BBC news 2011-08-26
BBC News with Marion Marshall
A new audio message has been broadcast from Colonel Gaddafi, urging Libyans to destroy the rebels as heavy fighting again broke out in parts of Tripoli. He appealed to people in Jfara, a district near Tripoli, to march on the capital and emulate the struggle for independence against the former colonial power in Libya, Italy.
"Our tribes in Jfara, march, march, keep marching towards the city of Tripoli as you marched towards Tripoli when it was attacked by the Italians in 1911. The same march is being repeated now. Confront them, confront them and purge the great city of Tripoli from these rats - the agents of colonialism."
Meanwhile, there's been fighting between rebels and forces loyal to the colonel in the Abu Salim neighbourhood of Tripoli. There have been unconfirmed claims from rebel sources that Colonel Gaddafi or his sons might be hiding in residential buildings in the area.
Rebel forces are now advancing on the city of Sirte, Colonel Gaddafi's birthplace and his principal remaining stronghold. A BBC correspondent says the morale of the Libyan rebels is high. He said teenagers sitting on tanks cheered as they passed for what they hope will be the final battle of the war, but our correspondent says the Gaddafi loyalists are putting up stubborn resistance. The BBC has been shown evidence of war crimes alleged to have been committed by Colonel Gaddafi's forces just days before the fall of Tripoli. Our correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been taken to see the bodies of a group who appeared to have been tortured and shot.
Outside the Mitiga Hospital in eastern Tripoli, a group of men in white smocks and masks are loading the remains of 17 men onto a truck. They think that these 17 men were picked up by Gaddafi forces at checkpoints around the city and taken to a schoolhouse near here which was being used as a temporary prison. They were then tortured, and as the Gaddafi forces retreated they were executed. One of the victims looks to be about 15 years old. If they do catch Gaddafi alive, evidence from this investigation could be part of the prosecution against him in The Hague.
One of the world's most influential financiers, Warren Buffett, is investing $5bn in the Bank of America. The bank's shares have fallen by a third this month and lost more than half their value this year over investor concerns about losses in its home loans business. With the details, here's Andrew Walker.
There have been worries in the financial markets that Bank of America could be seriously damaged by losses in its home loans business. That has been reflected in a falling share price. Now the highly regarded investor Warren Buffett is putting in $5bn of capital from his company, the Berkshire Hathaway. That move does two things: it gives Bank of America an additional cushion to absorb any losses, and the fact that Mr Buffett's involved is seen by many in the markets as a vote of confidence in the bank, whose share price rose after the announcement.
Andrew Walker reporting
World News from the BBC
African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa have pledged more than $350m for millions of people suffering from the effects of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. Of this, $300m came from the African Development Bank. Civil society organisations said they were disappointed that just four African heads of state attended.
Gunmen have attacked a number of police stations and banks in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 12 people. Nigerian police blame the raids in the town of Gombi on Islamist militants, who've been linked with a wave of violence in the region. But a local official said the attackers had been armed robbers. Their victims are reported to have included several police officers.
Police in northern Austria say they are investigating a man accused of imprisoning and sexually abusing his two daughters in his home over a period of 40 years. The man, who's in his 80s, denies the allegations. Reports suggest one of the daughters had overpowered her father when he tried to rape her. A statement said the two women had been allowed limited contact with the outside world, but were intimidated into not speaking out.
Spain's top footballers have called off their strike and will be back in action on Saturday after resolving a pay dispute in marathon negotiations overnight. The row forced the postponement of the opening games in Spain's top two divisions last weekend. From Madrid, here's Sarah Rainsford.
Football fans here in Spain and around the world can breathe a sigh of relief. La Liga kicks back into action this weekend after the first players' strike in 27 years was called off. Talks between the players' association and the football league ran until dawn on Thursday morning before resuming later. Eventually, the two sides emerged with a deal agreeing to an emergency fund to guarantee players' wages. They also agreed that any player unpaid for three months on the run can break his contract and sign for someone else.
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