BBC news 2010-02-08 加文本

2010-02-08 BBC

BBC News with Deborah Mackenzie.

Exit polls in Ukraine suggest that the presidential election has been won by the pro-Moscow candidate Viktor Yanukovych. The unofficial polls indicate that Mr Yanukovych defeated his rival, the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, by three to six percentage points. Mrs Tymoshenko's campaign manager says the result is too early to call and has also alleged that extensive fraud has taken place. Richard Galpin reports from Kiev.

The results of the exit polls were released immediately after voting ended on Sunday night. Mr Yanukovych had been the front runner in the race all along. If his victory is confirmed by the Central Election Commission on Monday, it would be an extraordinary indictment of the failure of the leaders of the Orange Revolution to deliver on their promises over the past five years, which has left so many people here deeply disillusioned.

A large rescue operation is underway at an energy plant in the American state of Connecticut after a powerful blast which may have injured dozens of people. The authorities in Middletown say two people are confirmed dead and four others are seriously injured. An official said at least 50 construction workers were inside the power plant when the explosion happened. Here is our Washington correspondent Imtiaz Tyab.

A huge search and rescue effort is underway at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown, Connecticut. Emergency personnel are focusing mainly on one building which bore the brunt of the blast, which was reportedly caused by a gas pipeline explosion. The structure that suffered the most damage was apparently under construction, and there are concerns that there may be people buried under the steel and concrete. The massive explosion was felt nearly 50 kilometers away.

French police have closed down a makeshift shelter for illegal immigrants in northern France just 24 hours after it was opened. The disused warehouse in the Port of Calais was being used by about 100 migrants mostly from Afghanistan. Here is our Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield.

The migrants mainly from Afghanistan and Iraq had the backing of a local campaigning group called No Border. On Saturday they took over a warehouse, not far from Calais Port, with the apparent aim of turning it into a permanent shelter. Police and riot police surrounded the building, allowing all migrants to leave in search of food, but not to return. Eventually there were only a handful of migrants and activists remaining in the warehouse when police moved in to clear them out mid-afternoon Sunday.

Iran says it will begin enriching uranium to a higher grade from Tuesday, prompting objections from several Western governments, who say it could eventually lead to the production of a nuclear bomb. Britain said the enrichment would be a deliberate breach of UN resolutions, while Germany and the United States said it could lead to new sanctions on the Iranian government. The statements followed an order to officials from the Iranian president to increase uranium enrichment from 5 to 20%.

World News from the BBC.

The Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told a conference of the world's top defense officials in Germany that he is considering introducing conscription to help strengthen Afghan forces so they can take control of security. His comments come as American-led forces prepare to launch a major offensive in southern Afghanistan. NATO commanders say the operation will be the biggest against Taliban insurgents since the war began.

Iraqi police say a female candidate in next month's parliamentary elections has been shot dead in the northern city of Mosul by an unknown gunman. The woman, Suha Abdel Jarallah, was running on the list of a secular non-sectarian coalition headed by the former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

The former American vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has said it would be absurd for her not to consider running for president in 2012. In an appearance on the Fox News television channel, she said her focus had widened since she was governor of Alaska. Ms. Palin attracted widespread support among conservative voters during the 2008 campaign.

The biggest annual event in American sport, the Super Bowl, takes place in Miami shortly. The Indianapolis Colts are favourites to win. But many Americans are expected to support the New Orleans Saints, whose city is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Here is Alex Capstick.

When Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods racked the city in 2005, the New Orleans Saints’ stadium, the Superdome, became a refugee camp for thousands of homeless people. It was a key image of the city's ruin. Its renaissance as a sports venue and the improved fortunes for the football team which plays there have been recognized as a symbol of the city's recovery. Before Katrina, the New Orleans Saints had an unenviable record. But since the devastation five years ago, the Saints have been revitalized into a contender for America's biggest sporting prize.

BBC News.