BBC news 2010-12-04 加文本

BBC news 2010-12-04

BBC News with Fiona MacDonald

The political crisis in Ivory Coast is deepening amid disagreements about who won Sunday's presidential election run-off. The long-term President Laurent Gbagbo has refused to accept provisional results giving victory to the opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara. Mr Ouattara has declared himself the new head of state, and he's been backed by the UN secretary general, as Barbara Plett reports.

Ban Ki-moon issued a statement congratulating Alassane Ouattara on his election. He also called on President Gbagbo to cooperate in a smooth political transition. The secretary general was endorsing the position of his representative in the country, who has rejected final voting results declaring Mr Gbagbo's re-election and upheld provisional results supporting the opposition candidate. The UN has closely monitored the poll and is mandated to certify the outcome. Mr Ouattara has now declared himself the country's new leader amid high tensions. The presidential election was meant to restore stability after a civil war in 2002, but there are now fears it may lead to a return of violence.

Latest reports say a close aide to Mr Gbagbo has called for the expulsion of the main UN representative.

President Obama has warned of difficult days ahead in Afghanistan, despite significant progress being made in the fight against the Taliban, but he vowed that America would be victorious. Mr Obama was speaking to US troops during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan.

"It's a tough business. Progress comes slow. And there are going to be difficult days ahead. Progress comes at a high price. So many of you have stood before the solemn battle cross, the display of boots, a rifle, a helmet, and said goodbye to a fallen comrade. There are few days when I don't sign a letter to a military family expressing our nation's gratitude and grief at their profound sacrifice."

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told the BBC that she has spent a considerable amount of time over the past week reassuring world leaders about the conduct of American diplomacy. She was speaking in Bahrain in the wake of the Wikileaks controversy.

"I have personally expressed my regret to individual leaders as well as publicly to anyone who has been offended or affected. But this is a tough business we're in, and it's a challenging world and most leaders get it."

Mrs Clinton said the leaked diplomatic cables did not reflect US policy but were a way for diplomats to share information. She added that the authorities were examining ways of making confidential documents more secure.

Officials from Kenya's finance ministry have estimated that up to a third of the national budget is being swallowed up by corruption. The officials said the government was losing about $4bn a year.

World News from the BBC

Israeli police have arrested two men on suspicion of involvement in a huge forest fire that's raging out of control in northern Israel. The authorities say they suspect arson in a number of related fires, and investigators are looking for more culprits. An international effort is underway to help Israel with special aircraft and teams of firefighters to control the fire. At least 41 people have been killed, and more than 15,000 evacuated.

The Spanish government has warned it will allow the military to take control of the country's airspace unless air traffic controllers return to work. Officials said many had called in sick as part of a long-running pay dispute, causing the shutdown of several Spanish airports. More from Sarah Rainsford in Madrid.

Many passengers were left stranded inside planes on runways after the protest began this evening. It's the start of a national holiday here, and the airports are crowded with people who'd been planning a long weekend away. All flights in and out of Madrid, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza have been cancelled, the result of a dispute over air traffic controllers' hours and conditions. The airport authority Aena has called the action irresponsible, accusing the controllers of holding the country hostage.

A court in Colombia has sentenced a former paramilitary commander, who's admitted ordering the killing of more than 4,000 people, to eight years in prison. The man, Jorge Ivan Laverde also known as the "Iguana", had originally been sentenced to 40 years in prison. But his sentence was reduced as part of an amnesty programme for paramilitaries willing to give up arms. He was found guilty of participating in at least 28 massacres.

The United Nations has warned that the cholera epidemic in Haiti could affect many more people than previously believed. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said health officials now estimate that 650,000 people could become infected over the next six months.

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