saleh billions of dollars in anti-terrorism assistance. those troops are still loyal to while other military have joined the opposition. both are arms. neither is willing to back down. >> bahrain of's security forces fired tear gas and rubber pellets at protesters on friday, injuring 50 and killing one. this after a prominent cleric vowed that they would not be silenced. around 100 people have been injured in jordan during clashes between supporters and opponents of the government. the clashes happened during a demonstration by the opposition calling for reform. fighting broke out when the pro- monarchy crowd began throwing stones at the other side. in libya, large explosions have been hurt in an eastern city where rebels are fighting pro- gaddafi forces. colonel gaddafi is continuing to defy the u.n. cease-fire resolution by announcing a deadly attacks on his own people. the city of misrata remains under siege from pro-gaddafi forces. rebels there say they are running out of food and water. our correspondent sent us from tripoli. >> and r

saleh millions of dollars of counterterrorism assistance. today, the troops are among those who are still loyal to mr. saleh. while some other military units have joined the opposition. both sides have set up checkpoints in the city. both are armed. neither is willing to back down. >> bahrain's security forces fired tear gas and pellets at anti-government protesters on friday. injuring 50 and killing one person according to activists. protests kicked off after a prominent shiite cleric vowed that their demands for the sunni monarchy to loosen its grip on power will not be silenced. around 100 people have been injured in jordan during clashes between supporters and opponents of the government there. the clashes happened during a demonstration by the opposition calling for political reforms. fighting then broke out when a pro monarchy crowd began to throw stones at the other side. to libya. the u.s. military says the operation to protect civilians in the country have made good progress but that colonel gaddafi's forces pose a threat. a pentago

i believe that saleh will step down. it's either that or we could see a civil war in yemen after the week. >> reporter: and now jordan. clashes between supporters and opponents of king abdullah, broken up by security forces. the violence happening as u.s. defense secretary robert gates was here urging the king to move faster on reforms. reforms clearly not happening fast enough for the thousands in the streets across the region. the security forces here in jordan quickly moved the protesters out. they are determined not to let jordan become like syria and yemen. lester. >> ron allen in amman, thanks. >>> new concerns tonight about radiation in japan coming from those damaged nuclear reactors. trace amounts have now been picked up by air monitors in hawaii as well as stations in california, oregon, washington and colorado. authorities say it poses no threat to health. but in the quake zone in japan, the danger from radiation appears to be growing. nbc's chief science correspondent robert bazell reports. >> obviously thing

today, the leader of the country's largest tribe said saleh should step down immediately. and protesters insisted they will go on pressing for that to happen. they've announced a new round of "day of departure" protests for tomorrow, despite the new prohibitions. for more on what happens next in yemen, we turn to nadia al- sakkaf, the editor and publisher of the "yemen times." she has been in washington for a conference of the international women's media foundation. >> woodruff: thank you very much for being with us. since you lost your country, what do they say is the situation right now? >> today a standoff, if you like, between the government affiliated authorities, the army and the protecters, and whoever is backing them up he has the power. >> woodruff: and the general -- >> yes. we are waiting to see what happens tomorrow, because on friday is an anniversary. >> woodruff: how significant was that defection by the general? >> that is the point. that is the turning point for yemen. it turns the power balance, and now the president realizes that he's in trouble. >> wood

. >> couric: in yemen, opposition to president ali abdullah saleh continues to grow even though he's offered to resign. tom finn is a reporter with the yemen "times." >> reporter: there were two sets of demonstrations today, rival demonstrations. we had one at the university, sanaa university, where tens of thousands, in fact 70,000 or 80,000 people all gathered for a big friday prayer ceremony. they're remembering the deaths of the 50 protestors who were killed last week and they're calling for president saleh to step down. a few miles away, we had a pro-government demonstration next to the president's mosque. and the president himself made a rare appearance. he basically said that he wanted to step down from power but he was not willing to do it until he was ready to go into someone with a safe pair of hands. >> couric: saleh has ruled yemen for 32 years. he is a key u.s. ally in the fight against al qaeda. meanwhile, president obama plans to speak to the nation monday night about libya to explain why he ordered u.s. military action and give an update on the operation. today french

saleh saeed saleh, a local farmer, was eager to show us the wreckage. when it hit the ground he says it sounded like a rocket exploding. he thought qaddafi's forces were on the attack. officials say the fighter jet crashed because of a mechanical error rather than any enemy fire. it landed east of benghazi which is in the heart of rebel territory. the jet's crew ejected safely. were they okay? were they injured? "the person i saw had minor injuries, just scratches" he says. one of the americans landed in a nearby field. "we gave him food and juice. he was nervous at first," saleh says, "but we took care of him and brought him to safety." a marine corps osprey picked up the pilot but somehow libyans helping the crew were mistaken as a threat. they say the rescue aircraft opened fire. this man was shot. he said he was trying to help the second american when he was hit. "we would have picked him up and brought him wherever he wanted," he says. his son was also injured and may lose his leg. but he still supports the americans. along with most people here wh

in] 1990, the former communist south joined the north, ruled by saleh. but discontent with his role is growing. >> the people driving yemen's revolution are the students at universities and the formerly socialist south. then there are the clans in the mountains. they are the three components. but there is also a consensus. the want to get rid of despotism. they want an economy that is fair and just. >> in algeria, demonstrations have led to the lifting of emergency rule. but dissatisfaction with the government remains widespread in the country, despite higher revenues from oil and natural gas exports. algeria's young people have few prospects. unemployment remains high. corruption is widespread. leading the authoritarian regime is [unintelligible] demonstrators face a massive police presence. hundreds have been injured, and some killed, a shock for a country already traumatized by civil war. >> the civil war in the 1990's has been a wait upon every democracy movement in algeria. many are afraid it could lead to a new civil war. estimates suggest between

how dangerous is a post-saleh yemen to the united states? >> i think -- i think it is a real concern. because the most active and, at this point, perhaps, the most aggressive branch of al qaeda -- al qaeda on the arabian peninsula operates out of yemen. we have had a lot of cooperation from president saleh and the security services. if that government collapses and is replaced by one more weak, we'll face additional challenges out of yemen. no question. it's a real problem. >> secretary clinton, on pakistan, they've been trying to block counterterrorism efforts in some regions. they continue to work with terrorists that attack india. it held a u.s. diplomat in prison for several weeks. as i don't need to tell you. has the relationship gotten worse? the u.s. and pakistan? >> it's a challenging relationship. there have been some problems. we were very appreciative of getting our diplomat out of pakistan. and that took cooperation by the government of pakistan. we have cooperated very closely together in going after terrorists who pose a threat

the defense ministry say the military remains loyal to saleh.he coming hours and days could be decisive for the fure of yemen. >> japa s stopped all shipments of unprocessed milk and spinach from the area around the fukushima per plant. officials tell people they're not to drink the tap water because of high levels of radiation. on monday, workers at the plant were told to leave after smoke came from reactors two and three. it is still not clear why. >> the smoke rose from the reactor 3. workers temporarily evacuated the facility. japan's nuclear authority said it did not know what was burning,ut there w no explosion. the government tried to reassure the public. >> radioactivity near the reactor has not increased, despite the smoke. we should not forget that even non-hazardous material can catch fire. we must stay calm. >> the operators of the facility are facing more complications. news has emerged of negligence of the plant. a routine inspection was missed just before the quake. components of the cooling system were not checked. oldis and refi

the anti-government protests erupted in january with demonstrators calling for saleh's resignation.ens of thousands of people marched in the largest rallies yet earlier this week, saleh called op the opposition parties to form a unity government. but the opposition camp is demanding the resignation ig of the president who's been in power more than 20 years. >>> anti-government protesters held rallies and clashed with security forces in major cities in iran on tuesday. authorities reportedly arrested some of the demonstrators. according to reformist websites and witnesses, possibly thousands of protesters gathered in central teheran. they said security forces attacked the demonstrators while firing tear gas. at least 50 arrests were made. >>> demonstrators demanded the arrest of two reformists that have been under house arrest in teheran since february 14th. the authorities say they led to last month's anti-government rally. protesters say they will not stop demonstrations until the two are released. the government says it will crackdown on all anti-government rallies. >>> the famili

. >>> to yemen now, president ali abdullah saleh has offered to step down by the end of the year. protesters have been calling for his immediate resignation. islamic militants are now taking control of towns in southern yemen, including a weapons factory. negotiations on a transfer of power ended abruptly saturday evening. they're not expected to resume. saleh says there will be no more concessions to the opposition. >>> japan was rocked by another earthquake early this morning. the quake measured 6.5. it hit japan's northeast coast, the same area battered by this month's massive quake. no damage or injury was reported. the quake prompted a brief tsunami alert but only small waves were generated. >>> radiation levels at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant reached new levels. officials said again this morning that they believe it's because of a partial meltdown of reactor 2. radiation is spreading into the ocean north of the plant. officials admit it may take years to clean up the fukushima complex. lucy craft reports. >> reporter: panic at the plant. false radiation readi

saleh is an important u.s. ally in the fight against al qaeda, but today he accused the u.s. and israel of instigating protests in the region in order to destabilize the arab world. here at home, people in the midwest are anxiously watching the surging floodwaters. two days of storms brought heavy rain and tornadoes leaving at least five people dead. seth doane reports from one of the hardest-hit cities in northwestern ohio. >> reporter: by air, the scope of this flood emerges. much of downtown findlay, ohio, is under three feet of water tonight after a violent rainstorm melted the heavy snow pack left by a near blizzard friday. >> it's getting higher and higher and we don't know what we'll do. i have never seen water like this before. >> reporter: torrents of water over-topped dams and washed through communities. flooding farm land and resting rivers at 16 feet, near record- setting river levels. near cleveland, the chagrin river broke through a dam sending 100 people fleeing to safety. when residents couldn't save themselves, rescue workers stepped in. you had to be pretty

. >> suarez: is this president who has been in office for 32 years, president saleh, the type of leader who is ready to turn the guns on his own people? >> i don't think so. i think when we look at what's happened over the last several weeks and months, we see that the president has for most purposes until last weekend tried to manage this situation, i believe. i think he's tried to manage the process. ultimately i think this will be a negotiated settlement where you have yemen's power working to come to a settlement. it's obvious that the president cannot stay in power until 2013. this cannot go on for two more years. that's been moved up an awful lot in light of today's events and what happened over the weekend. >> suarez: is this more like tunisia, more like egypt? or still has the potential to be more like libya? >> i think we don't know. honestly, no one knows what will happen in the yemen. it seems clear that the president will not last much longer the way things are going. it is very clear that while there is a potential for violence to get out of hand-- and i don't think anybody

there's no talks between the people and president saleh. and the people are determined to overthrow him. >> lama, in syria, one of the most repressive regimes in the middle east. there's been daily demonstrations and dozens of protesters killed in recent days. how significant is this for the assad government? >> reporter: absolutely, ron. well, friday was an extraordinary day in syria. thousands demonstrated on the streets. both pro and anti-government protesters. and what's going on in sierra is very significant because this is the biggest challenge to president bashar assad's rule to date, ever since he took over from his father 11 years ago. so far, the response from the regime has been a bloody crackdown on these protests. dozens have been killed. and i think it will probably continue that way, too. this is a country that does not tolerate dissent. what we're seeing in syria is a growing movement that is spreading in the country. and there's more protests planned today. and in a move to appease the protesters, the government decided to

ahmed saleh said he was 17 he and his friends had just fled the frontline. have a knife. >> yes. >> reporter: show us your knife. how can you fight a tank with a knife? "allah would help," he said. does your mother know you're here? what does she say? he said his mother was happy he was with the fighters. by mid afternoon people were streaming out of ajdabia 60 miles further east, just as they did three weeks ago when colonel qaddafi's troops first attacked. hundreds of families and fighters are fleeing ajdabia, heading for benghazi and we're going, too. in the last two days, the whole momentum of this war has reversed. colonel qaddafi's forces are coming back down the road towards us. it seems that there's nothing to stop then as the rebels are too weak. they are however still full of enthusiasm and occasionally, eccentricity. grateful to the french and other members of the coalition and increasingly desperate. >> lehrer: in washington, secretary of state hillary clinton said late today the administration has not decided yet whether to arm the rebels. that

and tens of thousands of protesters demanded saleh resign now. they chanted, "the people want the fall of the regime." unrest in syria spread today. hundreds of people in the south marched against the government for the fifth straight day. the protests were in daraa, where troops killed seven protesters over the weekend, and in the town of nawa, near the border with jordan. meanwhile, the syrian government fired the governor of the province that is home to daraa. in egypt, a fire raged through the interior ministry building. flames could be seen rising from the top floors of the complex in central cairo. an egyptian security official said police protesting for higher pay had started the blaze. protesters denied the charge. instead, they claimed the fire started as ministry workers burned files to destroy evidence of human rights abuses. wall street cooled off today after a three-day rally. the dow jones industrial average lost nearly 18 points to close at 12,018. the nasdaq fell eight points to close at 2683. and the price of oil closed just shor

in yemen, president ali abdullah saleh said today he's ready to step down, but only if he can leave hisntry in "safe hands". after weeks of protests against his rule, saleh made a rare public appearance before cheering supporters outside his palace in sanaa. >> reporter: on this great day, the friday of forgiveness, peace, security and stability. yes, to skoourt and stability, no to anarchy and vandalism. >> sreenivasan: on the other side of the capital city, even larger crowds rallied again, demanding saleh's ouster. and in jordan, protesters clashed with government supporters in amman. the violence drew in security forces, and one protester was killed. more than 100 others were injured. canada is headed for an election after opposition parties toppled the conservative government of prime minister stephen harper. today's no confidence vote triggered the country's fourth election in seven years, to be held in early may. harper warned an election would harm canada's fragile economic recovery. opposition parties charge he has mismanaged the economy and is overly secretive. the roman catho

saleh has launched an investigation -- i am aware president saleh has called for an investigation of the march 18 violence. >> why is the u.s. trusting someone who has committed these apparent acts of humanitarian violence against his own people question of does it come down to the assistance which the u.s. is looking into yemen? >> our assistance for yemen is based on, in many ways, trying to address the inequities that exist and trying to build a prosperous economy and to address many of the issues the people are protesting for. but beyond that, there is not some kind of quid pro quo. >> two questions. are any u.s. officials are in touch with some of the cabinet members who resigned? and what will that mean for the u.s. if the president goes? >> on the first issue it -- i did not know if there have been communications since they resigned. the second question was? >> another way of asking her question. what does that mean for the u.s. if the president goes? argue that worried about aqap? >> our concerns are well known about aqap, and we continue to cooperate with the yemeni governme

the defense ministry says the military remains loyal to saleh.he coming hours and days could be decisive for the future of yemen. >> japan has stopped all shipments of unprocessed milk and spinach from the area around the fukushima power plant. officials tell people they're not to drink the tap water because of high levels of radiation. on monday, workers at the plant were told to leave after smoke came from reactors two and three. it is still not clear why. >> the smoke rose from the reactor 3. workers temporarily evacuated the facility. japan's nuclear authority said it did not know what was burning, but there was no explosion. the government tried to reassure the public. >> radioactivity near the reactor has not increased, despite the smoke. we should not forget that even non-hazardous material can catch fire. we must stay calm. >> the operators of the facility are facing more complications. news has emerged of negligence of the plant. a routine inspection was missed just before the quake. components of the cooling system were not checked. sol

they were demanding the ouster of president abdullah saleh.response, saleh denied the snipers were his security forces, and he invoked new restrictions that give the police a freer hand. >> ( translated ): the national defense council has decided to announce a state of emergency today in yemen and impose a curfew on armed men in all cities. security forces and armed forces will take responsibilities to maintain public security. >> sreenivasan: security forces in syria attacked protesters today, and witnesses reported at least three people were killed. the worst of the violence was in the city of deraa. police also broke up protests in several other cities, including damascus. it was the most serious unrest in syria in many years. in saudi arabia, king abdullah announced a $90 billion package of reforms, pay raises and other benefits. it included 60,000 new jobs in the security forces, and cash for state employees and students. in a rare televised address, the king told saudis he was proud of them for largely ignoring calls to protest. but he o

once more they demanded that president ali abdullah saleh step down. and, they rejected saleh's call for a new constitution that guarantees the independence of the parliament and the courts. meanwhile, in cairo, egypt, crowds were gone from tahrir square after clashes yesterday between rival groups. the egyptian army cleared everyone out, along with their tents and gear. the president of ivory coast imposed a no-fly order today on u.n. aircraft in his west african country. laurent gbagbo has refused to step down, despite losing his re-election bid last year. the election winner alassane ouattara left ivory coast for a meeting today, using a u.n. helicopter. gbagbo's no-fly order could make it difficult for ouattara to return. president and mrs. obama turned the white house limelight on the problem of school bullies today. the president convened a conference of students, educators, parents and other experts. he said he was harassed as a child, because of his name and appearance. and, he said he rejects the notion that it's no big deal. >> if there's one

if and when president saleh goes, and he may have trouble holding on until the end of the year, when he goes, washington will have to find a new partner in dealing with al-qaeda. >> our security correspondent there. you can get much more on that story and all the international news on bbc.com. the latest headlines for you this hour on "bbc world news." syria has offered concessions to the thousands demanding political reform. the government has promised to raise wages and free everyone detained in the current unrest. the battle for libya goes on. the french air force has shut down the libyan government jet and in breach of the no-fly zone. a video on youtube shows a young boys acting out a suicide pact and has been condemned by unicef and children's charities and pakistan. where the video came from is unclear, but it seems to be filmed in the border areas of pakistan and afghanistan. orla guerin has this report. >> of young boy said his goodbyes. his little playmates are waiting in line. it is a chilling re-enactment of farewell videos made by adults suicide bombers. to the tune of a

but the opposition insisted no such talks will take place until saleh agrees to step down. defense secretary gates told afghans today the u.s. is not interested in keeping bases there permanently. during his unannounced visit, gates met with afghan president hamid karzai and discussed the u.s. troop drawdown, set to start this july. and by 2014, the u.s. expects afghans to be responsible for their own security. at a news conference in kabul, gates also apologized for a nato air strike that accidentally killed afghan children last week. >> i'd like to begin by joining general petraeus in offering my personal apology for the accidental killing of nine afghan boys by coalition forces last week. this breaks our heart. not only is their loss a tragedy for their families, it is a setback for our relationship with the afghan people whose security is our chief concern. >> sreenivasan: president karzai accepted the apology, but pleaded with the u.s. to avoid similar attacks in the future. >> we the afghan people are allies with the rest of the world in the war on terror. we are vict

demonstrators are demanding the resignation of president saleh, who has been in power for 32 years.reconciliation efforts between the rival palestinian factions hamas and fatah appear to be gaining pace. the does a strip has been under hamas control for nearly four years, but the president to visit as soon as thursday. they are discussing the possibility of a unity government in the palestinian territory. this can shortly after president obama's confirmed he would not-- presidentd abbas confirmed he would not stand for reelection. the u.s. has fired a contractor after acquitting him of double murder charges. he shot dead two man he said tried to rob him at gunpoint. his release came after relatives of the dead man testified that they had received compensation, and were pardoning him under pakistani sharia law. the case puled entire u.s. sentiment and strained ties between palestine -- between pakistan and washington. workers at the stricken fukushima nuclear power plant in japan are still scrambli to prevent a meltdown. operators say a partial meltdown probably did occur in at least

. >> yemen's parliament has approved a request by president saleh to arrest and detain protesters. it underlines his decision to stay in office. armed men in eastern lebanon kidnapped seven estonian cyclists. officials said they crossed illegally from syria. authorities drove off in two vans. stay with us, if you can, on "bbc world news." still to come -- goodbye to the elizabeth taylor. first though, britain's government has unveiled a budget intended to get the nation's finances under control. the optimistic growth forecast has been reined in. >> spring has sprung in westminster, but the picture of the british economy is not nearly so cheerful. unemployment is rising. so, too, is the cost of living. inflation is at a 28-month high. and across the country, and happiness is growing at cuts in services. so, as george osborn allows himself a little smile in downing street, it is because he knows he has delivered the bulk of the bad news about spending cuts and tax rises. >> this is a budget bill on found money, that encourages enterprise, that supports manufacturing and investment, a