27/08/2011 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. Britain says it is sending medicine and food to Libya,

where humanitarian aid is urgently needed after days of fierce

fighting. The United Nations has warned that widespread for teachers

of water, food, fuel and medical supplies in Tripoli at putting the

lives of millions at risk. NATO carried out further air strikes

overnight on pro-Gaddafi targets In Tripoli at least, this conflict

was beginning to move to a new phase. The battle for the city is

almost over and that, for many, is cause for celebration. There had

been reports of sporadic violence, even in the areas of Tripoli which

are now under rebel control. This shooting year a central hotel was

blamed on Gaddafi loyalists, in a nearby building. The biggest crisis

in the capital now is a shortage of basic goods. There is no running

water and hardly any electricity in a city of 2 million people. The

supply of water, which usually comes from the desert, has been

disrupted by the fighting. Restoring it will take some time.

Still, many returning residents who abandoned the city and have been

virtual prisoners in their homes are just happy that the fighting

has almost come to an end. TRANSLATION: I've been away from

Libya for five months. Gaddafi soldiers were looking for me. I

arrived from Tunisia, thanks to God. This is an historic moment in my

life. We pray for the martyrs and wish they go to heaven. As we saw

yesterday in an abandoned hospital, where dozens of bodies lay

unclaimed, most people will put up with the shortages because the

majority of Libyans are happy to see the end of the hated, despotic

regime. But if this crisis deepens, particularly in the capital, the

lack of a new political leadership Let's go live to Tripoli. Just how

serious is the situation? It is very serious. It could get a lot

worse. The Transitional Council has, in the last few minutes, promised

that they will start to distribute fuel and all kinds of fuel in the

next few hours. In the next few days, more of the aid which has

been donated from Qatar, the UK, Jordan, which has been delivered to

Misrata, that will start to come in by sea. Hopefully the humanitarian

crisis will be averted. But the situation is already quite bad.

Fighting continues elsewhere in the country. The big problem is that

Colonel Gaddafi remains at large. Many people in the fighting will

continue until he is found. That remains a priority for the rebel

leadership. But they say the lack of water and fuel may be addressed

in coming days. A Libyan diplomat suspected of

killing the police officer Yvonne Fletcher has been identified by the

Daily Telegraph. WPC Fletcher was shot outside the Libyan embassy in

London in 1984. The paper claims that Abdulmagid Salah Ameri was

seen firing shots at protesters. The Government says it will be

raising the issue with the new Libyan administration.

More than 2 million Americans have been told to evacuate their homes

as they brace themselves for the full impact of Hurricane Irene,

which in the last few minutes hit the US Atlantic coast. With

widespread flooding and power cuts forecast, people are being told to

prepare for the worst. Several states have declared emergencies

and the New York transportation system is being shut down.

All packs of Nurofen Plus are being recalled amid suspicions of

sabotage. Five boxes have been found to contain medicines made by

other manufacturers, including an and an anti-psychotic drug.