriage. they believe legislation is only part of the problem. >> our community, they have a

mind-set against the rights of women. they do not want the women to go outside the home. they want them in their homes. >> she is in her 50s. she was in her home after an argument with her son's wife when two men burst into the yard. she recognized them as relatives of her daughter-in-law. they forced her into a room, where they beat her and raped her. >> and death would have been better than this off. since what happened to me, i am tired of life. it is like i have a disease with no cure. it is difficult for me to even eat. >> there are countless women in pakistan who think change is coming -- for whom change is coming far too slowly.

>> oscar-winning actor geoffrey rush has been announced. the star was presented with the award during a ceremony. he is known for his performances in shine as well as the king's speech and the pirates of the caribbean series and shakespeare in love. earlier, i spoke to the man himself and asked him what the award meant to him. >> it is extremely thrilling. the awards from my own peers have been very special to me. this one is a civic national award and because australia has a less-developed history, as a said -- as i said in my speech, the last four decades i've been in the industry, i have seen such fantastic exponential change through government

legislation which has provided a structure for it. with the collaborative nature of both film and theater work, it is the hard work of the people on the shop floor who have achieved what the bountiful experience we are having now in 2012. it is great for us as an industry. i think the visibility and credibility of what we all do in that industry is going to get such an exciting profile. >> before we let you go, what is the dream project for you? you are an actor and a producer. do you planned to direct a big film? >> that always works in the back of everyone's mind. they want to be the person in charge. i am not thinking about that at the moment. i want to achieve something in this year where i have the official hash of being

australian of the year. i want to see if we can broaden our younger audience to find that the theater is a very exciting place to leave. as an audience or participants in the industry. >> geoffrey rush. diplomatic tensions are rising over a small set of islands in the south atlantic ocean. >> the president of argentina has rejected a british accusation that her government has a colonialist attitude towards the islands. she said the islanders would not be forced to give up their british nationality if argentina gained control. >> every morning of every year, the ceremonial guard arrives. here at the national memorial to argentina's most bitter defeat.

more than 600 argentine servicemen died in the conflict. many of them young conscripts. their name are embedded in this wall. reminders of an era that most people in this country wish to forget. it was the age of dictators who sent their troops to the falcons in a bid to sustain their winning power. when the war was lost, they were overthrown. he was 18-years old -- he was 18 years old when he fought. for most, the islands remain a passionate cause. >> it has been 30 years. the anniversary allows us to think of those we lost but also gives us the strength to keep on fighting for what is right.

>> as the diplomatic wrangle between argentina and britain escalates, protesters converged on the british embassy. the rights of the islanders to remain british and the recognized. the people on the islands want to remain british. that is their democratic right. >> we are -- the argentinian also have a right to claim what is ours. >> in government, the mood has been heartening. that cameron's assertion argentinian were guilty of colonialism provoke a better response. >> we were shocked and is respected by the british prime minister. argentine history is not about colonialism. much less so than british history. it was ironic to listen to an accusation from the british government. >> the new strategy is to isolate the falklands. ships are banned from the ports

of several latin american nations, including brazil. dr. jorge castro says argentina wants to use the south american ports of south america. >> all of the countries are now the center of economic growth. >> there may be no more military adventures, but britain faces a real diplomatic challenge in the region, asserting its new-found strength. >> after the american-led invasion of iraq, thousands of priceless treasures were looted from the national museum. plenty dated back to the dawn of civilization. many artifacts have been recovered. the museum could soon open to the public. bbc persian tv has gained or

access to the galleries to witness lots of recovery. >> a city on the tigris, the birthplace of mesopotamia andn civilization. today, signs of the ancient culture are not immediately accessible. for that, you have to gain access to the national museum. in 2003, the museum witnessed one of the most tragic events in its history. she remembers the days of the looting in front of the eyes of american troops. thousands of priceless artifacts were stolen and many more destroyed. >> after the fall of saddam hussein, the americans were fighting a loyalists who were using the museum. so many of the large antiques were shattered on the ground and many of the most valuable exhibits that were kept in the central site disappeared or were stolen.

>> the national museum used to house some of the most important objects in mesopotamia andn -- in mesopotamia and culture. today, most of the galleries are still damaged but some are under restoration. >> after the fall of the regime, the national committee for the regime and arts wrote to many countries and ask them to return stolen artifacts. many were taken to italy, the u.s., united arab emirates. they are worth a complete fortune. >> now, some 5000 of the 15,000 artifacts have been returned, mainly from dealers in europe. these ancient stone slabs came back from switzerland just two months ago. each generation of the people of

this land have left evidence of their civilization behind. one of the tips for this generation is to return some of the finest pieces of mesopotamian culture and restore the national museum to its former glory. >> and ice hockey team in slovakia is being trained by a former nhl player. this is after their open rank collapsed. he played 13 seasons in the nhl and was practicing with a local youth team when this happened. no one was injured. four years ago, he was faced with death when his neck was slashed by another player's skate. >> i am in singapore. >> i am in london. a brief reminder of our main news. senior united nations officials

expressing concerns about the militias supporting the former regime in libya. that is it for us. goodbye. >> 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. >> at union bank, a relationship managers work hard to know your business. offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses

and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet