15/08/2011 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Zeinab Badawi. Could it really

be the end game this time in Libya? Reports of talks between the two

sides in the conflict in Tunisia and a senior Libyan minister goes

Rebels claim they've taken two key towns and cut a vital supply route

to the capital Tripoli. A society in moral collapse, so

says David Cameron after last week's riots in England. We ask,

how broken is Britain? This must be a wake-up call for our

country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have

exploded in our face. A shock shake-up for the mobile

phone industry. Internet giant Google buys Motorola Mobility for

$12.5 billion. Tough talk in Malawi as the

president tries to prevent more anti-government protests. We are

concerned about injustice. A message that spans generations.

The son of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti tells us why his

Hello and welcome. Colonel Gaddafi has in the past 24 hours urged

Libyans to free the country from what he called traitors as rebels

began to tighten the noose on a major lifeline to Tripoli.

According to social network sites, talks have been taking place

between pro and anti Gaddafi forces in neighbouring Tunisia. And

Egyptian officials confirmed that the Libyan Interior Minister had

arrived in Cairo with several members of his family in what could

be a defection. Diplomatic to end the fighting appear to have been

set aside. Talks between the two sites have been taken place in the

tree is sent out of Djerba. -- had been taking place in the Tunisian

town of Djerba. Matthew Price reports from Tripoli.

The power cuts are taking their toll. Tripoli is starting to feel

like a city under pressure. This family show me their certificates.

I am ready to take up a gun, to defend my country and Colonel

Gaddafi who has done so much good for us.

A outside, Gaddafi's agents were on alert. As we left, we and our

government minders were stopped. The took are there the -- the took

our Libyan permits. This checkpoint is manned by local people. There

are similar checkpoints right the way across Tripoli during the night.

It is not normal, it is because of the war. It is a sign of the

tensions in the Libyan capital just now. This has only increased the

tension. 30 miles to the West, rebel forces are celebrating an

advance on so we are. The opposition feels the momentum is

finally with them. -- Zawiya. But how much are they hold and how long

they can hold it for is unclear. Libyan a state television showed

that -- showed crowds cheering as Colonel Gaddafi addressed them. He

called on her supporters to prepare for the fight, cleanse the country

he said, the blood of martyrs will fuel the battle. Out in the

desolate housing estates of eastern Tripoli, the mood was different.

They were worried about our cameras so be blurred the pictures. Gaddafi,

no. This man told me Colonel Gaddafi must go. Listen to this

man's anger. We hate Gaddafi here. Everyone hates them. The rebels are

closer to Tripoli than ever. The army will fight back. This war may

So after six months and to-ing and fro-ing, it seems the momentum is

now with the rebels and they claim the net is drawing closer around

Colonel Gaddafi. The crisis began six months ago, when rebels took

control of several cities, including Libya's second city

Benghazi. Soon after they declared themselves the sole representative

of Libya and were first recognised by France. The UN authorised

military action to protect civilians. French, US and British

forces carry out air strikes against government forces.

As NATO takes over formal control of military operations the conflict

is dominated by advance and retreat battles between the rebels, mainly

in the east, and Gaddafi forces in the west.

The stalemate continues with four months of fighting as the two sides

trade control of the coastal towns of Ras Lanuf, Brega, Bin Jawad,

Ajdabiya and Misrata. The rebels now say they have taken

the towns of Gharyan and Zawiyah near Tripoli, cutting a key supply

route for Gaddafi's forces. With me now from Washington is

Libya expert Mary-Jane Deeb. She's authored two books on the country

and is currently writing a book on the Arab Spring.

Would you hazard a guess, is it the end game this time? I am not sure

if it is the endgame, but there are certainly, the rebels are certainly

gaining momentum and moving forward. I know it has been going back and

forth, but Tripoli has never been more vulnerable than it is today.

What about these talks that apparently are going on in Tunisia

between the two side? The talks have to deal with his use of

withdrawal, of compromise -- with issues of withdrawal, of compromise.

But the end game it will be on the ground, militarily. What about this

possible defection, the Libyan Interior Minister going to Cairo

with nine members of his family are? It would suggest a possible

defection. There has been significant defections. Remember

the man who left for England early on? Ambassadors of the around

Europe have defected as well. -- ambassadors at throughout Europe.

Yes, gradually a -- gradually, people are seeing the rioting on

the wall and leaving Colonel Gaddafi. And how will the pressure

be renewed on Gaddafi? At this point, despite the fact that the

rebels are much stronger and better organised and have fought for six

months, and so have no more experience, they still be the cover

of NATO. -- at the still need the cover.

A broken society, an Asian -- this nation is a moral collapse. That is

how the Prime Minister David Cameron described Britain. He

promised tough action to prevent of last week's rioting in England.

Social problems have been festering for decades. Today, just as people

wanted criminals robustly confronted on our streets, they

want to see these social problems are taken on and defeated. We must

have a social fight back. We must fight back against the attitudes

and assumptions that have brought parts of our society to this

shocking state. We know what has gone wrong, do we have the

determination to put it right? Do we have the determination to

confront the slow-motion moral collapse that has taken place in

parts of our country? Irresponsibility, selfishness,

behaving as if you choices have no consequences, children without

fathers, rights without responsibilities, reward without

effort, crime without punishment, communities left a vulnerable.

leader of the Labour Party was also speaking today. He accused David

Cameron of making a knee-jerk response to the rights. Instant and

simple judgement and response to the sorts of event bring bad

solutions. The public says that we want quick action, but a knee-jerk

gimmicks that have not been thought through, will not solve the problem.

Let's be honest about the politician's instincts. Appoint an

year adviser, -- appoint a new adviser. We have heard about water

canons, Super cops, a delay knock at the door for gangs. His modern

Britain and a broken society, and what can be done about it? Joining

us from North Yorkshire via webcam is author and former vicar GP

Taylor. With me is Nick Wilkie from London Youth.

Are the social issues that have to be dealt with properly? I think

that the person who has got this right is David Cameron. He is

looking at society with a big over you. Ed Miliband is trying to score

points. I am seeing agree sea- change in our young people in this

country. -- a great sea-change. They are being influenced by it

things coming at them from other countries. Especially the gangster

culture from America. It is making deep inroads in how they relate to

people in their communities. They are literally changing. I have seen

it as a policeman. From around 1987 when corporal punishment was

stopped in schools, I have seen the change in the behaviour of young

people to the situation we are in today. I have been in the front

line in riots. I was involved in the Brixton riots because there

were happening around my house. And I do feel we are going through a

period, not a complete at Moro -- not of complete moral decline, but

a falling away from moral purpose. You heard that, is he right? Does

that sound like modern Britain to you? At the risk of sounding

irritating and platitudinous, there is a risk that people say broadly

the same things will trying to disagree. Clearly, some things have

gone badly wrong. In part, that is about individuals making wrong

choices. I am very open to the idea that there is a decline in the

community, in family. These things are all true. But is this just

about young people? Politicians fiddling expenses, is it all part

of a wider decline? What we have seen in the last week has not been

perpetrated by all young people. I think it is true that behaviour has

declined in a variety of ways across society. We have to be

careful of harking back to a golden age will probably never was. But

the idea of being hard on perpetrators, that is in no we

intention to with the idea that we took listened calmly and with

humility to have committees feel -- to how communities fail. So things

like cutting benefits and evicting people who have done wrong? If your

a teenager has been rioting, is it sensible to kick their younger

siblings out of the home? It does not seem a sensible. How do you

deal with it? Is a victim families the right thing to do? I do not

think evicting people from social housing is the right thing. What

David Cameron has to do is to start to go to the people that really

matter. He should be going to the father of one of those young men

killed in Birmingham. He talk sense this weekend. -- he talked for his

committee. -- community. People want to see safe in their houses.

They want to see discipline returning to schools. They want

respect from young people. They want young people to take a full

part in their own communities. We left and a wonderful community and

What do you think the Government should do? They should listen

calmly. It is true behaviours need to be tackled. It is also true

colleagues who work directly with gangs, and who I work with on a

day-to-day basis, their greatest weapons against gang culture is

education and opportunities. Now a look at some of the days

other news. A series of bomb attacks have hit

cities across Iraq killing more than 60 people. The worst was in

the city of Kut. It's the worst violence since Iraqi politicians

said they'd hold negotiations over whether a small number of US troops

might stay on after the deadline for their departure at the end of

the year. The former Egyptian president,

Hosni Mubarak, has appeared in court in Cairo again to face

charges of corruption and ordering the killing of hundreds of

protesters in the uprising earlier this year. Mr Mubarak was brought

in, in a hospital bed and placed inside a cage in the dock. He was

accompanied by his two sons. The judge has now adjourned the hearing

for three weeks and ruled that proceedings will no longer be

televised. At least 200 tonnes of oil may have

leaked into the North Sea off Scotland following an oil spill

from a ruptured pipeline last week. Shell says the leak, which took

place 112 miles east of Aberdeen, is a significant spill in the

context of the North Sea but believes it is under control.

Google, the company famous for its internet search engine shocked the

technology industry today by paying $12.5 billion in cash for the phone

company Motorola Mobility. Now Google can design both the software

and phones that run it - something its rival Apple has already done to

its advantage with the iPhone. Our technology correspondent Rory

Cellan Jones reports. It was the company that produced

the world's first modern mobile phone, but Motorola's glory days

are gone, its phones overtaken by the likes of Apple and Samsung. Now

it is part of Google which is becoming the fastest growing force

in the mobile world. Its Android operating system powers more smart

phones than any other software. Motorola is just one among many

manufacturers who depend upon it. Android is also used on tablets

computers. Now, Google is making itself a force in hardware as well

as software, just like its great rival. At the moment, Apple can

come up with an idea, it can build it, make the software and sell it

in its own retail stores. If Google can emulate the same model, it

doesn't have to go at side the family and talk to a third party to

get something done. Motorola might only have a tiny share of the

handset market, but Google has its eye on something different.

huge stock of paint since the company has accumulated. They have

become a vital weapon in the battle for supremacy in the mobile market.

Last month, patterns going back years from Nortel was snapped up by

Apple, Microsoft and the owners of blackberry. Google lost out in the

auction and made it clear today acquiring Motorola will help Dick

Shaw up its defences in the battle for mobile phone supremacy. While

Android has raced to the top of the mobile phone League, Apple makes

more from its mobile phone. Google has changed the landscape and its

rivals will be watching nervously to see what happens next.

The southern African state of Malawi has been experiencing the

kind of protests most latterly associated with the Arab street.

Opponents of the President Bingu Wa Mutharika have given him an

ultimatum to address their concerns or they've said they'll carry out a

nationwide protest on Wednesday. They're calling for an improvement

in the standard of living and human rights. Last month 19 people were

killed when police opened fire after days of protests. Bilkisu

Labaran from the BBC's African Service reports now on the problems

An for this housewife, the daily struggle of fetching water is

nothing compared to feeding her family.

She lives on just $2 a day and so do 90% of the population. The

economy is driven by agriculture. Food here is bound to fall, but for

nearly a decade, prices have risen at an average of 11% annually. Many

people can barely afford the food they sell and produce and the

people blame it all on mismanagement by the Government of

Bingu wa Mutharika. The frustration finally boiled over when hundreds

of anti-government demonstrators poured out onto the streets of the

country's major cities last month. They demanded the resignation of

the President. But the Government's response was heavy handed. Anti-

riot police quashed the protests. By the time calm was restored, at

least 18 people had been killed. The President was democratically

elected in 2004 with 36% of the vote. A former World Bank economist

he was credited with stabilising inflation. But his second term has

been troubled, as the economy tumbles his rule became more

autocratic. He wanted to run in a democracy, a

type of regime. An authoritarian Government style. That has made the

people angry. The international community has reacted swiftly to

the President's clampdown. The UK, US or the you have all either cut

direct aid to Malawi or delayed it. Bum The Lowry relies heavily on

foreign aid and it accounts for more than 40% of the Government's

income. We are in a situation with our partner countries, we expect

them to stay to their commitments, Democratic rights and good

governance. In the events of 20th July were protesters were fired

upon, Media was restricted and it is in direct contradiction to the

principles we expect them to uphold. At the Malawi High Commission in

London, there is very little diplomatic activity. Three months

ago the British High Commissioner to allow a accused of President

Bingu wa Mutharika of being autocratic, combative and

intolerance of criticism. The diplomatic tit-for-tat expulsions

that followed have pushed relations to near breaking point. But, with

the President of remaining defiant, and the International stalemate,

the future could be difficult. The late Nigerian signer, Fela Kuti,

was one of Africa's most colourful and influential musicians. He

pioneered the infectious Afrobeat sound in the 1970s. He was also a

political icon in Nigeria, where he fought against government

corruption. For the last three years, his life has been depicted

in a hugely popular show on Broadway, in London and in Lagos.

Fela's son, Femi Kuti, who's a musician himself, has been in the

UK for the latest run of the musical at the Sadler's Wells

theatre. Kathy Harcombe went to meet him.

He never compromised the truth. He stood no matter what. Mysore him

many times, say to the police, shoot me, kill me. I was scared,

and they could not understand why he got the courage to say "kill me".

Your father paid a high price for his beliefs, he was arrested 200

times? Jailed several times, do you think it was worth it? Yes, it is

about mankind. It is about freedom of speech, about justice. It is

against corruption. It is about the ills of what governments do to

their people. So, the bigger picture wasn't about my father, he

is just one of the many fighters that has given people like me the

courage to stand firm and not compromise the truth. For this, I

am proud my father never compromised. How did you feel when

you first saw it on Broadway? could not stop crying, it took me

back I was so impressed. I went on stage and I thank them. I thank

them so many times and I keep thanking them. At that time I felt

very lonely. When I saw the play it opened up so many avenues. This

battle is not lost. In America,, I have been doing this for five years

and I am taking it all over the world. When it came to Nigeria, I

think that it was the biggest achievement. On this fight, the

struggle, it was a slap on the face of the Nigerian authorities. The

same people who are running for presidency of one of the four from

fighters in the PDP, all of the same political bigwigs are still on

the political scene. -- front runners. What they have achieved in

14 years Democratic rule, we still have no electricity, Nigeria is

still poor. We cannot give our children a good education,

education is only for the very, very rich. I never get frustrated

telling the story about my father because I love my father. I loved

my father very much. I cannot explain how much I love and how

much I am proud of my father. It is my duty to give this information to

the best, as truthful as possible, to be as sincere as possible, no

Fabrications, for the truth. Well that's all from the programme.

Next the weather, but for now from me, Zeinab Badawi, and the rest of

Much of the UK got away with a dry start. But it is a different day

tomorrow. Cloudier compared with today and it is because of this low

pressure. The weather front is with it as it continues north-east

across the UK during Tuesday. The heaviest of the rain will be

focused on Scotland, but elsewhere under cloudy skies, patchy rain and

drizzle is possible. The North East England, given a few breaks in the

cloud there may be some sharp showers in the afternoons. East

Anglia and the South East, a few glimpses of some are possible, but

it is cloudy and breezy with a passing drizzle from time to time.

Similar picture into the south-west. Poor visibility into the hills. For

Northern Ireland, there will be an improvement, gradually turning

brighter. Sunshine edging in from the West. The eastern side last to

see that. It may improve into south-west Scotland were elsewhere

it is cloudy. This band of rain advancing across the North East in