BBC news 2011-11-13 加文本

BBC news 2011-11-13

BBC News with Sue Montgomery

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has now resigned. Crowds jeered and heckled as he went to the presidential palace to present his resignation. He held his last cabinet meeting after the final approval by the Italian parliament of austerity measures. Alan Johnston reports from Rome.

After holding one last cabinet meeting, Silvio Berlusconi made his way to the residence of Italy's head of state, President Giorgio Napolitano. It was an undignified journey. As Mr Berlusconi arrived at the palace, a large crowd booed and jeered. But once inside, the prime minister formally tendered his resignation. Silvio Berlusconi was often described as a consummate survivor, managing to slip out of political and legal trouble again and again. But he has been overwhelmed by the scale of Italy's current financial crisis. It has swept him away, and now Italy has entered a new era.

Syria has condemned its suspension by the Arab League, calling the decision illegal. The Arab League suspended Syria until it implements the terms of a peace initiative agreed 10 days ago. It also announced economic and political sanctions against Damascus. Jon Leyne reports.

The Arab League has taken tougher action against Syria than anyone expected. The moves will dramatically increase the isolation of President Assad's government. The league has even threatened to refer the issue to the United Nations. And opposition groups have been invited to Arab League headquarters so they can agree on a unified position. Syria immediately reacted furiously. It said the moves were illegal, and Damascus accused the league of serving a Western and American agenda.

The Bahraini authorities say they've foiled a plot to attack the Saudi embassy in Bahrain. State media quoted an interior ministry spokesman as saying four Bahrainis were arrested in Qatar and handed over to Bahrain earlier this month.

The British aid agency Oxfam is withdrawing its staff from a volatile border region of South Sudan in response to increasing instability. Oxfam said its workers had reported aerial bombing and artillery fire for several hours on Friday in Upper Nile state. The agency says thousands of refugees continue to cross the border from the north in need of food, water and shelter. Grant Ferrett reports.

Sporadic fighting erupted along the border in the months before South Sudan became independent in July, but reports of further clashes are now coming in almost every day. Each side accuses the other of backing rebels in its territory. Each is deploying more troops and equipment to various hot spots. Oxfam is pulling 22 of its staff out of Jamam and Renk in the South Sudanese state of Upper Nile. The fear is that the sporadic clashes degenerate into a return to war.

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Military authorities in Pakistan say that four military intelligence officers kidnapped on Friday have been killed during an unsuccessful rescue raid on a militant base. Army officials said five militants were also killed during the raid in Jhelum district in the east of Pakistan.

A rare protest by thousands of members of Portugal's armed forces has taken place in Lisbon. The demonstration was against uNPRecedented cuts in military pay and benefits and reductions in a number of military personnel. Alison Roberts reports from Lisbon.

There were no shouted slogans at this rare military protest - that's prohibited by law, as is wearing uniforms at such events. But there was anger at government proposals to decimate armed forces numbers and cut back wages and promotions. For now at least, this is just one more group in society angered by policies being implemented under Portugal's bailout.

Officials in Colombia say the mayor of the town of Toribio in the southwest of the country and nine other people have been injured in a bomb attack. Three of the injured were police officers. The security forces say the device was planted in the town centre by the country's largest left-wing rebel group, the Farc. The leader of the Farc, Alfonso Cano, was killed in a shoot-out with the military last week in the same region.

The Nicaraguan navy says it has killed four alleged drug dealers and seized more than a tonne of cocaine from a speedboat after a six-hour chase through Caribbean waters. Military officials say three Nicaraguans and a Colombian were killed in a shoot-out as the navy closed in on the boat.

Police in Bolivia have detained a woman who hid inside an all-male prison to avoid being arrested for fraud. Prosecutors say a member of her gang, who'd already been arrested, called the woman to warn her police were looking for her. She visited him in jail and hid for four days.

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