...country. Tens of thousands of people took part in demonstrations against...
Thestandoffbetween the protesters in Syria and the government hasescalated to new levels of violence. There were demonstrations in towns and cities throughout the country, with people demanding everything from the release of political prisoners through to the overthrow of the president. Despite the lifting of the state of emergency, the security forces were deployed in large numbersahead ofFriday prayers. And when the protests began, in many places they used force.Video phone images coming out of Syria show many confrontations in which live ammunition was used, sometimes resulting in casualties.
The interesting thing is that I'm not quite sure whether you can hear me, but we seem to be having some technical problems at the moment. We heard most of but not all of a report from Beirut there by Owen Bennett-Jones on the story that human rights groups tell us that more than 70 people were killed in Syria when security forces opened fire on protesters in towns and cities right across the country.
Now the head of the American armed forces, Admiral Mike Mullen, has said that coalition air strikes against Libyan ground troops have reduced their capability by more than 30%. But he said military operations in Libya were moving towards stalemate. One of the leading Americanadvocates of military intervention, Senator John McCain, was in the opposition-held city of Benghazi, from where Peter Biles reports.
Senator John McCain was taken first to Benghazi's Liberation Square, where he received anenthusiasticwelcome from local activists. He saw the photographs on display there of the hundreds of Libyans who've disappeared and have been missing since the uprising began in February. He welcomed the deployment of armed drones but said Nato still needed more American air support in order to protect civilians. Senator McCain also called for wider political recognition for the Libyan opposition.
The President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has ordered troops from all sides of the country's conflict to return to barracks. Mr Ouattara, who recently won a power struggle with his rival Laurent Gbagbo, said law and order would bemaintained by the police. There were clashes on Thursday in the main city Abidjan between different armed groups loyal to Mr Ouattara. The BBC correspondent there says these groups, some of them undisciplined, areperceived as a threat by civilians.
World News from the BBC
The French presidency says it's considering suspending the Schengen accord, which allows the free movement of people between most European Union countries. The move isin response tothe influx of thousands of migrants fleeing theupheavalin Libya and Tunisia. From Paris, Hugh Schofield reports.
Italy has recently granted temporary permits for some 20,000 Tunisians who fled to the island of Lampedusa. Most of these migrants are now trying to exercise what they see as their rights under Schengen to come to France. The French government says that this is not acceptable. Its suggestion about suspending Schengen is a dramatic and highly controversial attempt to force the debate.
Amid allegations of possible electoral fraud, the United States has said it's seeking an explanation from the Haitian authorities abouta number ofresults in recent legislative elections there. In a statement, the US embassy in Haiti said the country's electoral commission needed to explain why a number of candidates won seats in the final results when they hadn't been leading in preliminary counts.
The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has addressed a cheering crowd of supporters in the capital Sanaa, telling him he welcomes power transfer proposals by the Gulf Cooperation Council. Plans theyput forwardon Thursday suggest that the president resign and hand over power to his vice president within a month.
Pope Benedict has become the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to take questions from the public in a television programme. The first question of theprerecorded interview was from a seven-year-old Japanese girltraumatised by the recent earthquake. She asked the Pope why it was necessary to be so afraid. He told her he had no answers, but he said his prayers were with all Japanese children who were suffering. Pope Benedict also spoke about other subjects including Iraq and urged the Iraqi authorities to protect the Christian minority there.
BBC News
数万人参加了示威活动……
叙利亚抗议者和政府之间的僵局升级为更高水平的暴力活动。全国各地的城镇都在举行示威活动,人们提出诸多要求,从释放政治犯到推翻总统的统治。尽管取消了紧急状态,周五的祈祷之前,政府仍然部署了大量安全人员。抗议活动开始时,许多地方的安全力量使用了武力。来自叙利亚的视频电话图像显示发生了多起冲突,安全力量使用了实弹,有时甚至造成人员伤亡。
有趣的是,我不确定大家能不能听到我的播音,我们此刻似乎遇到了技术故障。我们听到了记者Owen Bennett-Jones在贝鲁特报道的部分内容,人权组织告诉我们,安全力量在全国各地向抗议者开火,造成70多人死亡。
美国军队指挥官迈克·马伦(Mike Mullen)海军上将表示,多国对利比亚地面部队的联合空袭已经将他们的力量削减了超过30%。但是他表示,利比亚的军事行动即将陷入僵局。支持军事干预的为首的美国政客麦凯恩参议员正在叛军控制的城市班加西。Peter Biles在当地报道。
参议员麦凯恩前往班加西自由广场,受到了当地活动积极分子充满激情的欢迎。他看到了展览的自二月份的抗议活动开始以来失踪的数百名利比亚人的照片。他对武装无人机的部署表示欢迎,但是表示为了保护平民,北约仍然需要美国提供更多空中支援。麦凯恩还呼吁人们对利比亚反对派更广泛的政治认可。
科特迪瓦总统瓦塔拉下令冲突各方军队全部回营。在与巴博的权力争夺斗争中取得胜利的瓦塔拉表示,警方将维持法律和秩序。周四,忠于瓦塔拉的不同武装团体在主要城市阿比让发生冲突。BBC记者表示,其中一些武装分子训练不足,对平民造成威胁。BBC世界新闻。
法国领导人表示正在考虑暂停允许人们在大部分欧盟国家之间自由行动的申根协议。此举是对数万名移民逃离利比亚和突尼斯的动荡涌入境内而做出的反应。巴黎,Hugh Schofield报道。
意大利最近向逃往兰佩杜萨岛的大约20,000名突尼斯难民颁发了临时许可证。大部分移民正在前往法国,他们认为,按照申根协议,这是他们的权利。法国政府表示,这是难以接受的。法国暂停申根协议的暗示是一次戏剧性的,引起高度争议的行为。
由于有人指控选举可能存在舞弊现象,美国称他们要求海地当局对最近立法机构选举的一些结果作出解释。在一份声明中,美国驻海地大使馆表示,海地选举委员会需要解释为什么几名候选人在初步投票中并未领先,而在最后结果中却赢得了席位。
也门总统萨利赫在首都萨那向欢欣鼓舞的支持者发表讲话,表示他对海湾合作委员会的权利移交协议表示欢迎。该委员会周四提出的计划显示,总统一个月内必须辞职,将权力移交给副总统。
教皇本笃成为第一位在电视节目中接受公众提问的罗马天主教堂领袖。这次提前录制的采访的第一个问题是在最近的地震灾害中受伤的一名17岁的日本女孩。她向教皇提问,为什么有必要如此担心。教皇告诉她,对于这个问题他没有答案,但是他为所有受苦受难的日本儿童祈祷。教皇本笃还讲到了包括伊拉克在内的其他话题,他敦促伊拉克当局保护当地的基督徒少数派。