BBC news 2011-12-17 加文本

BBC news 2011-12-17

BBC News with Marion Marshall

The military officer presiding over the case against an American soldier accused of passing secret information to the Wikileaks website has refused a defence request that he stand aside. Lawyers representing the soldier, Bradley Manning, claimed that the officer was biased and had prevented them from calling most of their defence witnesses. Here's Kim Ghattas.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza looked into the defence team's request that he step down as presiding officer. He consulted with his legal adviser, and then he decided that he could rule impartially. The hearing will now continue. It could take several days before a determination is made about whether the case should go to a full court-martial. Faced with charges of aiding the enemy and leaking classified information, 24-year-old Private Manning could face life in prison, but the government has said it will not seek the death penalty.

The Supreme Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed Joseph Kabila as the winner of the disputed presidential election last month. The court rejected an opposition bid to have the vote annulled. Mr Kabila rejected the conclusion of the US-based Carter Center, which monitored the poll and said the results lacked credibility. Thomas Hubert reports.

It took the Supreme Court less than one hour on Friday night to sign off the election results. The judges confirmed President Joseph Kabila's re-election with 49% of the vote. He beat Etienne Tshisekedi, who polled 32%, and Vital Kamerhe with 8%. Mr Kamerhe challenged the result last Monday after local and international observers highlighted widespread irregularities, but the court found that he had failed to produce any evidence to back up his claims.

Police have arrested more than 100 people in 22 European countries on suspicion of sharing online videos of children being sexually abused and raped. A police official said that though the operation had been successful, it had shown how the Internet was helping offenders swap images globally while protecting their identity. Anna Holligan reports from The Hague.

It's one of the biggest and most serious cases of child pornography that Interpol has ever investigated: 112 arrests in 22 countries across Europe. Some of the videos feature the most graphic contents, including the abuse of babies and toddlers. Interpol say those responsible are using new file-sharing technology to send vast amounts of material all over the world, but they say that these arrests show they are able to catch the perpetrators even when they are operating in cyberspace.

The credit ratings agency Fitch has said it believes a comprehensive solution to the crisis in the eurozone is technically and politically beyond reach. Fitch said it was considering a downgrade of the credit ratings for six countries that use the euro: Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia and Cyprus. Fitch said France would retain its AAA rating, but it had revised the country's long-term outlook from "stable" to "negative".

World News from the BBC

At least two people are thought to have been killed and large numbers injured during clashes in the Egyptian capital Cairo. The trouble broke out when troops attempted to end a three-week-long protest camp outside the parliament building. From Cairo, here's Jon Leyne.

Protesters claimed that two of the demonstrators were beaten up by the army, a violent confrontation built up and the army moved in to clear the protest camp, burning the tents. As protesters massed in a neighbouring street, plain-clothes thugs were clearly visible, throwing rocks on them from the roof of a government building - thugs who must have been under government control. The new civilian government had promised it would not allow attacks on protesters, and this is one of the first times that soldiers have come directly into conflict with the demonstrators as well.

The United States has handed over to the Iraqi authorities the last remaining detainee in American custody in Iraq. The prisoner, Ali Mussa Daqduq, is accused of involvement in a raid in January 2007 in which five American military personnel were killed. A White House spokesman said Iraq had given assurances that he would stand trial.

The BBC African Footballer of the Year winner has been announced. He's Andre "Dede" Ayew, who plays on the wing for Ghana and the French side Marseille. Ayew said the award was all the more special for being decided on by the fans.

"Football is a game which has become so big and so popular because of the supporters and the fans. I think if there were no supporters and no fans, football would not be where it is today, and players would not become stars, how they are today. So if you have the opportunity to be loved by the fans and the people who love football, it's just an honour for me, and I'm very touched."

A Polish doctor who was hounded from her job at a British hospital has been awarded almost $7m in compensation. The tribunal heard the doctor, Eva Michalak, had suffered discrimination on the grounds of sex and race as well as unfair dismissal.

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