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>> from the north to the south, french police bring in suspected. islamist suspected this was after one gunman killed seven in the city of toulouse. a suicide bomber killed two senior public figures in somalia at a function in the capital mogadishu. welcome to gmt. i am david eades. triple whammy for mitt romney as he has swept the republican votes in three primaries and edges closer to winning the nomination to stand against president obama.

and a tale of chaos and fear and the imposition of sharia law. from mali, and from the mayor of timbuktu. two senior public officials in somalia among the victims of a suicide bombing in mogadishu. the rebel group al-shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack that happened during a function and at recently reopened national theater. prime minister ali has told the bbc the attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber. our africa editor is joining me now live. tell us who are these two public figures? >> the head of the olympics committee and the head of the football association. they are amongst the least seven people killed. it may be as high as 10.

and more people wounded when a woman suicide bomber exploded a belt around her at the ceremony. >> also, the prime minister was there. >> he was there and is safe. he was in the middle of his speech when happens. he says that his cabinet is ok. >> audacious would be one word for this. what does this tell us about al- shabab's readiness? >> it shows they are weak. in the past, they were able to hold areas of mogadishu. there were driven out of the capital in august of last year and now they are in the south and through the center of

somalia. have attacked two others downs today in the south of somalia. elbaradei and another town where they inflicted casualties. it is a hit-and-run operation. they do not aconfront forces directly. they will move out if too many troops attacked and hit back at a later date. >> weakness is a relative term, because it is pretty damaging. it is, but the number of areas they control has diminished and they have lost a lot of fighters. but they are still a major force. with such a suicide bombing, they can go on for long time. >> thank you very much. french concerns about suspected

islamic extremists have been raised, this time with another round of arrests in locations stretching from the southern coast to near the northern border with belgium. in pre-dawn raids witnessed by local journalists, at least 10 people arrested for their connection to islamist web sites and for allegedly if threatening violence in the online forms. this is the second round up since mohammed merah killed seven people in and around to lose last month. he was eventually shot dead by police. our correspondent has the story from paris. clucks dawn raids in towns across france. television crews were given a tip by police of one of 10 suspects. they don't belong to any known organization, but their profile is similar to that of the toulouse killer, mohammed merah. he claimed allegiance to al

qaeda and spent time in afghanistan and pakistan. but he was also a loner. the normal alarm bells did not bring. this is the third action targeting suspected islamists since he was killed two weeks ago. 13 men were charged with links to a terrorist group and five radical preachers are being deported. critics of president nicolas sarkozy said that it is arranged for the media and that he's hoping to reap the benefits and the upcoming elections. supporters say that after the enormity of what happens in toulouse, action against extremists is the right thing. >> let's look at some other stories making headlines around the world. reports from afghanistan say that a suicide bomber has killed at least six afghans and wounded more than 20 others in the north of the country. afghan television reports the attacker targeted foreign troops in the capital of the province.

nato personnel are said to be among those injured. 200 u.s. marines have arrived in australia rose in northern territories for a six-month deployment as part of president obama's plan to strengthen the u.s. military if in the asia- pacific region. the u.s. and australian leaders have stressed it is not an attempt to contain china. two retired turkish generals have gone on trial in what is seen as a highly symbolic court case. are the only survivors among those who staged a military coup in 1980 and they had immunity until 2010 for their actions. neither of them was in court due to ill health. mitt romney is not best known as a dynamic and impassioned political campaigner, but he has built up steam in the u.s. and looks set to become the republican nominee to take on barack obama in november posted

presidential election. the former massachusetts governor has won all the latest primaries in wisconsin, maryland, and washington, d.c. does this mean game over for the other candidates? our correspondent reports from washington. >> thank you to wisconsin, maryland, and d.c. >> victory for a man who looks and acts like the nominee. mathematically, romney is not there yet, but he looked past his republican rivals to the november showdown with barack obama. >> there's a basic choice that we are going to face. the president has pledged to transform america. he has spent the last of all your years, laying the foundation for the new government-centered society. i will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of an opportunity society led by three people and free enterprises. >> it is extremely unlikely that any of the other candidates

will reach the 1100 delegates needed to secure. the secure >> ♪ in pennsylvania, rick santorum sounded a note of defiance. >> pennsylvania and half the other people in this country have yet to be heard. we will go out and campaign here and across the nation to make sure that their voices are heard. >> the man they all want to beat believes the republican race is over and. for the first time, the president has attacked mitt romney by name. >> under president obama, domestic oil production is at an eight-year high. >> while he denounces romney as a friend of big oil. it remains for rick santorum to prove that he can prolong the republican contest. if he loses at home in

pennsylvania, it really will be game over. steve kingston, bbc news, washington. >> we will bring more analysis of the race to contest against barack obama a little later in the program. the american ambassador to the united nations has said the security council must respond urgently man and seriously if syria failed to keep its pledge to end military operations against the opposition by april 10. western leaders have expressed skepticism over syria's record of keeping promises. ebanon.s report from london o >> this shows a government helicopter rocketing a town. opposition groups say more than 20 people died here. the government said there were clashes with armed terrorists, some of whom were killed. the violence is not all one way. also, in the north west, an army

rocket launcher exploded like a box of deadly fireworks after being hit by rebel fighters from the free syrian army. they are meant to stop attacks like this within two days after the government stops its crackdown next tuesday. the military are supposed to be pulling out of towns and cities already, but certainly there's no sign of that yet in homs. several quarters are still being heavily bombarded. activists describe the latest shelling as crazy. they said bodies were lying in the streets. homs is the third biggest city in the country and much of it has been left deserted and battered and the violence goes on. despite the government pledged to start withdrawing immediately, activists said the army tanks were still arriving in homs as recently as monday. it is one of the places the international red cross chief wants to help. he was in damascus where

government officials agreed with him on mechanisms for delivering relief. >> all wounded and sick are entitled to have medical care. and all medical facilities and structures have to be protected. >> the official state media has not yet reported the government oppose a commitment to withdraw the troops by tuesday. leaders played down the extent of the trouble. >> we were able to regain security and stability. only remains some little hot spots. >> apart from the violence, anti-regime demonstrations have continued by day and by night in many places. activists are hoping that if the troops go ahead next week, that areas will be taken over by peaceful protesters.

>> fear and chaos in mali. we will hear from the mayor of timbuktu where islamic militants are now making the laws. the authorities in libya say that they're sending a delegation to try to end the violence in the northwest of the country. clashes have been taking place around a mainly in berber town which has seen sporadic up 6 cents a liter was killed in october. -- since their leader was killed in october. >> it is not clear how or why it started, but it is believed to involve one group of ethnic berbers from inside the town against arabs from neighboring towns. local hospitals were kept busy. this man from the town accused gangs still loyal to gaddafi of provoking the violence.

>> became under fire from all directions with all kinds of weapons. if they're not to gaddafi loyalists, and where did they get all this power from? >> security forces sent by the libyan government to try to restore calm wre warmly welcomed -- were warmly welcomed. this vast country has no real central authority, no army to dispatch. since the revolution which toppled the 42-year-long rule of gaddafi, libya has been policed by dozens of separate heavily armed militias often with longstanding rivalries. last week the government said around 150 people were killed in fighting between rival groups in the southwest of the country. not a conducive environment for

elections, which are due in two months. bbc news, tripoli. >> this is gmt from bbc world news. i am david eades. french police have launched a new series of raids against suspected islamic extremists. american republican mitt romney moves one step closer to securing his party's nomination to challenge barack obama in this year's presidential election. he has won all three of the latest primaries. now, interest rates in europe. >> nobody is holding their breaths. they will likely stay at the record low of 1%. let's remind everybody back two weeks ago mario draghi said the worst was over with the

financial crisis. i don't think anybody told spain or portugal, because both countries returned to the money market today and both will have to pay a higher interest rates on borrowing that money. the $1 trillion euros flooded the european financial system in the past six months, a cheap money. the idea was the banks would then pass that on to the likes of the consumers and businesses. but the banks held on to that money. many thinking that it really did not work. listen to this. >> the money has not really gotten into the real economy. it is corporate investors that we need to see investing, not the financial guys. that will not happen until the overall euro zone problems -- that the resolutions are more insight. if corporate investors are holding back and banks are holding back because they certainly still do see risks. >> a lot of central banks from

the core of the euro zone have been applying pressure on the ec be to release to announce an exit strategy from the crisis measures. everybody thinks the whole region remains too fragile to do that. >> there was a new york car show. that is opening today. fors a boom time f manufacturing. " it's a rite of passage for american teenagers to get their driver's license, but there's been a u-turn on that. the latest research shows your and your younger americans are driving or at least getting their license. in 1983, 30% of americans driving were below age of 30. that number is only 22% today. those actually on the road today are driving less miles. some of the reasons, the cost of getting a license, increasing price of gas, fewer jobs for young people and their parents,

and the web. many young americans say the paper for the internet to stay in touch with friends and getting in a car and driving. . the flip side. while there are fewer younger drivers, older drivers, the numbers on the rise. >> we are finding a larger and larger population of people in their 50s, 60s, and '70s, so we are seeing more people driving lager if as they stay healthy and they have grown up in suburban areas and aged in suburban places and they still need to stay mobile. people are holding onto their cars and other licenses lager. -- longer. >> car makers are doing well now, but it could change. >> thanks very much. we will go back to the u.s. the republican race for the

presidential nomination, mitt romney winning all the latest primaries in wisconsin, maryland, washington, d.c. what does that mean for the other candidates? joining me is the vice president of the northstar opinion research, a national public opinion research firm. dan, thanks for joining us. there's a famous commentary which starts, "they think it is all over, will it is now." are we in that boat? >> i hate to say it's ever actually over, but we are closer to it being over now than ever before. the one thing mitt romney has not been able to do yet in this race is build a sense of momentum and inevitability. after last night's victories, particularly wisconsin, it will be very difficult for rick santorum to make a case that he can still win this thing. >> rick santorum is a very interesting character at this stage. he still seems determined to

carry on. at some point he has to make a decision. >> he does. it is a risky proposition for the senator. he is the one challenger to romney who has come through this process unambiguously better off than he was. his national stature is higher and his stature among republicans is higher. he will have a lot of opportunities for after this race that he did not have before. but if he sticks around in the race and looks to be hurting the eventual nominee, governor romney, a lot of that goodwill will be squandered by. he has to be careful. there's already been a drumbeat for him to get out of this and let the governor romney move on to the general election. that drumbeat will be a roar after last night. >> and the reality is barack obama seems to have made up his mind. >> yesterday for the first time he mentioned governor romney by name. the campaign headquarters in chicago definitely is focused

solely on mitt romney. you'll also see mitt romney focused almost singleminded leon obama from here on out. >> mitt romney, perhaps it is inevitable that he will be the winner, but momentum is the other half of the equation. has he got hegear, can he stepped up and move from this lackluster performance? -- has he got another gear? >> i think so. something working in his advantage is the election will be determined by what happens in the next seven months. really what happens in the last three months before the election, probably. a lot of voters, as much attention as the primary has gotten, many voters, primarily the independents, have not really focused or engaged on the race yet. and so, he has an opportunity to

start fresh trying to win those voters over in the general election campaign >> . critical will be how heavyweight the campaign funders are. >> definitely. i think governor romney will do just fine on the fund-raising side. >> thanks very much for giving us your perspective on the prospects for mitt romney. the african union has announced sanctions against mali's military leadership as well as armed rebel groups that seized control in the northwest of the country. radicals have taken the upper hand in timbuktu in the last few days. they say they're going to impose sharia law. a short while ago we got through to the mayor of timbuktu for a firsthand view of what life is like now in the city. >> the situation in timbuktu is very, very confused. we don't know who is in charge. we don't know who should do

what. been to annever administration in timbuktu. everything is confused here today. >> are there troops patrolling the streets? if so, who are dead? -- are they? " there's a group that is controlling the principal office called mma. groupere's another controlling access. so there is the islamist army spread in the city. they're trying to impose control over the city. >> would you go so far as to say that they are the people that

you have to answer to? we have heard reports of women having to resort to the appropriate dress, that sharia law is in effect in timbuktu. >> sharia is not totally opposed, but they have imposed on where the hejab according to islamic law. [unintelligible] this is a state of occupation. they have, and occupied the ground. we don't know what the outcome will be. -- they have come and occupy the ground. >> this is an ancient city with architecture and manuscripts to look after, timbuktu.

do you feel they are safe or do you feel you need to look after them? >> i have met with the leader of the military group and i have explained to him strongly that we cannot afford to destroy the manuscript and the heritage of timbuktu. that we should protect the heritage and the manuscript, because there's no security in timbuktu. this is the problem. nothing is secure and safe. the army is doing whatever it wants and wishes. there are armed people running around today. in the past we did not have that. i have seen a 15-year-old people with rifles and weapons roaming the streets and pillaging and destroying. >> that was the mayor of

timbuktu. if you want to find out more about the kind of crisis in the country, go to our web site. things are changing so fast over there. the country of mali is facing unprecedented instability now since it gained independence from france in 1916. we'll put together a guide to explain to the main players are in the country. bbc.com/news. a reminder of our top story, officials in somalia said several people have been killed in an explosion at the recently reopened national theater in mogadishu. the prime minister ali has told the bbc the attack took place during his speech and he blames the blast on a female suicide bomber. news agencies are reporting al- shabab has already claimed responsibility for the attacks. that's all for the moment. stay with us on bbc world news. we have plenty more to come.

>> 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, union bank, and shell. >> this is kim, about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us

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