BBC news 2010-07-27
BBC News with Marian Marshall.
The Pentagon has said the damage caused by the leaking of more than 90,000 classified military documents on the war in Afghanistan may take weeks to assess. The classified documents posted on the Internet by the whistle-blowing organisation Wikileaks contain many accusations. Kevin Connolly reports from Washington.
The leaked documents portray a grim picture of a war whose winnability many Americans are increasingly inclined to question. They depict Pakistan as an uncertain ally whose own intelligence services may be helping the very Taliban enemy it's meant to be helping to fight. Robert Gibbs made the point that the leaked papers, mainly detailed but low level military reports, are months out of date, so that any improvements from President Obama's "surge" strategy would not be reflected. Mr Gibbs said the President didn't need leaks to be horrified by civilian casualties and warned that the publication of the papers could put American and allied soldiers at risk.
The founder of the Wikileaks website Julian Assange told a news conference the documents appeared to reveal evidence of war crimes, but that was up to the court to decide. The documents include details of the killing of Afghan civilians by NATO forces. Mr Assange said everyone suffered in a war.
"The real story of this material is that it's war. It is the continuous small events, the continuous deaths of children, insurgents, allied forces. Search for the word 'amputation' in this material, or'amputee', and there are dozens and dozens of references. Most of the deaths in this war are as a result of the everyday squalor of war, not the big instances."
Two car bombs have gone off in southern Iraq killing at least 20 people. More than 50 others were injured. Gabriel Gatehouse has the details.
Thousands of Shiite pilgrims have been making their way from across Iraq and beyond to Karbala for an important festival which culminates later this week. Most of the worshipers made the journey on foot and it’s these people who bore the brunt of the blasts. Sectarian violence has declined markedly in Iraq since 2007 when Shiite and Sunni militias fought a bitter civil war. But insurgent attacks continue on a daily basis and Shiite pilgrims remain a frequent target.
The European Union is imposing tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The measures agreed by EU foreign ministers in Brussels include a halt to new investment in Iran's oil and gas sector. The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the sanctions targeted people, companies and sectors involved in the nuclear industry, and were designed to get Iran back to the negotiating table. Canada has announced similar sanctions of its own. EU countries and the United States accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes.
World news from the BBC.
The army in Uganda says the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia has no choice but to go on the offensive against Islamist insurgents in the country. The army spokesman told the BBC that this was the only option following this month's deadly bomb attacks in Uganda carried out by the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab. The mandate of the AU force is currently limited to peacekeeping and defending the transitional government. An AU summit in Uganda is discussing whether to increase the number of peacekeepers in Somalia.
The BBC understands that the embattled chief executive of the oil giant BP, Tony Hayward, is to leave his post. His formal departure from BP will probably take place in October. Robert Peston reports.
The disclosure that Tony Hayward will be able to draw a pension of around 600,000 pounds a year from the moment he leaves BP on October 1st will be hugely controversial, given the company's recent woes. But this is his contractual entitlement under the rules of the scheme which says that anyone who joined before April 6th 2006 can take the pension at any point from age 50. Mr Hayward is 53. His departure will be confirmed tomorrow. He is not being sacked, but he’s leaving by mutual agreements, so the board feels it has to honor the terms of its contract with him. He will therefore also receive a year salary plus benefits worth more than one million pounds.
A court in Seychelles has sentenced 11 Somalis to 10 years in prison for piracy-related offenses. It's the first conviction of its kind in the islands which lie more than 1,000 kilometers off the Somali coast. The pirates were captured last year as they tried to hijack a boat belonging to the Seychelles coast guard.
At least 17 people have died after consuming illegally produced alcohol in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. At least 10 others lost their eyesight after the drink was believed to have been laced with methanol. Nairobi police say they are questioning a woman suspected of producing the substance and selling it in the city's Kibera area.
BBC News.