BBC news 2011-11-29 加文本

BBC news 2011-11-29

BBC News with Iain Purdon

Egyptians have turned out in large numbers to vote on a mostly peaceful first day of elections to a new parliament - the first since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February. Polling stations have closed now after the governing military council kept them open an extra two hours to cope with the long queues of voters. A US Republican congressman David Dreier is in Egypt to observe the elections.

"From what I have observed moving throughout Cairo, this is a great day for the people of Egypt. The level of enthusiasm is very high. By and large, to see the lines and the enthusiasm and the willingness of people to wait is, I think, a very encouraging sign."

A United Nations report has accused Syria of gross systematic human rights violations during the recent anti-government demonstrations. The report alleges that torture, sexual violence and enforced disappearance were used by the government and security forces against protesters. From Geneva, here's Imogen Foulkes.

The UN team interviewed over 200 victims and eyewitnesses to events in Syria. Their report contains chilling evidence of abuse: summary executions, sexual violence, in which male detainees were raped, even the torture of children. The UN team found credible evidence that at least two children died as a result of torture by Syrian security forces. The report has detailed accounts from former members of the Syrian army - soldiers who deserted rather than follow orders to fire on unarmed protesters.

Vote counting is underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the second presidential and parliamentary elections since the civil war ended eight years ago. Both President Joseph Kabila, who's been in power for 10 years, and the veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi say they are confident of victory. This report by Will Ross in the capital Kinshasa.

Anger and allegations of vote rigging, representatives from several opposition parties were not allowed to witness the counting of ballot papers at this polling station in Kinshasa. In other parts of the country, the governing party accused the opposition of fraud. There is plenty of suspicion, and unless people perceive the process to be free and fair, there is a danger this election will not pass off smoothly. There were some organisational problems with the election and several incidents of violence in Kasai and Katanga provinces.

President Obama has described the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a Nato air strike on Saturday as a tragedy. He also stressed that the relationship between the United States and Pakistan remained important to both countries. The Pakistani government has described the incident as a violation of its sovereignty and the mandate of international forces in Afghanistan.

World News from the BBC

Stock markets in Europe have risen sharply, boosted by hopes of new measures to tackle the debt crisis in the eurozone. Shares leapt by more than 5% in Paris and 4% in Berlin. Here's Andrew Walker.

One important element is reports that Germany and France are considering more rapid moves towards greater budget discipline for eurozone countries. That might make the European Central Bank more willing to take stronger action. One argument against the ECB intervention until now is that it might ease the pressure on governments that need to fix their finances. There's also been a report that the IMF is discussing an emergency loan to Italy. The IMF says it's not true, but the markets still seem to think there might be something to it.

Meanwhile, EU leaders have promised to push for more integration after meeting President Obama at the White House. The commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said there must be greater budget discipline for countries that use the euro.

The emir of Kuwait has accepted the resignation of the country's government amid a growing crisis over corruption allegations. The Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah said that the cabinet had resigned in the national interest. The decision came a day before he was due to be questioned in parliament about the alleged payment of bribes to pro-government MPs.

Sudan has blocked oil exports from landlocked South Sudan in a dispute over transit fees. It said the South owed almost $730m in unpaid expenses incurred since it gained independence in July. The question of transit fees is one of the most contentious unresolved issues between the two countries.

Finally, one of Colombia's most wanted men, Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco, has been captured in Venezuela. Mr Orozco, better known as Valenciano, is accused of smuggling tonnes of cocaine from Colombia to the United States. American officials had offered a $5m reward for information leading to his capture.