25/08/2011 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with Colonel Gaddafi insists he's not

finished. In a radio address from a secret location, he urges the

Libyan people to fight and purify Tripoli. Searching for Gaddafi we

enter the heart of his command centre inside the dictator's former

underground bunker. We believe that there are Colonel Gaddafi's troops

just a little distance up this road. A diplomatic push to release Libyan

assets as Italy frees $500 million worth for the National Transitional

Council. We are highly active in seeking the unfreezing of Libyan

state assets to assist with the immediate humanitarian situation. A

bite out of Apple. Black -- what next after C Steve Jobs steps down?

And the US east coast is preparing for the onslaught of Hurricane

Irene. Colonel Gaddafi tells his people he

is not finished yet. He has issued another verbal barrage from his

hiding place, using a broadcast on a state-run TV network to urge his

supporters to -- purifier Tripoli. Today in Tripoli, another

surprising turn. An extraordinary moment in what has been an almost

seven-month long battle to end Colonel Gaddafi's regime. Today, he

made another audio message. From where, who can say? He sent a

strong message urging his supporters to march on Tripoli, to

purify the City of rebels he described as rats and unbelievers.

Let's listen to a bit of what he had to say.

TRANSLATION: Take to the streets and fight. The hour of martyrdom

and victory has arrived. Advance everywhere until the enemy is

defeated. Do not give a victory to the rats. Fight them, defeat them

as soon as possible. You are the overwhelming majority. And the pass,

you staged marches of millions. You should do the same now, but this

time, you should be armed. The latest, said to be the words of

Colonel Gaddafi, who, from the beginning, has about martyrdom or

victory, but there would be no in- between for this leader who has

dominated and personalised his country's Politics for a knee the

42 years. The rebels continue to advance, but there are still

pockets of fighting what they are taking on loyalists of Colonel

Gaddafi. Let's take a look at where some of the strongest fighting is

taking place. This is where the fighting. This is a picture --

district of Tripoli. It lies on the main road towards the airport. The

rebels have been pushing towards that area for a few days. It is the

place of the notorious prison where some prisoners have already escaped

and the rebels say they went to free all of them. There was also

fighting around his former or compound around a cluster of

apartment blocks where there was a report that actually Colonel

Gaddafi and members of his family had actually taken refuge. And also,

there was some fire fights around this hotel along the coast. These

are pockets of resistance, showing that the city of Tripoli has not

been completely won over by the rebels. But when you travel across

the city, you realise that the rebels are in control of the vast

majority. Checkpoint after checkpoint, some of them just

concrete blocks, rebels with their T-shirts and hats waving victory

signs. They are in charge across most of the city. When we went to

the compound macro today, it is in rebel hands. I have this report now

from my colleague. Descending into Colonel Gaddafi's

underground fortress. A warren of tunnels which run for miles and

could have been his escape route. Today, rebel fighters were taking

the tour, seeing where his troops had been holed up. Abandoned in a

corner, some of their supplies. This underground labyrinth, the

secret world, was incredibly well constructed. The ceilings are very

high, the ball -- walls of very soured. I have just found a phone

which was used for internal communications. This is a motorised

cart. It looks like a golf buggy. Who knows if the leader was

transported through these tunnels in his cart. The Libyan leader

thought he would not be disturbed cheer, behind these reinforced

doors. But while he may have been able to flee into the shadows,

above ground, others were cut down in the battle for Tripoli. At the

edge of the conference today, we found bodies lying where they fell.

We cannot say who killed them. But this man appears to have been

executed. His hands were still do that -- was still bound. A short

distance away, the rebels are hunting for a sniper's nest. At the

head, a glimpse of a bigger threat. Could these be enemy troops? That

was the answer. Soon, a full scale a street battle. The fighters were

dangerously exposed. They brought out their improvised be Keegan's. -

- guns and their rocket-propelled grenades.

Another burst of gunfire. They believe there are Colonel Gaddafi's

troops just a little distance at this road. We are about -- for

about an hour, more came down. Eventually, we managed to get away.

This was just one pocket of resistance. When knows how many

more there may be? And how long it will take to three. Down the road,

this man told us his entire family is trapped behind enemy lines. I am

ready to die to get them out, he said. The rebels are tightening

their grip year, but in the capital, things are still dangerous.

Now that he is losing what had been an iron grip on this country,

evidence is emerging of the abuses committed by his forces. He has

been indicted for war -- war crimes. Today, my colleague visited a

hospital in Tripoli and found evidence of just that.

Outside this hospital, they are loading the remains of 17 men on to

a track. The bodies were brought to yesterday and handed over to a

shocked and horrified -- horrified staff. They think these men were

picked at a buyer Colonel Gaddafi forces at checkpoints and taken to

a schoolhouse near here which was being used as a temporary prison.

They were then tortured and were executed. The stench here is

appalling. I have been inside and I can tell you that one of the

victims looks about 15 years old. This is the scene of a war crimes

investigation. This doctor from Manchester who is volunteering in

Libya is suddenly its chief investigator. We spent some time

examining the bodies so that these things could be documented in case

they needed to be a cent as evidence for the International

Criminal Court. A lot of the injuries, about half of the 17th of

-- bodies had bullet went to the back of the head. Many had injuries

to the limbs and legs and hands that could not be explained. Inside

the hospital, the wards are crowded with wanted rebels and civilians.

Doctors say they have been overwhelmed by the fighting. In a

corner of one ward, we meet this man. He is the only survivor of the

school executions. TRANSLATION: He says they were tortured for days.

You're in was poured over them. Finally, two nights ago, they were

ordered outside. -- you rain. The men were made to kneel against a

wall and then sprayed with machine- gun fire.

If they to catch him alive, evidence will be crucial to a

prosecution at the Hague. That is the situation in Tripoli.

There has also been fighting today outside Tripoli in the most intense

was in the city of Sirte which lies more than 400 kilometres from the

capital. It is the tribal stronghold and the

birthplace of Colonel Gaddafi. It is believed to be where his diehard

loyalists have taken refuge. The rebels say they would like to

negotiate a peaceful surrender of the Tang, but they say they are

also ready for a fight. My colleague is travelling there.

It is not over yet. Though the battlefield is shrinking. These

rebels are pushing up reinforcements. There are facing a

stubborn enemy. We are 60 miles from Sirte, Colonel Gaddafi's home

town. His forces had been expected to retreat there to make a last

stand, but they have not been falling back. Far from it. We are

engaged with the enemy. But that is run this morning. Maybe you could

share the explosions every now and again. They had the chance to get

back to Sirte, but they did not. They are still attacking? You can

see they are attacking us. group of rebels believe they are

facing more than 1000 Colonel Gaddafi troops a few miles up the

road. They are baffled by the continued resistance. Colonel

Gaddafi ran away. They got Tripoli, game over. I do not know what they

are fighting for. They must believe in the sky. I do not know. We have

got a minute a corner. It is just a matter of time. The rebels still

hope that talks with tribal leaders will end this peacefully. If not,

they are building up forces on either side of the town. Military

commanders on the site had confidently predicted that once

Colonel Gaddafi was removed from power, his followers would simply

give up the fight. But some of the loyalists at least are confounding

those expectations and seemed determined to fight for the last

few slivers of territory which belongs to the old regime. This

afternoon, exchanges between the Colonel Gaddafi troops artillery

and the rebel tanks. Both sides seem to be digging in for a long

struggle. These are the last dying days off

Colonel Gaddafi's more than 40 year rule. In Tripoli, signs of the city

is resuming its normal days. Even a paint shop in one neighbourhood has

reopened. One priority might be to paint all of those doors green for

Colonel Gaddafi's Green Revolution. But the city needs a new government.

The rebel leadership based in Benghazi has said it will be

cautious. It will not come to Tripoli until the security

situation has stabilised. They promise their first task would be

to restore order, disarm the people carrying guns and to bring justice.

It is a tall order by any standard. First of all, there has to be

security. We will keep an eye on all the developments year. By were

handed back to the studio. While on the ground the rebels

continued to face stubborn resistance from sources loyal to

Colonel Gaddafi, they are making smooth process. The Arab League has

recognised the council as a Libya's government.

Italy has become the latest country to bidding and freezing seized

Libyan assets after a meeting in Milan, the Italian Prime Minister

said that more than $500 million would be made available to the

rebels. Meanwhile, leaders at the Libya Contact Group meeting in

Istanbul have called for the un to release $1.5 billion worth of

confiscated assets. That move is supported by the West but currently

being blocked by a South Africa. It's ambassador said that funding

Britain's government says the pressure on South Africa will be

maintained. We are supporting efforts by the United States to

freeze the assets held in the United States, South Africa has had

I spoke to my South African counterpart yesterday about this.

The Prime Minister has spoken to Jacob Zuma this morning. Joining me

from South Africa is a doctor from the University of Johannesburg's

Centre for Policy Studies. Thank you very much. You believe that a

lot of what NATO is doing here is over reaching? Frankly, I think

that is an understatement. It is not just over-reaching, it is

taking international call into but their own hands. It verges on rogue

behaviour. So much for getting rid of a dictator, and what a dictator

he is, but that does not give NATO the authority to, under the banner

of freedom and democracy, do as it pleases. Even the suggestion that

they will maintain pressure on South Africa smacks of such

international cockiness. Even on freezing assets, the United

Nations' voice, the African Union's voice, it is not known. South

Africa is expected to bend over and do the bidding of the Western

powers. If the African Union and South Africa are waiting for more

indication from the Libyan people of what their desires are, what

more do they want? I do not think it is about that. Should not be

about the Libyan people? It is about principles. It is about the

rule of law. We have not found out how the Libyan people have

expressed themselves other than through bombardment. I have no

doubt in my mind that they would like to see the tyrannical Colonel

Gaddafi goal, and the sooner the better. But the reality is that

South Africa never voted in favour of bombings. If South Africa did,

it would not make the position right. It is the principle that

NATO has given a mandate to go and impose a no Sly Stone -- no fly

zone. They have turned this into a regime change mission. It smacks of

suggestions that it is only Colonel Gaddafi's forces that have

committed acts of terror and war crimes here. That is blatantly not

the case. Everyone can see that there is a war going on. I cannot

imagine that we could come to the conclusion that it is only one side.

This is about one country standing up for the rule of international

law. Doctor, if NATO were to step back and the African Union stepped

up, it is an African problem with an African solution, what more

could they do in practical terms to help Libya? They could cope back to

the African Union's road map, which calls for negotiations by both

sides, even after removing Colonel Gaddafi. If only one state comes up,

it is believed that for lasting peace, they should engage those

people and make them part of the resolution in favour of lasting

peace. It does not make the country's position wrong. After the

suggestion that the African Union did not act enough, nothing could

be further from the truth. The African Union was the first

international organisation, the very first, not second or third,

the first to actually decide on what should happen in Libya. NATO

refused to take the African Union's voice into account. It is good that

somebody is standing up to say that Africans have a voice and they have

a perspective. Thank you very much. A look at some

of the day's other news. The United Nations has called upon Syria's

President Assad to stop military action against protesters. The

Under-Secretary urged the President to end violence against the Syrian

people. Since Ramadan began on 1st August, tanks have entered the city

-- a number of cities, trying to crush dissent after street protests.

Shellac a's President has announced the withdrawal of wartime emergency

laws introduced 28 years ago to fight the Tamil Tigers. He told

parliament that the laws are no longer needed since the defeat of

the rebels two years ago. The India's Prime Minister has

asked parliament to hold a full debate on an anti-corruption reform

proposal. Manmohan Singh has made a passionate appeal to Anna Hazare to

end his hunger strike, now into his 10th day. The movement supporting

him is still growing, reports suggest.

The company that revolutionised entertainment and entertainment --

communication with the iPhone, iPad and communication devices has

entered a new era without Steve Jobs at the helm. He says he can no

longer handle the job and is stepping down as Chief Executive.

He is seen as apple's architect. I feel very lucky that I get to be

a part-time employee and I get to work for kill and advise him on

Actually, now, I think it is great. What it means is that we have now

convince them that we have taken care of last month's question. And

they are on to the next one. I thought, let us get ahead of the

Anyone can make music now. Something that is this thick and

weighs 1.3lbs, it is unbelievable. This is your music, this is your e-

mail. And we collared the iPad. Let me show it to you now. -- we call

it. This is what it looks like. Do you like everything so far?

APPLAUSE. I will try not to blow it. Joining

me from new yard fire webcam is Philip Elmer-Dewitt, the editor of

the apple to. Old block for Fortune magazine. -- 2.0 blog. How can you

conceive of Apple without Steve Jobs? He seems essential to its

success. That Lee Kane is perfect. The attention to detail, the timing

that went into those adverts and presentations, what you now see is

a very carefully staged exit from Apple, which he has been working on

for four first a CBEs of medical details, handed out one at a time,

then a series of medical leaves. -- a series. Some keynote speeches

which he started to introduce people beneath them, and now this

hand-off of BC Old title. He assumed the Serran of the Board

title. -- chairman of the board. He lets everyone know he was still

have a hand in products getting developed, which is what investors

want to see. It ends up being a non-event on Wall Street. Apple's

stock went down less today than the market. It worked. He went -- she

did a great job. You could say that Tim Cook has been running the

company in all but name for a few months but he is not a household

name. Can he set up to the challenge? Tim Cook is a pretty

boring guy. He runs a supply chain like nobody else, he is a genius at

getting the trains to run on time, but no, there is not going to be a

front man quite like Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs is a genius at this.

Recognising that, having a charismatic leader at the head of

the company was much better than having a team of bureaucrats. The

price he paid was that people so identified the company with him

that they could not imagine it without him. It will be different.

There is a saying at Apple that his DNA has been instilled in everyone

in the company and I think that is true. He has very smart people

underneath him working in the design and marketing department.

But what is different is that when it is time to decide to push the

button and the land -- and build a new product, they used to have this

one guy who made the decision. Now it is probably going to be like a

committee, more like other companies, and to water makes the

decision will not have the authority that founder of Apple Hat.

Briefly, what is the biggest challenge for them now? -- apple

hat. The challenges the next device. They have won all the markets that

they are in. What will be the next killer device? I am told they have

products lined up until 2015 but after that, that is the question.

Thank you very much. My pleasure. The eastern coast of the United

States is bracing itself for the onslaught of Hurricane Irene. The

storm has destroyed the homes and brought down power lines in the

Bahamas with winds of almost 200mph. Hurricane Irene is expected to

strengthen as it heads towards the east coast, over New York and

Boston. Steve Kingston has the latest.

Introducing Hurricane Irene. 150 miles an hour of menace, slamming

into the Bahamas. The category Three hurricane toppled trees and

power lines. Local reports say that in one coastal settlements, entire

homes have been swept away. The eye of the storm, 65 miles east north-

east of Massa. If from the International Space Station, a

sense of the enormity of the hurricane. 500 miles from one side

to the other, bearing down on America. On the islands of North

Carolina, they are selling out generators and emergency supplies.

Many are leaving now, rather than risk the wind and massive tidal

surges expected. If the bad storm hits directly, it will not take

much of an elevation of sea level to create a lot of havoc. Further

north, the US Navy is moving warships away from their base in

Virginia. Along the east coast, communities up to New York and Cape

Cod are bracing themselves for what may lie ahead. The that is all from

the programme. Next, the weather. For now, from me

After a day showers tonight, for South West Wales and south-west

England, heavy downpours continue. The rain returning to south-east

England, giving wet and breezy conditions to other parts of

eastern England through the day tomorrow. This area of low pressure

running up through the North Sea. It will eventually park close to

Scotland for the weekend. But this is the picture for Friday. Heavy

rain in the east and the risk of local flooding. It will turn very

wet across much of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Heavy and persistent

rain. Slow improvement in the south-east with skies brightening.

More showers will follow. In central and southern England, some

of the sharers could be heavy. With some bright spells in between. --

of the showers. There will be spells of sunshine in Wales, and in

north-west England. Some showers for Northern Ireland but mainly dry

with bright spells. Eight few showers to be founded Scotland,

hit-and-miss in nature. We can see the process underway on Friday