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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> nato's round the clock bombardment of tripoli reaches new heights. will they agree to increase output? opec energy ministers meet for the first time since the uprising began. pressure builds for a u.n. security council vote to condemn syria's handling of anti-government protests. welcome to "bbc world news." i'm david eades. also coming up in the program -- china acknowledges it is building an aircraft carrier, but says its neighbors don't have to worry. and 500 days since this sri lankan journalist disappeared, apparently abducted, one among many who vanished.

>> thanks for joining us. nato carried out more attacks on tripoli. explosions were haurd during the night after a day of intensified bombing through tuesday. these are pictures from overnight. in all, around about 10 blasts seen and heard, most around the presidential compound of colonel gaddafi. now, he gave a broadcast in audio only on libyan television. he wasn't in vision himself. he said he would be staying in tripoli, as he put it, dead or alive. our correspondent, wyrie davis, is in the libyan capital, and i asked him if the thought is if the bombings would continue. >> indeed, and that is the message from nato, that this will carry on. we've had the extension of the nato for 90 days. tuesday was the heaviest single day of bombing since the campaign began at the end of march, as targeting

specifically, according to nato, command and control centers and military barracks right here in the heart of tripoli, only a kilometer or so from our hotel. it's been very uncomfortable, particularly for those on the ground. a lot of the libyan government spokesmen who speak are exasperated. they say they don't understand why nato are bombing to this intensity. but tactically, nato suspects a weakness, they say gaddafi has brought in command and control centers from other parts of libya, where, according to nato, the libya government is losing ground, and he's now bringing that sort of military hardware and capability in and around the capital. that is why nato is bombing with such intensity. of course, that doesn't mean that gaddafi is anywhere closer to going. he's been offered chances by the african union in particular to leave libya with immunity to go to an unspecified african country, but he's turned that down. as colonel gaddafi said in his audio statement to the country last night, he is not going

anywhere. he's going stay in tripoli, stay in this capital, and fight to the bitter end. >> but it was audio, wyrie, not in vision. do you read anything into that? >> absolutely. i mean, colonel gaddafi and his sons clearly think they're a target for nato, according to one diplomatic source who's close to what's happening on the ground here. colonel gaddafi sleeps in a different place every night. he's never in the same place for long. he very rarely appears in public now. when we have seen pictures of him on television, he's always inside somewhere in some unidentifiable location. colonel gaddafi and his close intrarouge clearly believe they are targets of nato. >> nato's defense ministers are meeting in brussels to discuss the progress of their mission in libya. we speak to our correspondent there, jonathan marcus. are they giving out a message that they've stepped up intensity? >> not directly, but that's certainly been the message from the actual operations over the

past week or so. about a week ago, nato extended its operations for another 90 days, another three months, and almost immediately we've seen a greater intensification of attacks, particularly on command centers in this rather large compound, complex in the libyan capital tripoli itself. also, we've seen the use of british and french attack helicopters, but clearly the aim put it arriving here this morning is to try to get a greater sense of urgency in some quarters in the alliance. the alliance hopes that it can get this operation over with within the next three-month period. >> but, of course, there is plenty to suggest, jonathan, that this could go on and on and on. >> well, there is. it's very difficult to know how and when this would end. clearly one could wake up and find colonel gaddafi had been the victim of an air strike.

potentially there are more diplomatic irons in the fire right now, particularly the russians trying to act as a mediator. it's interesting that the russian defense minister will be here later in the day, and they may indeed touch on libya too. but it is very difficult to see how and when this is going to end. only nine of the 28 nato allies are actually actively engaged in the mission. as it goes on, as time drags on, clearly maintaining that solidarity and intensity of effort within nato is going to be more and more difficult. >> ok, jonathan marcus in brussels, thanks very much indeed for that. i just want to bring breaking news that's come in to us regarding bahrain and the staging or otherwise of the formula one grand prix, which the governing body, the f.i.a., said would go ahead in october. the boss of formula one, bernie ecclestone says he doesn't think it will go on in october because the teams have

objected. he said, these are his words, "hopefully there will be peace and quiet and we can return in the future, but, of course, it's not on." the schedule cannot be rescheduled without the agreement of the participants. they are the facts. so further doubt now cast on whether that bahrain grand prix will go ahead. of course, it was cancelled by the f.i.a. because of the violence and protests in the first place. that was the decision taken back in february. then it seemed to be reinstated over the course of the last weekend, and now he's saying of course it's not on. we wait to see how that develops. in the meantime, members of opec are meeting in vienna against the backdrop of record oil prices. demand for oil, as well as unrest in libya have kept prices well over $100 a barrel for many months. saudi arabia's idea is to raise output and help push down the price to help the world economy, but it's certainly not necessarily the view to be

taken by iran and venezuela. let's get some more on this now from our correspondent, bethany bell, who is in vienna. at least we have some clarity about where libya fits in all this in terms of sitting around the table. >> well, that's the very interesting thing. we've been told over the last few days that libya would be represented by an official from colonel gaddafi's government, but when journalists were allowed into the room just before proceedings got underway, they saw that the libyan chair was empty. it's not clear who exactly is here from libya, if at all, at the moment. also in recent days, libyan rebels had suggested some interest in attending the meeting, but it doesn't seem to be that they're hereñ in even a unofficial capacity. so question marks over libya at the moment, and question marks over whether opec ministers will decide to boost output or not. >> right, yeah. there's some conflict there and

difference of opinion, but can they take a decision if some of the members of opec aren't even there? >> it was interesting, the iranian oil minister, as he went in, struck a more conciliatory note suggesting iran would go along with the decisions of the majority. however, we have also heard from venezuela suggesting that he didn't think that there was a need to boost output. now, of course, it must be said that even if they do decide to make a decision to boost output, that might be largely symbolic, because many opec members are already producing more than their quotas at the moment. >> bethany, thank you very much indeed for that. i'm joined by jamie with a look at the business news. , with news on air earth, one of those things that -- it's a critical industry. >> yes, and china has 95% of the global output. and what is happening, people have been very alarmed because they cut back on exports last

year by some 35%. obviously this puts a real squeeze on a lot of manufacturing, on everything from electrical cars to ipads, the lot. basically, modern technology depends upon rare earths. what has happened today is that china's largest aluminum producer has set up a company in the east of the country, and it's going to basically control the out put. this has really set alarm bells ringing. what people are beginning to wonder is how much more control there's going to be, and if it comes within control of the state, how much political weapon or political instrument it becomes, an international superlative. >> we've been talking about the oil situation from quite political perspective, of course. what about regarding the fight? is oil too expensive? >> we've seen it come down t. has a strange relationship

between industrial output or economic growth and the oil price. as the oil price goes too high, because the economy seems to be progressing quite aggressively and demand more oil, as oil price goes high, it then chokes off economic growth, and oil prices begins to come back down again. and at some point oil comes back down to a point where economic growth will be able to slice it. in a way, we're at the point where oil prices really dictate one of the factors dictating how fast the economy is going to grow. brent crude is about $116. we've seen it come down to nearly $130. so coming down all this time, we are seeing it beginning to have a more of a benign effect on the economy. that's what people have seen. but again, the other side of the coin is it's very optimistic it's a symptom of a slowing economy as the oil price begins to come down. people begin to get worried because the oil prices is coming down. that means the economic growth isn't there. but two things. it's linked, very difficult to

see which one comes first. >> we shall have to wait to see what opec decides. jamie, thank you very much indeed for that. we're just having a look at the situation with regards to syria. more than 100 people are reported to have crossed the border into turkey overnight to flee unrest in the country. the turkish state news agency is saying more than 350 refugees have actually left syria. they say they fear bloodshed as the syrian military prepares for an assault on the town of jisr al-shughour after what the government said was a massacre of 120 members of the security forces. just a short while ago, i managed to speak to one resident of the town of jisr al-shughour, and through an interpreter, i asked him -- he went by the name of ahmed -- what the situation is now. >> the town is almost empty. the residents have fled the

country. the town is like a ghost town. military reinforcement barracks, tanks are just about seven kilometers outside of town, and people are expecting the worst to happen. >> when you say the worst, does that mean you expect the troops to come into town and euphemistically restore order? >> they're expected to come in. >> that was just a flavor of my conversation. we'll have more on "bbc world news" to give us a picture of what is happening in the town. a very, very worrying town. adnan is with me, have a look at sport. again, ilts the same neck of the woods, but bahrain, on, off, on, off, on, says bernie ecclestone. >> he told you yesterday, didn't he?

he said the problem is that every single team has agree if there's going to be a schedule change, and the umbrella organization that speaks for the team said late yesterday they weren't happy about it. interestingly enough, they didn't object on morals and ethical reasons. they said it was for logical reasons that they didn't want to go. the season would then end in december because the india grand prix would move. it's scheduled for march, being rescheduled for october, push india in, and they said that would be unbearable. but the bernie ecclestone line is the most interesting to come out. basically, whatever bernie says happens, so we haven't had exact confirmation yet, but the direct quote he said to the bbc is hopefully there will be peace and quiet and we can return in the future, talking about bahrain, but, of course, it's not armed. the scheduled race cannot -- the schedule cannot be

rescheduled without the agreement of the participants. >> there are simple f.i.a. laws say it's not going to happen really. >> completely. mark webber, the red bull driver, had twittered, look, there are more important things than sport, and what's going on in bahrain, he himself was uncomfortable. possibly some of the teams wouldn't have turned up anyway because of what's happening. the royal family in bahrain has said that, look, even the opposition agreed that this is a unifying factor for our country, but actually the opposition denied that they thought that, because they said that if the grand prix does come to our country, we are going to protest, we will have demonstrations throughout the weekend. so clearly, with formula one being there, it would have really made for a very difficult situation for formula one, because the opposition was going to do one thing, the royal family would want the grand prix there. they say it brings in more than half a billion dollars to their country, and, you know. a smaw questions about how you define the opposition as well.

>> yes, yes, completely. >> adnan, we'll see if that's confirmed. thanks again. you're watching "bbc world news." we've got plenty more still to come, including reports suggesting yemen's president saleh is more seriously injured than originally thought. we'll have the details on that. the left-wing president-elect of peru, has told reporters he views the united states as a strategic partner. he said he would cooperate with the u.s. and other latin american countries to combat drug trafficking, poverty, and corruption. his announcement follows a bitter he election campaign, as we get this report from lima. >> peru's new leader is assuming his role as a statesman. he's not yet peru's president, but he already has big plans.

>> we want to work on latin american integration beyond the ideological issues, because we are all working for our own national interests, and our national interest is to fight against drug trafficking and corruption and tackle the big problem of inequality, illiterary, malnutrition, and infant malnutrition, which in rural areas is 60%. those are the problems which concern us. >> next, the rest of latin america with or without a stop, talk of the region. venezuela will be a priority, as will the continent's regional power, brazil. but back home, he wants to put a bitter and pole orizing election campaign behind him. >> for us, the campaign is finished. we turned the page, and today we are putting forward a government of national consensus. we thank the peruvian people who helped in this campaign, but now we have to work

together, all peruvians, whether they voted for us or not. >> he won this election against the odds. the town has leaned up behind his opponent. now he must work to build consensus, but with such a narrow victory, the transition to power will not be easy. dan collins, bbc news, lima. >> this is "bbc world news," and these are the head lirnse -- nato continuing bombardment of tripoli. opec oil ministers meet for the first time since the arab uprising began. they're expected to debate whether to increase output to help boost the global economy. american officials say the president of yemen was more seriously injured by last week's rocket attack than previously thought. mr. saleh is reported to have suffered 40% burns and bleeding

inside his skull after the attack on friday. today there are unconfirmed reports that two senior yemeni opposition figures traveled to saudi arabia where the president is being treated. our correspondent is in the yemeni capital, and she gave us the latest on the president's condition. >> well, i've just been talking to presidential sources who are accompanying president saleh to saudi arabia, and they basically said that he can sometimes recover, but he's on the way to recover. he's able to speak. his voice is better. but he doesn't -- he's not able to move a lot because he wants to rest, and that's what the doctors are saying, that he needs time to recover. now, having said that, it's unclear when is exactly president saleh is expected to come back to yemen. the government said that he would be back within a week, but after these reports and medical explanation about the situation, it's going to take him more time to recover and

return to yemen. >> right, and two opposition leaders traveling, i suppose with a message that time waits for no man, we've got to move on. >> well, yes, indeed, that's what we've heard, although we can't confirm it yet, but we've heard from forces here that both the general and the main rival leader arrived in riyadh yesterday. presidential sources did not confirm that any talk is going on or any reconciliation is going on, but possibly authorities are trying to make efforts to find a solution and do the reconciliation. we just heard reports that the government has launched talks between the ruling party and the joint meeting community, which is the main coalition of the opposition and independent parties that have started recently, and the talks are starting to find a solution and move forward with ending this political crisis here in yemen.

>> china has officially acknowledged it is building an aircraft carrier. a chinese general told the hong kong newspaper that china's neighbors should not be afraid. the vessel is on open view in the northeastern port, from where our correspondent sent us this. >> this is the port in china's northeast, home to six million people. it's a major port and naval and ship building center, too. if you take a look, you can get a glimpse of one of the most significant things happening in china's military modernization program. officials don't say much about it, but there it is. it's china's first aircraft carrier being outfitted. it looks like it will be ready for sea trial possibly later this year. now, that ship was not built from scratch here. it was bought as a resting hull from ukraine. it had been manufactured by the soviet union. it was bought in 1998, shipped over here, which took several years. they paid $20 million for it. china saying it was going to be

a floating casino in macaw. but it's now here, and a deck has been put in. the superstructure on board, and you can see radar systems and weapons that have been mounted on there, too. it should be ready to put to sea in a few months' time, it's believed. now, this is a significant step forward for china's military, the first aircraft carrier china will possess. it's believed china will use it to train pilots in aircraft carrier operations, but china has ambitions to build five or six more of its own to have a real proper carrier fleet. the significance of that is that china's military is expanding its reach. it's a symbol of china's growing power in the world, the way china wants to expand its power to project it out far beyond its borders. of course, that means that, in this region in asia, china will start to compete with america

in strategic interests. 1,000 kilometers away along this little track on the outskirts of the city, right in the center of china is what many believe is another part of china's aircraft carrier program. well, if you take a look across those fields there, what you see is a replica of the aircraft carrier that's been built here way inland. now, the flat deck of the superstructure above it, you can also make out, if you look closely, there's a mockup of a helicopter and fighter jet as well. now, observers believe that this has been built here because china's navy needs to work out how you operate a carrier, needs to train the crew, needs to develop all the systems before that aircraft carrier was built and can be truly effective. in fact, china needs much more than that. it needs to buy the aircraft themselves, which it is building and buying from

russian-made designs. it needs helicopters and anti-submarine warfare. it needs airborne radar systems, a whole auto ray of weapons and other technology. if you're really going to make a carrier into a true fighting ship. now, the expectation is among many observers is china wants perhaps six carriers in the next decade or two, and that means china has a lot of work to do to train its navy to become a truly effective carrier fighting for. >> 500 days since a cartoonist in sri lanka disappeared after apparently being abducted, just one of many sri lankans who vanished and whose fate remains unclear. >> it's the week when boy scouts do good deeds in the community. among this group, working in his own family home is this boy. they race to finish gardening. this 14-year-old boy lives

under a veil of sadness. his father hasn't been heard of since january 2010 after he was apparently abducted. we see pictures of the cartoons saw satirizing the human rights record. not knowing his fate is agony. >> because it cast a great darkness over our home. something is fundamentally wrong. i do the normal household work, things for the children, but i can't fulfill the role he played. that darkness will remain. >> sri lanka's war is over, and the tamil tigers is crushed, but disappearances continue. there were 77 last year by one estimate. there's a lack of progress in solving them.

this tamil human rights worker was abducted a year ago minutes after a court ordered his release. this is a businessman, kidnapped in the south last year. or there's a muslim human rights worker who was abducted in central sri lanka last year. a senior advisor to the president shows me with pride a new book about him in the tamil language. he says the head of state cares very much about any disappeared persons and that the police are doing their best. >> we had the mission working, taking his own force. but they find him out, nobody knows. nobody knows. he does not know. the people do not know. >> those were little comfort for so many families, like this family, still waiting, traumatized, and not knowing

whether to grieve. >> 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. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of

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