Separately, Syrian opposition activists say rebel fighters have driven government forces out of most parts of the northern city of Raqqa. They say cheering people have torn down a bronze statue of the late father of the Syrian President Bashar Assad, which stood in the city. The reports haven’t been verified and BBC correspondent says Syrian rebels often struggle to hold onto territory they’ve taken. Opposition fighters already control parts of Damascus, Aleppo and Homs.
The upper house of the Czech parliament has voted to charge President Vaclav Klaus with high treason over his controversial decision to pardon several thousand prisoners. He announced the amnesty which covers almost a third of the prison population in January. Rob Cameron reports.
The Czech Republic faces an unprecedented constitutional case against its most senior official after a landmark vote to impeach the conservative president for treason. President Klaus will now be referred to the constitutional court to defend a number of accusations including charges stemming from his New Year’s Day amnesty, under which several dozen high-profile corruption cases were halted. The Senate is dominated by leftist opponents of Mr Klaus and he leaves office anyway on Thursday.
World News from the BBC
A fire has killed nine children at a Koranic school in the Senegalese capital Dakar. The blaze broke out as 45 children aged from six to twelve slept in a packed room with wooden walls and zinc roofing. A candle is thought to have caused the blaze. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned of the poor conditions in which children are housed in Koranic schools.