BBC news 2011-02-18 加文本

BBC news 2011-02-18

BBC News with Marion Marshall

Reports are emerging of large protests in Libya's second city Benghazi following calls for "day of rage" demonstrations. According to eyewitnesses, thousands of people are on the streets, chanting "the people want to topple the colonel", a reference to Colonel Gaddafi, who's ruled Libya for more than four decades. There are also reports of protests in Zenten and in al-Bayda, where protests broke out on Wednesday. Jon Leyne reports.

The so-called "day of rage" appears to have spread to four Libyan cities. The most violent clashes were in the eastern city of Benghazi. Opposition websites said as many as six people were killed there with more deaths in the city of al-Bayda, but none of the figures could be confirmed. Other reports suggested a police station was set on fire in the city of Zenten. State television ignored the protests, instead airing patriotic songs and showing pictures of pro-government rallies, the largest of which appears to be in Tripoli.

The security forces in Bahrain have sealed off a square in the capital Manama after breaking up an anti-government protest. The Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said action against the demonstrators had been necessary to pull Bahrain back from the brink of a sectarian abyss, an apparent reference to divisions between the ruling Sunni minority and Bahrain's majority Shia population. At least three people were killed overnight when police opened fire on the protesters. Ian Pannell is in Manama.

Without warning, the police came, launching a ferocious attack - tear gas, rubber bullets and even live rounds. They moved through the crowd, spreading fear and panic. By the time they finished, hundreds were injured and at least three people were dead. There were chaotic and angry scenes at the city's main hospital. Hundreds of friends and relatives of those injured gathered outside, the only place left for them to meet. Ambulance crew said they were prevented from treating the injured and some paramedics were even attacked by the police.

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the United States strongly opposes the use of violence.

"I called my counterpart in Bahrain this morning and directly conveyed our deep concerns about the actions of the security forces. And I emphasised how important it was that given there will be both funerals and prayers tomorrow, that that not be marred by violence."

At least two people were killed and more than 40 others wounded when police opened fire on protesters in northern Iraq. An adviser to the Kurdish regional government told the BBC that hundreds had gathered in the city of Sulaimaniya, chanting "the corrupt must face justice", to protest against corruption and high unemployment rates. They have been marching towards the offices of the two main Iraqi Kurdish political parties.

World News from the BBC

The governor of Helmand province in Afghanistan, Gulab Mangal, says a programme of American-funded civilian militia is to be expanded. In an interview with the BBC's Pashto service, he described the local armed groups as an important weapon in the struggle against the Taliban. Eight hundred armed men are now being directly funded by the United States in Helmand, but they've faced criticism for being heavy-handed. Governor Mangal said right measures were in place to ensure the right people were selected.

"If there isn't proper control of the recruitment process, there's a danger that they might turn to crime or illegal activities, and they could harass local people and they might steal. That is a possibility, but so far we've adopted very serious control measures."

A European court has upheld the right of television viewers in the European Union to watch important sporting events, such as the World Cup, without having to pay. Football's world governing body Fifa and the European body Uefa want to broadcast World Cup and European championship matches on pay TV. But the court ruled that these games are of national importance. It said wide public access to events, deemed to be of major significance to society, should be ensured.

An opposition activist in Belarus has been sentenced to four years in prison for taking part in a large protest in December against the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko. Vasily Parfenkov, who campaigned for an opposition candidate, had been charged with participating in mass disorder. He's the first of 30 opposition figures to be tried.

Kyrgyzstan's parliament has voted to name one of its mountains after the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The parliament said it would immortalise the Russian leader's name. Putin Peak stands at 4,500 metres, higher than Yeltsin Peak, named after the former Russian leader. However, both are dwarfed by the 7000-metre Lenin Peak, named over 80 years ago.

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