BBC news 2008-05-05 加文本

BBC News with John Jason.

Exit polls in Bolivia indicate that a referendum on greater autonomy for the all rich province of Santa Cruz have shown a big majority in favor. If confirmed, it seems a significant upset for the socialist policies of President Evo Morales that he says he ignored the result. Our South American correspondent Daniel Schweimler reports.

The vote was always going to be in favor of greater autonomy for the government in La Paz. Many in Santa Cruz simply don’t like President Evo Morales’ proposed radical reforms. He has some support in the province, mostly among the poor and indigenous community, but they boycotted the referendum. The President has pledged to deal with poverty across Bolivia, the poorest country in South American by ensuring the oil and gas which eastern provinces contribute more to the poorer west of the country. That was where the bulk of his support lives.

United Nations aid workers in Burma say they are ready to send help to those worst affected by a cyclone on Saturday. But so far the Burmese military authorities have not given them a go-ahead to reach the most needy areas. The Burmese authorities say more than 350 people have been killed. Susannah reports.

Full reports on the havoc wreaked by the cyclone in Burma have still not been received from many towns and villages. The Burmese authorities have not given aid agencies permission to reach the worst affected areas. But the United Nations said it was standing by to send help if asked. The brunt of the storm battered the low lying region of the Irrawaddy delta. State television said more than 90,000 people were left homeless on one small island alone. And according to the UN, Burma’s big city Rangoon has been badly damaged. It is without electricity and telephones, and many people have lost their homes.

Military unites in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia say they have shot down two unmanned Georgian spy planes. Russia which supports the Abkhazia separatist has accused Georgian government of violating a ceasefire agreement with the flights. Georgia has denied its planes were within the area. Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports from Moscow.

What exactly is going on between Georgia and Abkhazia right now depends on which side you stand. In the Abkhazia capital, officials claim Georgia is preparing a military invasion to retake the region by force. They claim the over-flights by Georgian unmanned drones are in preparation for that attack. In the Georgian capital, the government calls the accusations nonsense. It denies it had any drones in the area on Sunday. Instead, it accuses Abkhazia’s main supporter, Russia of stirring up trouble in the area.

As the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continues her latest diplomatic trip to the Middle East, the Egyptians have called for more openness on the state of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The Egyptian Foreign Minister accused the two sides of preferring to keep matter secret. You are listening to the BBC.

A Teachers Union in Zimbabwe says it will call a national strike unless alleged attacks on its members by government supporters stop at once. Raymond Majongwe of the Progressive Teachers Union said more than 130 of its members have been assaulted in the past few days. “They were beaten with iron bars, some have their hands, legs and lips in the end seriously injured, quite a lot have been ripped off their heads, and it’s quite tragic , it’s terrible. “ Mr. Majongwe said more than 1,700 have fled after being threatened with violence. The union said many teachers who worked as the polling officers during Zimbabwe’s parliamentary and presidential elections in March have been accused of helping the opposition.

The Nigerian military are searching for the gunmen who’ve attacked an oil supply ship off the coast of Niger Delta. The captain and an engineer were taken hostage in the ship looted. No group has admitted carrying out the attack. The attack took place near one of Nigeria’s largest oil export terminals and it’s the latest and serious of the attacks on oil installations in the area.

The authorities in Brazil say at least 15 people have died when a passenger vessel capsized in the river Solimoes in the Amazon region. Rescuers said the ship was carrying more than 80 mainly young passengers returning from a party near Manaus. The Brazilian navy said the vessel did not have a valid license. The rescuers believe the ship may have been over laden with passengers or cargo.

The authorities of Afghanistan have arrested two government employees and accused them of involvement with last week’s attack on the military parade in Kabul. The Afghan Intelligence Chief Amrullah Saleh said one worked for the Defense Ministry and the other for the Interior Ministry. One was also weapons expert. Mr. Saleh said the government still believed that Pakistan based militants linked to al-Qaeda were behind the attack which killed three people. BBC News.