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>> and now "bbc world news." >> here are the headlines. libya's security is under threat appeared u.s. officials say they're concerned about the activities of militia loyal to the former regime. wall street stocks soared as the federal reserve says that interest rates are likely to remain exceptionally low for the next two and half years. brought from activity in somalia, a nighttime raid by u.s. special forces. for many, it is too little too late. it is 12 noon here in singapore. >> is 4:00 here in london.

this is newsday. cork>> united nations officials have expressed concern about the militias loyal to the former regime in libya. they're holding thousands of people in secret detention centers. the comments were made from the security council by the un libya and bore a -- the u.s. libyan envoy. quarks three months -- >> three months after the official end of fighting, rebels are again on the move. we encountered 100 vehicles making their way toward beniwalid. their commanders said they would keep the peace and were ordered not to enter the town itself.

but judging by their numbers and their heavy weapons, the transitional council is keeping their military options open. the town has paid a high price for its dogged support for the gaddafi regime. while this is the town that the thntc no longer controls, it seems that no one appears to be controlling the entrances and exits. the conflict has nothing to do with pro-gaddafi sentiment. you can see those two men walking away with the revolutionary flag. but there is a sense -- i get the feeling that not everything is quite as it seems. at a meeting of local officials, there were smiles all around. they assured us that the problem was all but solved. but then the ntc head of the

loyal council blocked us in his office and told us that the room was full of gaddafi loyalists. >> they think that once they wipe out the in ntc fighters, support for it will die. these people think that, one day, they will control libya again. they have money and they have weapons. >> given the history, it is inevitable that many of the men in this warroom were supportersf colonel gaddafi. but these tribal elders and military men are now complaining about what they say is a campaign of harassment and abuse by ntc forces. unless it can rein in the excesses of its own militias, its control of the country as a whole will become more tenuous.

>> the u.s. special envoy in libya says that the violence this nothing seen as a resurgence of gadhafi's supporters. >> the minister of defense says that this is more to be seen as a local conflict than something that reflects pro-regime elements seeking some return to the previous status quo. i think we should be very careful in how we interpret what is happening in baniwalid. it has been known for some time. we have been drawing attention to the need for reconciliation in the last two strongholds of the regime to fall to the national transitional council. the ntc has been undertaking reconciliation efforts to try to ensure that the local council there is representative of the

local community. i hope that they will continue to pursue that kind of mediation and hold back from a military approach. >> to buildings, won nearly 20 stories high, has collapsed in rio de janeiro. they heard an explosion just before the building collapsed and there was a strong smell of gas. the city's mayor said that four people had been pulled from the rubble alive. but others still remain trapped. he said that because of the collapse is not yet known. structural problems may have been to blame. the other bill than we are talking about is believed to be a neighboring building which sustained damage as well. the television shows at least two people on the roof awaiting help from firefighters. we will get more details on that as they come in.

rigo, you have the latest economic forecast from the united states. >> yes, indeed. they have warned that the economy is to remain weak for another two and a half years. ben bernanke, the chairman of the u.s. federal reserve, said financial conditions may improve slightly. interest rates will remain at or around where they are until 2014. >> for anyone looking for a strong recovery in america, ben bernanke hit a downbeat note. he has pushed back the date of the let the interest rate rise until late 2014. that is in the hope that the extremely low rates will spur faster growth. >> many decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0% 2.25%.

these are exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least until 2014. >> the workings have long been shrouded in secrecy. they were less so until today. for the first time, ben bernanke identified a specific target to u.s. inflation at 2%. it disclosed the interest-rate forecasts from each member of the rate-setting team. >> there is to be 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 effectiveness of monetary policy, and enhance accountability to the public. [pelerine] [-- bell ringing] >> president obama has a lot

riding on the future direction of the economy. based on the central bank's forecast, the unemployment rate will still be above 8% when he faces reelection in november. >> president obama has praised special forces who entered saul malia to rescue two western hostages who were taken by -- entered somalia to rescue two western hostages were taken by pirates. one was an american and the other was a game. all nine of the captors were killed. >> kidnapped in somalia three months ago, just a big cannon from -- jessica buchanan from the u.s. and another from denmark. this is how it was done. the hostages were being held in

a compound in northern somalia. u.s. navy commanders from seal team 6 mounted the operation. the area, landing close to the compound at 2:00 a.m. gunfire broke out as they approached their objective. the fighting that followed -- online captors were killed. the hostages were flown by helicopter to the safety of a u.s. state in neighboring djibouti. >> the president authorized to this. we have our special operations forces. i will not go into further detail. they concluded that they should go at this time. >> his relief last night was obvious. this could have gone very wrong. >> a good job, denied. >> -- >> good job, tonight.

>> the calculated risk had paid off. it was the highest profile u.s. military action in somalia since they pulled up in 1994 could it still leaves 150 hostages, most of them sailors. the ransom for their release is rising, well into the millions. >> these ransoms are making the situation in the economy in somalia work. millions of dollars are being poured into a criminal economy in a country that is correct the security, administration and where there are millions starving -- that is bereft of security, administration and where there are millions starving. >> there will be calling an international conference on somalia next month. the kidnapping will not stop with a single rescue operation.

preparations are underway to hold the next victims to ransom. >> yesterday, -- we will go back to brazil. we are following the story of the two buildings that have collapsed in a rio de janeiro. tell us the latest. it seems that one building had an explosion and that will lead to the edwin collapsing. is that right? >> yes -- led to the other one collapsing. is that right? >> yes. they are focusing on the rescue operations. after that, they will investigate exactly what happened. people have reported they heard explosions. again, these are only suggestions and speculations that it was due to guess. all we know is that two buildings collapsed. one was 10 stories high and the other was 20 stories high.

authorities say that there were 10 people to 11 people in the building which was mostly offices that were closed already. five have been rescued so far, all of them alive and in hospital. >> that is incredible devastation. there is rubble and dust all over the surrounding area. what time did it happen. the pictures we see now, it is dark. >> it was around 10:00 p.m. here. that is the heart of the building. it is right next to the municipal theater. there was a bank operating in that building could it was not as a rundown building that was not in service. had it happened in the morning, that is a street with crowds and pedestrians and restaurants with workers. now it is rubble and dust.

people say that they were lucky this did not happen during the day. that would be a catastrophe of enormous proportions. >> that is an update on the situation in rio de janeiro. now we will go to delhi. in this is celebrating its republic day could be it is the 63rd edition of this day. while you watch those pictures, let me tell you what the day is. it commemorates the day that the constitution came in. the constitution of india, the government dock -- the governing document of india, came into effect on january 25. does the president of india will be there. there will also be varying degrees of formal ceremonies at the state capitals and other

areas. it is the 63rd republic day celebration for the country. >> have the republic day for india. you're watching newsday on the bbc live from singapore and london in 30 years after the invasion of the falkland islands, argentina remembers its war dead. david cameron says that the european court of human rights should interfere less in decisions made by national courts. in the wake of the second world war, year agreed to the new convention of human rights. its aim was to give people that the freedoms they have lost in years of conflict. but david cameron came to say that the european court of human rights will uphold the convention and had strayed from its origins and it was time to

reform it appeared >> the court should be free to deal with the most serious violations of human rights. it should not be swamped with an endless backlog of cases. it should not act like 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. kamen is talking about. the european court's decision last week to prevent the radicalism be clark to say that he did not get a fair trial in jordan. but on the very same day, the court also ruled that three of britain's most dangerous murderers, including peter mor ore, should not have their life sentences reviewed. the court says that it is getting the balance right. >> some of the people from member states, such as the u.k., are seriously threatening

the rights of individuals across europe to seek justice for human rights violations. >> for now, david cameron has got some support and he has bought himself time with this call for change. but the prime minister may have to decide between the democratic wishes of the parliament and the legal obligations of the court. nothing he said today will change that. >> this is newsday on the bbc. i am in singapore. >> i am in london appeared the headlines -- u.n. officials say they are concerned about the activities of revolutionary militias in libya. wall street stocks soared after the fed said that rates are to remain exceptionally low until 2014. thursday sees the opening

session of burma's parliamentary session they agreed to suspend the ban against senior burmese officials. it followed the release of hundreds of political prisoners. it will hold elections in april, which will be contested for the first time. the opposition party. what do we know about the agenda for the session of parliament? >> the key item is the budget. it is one of the key responsibilities of the bicameral parliament and to get this budget through. but the question really is how much funds will be allocated to which areas. last year, again, 25% of the budget was allocated to the military. compare that to less than 2% spent on health. if the country is to develop, then a lot people would say that kind of ratio needs to change. but will it when you have eight

quarter of seats held by serving military officers and the dominant are held by the military? there is a feeling that there will still be a large portion of the budget allocated to the military. but will we see an increase in spending in other areas that will point more toward the development agenda? >> apart from the budget allocation ratio, more than 40 seats are left vacant at the moment in parliament. the by-elections are taking place in april. how much will this affect the current government hold on power? >> to be honest, it will not affect it that much. the current military parliament dominates parliament. it won the most seats and quickly criticized the elections of 2010. that will remain the same no matter how many seats are up for

election on april 1 better one by opposition figures. that are 40 or so seats are free and to be contested. the national league for democracy says that they will contest all of those, even if it were to win every single seat. it will still only be a small block within parliament. but it would at least have a voice. then the question becomes can other opposition parties -- and there are not many within burma -- can the smaller parties be willing to form a bloc to try to come together to have a stronger voice in parliament? would they be willing to do that under the leadership of sujeidi. it will perhaps changed the tone of the debate, but it will not affect materially the balance of power. >> thank you so much for that update. >> pakistan is to introduce new

laws that will make specific crimes of forced marriages and acid attacks on women. there will also be proper sentences for cases of domestic abuse. cases of brutality against women are still often justified under cases of honor. question was only 16 years old when she was woken in the middle night -- >> she was only 16 years old when she was woken in the middle of the night. >> it was 2:00 a.m. when he grabbed me and tied me up. he cut off my nose and my lips. neither of them told me what i had done to deserve it. >> she says she now believes her husband did it begin she had taken longer than usual to get water from a well. he thought she was having an affair. her husband has been on the run since the attack.

she will not be at peace until he is caught and punished. pakistan has just passed new laws that are meant to protect women. they mean longer sentences for violence against women and crime out of forced marriage. they believe legislation is in a part of the problem. >> in our community, they have a mind-set against the rights of women and they do not want their women to go outside the home. they want them hostage in their home. >> she is in her 50's. she was in her home after an argument with her son's wife. she says two men burst into the yard. she recognized them as relatives of her daughter in law. she says they forced her into her room and beat her and raped

her. >> death would have been better than this. since what happened to me, i am tired of life. it is like i have it -- like i have a disease with no cure. >> and there are countless women in pakistan for whom change is coming for too slowly. >> the presence -- the president of argentina has rejected a -- the fall plan islanders will not be forced to give up -- the oaklanfalkland islanders will ne forced to give up their british citizenship if it is given over to argentina.

more than 600 argentine servicemen died in the conflict. their names are imbedded in this wall, reminders of an era that most people in this country wish to for debt. it was the age of dictators who sent their troops to the .alconfalklands banesto alonso was 18 years old when he fought there. for him and many others, the islands remain a passionate cause. >> it has been 30 years. the anniversary allows us to think of those that we lost and also give us the strength to keep on fighting for what is right. >> as the diplomatic wrangle between argentina and britain as

collette, protesters have converged on the british embassy. the rights of the falkland islanders to remained british simply are not recognized. people on the island want to remain british. that is their democratic right. >> we argentines also have a right to reclaim what is ours. >> in government, too, the mood has been heartening. david cameron's assertion that argentina was guilty of colonias of provokes a better response. >> argentina was shocked and we felt this respected -- felton disrespected by the prime minister. it was ironic to listen to such an accusation from the british request one of cyrus' ruled out military action. -- from the british. >> falkland of ships are

banned from several latin american nations, including brazil. a former planning minister says that argentina wants to use the growing political clout of latin america. >> south america as a group is becoming more and more of important in world affairs. they are now the center of economic center and wealth. >> they are making no more military ventures. but britain is finding more difficulties. >> you have been watching used it from the bbc. >> we will leave you with pictures from deli where a parade is taking place to celebrate india's 63rd republic day. more than 25,000 police and paramilitary forces are guarding the streets of delhi.

republic day is one of three national holidays in india. >> make sense of international news @ bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york. still 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 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 los angelesñ