BBC在线收听下载:法国军队努力恢复中非共和国的秩序

BBC news 2013-12-08

BBC News with Stewart Macintosh

French forces are advancing deeper into the Central African Republic to try to restore order after mass killings. Troops have reached the northern town of Bossangoa where tens of thousands of people have sought refuge from militia groups. Thomas Fessy is there.

Bossangoa is now clearly divided. Tens of thousands of Christians have sought refuge around the church while around 7,000 Muslims are stranded at a school located on the other side of the town. Not a soul is moving on the main thoroughfare between. Reprisal attacks continue. African peacekeepers have been holding out on their own so far but they are relieved to see the arrival of French troops here in Bossangoa and further military action is now crucial. Violence has taken a dangerous religious turn.

The Red Cross in the capital Bangui where French troops are now on patrol after three days of bloodshed say it's recovered almost 400 bodies.

France says the African Union will almost double its peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic to 6,000 troops. The announcement was made at the end of the Security Summit in Paris attended by African leaders. The French President Francois Hollande called for an African rapid reaction force to be in place within month to deal with conflict on the continent. He said France was ready to provide training arms and equipment, he urged other European countries to play their part.

“In order for Europe to ensure its defense, Africa must also be able to ensure its own. Because our two continents are linked. Terrorism knows no borders. There is no sea that can stop terrorism from getting across and so we stand together and this is what we’ve underlined with this big decision concerning security.”

Twenty-one Egyptian women and girls have been released after an appeal’s court reduced their sentences for joining a protest to backing the ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The jail terms of 11 years for the adults and juvenile detention for the girls had shocked many people in Egypt and abroad. From Cairo here's Orla Guerin.

After more than a month behind bars, the 21 women and teenage girls are now savoring their freedom. There were emotional scenes as they were reunited with relatives who rushed to kiss and hug them. Some at least have emerged defiant, one said she would take to the streets again and again. “If I saw a demonstration right now, I would join it.” she said.

Security forces in Colombia say a car bomb has destroyed a police station killing at least eight people. The authorities blamed the attack in the southwestern state of Cauca on the Farc rebel group which is in peace talk with the government. The vehicle exploded just as the town market in Inza was about to open. The attackers were also reported to have fired home-made mortars. Six of the dead were soldiers or police and two were civilians.

World News from the BBC

Nelson Mandela's family say they are humbled by the messages of condolence and support they continue to receive from governments and people around the world. A family spokesman said they were comforted by the knowledge that their pain and sorrow were shared by millions. Komla Dumor is in Soweto.

Here, night has pretty much fallen on the township of Soweto but that has not driven people away from celebrating for marking the great contribution that this man made to this nation as people have gathered right in front of 8115 Vilakazi Street, that is the former home of Nelson Mandela. Hundreds of people have been streaming in and out. People have been coming in with their children, people of all races of all denominations to pay their respects to this man.

An American veteran of the Korean War who was held in custody by Pyongyang has returned home to the United States. Merrill Newman who is 85 was detained while visiting North Korea as a tourist in October. From Washington, Katy Watson reports.

A tired but delighted Mr. Newman flew into San Francisco to be reunited with his wife and son. He thanked the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang and the US embassy in Beijing for helping to secure his release. Merrill Newman had been held for several weeks on charges of hostile acts during the war between 1950 and 1953. In a video released by North Korean authorities last week, he was shown reading his alleged apology but his family insisted he was a victim of mistaken identity. According to North Korea, he was expelled from the country because of his age and health.

The American oil firm Chevron has suspended test drilling for shale gas in Romania after anti-fracking protesters broken into a site northeast of the capital Bucharest. Riot Police tried to prevent several hundred protesters getting into the facility in the village of Pungesti but some broke through the fences. Chevron said it was halting activity because of what it called the unlawful and violent actions of protesters.

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