BBC News with David Legge

The President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir has been declared the winner of this month's presidential election, the country's first multi-party poll for nearly a quarter of a century. In the semi-autonomous south, Salva Kiir won the presidency. The election paves the way for a referendum in the south next January on its independence. James Copnall has more.

President Omar al-Bashir's 68% share of the vote was sizable rather than crushing, considering his two main challengers boycott it. His party sees the victory as a popular rebuke to the International Criminal Court which indicted President Bashir for alleged crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. But opposition parties and some local observers had said the polls were massively fraud and rejected the results. Now the focus turns at next January's referendum in which southerners will vote on possible independence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Greece that it has to be prepared to accept tough economic measures for several years to come if it's to get its finances back in order. However, she said Germany felt an enormous obligation to the stability of the euro and would help. There had been some concern that her government might block financial aid as there's a key regional election in Germany on May 9. Steve Rosenberg reports.

Surveys show that most Germans balk at the idea of their country paying for the profligacy of another country, albeit a fellow EU member state. Germany is one of the founding fathers of the euro, the common currency which was supposed to unify Europe. But according to one newspaper here today, 90% of Germans now want Greece out of the Eurozone. It's likely though that Berlin will put a rescue package in place but don't expect to see too much money flow in Greece's way before May 9.