BBC News with Iain Purden
United States special forces in Afghanistan are being given two weeks to leave the (strategically) important province of Wardak. The spokesman for the Afghan president Hamid Karzai said the decision had been taken after alleged abuses by Afghans working with American (special forces). Karen Allan reports.
President Karzai's spokesman said US special forces would be expelled from the strategically significant province of Wardak within the next two weeks. It comes amid (allegations) that Afghan Units, which the government says are working and paid for by the US teams, are linked to allegations of torture and disappearances. A preliminary investigation also blame them for (beheading) a university student in the province. Wardak has been the focus of recent (counterinsurgency) operations and seen as a gateway for the Taliban to target Kabul. A spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan said they take all allegations of misconduct seriously.
Eleven African countries have signed an agreements aimed at ending the two-decade (insurgency) in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The deal stipulates that the 11 signatories would not interfere in each other's internal affairs. An accusation often made against Rwanda and Uganda over their backing of Congolese rebel groups. The United Nations (mediated) deal will also see a 2,500-strong intervention brigade deployed to the Eastern DRC.英语口语培训
A leading opposition figure in Egypt has called on President Morsi not to go ahead with (parliamentary elections) in April. In an interview with the BBC, Mohammed EIBaradei said that to do so would risk bringing total chaos and instability to a society that was already (paralyzed). “We need to send the message loud and clear to the people here, to the people outside of Egypt that this is not a democracy, that we have not participated the uprising two years ago to end up with, you know, recycling of the Mubarak (regime) when tortures are still there, when (abduction) is still there, when lack of social justice and basic needs. So I took the decision that we would not participate in a sham election.
Polling stations have closed in Italy at the end of the first day of what's been seen as the country's most important parliamentary election for a generation. There'll be a second and final day of voting on Monday. Gavin Hewitt reports.
The front runner is the center-left candidate Pier Luigi Bersani who will make growth rather than austerity his (priority). Europe's leaders hoped he can form a (coalition) with Mario Monti, the former unelected Prime Minister and a man credited with restoring some stability to Italy's government. Silvio Burlisconi may not win, but if he does win in the senate may end up with influence. Much attention will focus on Beppe Grillo, a comedian who is attracting a large protest vote, (potentially) making it very difficult to form a credible administration.
World News from the BBC
The center-right candidate Nicos Anastasiades has won the presidential election in Cyprus with one of the widest margins in 30 years. The (conservative) leader took more than 57% of the vote to secure a comfortable win over his left-wing rival Stavros Malas. The most pressing task facing the new president will be to negotiate a 17bn Euro bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.易说堂电话英语
The Revolutionary Guard in Iran has said it downed one of its own unmanned aircraft as part of a training drill rather than a foreign drone as it had (previously) suggested. A spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard have said on Saturday that its electronic warfare unit had forced a foreign drone to land after taking control of its (navigation system).
The mother of the South African fashion model Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead by her boyfriend, the athlete Oscar Pistorius has spoken of the moment that she learned her daughter was dead. Interviewed by a South African current affairs program Carte Blanche on the Imminent network, June Steenkamp said a man who said he was calling from a police station told her the news.
“This is weird. He said this's been an accident and she's been shot. And I said all I want to know now. She's alive or she is dead. Then the man said he was with the police and he said I'm sorry to have to tell you, but I don't want you to go out reading the paper. She's dead. "
And finally the remote Algerian gas plant at the centre of the deadly hostage-taking last month has resumed production. The Tiguentourine plant had been closed since the attack by al Qaeda linked gunmen who took hundreds of local and dozens of foreign workers hostage. The Algerian army ended the siege by (storming) the complex, but not before 29 insurgents and at least 37 foreign workers were killed.
BBC News
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