BBC news 2011-04-20 加文本

BBC news 2011-04-20

BBC News with Fiona MacDonald

Britain says it will send a team of military officers to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi. The Foreign Secretary William Hague said they would not be involved in training or arming opponents of Colonel Gaddafi but would advise on military organisation, communications and logistics. Mr Hague said the move was in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.

"This is not British ground combat forces going in. We're very clear about the United Nations resolutions. They forbid any occupation, foreign occupation, of any parts of Libya, and we will absolutely stick to that. We're helping with non-lethal equipment, such as telecommunications and body armour."

The Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi told the BBC that sending military personnel would only serve to prolong hostilities.

Calm has returned to the parts of northern Nigeria which erupted in post-election violence on Monday. Reports from the city of Kaduna paint a bleak picture of charred bodies on the streets alongside burnt-out vehicles. Youths have been protesting against the election of President Goodluck Jonathan. Deaths have also been reported in Sokoto, Kano and Zaria.

The Syrian government has lifted a national emergency law that has been in place for nearly 50 years, but it announced other measures designed to regulate public protests, which have been taking place in many parts of the country. From Beirut, Owen Bennett-Jones reports.

On Saturday, President Bashar al-Assad pledged to lift the country's long-standing emergency laws within a week; and now it's been announced that the government has ratified an executive order that repeals the legislation. The announcement followed an interior ministry statement couched as both an appeal and a warning. The ministry said stability and security were national goals which should be realised. Unverified video footage said to be from Homs on Monday night showed heavy gunfire ringing through the main square where protesters had gathered.

Hamas security forces have stormed a house in Gaza, seeking militants suspected of involvement in the murder of an Italian activist, Vittorio Arrigoni. Officials said two of the militants died and a third was arrested. Al-Qaeda-inspired militants were blamed for the killing of Mr Arrigoni, who was a pro-Palestinian activist. Jon Donnison reports from Ramallah.

Mid-afternoon, fierce gunfire erupted as Hamas security forces laid siege to a house in the central Gaza Strip, where the three suspects were hiding. It ended dramatically. According to the Hamas interior ministry, one of the suspects threw a grenade at the other two, killing one of them and injuring the other. The first man then shot himself. Hamas had said it would crack down hard on those behind the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni, the first foreigner to be kidnapped in Gaza since the Islamic movement came to power in 2007.

World News from the BBC

An international conference on maritime piracy has called for a stronger partnership between countries and businesses to fight it. Delegates from more than 50 countries met in the United Arab Emirates, seeking to raise millions of dollars for an anti-piracy fund.

The former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has made his first public appearance with his younger brother Raul since handing over power five years ago. Delegates at Cuba's Communist Party congress welcomed Fidel Castro, who's 84, with thunderous applause. They officially chose Raul Castro as party leader. He reaffirmed his commitment to Cuba.

"As for rule, I take on my last job as first secretary to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba with a firm conviction that my main mission and aim in life is to defend, preserve and continue to perfect socialism, and never allow the return of a capitalist regime."

Three school children have been injured in the American city of Houston after a gun brought in by a six-year-old pupil went off accidentally. Police are investigating where the children got the weapon. Steve Kingstone reports from Washington.

It's thought the six-year-old boy arrived at school, carrying the loaded gun in his pocket or backpack. During a mid-morning canteen break, the weapon fell to the floor, discharging as it hit the ground. Another six-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl were injured, together with the boy who'd brought in the gun. They were struck in the legs and feet by bullet fragments or pieces of flooring. All three children were taken away by ambulance, but the injuries are not said to be life-threatening.

Police in Brazil have moved into a poor neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro in an attempt to catch the alleged drug baron they say controls the area. Around 200 police are searching the Rocinha neighbourhood for Antonio Bonfim Lopes, who's also accused of running a money-laundering scheme.

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