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Fighters loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts in Somalia are reported to be on the point of taking Kismayo, the last remaining port outside their control in southern Somalia. The Islamic Courts have steadily increased their hold on Somalia since they seized the capital Mogadishu earlier this year. Rob Walker reports.
Residents of Kismayo said the head of the local militia ** withdrew from the town with 40 truckloads of his supporters, leaving the way clear for the Union of Islamic Courts. There were no reports of any shots being fired. For several days, fighters loyal to the Islamic Courts reported to be advancing on Kismayo, which is less than 200 kilometres from Somalia's border with Kenya. Leaders of the Courts had warned they would occupy the port to prevent foreign forces using it as a bridgehead to enter the country. This came after the African Union supported a request by Somalia's transitional government to send in a regional peacekeeping force.
Lawyers representing the deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein say that they'll boycott his trial when it resumes in Baghdad on Monday. Saddam Hussein is being tried on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Last week the government sacked the chief judge after he had said that the former Iraqi leader had not been a dictator. Dale Gavlak reports.
The chief of the defence team Khalil al-Dulaimi said the court's refusal to hear non-Iraqi lawyers in the case and to grant these attorneys permission to enter the hearing were violations of the law. The Oman-based lawyer also said the abrupt replacement of the chief judge in the trial last week was another violation. Mr. Al-Dulaimi is in charge of a 9-member defence team for Saddam Hussein. He said the group could not sit in the courtroom, in his words, gagged, just to give the trial legitimacy.
Political groups in Iraq have reached agreement on how to proceed with the contentious issue of federalism. They have decided the draft legislation will be put to parliament on Tuesday, but that any bill eventually approved will be implemented only after an 18-month delay. The proposed law's been put forward by Shiite groups, some of whose leaders want to create an autonomous federal region in southern Iraq. A number of Sunni Arab politicians object to the proposals. They fear that federalism would lead to a break-up of Iraq and leave them without access to the country's large oil reserves.
This is BBC world news.
Voters in Switzerland have backed tougher laws on asylum and immigration. Results from a national referendum showed that nearly 70% of voters supported new measures which the government says are needed to combat abuse of the system. Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.
Asylum seekers must now produce identity papers within 48 hours. If they don't, they will be turned away. This despite warnings from the UN refugee agency that many genuine refugees have been deprived of their passports by the very persecutors they are fleeing. Rejected asylum seekers will have all welfare payments cut, no exceptions for children or pregnant women. The Swiss government says the new laws will prevent abuse of the asylum system while still preserving Switzerland's humanitarian tradition.
Demonstrators in the Hungarian capital Budapest have been holding an eighth night of protests to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister Ference Gyurcsany. Several thousand people gathered for the latest rally. The BBC's correspondent in Budapest says the numbers have varied in the past week. The prime minister insists he won't resign despite admitting that his government misled the public about the state of the economy to win elections earlier this year.
Europe's golfers have triumphed in the Ryder Cup beating the United States for the third time in a row. Their captain Ian Woosnam called this the greatest week in history. His American counterpart Tom Lehman suggested that no European team had ever played better golf in the tournament. Our sports correspondent Matthew Cannon reports.
"Into the hole, it's in the hole for Europe."
The moment Europe made sure of holding on to the Ryder Cup, but really it was simply confirmation of a result, which had been expected for much of the day. With 12 singles matches each worth a point to be played on Sunday at the K Club in the Republic of Ireland. Europe began the day with a 10-6 lead, and won 8 of the matches. The final score was a comprehensive 18.5 - 9.5 in Europe's favour.
An American biotechnology firm has bred pedigree kittens which they say are safe for allergy (suffers,)sufferers to keep as pets. They were bred from a variety of cats with a rare and natural genetic makeup. Researchers tracked on breeding pairs which didn't carry the allergen, which causes a physical reaction in humans.
Words and Expressions: bridgehead - A bridgehead is a good position which an army has taken in the enemy's territory and from which it can advance or attack. allergen - An allergen is a substance that causes an allergic reaction in someone. (TECHNICAL)
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