verified
, but claims to be written by the general leadership of al-Qaeda.
Tens of thousands of Syrians have taken part in another day of anti-government protests across Syria, defying government warnings and a heavy military presence. Activists say security forces killed at least six people in Homs and six in Hama. This can't be independently confirmed.
Voters in Britain have rejected in a referendum a proposal to change the way members of parliament are elected. Nearly 70% of the votes counted so far went against the proposal to introduce an alternative vote system, which allowed people to choose candidates in order of
preference
. Here's Rob Watson.
It's a crushing defeat for the Yes campaign and a huge blow to the Liberal Democrats, a party that champions electoral reform and which had made the holding of a referendum a condition for joining the coalition. Combined with the Lib Dems' worst election result since the party was founded in the 1980s, these are difficult times for the Liberal Democrats. Although no one is predicting the end of the coalition, both the Lib Dems and their Conservative partners are expecting a bumpier road ahead.
World News from the BBC
The President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has been sworn into office after a period of intense instability in the country. Around one million people had to flee their homes. Well over 1,000 were killed in fighting between President Ouattara and his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo following November's disputed elections. John James was at the ceremony.