BBC news 2011-11-21 加文本

BBC news 2011-11-21

BBC News with Gaenor Howells

Thousands of Egyptian protesters are maintaining a defiant presence in Tahrir Square in Cairo despite an earlier violent attempt by the security forces to evict them. Reports say at least seven people were killed. There were scenes of complete panic when hundreds of soldiers and police beat protesters on their heads. Hugh Sykes is close to Tahrir Square.

I can see Tahrir Square and the protesters there although not in such large numbers as they were earlier in the day. And indeed with their extremely violent charge with batons and tear gas, the armed forces here did drive most of the protesters out of the square for a while. And I was down between where I am now and the square - about 300 metres from Tahrir Square - a few hours ago, and the street - the main, one of the main Cairo's shopping streets - absolutely filled with thousands of protesters who were running away from the tear gas. But it now seems that a lot of them have poured back into the square.

Senior Libyan officials say the former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, the most wanted member of Colonel Gaddafi's government still at large, has been captured alive in southern Libya. Mr Senussi, a brother-in-law of the former leader, had a brutal reputation among Libyans and is believed to have played a key role in attempting to crush the uprising when it began in Benghazi in February. On Saturday, former rebel fighters detained Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam. Both men are wanted by the International Criminal Court accused of war crimes.

The Arab League has rejected amendments put forward by the Syrian government to its proposal to send a delegation to monitor the violence in Syria. It said the changes would radically alter the mission, but the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that was not the case.

"The amendments do not interfere at all with the nature or details of the Arab League mission to Syria, and do not hamper its work or its freedom in practising its role. Rather they aim to put things in their right context and facilitate the work of the mission."

Exit polls published after the close of voting in the Spanish general election suggest that the right-wing Popular Party has, as expected, scored a resounding victory. The party looks certain to secure an outright majority in Spain's Congress of Deputies. Sarah Rainsford reports from Madrid.

The crowds started arriving here at the Popular Party headquarters before the polling stations had even closed. They came to celebrate the victory everyone here was expecting. And now the first exit polls have confirmed that. The Popular Party seems on course for an absolute majority in parliament. That should give it the mandate it needs for deep reforms - the kind of measures the financial markets are demanding - to cut the budget deficit and to reassure investors that Spain is solvent. A senior party member has told the BBC this country is celebrating change tonight. But with five million people unemployed, there are huge challenges ahead.

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A Sri Lankan commission that's investigated alleged human rights abuses during the final stages of the civil war with Tamil separatists in 2009 has delivered its final report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Human rights groups have criticised the commission for failing to meet international standards.

The first trial has begun in Bangladesh of suspects accused of crimes against humanity and collaborating with Pakistani forces during the fight for independence from Pakistan in 1971. More than three million people died in the conflict. The country's Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said it was a historic occasion.

"This nation waited for last about 40 years for seeing this trial. And we lost many professors, teachers, musicians - the bright son[s] of our country at the time of the liberation movement. So it was our moral duty, our constitutional responsibility to try these offenders."

The first to appear was the senior leader of an opposition Islamist party, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, who's charged with genocide, rape and religious persecution. He denies the charges.

Pope Benedict has ended his visit to Benin with an open-air Mass attended by an enthusiastic crowd of tens of thousands of people in Cotonou. The BBC Vatican correspondent says during his visit, Pope Benedict has addressed a number of complex issues, including dialogue with Muslims, the Aids epidemic and how to square Catholic teaching with traditional African religions.

At least 13 people attending a national convention of the transgender community have been killed in a fire in the Indian capital Delhi. Thirty more were injured as the blaze swept through the centre where at least 1,000 members of the marginalised community, known in India as eunuchs, had gathered. Initial investigations suggested the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

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