BBC 2009-04-24
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BBC News with Julie Candler
Police in Iraq say at least 75 people have been killed in two separate suicide bomb attacks. At least 28 people died in the first incident in central Baghdad which targeted Iraqi Police handing out aid. In the second explosion, 48 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded restaurant near Bakuba, northeast of the capital. Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.
These two bombings together have made this the blackest day Iraq has had for over a year. They're believed to have been the work of militant Sunni factions linked to Al-Qaeda and the insurgency. They are showing that they can still carry out such attacks despite the blows they've sustained, but they are still the exception rather than the norm that prevailed two years ago, then Iraqis were dying at a rate of over a hundred every single day.
Lawyers for four men jailed in Sweden for running one of the world's largest Internet file-sharing website Pirate Bay have called for a retrial. It came after it emerged that the judge in the case is a member of copyright protection organizations. The case against Pirate Bay was brought by a number of major entertainment corporations. Andrew Bolton reports.
The four were sentenced to a year in prison last week and ordered to pay more than 3.5 million dollars in damages after being convicted of breaking Copyright Law. Their lawyers now say that the judge's membership of copyright organizations constitutes a conflict of interest. The judge denies that there is such a conflict. Lawyers say the Swedish Court of Appeal is to rule on any possible retrial.
Supporters of the African National Congress in South Africa have been celebrating what they see as its decisive victory in South Africa's general election. With about 70% of the ballots counted, the ANC has about 66% of the vote, while opposition Democratic Alliance has 16%. The Congress of the People is trailing with 8%. The Inkatha Freedom Party’s share of the vote appears to have halved to about 4%. Helen Zille, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, outlined why she thought the ANC had done so well.
"In emerging democracy, especially in a complex plural society, voting has more to do with identity than anything else. It depends on how the society is divided and in our country there are so very powerful racial divisions and people vote to their identity, their history, their loyalty. “
The French Immigration Minister Eric Besson has promised to shut down a makeshift squatter camp outside the port of Calais by the end of the year. The camp is used by hundreds of migrants from countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, some of whom have hopes of crossing the channel to find work in Britain. Mr. Besson appealed to Britain to do more to strengthen border controls and to help resolve the problem of migrants. Britain says it had already has tight security to prevent illegal migrants crossing the channel.
World News from the BBC(www.hXen.com)
A Columbian drugs boss who's just been convicted in the United Stated has alleged that he and his private army helped fund the 2002 election campaign of President Alvaro Uribe. He was speaking after being sentenced to 31 years in prison. The president's former campaign chief has denied the charges. Diego Murillo was one of the leaders of a feared right-wing paramilitary force.
The crew of a ship held for five months by Somali pirates before being freed on Tuesday say they fear they could be recaptured. The captain of the 23-strong Filipino crew told the BBC by satellite telephone that his ship had run out of fuel and was now drifting back towards the pirates near the Somali coast. A warship patrolling the waters of Somalia has delivered emergency food, water and medicine but had to move on for another task.
The US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has urged the leaders of Pakistan to act against the spread of Taliban militancy, saying failure to confront the threat could affect US-Pakistani relations. His comments came after militants ambushed a convoy of security personnel just a hundred kilometers from the capital Islamabad. A policeman was killed in the assault in Banar district next to the Swat Valley where the Taliban holds sway after government forces failed to quell an insurgency there.
A pharmacy in the United States has said there was a mistake in the strengthened medication given to 21 polo horses that died suddenly at the weekend. The horses belonging to the Venezuelan Lechuza team crumpled before a shocked crowd of shocked spectators at a match in Florida. From Washington, John Donaldson
A spokeswoman for Franck's Pharmacy said they began an internal investigation as soon as they learned of what she called a tragic accident. She said the medication had been given on the orders of a vet. Florida State officials investigating the deaths say it is not yet clear what killed the animals.
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