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shortly after being sworn in. From Washington, Paul Adams.

This week has seen a changing of the guard across Washington's security establishment and a rare example of bipartisan agreement. With

barely

a murmur of dissent, Leon Panetta has taken over at the Pentagon, and General David Petraeus has

stepped into

his shoes at the CIA. The outgoing Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who's served President Obama and his predecessor George Bush, leaves office amid near

universal

praise.

At least two people have been killed after clashes broke out at a huge camp for Somali refugees in northeastern Kenya. The UN refugee agency says dozens more were injured after police used tear gas and live ammunition to clear some illegal structures at the camp at Dadaab on Thursday.

An Italian engineering firm has sacked half of its

workforce

, but all the 13 people made

redundant

were women. The decision has been criticised, as Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome.

Ma-Vib, which is based near Milan, is a family-owned business making electric fans and heating equipment. The company reportedly justified its decision by saying it was making only women redundant so they can stay at home and look after children and because what they bring in is a second income. One of Italy's biggest unions condemned the move, saying it represented what it called the same old thinking about women's role in society. In a statement, the company told the BBC it didn't discriminate against women, but that the firm was going through a bad time, and that the area worst affected was where women worked.