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BBC news 2012-04-25

BBC News with Iain Purdon

The UN special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, has indicated that he's gravely concerned about reports that Syrians who speak to UN observers are being harassed or even killed by pro-government forces. Mr Annan's spokesman Ahmed Fawzi commented on reports from activists that a number of Syrians had been executed in the city of Hama after the UN team had visited. Mr Fawzi said the reports underlined the need to get more observers into Syria as soon as possible. He also said the UN had evidence that Syrian forces had not withdrawn all their heavy weaponry from urban centres.

"The ceasefire is indeed extremely fragile, and we are calling upon the Syrian government to fully implement its commitments under the six-point plan, and this means withdrawal of all heavy armoury (and) from population centres and back to the barracks. And they are claiming that this has happened. Satellite imagery, however, and credible reports show that this has not fully happened."

China has urged Sudan and its newly independent neighbour South Sudan to show restraint in the conflict over their disputed border. President Hu Jintao urged both countries to respect each other's sovereignty during a visit by the South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir to Beijing. James Copnall is in South Sudan.

Salva Kiir said his Sudanese neighbours had declared war on his country. His remarks came at the beginning of a state visit to China, one of the few countries with influence on both Juba and Khartoum. On Monday, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said there was no possibility of negotiations with the South Sudanese. He said talks would be through the gun. The United Nations has condemned an aerial bombardment of Bentiu in South Sudan which took place on Monday. Sudan denies carrying out the raid.

The former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik has been disqualified as a candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. He was barred by the electoral commission under a law that prevents former senior officials of the Hosni Mubarak era from standing. Mr Shafik is the latest of a series of candidates to be disqualified from an original shortlist of 23 - only 12 remain in the race.

The United States says it's concerned about reports that Israel has legalised the status of three settler outposts in the West Bank and is seeking further clarification from the Israeli government. A State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said the Israeli move was unhelpful.

"We are obviously concerned by the reports that we've seen. We have raised this with the Israeli government, and we are seeking clarification. You know where we are on settlements. We don't think this is helpful to the process, and we don't accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity."

The Palestinians condemned the decision, but Israeli officials have rejected accusations that they have in effect created the first new Jewish settlements for more than 20 years.

World News from the BBC

A former BP engineer has become the first person to face criminal charges in connection with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill two years ago. From Washington, Jane Little has the details.

Kurt Mix, a former BP engineer from Texas, was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice. According to court documents, he was involved in BP's efforts to stem the major oil spill, including Top Kill, the failed attempt to pump heavy mud into the Macondo wellhead. The Justice Department alleges that Mr Mix intentionally deleted 200 text messages, which included one suggesting that the flow rate was three times what BP was publicly estimating at the time. It alleges he later deleted a further 100 text messages containing sensitive information, noting that he had received numerous legal notices to preserve such data.

A lawyer for the Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko says she's on hunger strike after being beaten while in prison. The former prime minister is serving a seven-year prison sentence for abuse of power. David Stern reports from Kiev.

Mrs Tymoshenko is being held in a jail in the eastern Ukrainian city Kharkiv. She's suffering from severe back pains and has been authorised to receive treatment outside of prison. But Mrs Tymoshenko refuses to be treated locally, saying that she does not trust Ukrainian doctors. On Friday evening, authorities came to transport her to a nearby hospital. Mrs Tymoshenko claims that in forcing her to go, they beat her on her arms and stomach. Ukrainian officials confirmed that she resisted, but denied that they abused her.

Finally football, Chelsea have qualified for the final of the Uefa Champions League, eliminating the holders Barcelona. They drew 2-2 at the Nou Camp, but they went through 3-2 on aggregate despite going down to 10 men when their captain John Terry was sent off. They'll face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final.

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