BBC news 2011-02-27 加文本

BBC news 2011-02-27

BBC News with Michael Powles.

One of the sons of the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, has warned that continued unrest could lead to the break-up of Libya, to be followed by a very long period of instability. Magdi Abdelhadi reports.

The young Gaddafi repeated all assertions that the revolt was the work of a small group of Islamic militants who’ve taken the civilian population hostage. He played down the scope of the uprising, adding that it was the work of a foreign conspiracy. Although he reiterated the threat that Libya could face a prolonged period of civil war if the current unrest didn’t come to an end, many would wonder if there was a slight change of tone this time. He said he’s always been in support of political reform, but he didn’t say whether he was prepared to enter into talks with the rebels who now control major cities in the east.

The Libyan capital Tripoli was reported calm today after the turmoil of recent weeks, with forces loyal to the country’s leader Muammar Gaddafi firmly in control. Checkpoints were set up across the city, and police maintained control of the main central square. Shops also opened as people went about their business. The airport, however, was a scene of chaos.

Moves are underway in the rebel-held city of Benghazi in eastern Libya to collect evidence for criminal prosecutions against security officials of the government of Muammar Gaddafi. John Leyne reports.

In the central Benghazi, there is the burnt-out shell of the sinister internal security headquarters. Local people told me Colonel Gaddafi’s secret police used to keep prisoners in a row of tiny cells. Each cell held up to five prisoners in a space barely big enough for one person. One small window high up in the wall is the only access to air and light. From the nearby offices, they are taking out secret papers, files on local people, even photos. They believe it was a hit list of those targeted for killing. It’s all been taken away, evidence for possible future prosecutions, the beginning of attempts to shine a light on the darkest corners of Colonel Gaddafi’s rule.

Two British military transport aircraft have rescued about 150 oil workers, Britons and other foreign nationals who’ve been stranded in the Libyan desert by the unrest in the country. The Foreign Office said it believed there were a further 300 Britons still in Libya, mainly at desert camps, and efforts will be made to get them to safety.

The Tunisian authorities say three people have been killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the capital of Tunis. Riot police used tear gas, batons and live ammunition to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding the resignation of the interim Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi. The protesters fought pitched battles with the police throughout the day as they tried to storm the interior ministry. The demonstrators want Mr Ghannouchi to step down, because he served as prime minister for many years during the rule of the ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. There’ve been regular demonstrations against the caretaker government of Mr Ghannouchi, with protesters demanding a clean break with the country’s former government.

BBC News.

A leading Bahraini Shia politician has returned to his country from self-imposed exile in Britain. Hassan Mushaima is known for his strong opposition to the ruling Sunni dynasty and was sentenced in absentia last year on charges of trying to overthrow the government. His return comes after the authorities agreed to drop charges against him, one of several concessions they offered to the protesters who were still occupying the Pearl Roundabout at the capital. He was welcomed by supporters at the airport where he told the BBC that he wanted a genuine democratic reform that could turn Bahrain into a constitutional monarchy.

“Demands is up to the people on the ground who died on earth there and who would face everything just to give their demands. So that’s why I’m with the people.”

There’s been heavy gunfire in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan, as rival groups fight over who should be president of the country. Shots rang out at an area populated by supporters of Allasane Quatara, who is internationally recognised as the winner of last year’s election.

A former commander of Bolivia’s anti-narcotics police force has been arrested in Panama on charges of drugs trafficking. The Bolivian authorities said former police general, Rene Sanabria, was detained when he arrived in Panama earlier this week and transferred to the United States to face trial. Bolivia has arrested three other police officers suspected of helping him smuggle cocaine to the US. General Sanabria was still working as an intelligence advisor to the government.

A film about the real-life tragedy of seven French monks who were abducted and beheaded during Algeria's civil war in the 1990s has been named Best Film at the annual awards ceremony held by the French film industry in Paris. The film Of Gods and Men, directed by Xavier Beauvois, focuses on the rhythms of monastic life and how the seven men face up to the threat of sudden death as the conflict deepens around them. Roman Polanski won Best Writer for the political thriller The Ghost Writer.

BBC News.