Reports from northern Mali say Islamists have destroyed a number of ancient mausoleums in the city of Timbuktu. An Islamist leader told the French news agency that all the mausoleums in Timbuktu would be smashed as they were un-Islamic. Earlier this year several mausoleums were destroyed in the city which is a UN world heritage site. Islamist rebels seized northern Mali following a coup earlier this year.
The interim Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has said he would not be a candidate in the general election called for February, but remains available to head a future government. He told a news conference he didn’t like aligning himself with political parties. David Willey is in Rome.
Mr Monti made it absolutely clear that he intends to keep his distance from all the political parties. That’s to say, not only from left and right, but also from the Catholic centre parties who’ve been count in him. These parties will be battling out next year’s general election among themselves. But he did say that he would be available to give encouragement, advice and if necessary leadership to a future Italian coalition.
World News from the BBC
Researchers in the United States say analysis of temperature records over more than 50 years indicates that the western Antarctic Ice Sheet is warming nearly twice as fast as previously thought. In a new study the researchers say they’ve also found the first evidence of warming during the southern hemisphere’s summer months, which they fear could contribute to a rise in sea levels.