BBC news 2011-05-22 加文本

BBC news 2011-05-22

BBC News with Mike Cooper

Troops from northern Sudan say they've taken control of the disputed town of Abyei on the border with southern Sudan. The army of southern Sudan said northern troops had entered Abyei with tanks and that fighting was continuing. James Copnall reports from Khartoum.

Troops from the northern army attacked Abyei after three days of clashes and artillery bombardments. A southern army spokesman acknowledged the town had been lost, saying there were not enough southern troops to defend it. This is a startling development following months of arguments and just two days before the UN Security Council was due to visit Abyei. Abyei has been the biggest point of contention between north and south Sudan, and this event will lead to heightened fears of a new conflict between the two.

Tens of thousands of people are protesting across Spain against high unemployment and the government's austerity measures in defiance of a ban on demonstrations on the eve of local elections. The protest began in Madrid's main square, the Puerta del Sol, six days ago as a spontaneous sit-in by young people. Sarah Rainsford is there.

Tens of thousands of people in the square yet again. Many, many people here last night, the biggest protest so far, I think it's gearing up to be another big night tonight. There have been big crowds all day long at this protest camp. It is illegal, but it is being tolerated by the authorities. I think ahead of local elections tomorrow, the authorities here know that it would be politically very difficult if they were to move in and to move on a crowd as big as this, which has so much support across Spain.

Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has been inaugurated in a ceremony that marked the country's return to constitutional order after a decade of unrest and conflict. Mr Ouattara called for brotherhood and reconciliation, saying he would rule in the interests of the whole nation.

"This day represents a historic moment for the people of Ivory Coast. Yes, this day is for all Ivorians the start of an era that marks our common will to write a new page in the history of our country."

Tens of thousands watched on big screens around the capital Yamoussoukro as the president was sworn in.

A senior United Nations official has concluded that torture is still carried out by Tunisia's security forces. After a week-long investigation in the country, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez said the popular uprising which ousted the former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had not completely eradicated the practice. Mr Mendez said the authorities needed to do more to show that it would no longer be tolerated.

Iceland's most active volcano, Grimsvotn, has begun erupting. Iceland's Meteorological Office says the eruption is expected to be small and shouldn't cause a disruption on air travel routes. Last year, ash clouds from another Icelandic volcano led to the closure of a huge swathe of airspace across Europe and chaos at airports around the world.

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Police in Chile have been clashing with demonstrators protesting against government policies. The clashes in the central city of Valparaiso happened after a protest march called by the country's main trade union had concluded peacefully. It was timed to coincide with the president's annual state of the union address. Demonstrators held up signs opposing the government's education, labour and environmental policies.

Police in Malaysia say two landslides have partially buried an orphanage near the capital Kuala Lumpur, killing 12 people, many of them children. A number of other people were rescued, but four are still missing. Jennifer Pak reports from Kuala Lumpur.

Police say two landslides hit the orphanage within seconds of each other. Twenty children and their carers were gathered under a tent outside the orphanage when the incident happened. Authorities say the victims did not have a chance to escape. Police say heavy rainfall is the likely cause of the landslide[s] in central Selangor state. The rain in recent days has slowed the rescue efforts. The soil is too wet to be moved by machines, so rescue workers have tried to dig with their hands and shovels to search for survivors.

Final results have been announced in local elections in South Africa, showing that the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has nearly doubled its share of the votes since the last poll. The governing ANC still maintained a solid majority with 62% of the vote. Analysts say the Democratic Alliance, traditionally seen as having support among white voters, is now making inroads into the black middle-class electorate.

Hundreds of Twitter users have reacted to a Premier League footballer's bid to stop comments on his private life by posting new messages online. The move follows a ruling by the High Court in London, ordering [the] social networking site to provide the names of users who've published confidential details about the player. Legal experts have pointed out that the website, which is based in California, isn't covered by English law.

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