BBC news 2011-01-24 加文本

BBC news 2011-01-24

BBC News with David Legge

The Arabic news network al-Jazeera has published details of what it says are hundreds of leaked records of Middle East negotiations. The BBC has not independently verified the documents, but al-Jazeera says they show among other things that in 2008 Palestinian negotiators secretly allowed Israeli annexations in East Jerusalem. It says the documents are confidential Palestinian records covering more than a decade of talks with Israel and the United States.

An Israeli inquiry into a raid on aid ships trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza last year has concluded the action did not contravene international law. Nine Turkish activists were killed in the raid, but the inquiry decided the Israeli forces opened fire in self-defence. Turkey says the report has no credibility, as Jonathan Head reports from Istanbul.

In the nine months since the flotilla incident, Turkey has not budged from its view that the actions of Israeli forces were illegal and unjustifiably violent. So the conclusion of the Israeli inquiry that neither the government nor the commandos who boarded the flotilla were at fault has received a predictably negative response here. Turkey's own commission of inquiry said it was surprised, appalled and dismayed by the Israeli report and went on to list its arguments for the illegality of the assaults on the flotilla.

With the vast majority of votes now counted in the southern Sudanese referendum, nearly all of those polled have voted for the south to become an independent country. Provisional figures have been announced by the Southern Sudanese Referendum Commission. James Copnall reports from Khartoum.

Almost 99% of the valid votes cast and tallied so far are in favour of separation, according to the website of the referendum commission. This leaves little room for doubt, particularly as all of the votes from northern Sudan and from out of the country and nearly 99% of the votes from the south have been processed. The full southern results are due to be released at the end of this month, and the final results early in February. Separation will not happen until July. There are still many problems to resolve, including the border region Abyei and tricky issues like resources, legal matters and citizenship.

The Green Party in Ireland has pulled out of the coalition government in a move that could lead to an early general election. The party's leader John Gormley said there had been a breakdown in trust and the Irish people were losing confidence in politics. From Dublin, Mark Simpson reports.

The Irish government is unravelling. Ireland's Prime Minister Brian Cowen is now leading a minority administration. The likelihood is that the Irish general election scheduled for mid-March will be brought forward to February. Before then, Mr Cowen will try to ensure that financial legislation required as part of Ireland's international bail-out will be passed by the Irish parliament, but that may not be possible.

World News from the BBC

Egypt says it has proof that a Palestinian militant group linked to al-Qaeda was behind the bombing of a church in the city of Alexandria which killed more than 20 people on New Year's Day. The Egyptian Interior Minister Habib al-Adly said a Gaza-based group called the Army of Islam carried out the bombing.

"If the elements of the Palestinian Army of Islam, linked to the al-Qaeda organisation, think that they were hiding behind people who were recruited, their despicable involvement in this mean act of terrorism has been confirmed by conclusive evidence."

The Army of Islam has denied involvement, and the Palestinian militant movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, said it would never allow anyone to harm Arab and Egyptian national security.

Officials in Brazil say more than 800 people are now known to have died in floods and landslides in the southeast of the country this month. More than 400 people are still reported to be missing after torrential rain caused whole hillsides to collapse.

Exit polls in Portugal in the election for the largely ceremonial role of president indicate that the incumbent Anibal Cavaco Silva has been re-elected. According to television network projections, Mr Cavaco Silva secured an outright victory in the first round.

Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Belgian capital Brussels to demand the formation of a national government after months of deadlock. Many wore hats or carried umbrellas in the colours of the national flag to promote unity in the face of deep division between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking populations. This demonstrator blamed the politicians.

"You see, there are a lot of people that too care about this country, and it seems that the politicians just care about themselves."

The stalemate has led to concern that Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north of Belgium could secede.

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