>> 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. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur 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.

whacao n we dfor you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> the struggle for power in ivory coast reaches a bloody climax with fierce fighting around the presidential palace. could the and be near for laurent gbagbo? inner circle beginning to crumble? after his foreign minister fleas, a senior libyan official has secret talks in london.

surrendered. there are serious gun fires around me. >> another resident of abidjan says explosions have been so loud that they made the earth shake. the word from the spokesman for laurent gbagbo is that he will not give up. >> we will put up a fight. the president is not going to step down. he has been elected for five years and there will be a fight, if it comes to it. we will react. we pray to the glory of god the things will be ok. >> french troops from a force stationed in ivory coast have been in control in the streets of abidjan. 500 foreigners have sought refuge in a french military camp. four months of political stalemate and on and off clashes since most of the world recognized alassane ouattara as the winner of the election and urged his rival to accept defeat and step down. during that time, mr. ouattara has been protected by the un. the situation changed when forces loyal to alassane ouattara in the north of ivory coast launched a swift offensive

to put military pressure on mr. gbagbo, where political pressure and mediation had failed to bring results. a. on this tv station that supports them, mr. ouattara says despite the many calls for a peaceful transfer of power, the only response has been violent. as a fighting continued today, the african union, which played a key role in the efforts to negotiate with mr. gbagbo, called on him to leave immediately to spare civilians from further bloodshed. >> now to get the very latest from abidjan, we can speak on the telephone with an english teacher in the city. what have you seen and heard in the last few minutes and hours? can you hear me?

>> i do. i can hear you. >> i would like to know what you have seen and heard in the last few minutes and hours? >> people are shooting on the highway. people in pickups wearing civilian clothing. they are shooting. people are now going outside. listening to what has happened around the presidential palace -- >> we have read reports that wereof gbagbo's loyalists fleeing and giving up. are there still people to defend him and then the palace? >> we were all expecting to be

able to fight, but nothing happened since yesterday. no real resistance. >> just a matter of hours. i have to ask you, does it feel safe in the city right now to go out in the streets? we have reports of civilians fleeing. would you be safe right now? >> people shooting, like i said, in pickups. from yesterday, we have a lot of people from almost everywhere. fear now.really

>> even if you are right and gbagbo's only have hours left, do you fear that there will still be serious insecurity in abidjan after that? >> yes, yes. way to end,bleak but thank you very much for joining us from abidjan. thes take a look at some of other stories making headlines around the world. a three-day intensive search has begun in northeast japan for the remains of people missing since the deadly tsunami. thousands of military personnel, using ships and helicopters, will be involved. many of those who were earlier ordered to leave their homes following the meltdown of the fukushima nuclear plant are still living in school halls and sports stadiums. in evacueeshow the back

are coping. >> 70 miles from the fukushima plant, all people can do is wait. the retired spokesman -- his son and grandchildren a share blankets laid out on the floor. they left in such a hurry. he did not even have time to pick up his false teeth and now he wears a mask all day. >> i'm getting old. i do not know how much longer i will live, anyway, but when i thought about the children -- we decided to get away as far as possible. >> many of the people in this hall were largely untouched by the earthquake and tsunami. their homes are still standing. in some cases, not damaged at all. they still do not know if they'll ever be able to go back. the radiation levels have been rising in the senior the power station. it's now more than four thousand

times the acceptable wasn'limit. japanese authorities say is likely there is a continuous leak. outside the evacuation center, his grandchildren were trying to stave off boredom. they have been enrolled at the local school, settling in for the long haul. their parents worry their neighborhood will be permanently contaminated. >> when i watch the news, i see the power co. chairman talking to us, but his words do not meet my heart. i think his apology is not good enough. >> do you feel anger? >> of course, we were angry. now it is discussed more than anger. i wish they had told us the truth. >> the sports hall is likely to remain their home well into the future. bringing the reactors under control could take weeks or

months. the cleanup could take years. >> a court in argentina has sentenced a former general to life in prison. around 200 left-wing activists were kidnapped and taken to a secret prison run by him in the 1970's. three former intelligence officers were convicted of murder, torture, and illegal imprisonment. a report by the charity save the children says one in three women in the world gives birth without a midwife, sometimes with fatal consequences for them or their baby. many die every day from birth complications that could be easily prevented. afghanistan has the highest death rates.

powerful storms have left a trail of devastation in the u.s. state of florida. seven people were hurt when a tent collapsed at an aviation festival. thousands of homes were left without power across the central part of florida. in libya, a doctor has told the bbc that a coalition air strike on wednesday killed seven civilians and wounded 25 others in a village near brega. the bbc has not been able to confirm this information. meanwhile, in london, the bbc has learned that an envoy from colonel gaddafi's regime has had talks with officials. a senior aide was apparently told that the libyan leader has no choice and that he has to give up power. let's get more now from tripoli. our world affairs editor, john simpson, is there. i know you are in a heavily controlled environment. has there been any reaction to

this latest story? >> none at all. every official has gotten very quiet. i called his number a short time ago to see if i did contact him. he is a well-known figure, the chief secretary to colonel gaddafi's son. the phone simply is not answered. he is not back yet. i think that's a fairly safe assumption. at least, if he is, he's not talking. however strong the whole thing is, on the plus side, it looks as though, you know, he has been sent out by the regime to possibly negotiate some kind of an end game, or some kind of a solution. to be honest, i'm not sure it is as strong as that. he is certainly in london. his arrival was detected by

british intelligence, by the foreign office. they certainly got to speak to him and they certainly told him that he has to bring back the amessage that colonel gaddafi must go. how far it extends beyond that is impossible to know from here. i wonder if it goes too much beyond that. >> do libyan people know that moussa koussa has fled to london and abandoned the regime? is there any way the people in tripoli would know that? >> this environment is like a lot of arab countries in the sense that the official media say absolutely nothing about this. i do not think the official position has moved on from simply saying that moussa koussa was in tunisia. i'm not aware of them saying he

went to london. perhaps they have. it is not a formal position. i think everybody with a television set, everybody reads newspapers, everybody's interested in world and international affairs -- i think they will know by now. there are so many sources of information. >> we have to leave it there. thank you very much for joining us from tripoli. still to come on gmt, we will stay in the middle east to look at the role of the internet and social media in mobilizing the big crowds. >> the unrest in north africa has seen thousands of migrants from tunisia and libya flee to the italian island. their arrival in such large numbers has caused a humanitarian crisis.

today, a massive operation to move them elsewhere is due to be completed. from rome, here is duncan kennedy. >> and other sea crossing for these migrants. this time, headed to a place with shelter, food, and running water. after traveling in unsafe vessels to get here, they spent days living in what aid agencies called appalling and terrible sanitation. around 6000 migrants from tunisia and libya have poured into an island with only 5000 residents. it soon became a crisis for the italian government. the pressure is now being relieved. >> we are all going to sicily, or to another area on the mainland, says this migrant. condemnation of the government's

slow response brought the prime minister here on wednesday. he was cheered on by locals as he promised to move out the migrants. >> it will not be an easy promise to keep. he says he will have all the migrants out of the area by the end of the day. the relentless stream of people escaping north africa is continuing. the pressure on the prime minister to commit to an open ended policy of evacuation. >> most of these people will eventually be sent back to tunisia under italy's stripped emigration policies. expected arrivals to continue on as long as the uncertainty in the arab world continues. duncan kennedy, bbc news in rome. >> this is gmt on "bbc world news." i am stephen sackur. the african union says laurent gbagbo must hand over power

immediately to prevent more bloodshed in ivory coast. the rebels in libya lose more ground. an envoy from the libyan government is reportedly holding secret talks in london. it is now time for the business news. >> it's all about the labor market on both sides of the atlantic today. let's start on the other side because figures are due out in just about one hour on the u.s. labor market. perhaps expecting some good news, expecting to show the creation of 190,000 new jobs for the month of march. the unemployment rate is still high and there is concern about the quality of jobs. a report now from new york. >> she works as an assistant at a hair salon. it's a far cry from her old job. for 12 years, she worked as a

deejay and music director at a new york radio station until she was let go in 2008. after nine months, she decided she could no longer sit at home waiting for worked. >> i decided to go to school to study cosmetology. it was something i could do in eight months. i knew i could get some job. >> but the transition has not been easy. >> there are days when you sit there and think -- i used to manage a staff of 20. i used to produce radio shows. you sit there and you know they're so much more you could be doing. >> she is not alone. a recent study found that just 23% of the jobs lost during the financial crisis were in low- wage industries. they now account for almost half of all the new jobs being created. jane works with executives to help them find their next job.

in her 11 years experience, she is struck by the change. >> people used to switch jobs only for more money. now people switch jobs or take a job for even less money. that's a dramatic difference. >> she considers herself lucky. she has a job and does not have any debt. she works just as hard as she did before the financial crisis for less than half the money. >> the latest figures from the u.s. labor department are expected to show that jobs are being created. what kind, exactly? if they pay less than they did before the recession, that would increase the pressure on america's already strained middle-class. bbc news, new york. >> there are some who say while there are worries about the rise of low-paid, part-time work, the overall jobs market in the u.s. does appear to be picking up. >> if you look at the last payroll reports, you can see

that it shows signs of job growth beyond the manufacturing sector and becoming more widespread. jobs in construction and some service producing industries. i think that is, again, a very encouraging sign. >> let's jump sides now and talk about the eurozone. the region's jobless rate fell to 9.9% in february, which is down from 10% at the start of the year. overall, about 23 million people in the 17 eurozone nations are out of work and claiming benefits. across europe, the disparity could not be more obvious. germany's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years. it's around 7.1%. on the flip side, spain is stubbornly high at that level of just over 20%. one economist tells me that with an interest-rate rise all but certain next week, the consensus is that the gaps will grow.

>> i'm afraid that is the likely scenario going forward. it's very likely the ecb interest rates will be raised again given the inflation backdrop. that will exacerbate the differences between strength in core europe and problems in the periphery. >> in asia outside japan, shares rose to the highest level in nearly three years this friday, looking to extend the three- quarter winning streak we've seen. the yen has slipped. that helps japanese exporters. growth and the focus is now global growth, not so much japan and the middle east. >> thank you very much. we will bring our focus back now to the middle east. hundreds of thousands of people are gathering for demonstrations in cities across yemen, both in support of and against president administratiali abdullah saleh. a similar picture in syria, where opposition groups saw

their side slashed. an opposition group has called for rallies after noon prayers. joining me from bbc arabic newsroom is our guest. first question, do you believe social media can be as potent in syria and yemen as we saw them be in tunisia and egypt? >> yes, yes, i think so. if you look at this revolution against assad, it's a very important role in pushing people in protesting syria. it's very effective. also, news of what's happening today in syria. for example, they are calling evo help getting dignity and freedom to the country. do not forget the marchers, who

lost their lives in demonstrations in the last week. also, they are calling others to join the protesters. i think this is an example of a successful syrian resolution against assad. the one or two comments -- we are getting news -- friday, which is normally a day in syria -- he says he is syrian but he has no rights, like all other normal syrians. that's why he's going to protest. these are the type of commons we are getting. >> a fascinating. we will keep watching what is happening in syria and in yemen through the day.

his wedding date is drawing near'and prince s knees are beginning to tremble. they get married and 1 billion people around the world are expected to be watching. the prince says he is nervous and excited and just a little bit relieved, too, after he managed to keep the media away from his stag party. this report does contain some. flash. or prince day job f william. this is a training exercise. a real rescue, could range from many things. the work is now a welcome distraction from letting the nerves -- from the wedding nerves. >> it's a daunting prospect, but quite exciting. i'm looking forward to it.

>> there was a touch of smugness about the secret stag meeting. >> it was a military operation and my brother and i were very proud of how it went. >> there was much teasing from colleagues. >> we always throw in the kate and will embroidered pillow on his bed. >> something pretty unusual by royal standards, a relatively normal life. >> prince william says his job has made him feel proud and privileged. >> it goes without saying that you can find out lots more about the big day on the bbc website. there's lots of analysts and a time line that tells you about william and kate's romance. for us, for now, that is all.

please stay with us on "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. xpertise to work for aitsal

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