DiverssearchingasubmergedcruiseshipinItalysaytheywillworkthroughthenighttotrytofindmoresurvivors.Fifteenpeoplearestillunaccountedforwhilefiveareknowntohavedied.Earlier,twomorebodieswerefound.FilippoMariniisaspokesmanfortheItaliancoastguard.
"Thebodiesoftwoelderlypeoplehavebeenfound.They'llbeidentifiedassoonaspossible.Thecorrectprocedureswillbeobserved,andthenwewillproceedwithidentification.It'sasadpieceofnewstogive.Ourdivershavefoundthemselveswiththisverysadsituation.Thebodiesarebeingbroughtontothemainland.They'retwoelderlypeoplefoundonthethirdfloorinameetingareasectionoftheship."
Thevessel,theCostaConcordia,smashedintorocksofftheItaliancoastonFriday.Theship'scaptainhasbeenquestioned.Hearguesthatnauticalchartsfailedtoshowanyspikeofrock,buttheauthoritiessayhebroughttheshiptooclosetotheislandofGiglio,whereitranaground.
TheUNSecretaryGeneralBanKi-moonhasharshlycriticisedPresidentBasharal-AssadofSyriaandthewayhe'shandledtheanti-governmentprotestsinthecountry.SpeakinginLebanon,MrBansaidtheArabrevolutionshowedthatpeoplenolongeracceptedtyrannies.
"Today,IsayagaintoPresidentAssadofSyria:Stopkillingyourownpeople.Thepathofrepressionisadeadend.Thelessonsofthepastyearareeloquentandclear.Thewindsofchangewillnotceasetoblow.TheflameignitedinTunisiawillnotbedimmed."
However,theFrenchForeignMinisterAlainJuppehasattackedwhathecalledthesilenceoftheUNSecurityCounciloverSyria.
TheheadofUNhumanitarianoperationsinSomalia,MarkBowden,hastoldtheBBCmanymorepeoplewilldieofhungerbeforethefaminethereisbroughtundercontrol.Hesaidthesituationwasimproving,butthecrisiswouldcontinuetillJulyorAugust.
"Thenumberofpeoplefacingstrictfamineconditionshasbeenreducedfrom750,000toabout250,000,butthatdoesn'tmeanthatthere'snotamajorcrisisinSomalia."
MrBowdensaidthatthefaminehadkilledtensofthousandsofpeoplesinceitwasdeclaredsixmonthsagoandsomeoftheworld'shighestchildmalnutritionrateshadbeenrecordedinSomaliawithhalfofallchildrenbeingmalnourished.
TwoplaneshaveattackedtheSomalicityofJilibinthesouthofthecountry,anareacontrolledbyIslamistsofal-Shabab.EldersinthecityhavetoldtheBBCthatsixchildrenwerekilledinthebombingwhichwasapparentlycarriedoutbyKenyanmilitaryjets.Therearereportsthatal-Shababfighterswereamongthecasualties.TheKenyanmilitaryspokesmantoldtheBBCthathewascheckingwhetherKenyanaircraftwereinvolvedintheraid.
There'sbeenathirddayoffightingbetweenrivalLibyanmilitiagroupsdespiteeffortsoftheinterimgovernmenttobrokeraceasefire.Atleastthreepeoplehavebeenkilledandmorethan40woundedsinceFridayinclashesnearthetownofGharyan,southofthecapitalTripoli.Theinterimgovernmenthasbeenstrugglingtocontrolarmedgroups.
VotinghasendedinparliamentaryelectionsinKazakhstan,whichthepartyofPresidentNursultanNazarbayevisexpectedtowin.InternationalobservershaveneverdeemedanyelectioninKazakhstanasfreeorfair.RayhanDemytriereports.
InAlmaty,Kazakhstan'slargestcity,theturnoutwaslow.Butnationwideby6pmlocaltime,nearly70%ofvotershadcasttheirballots.ThepresidentialpartyNurOtanisexpectedtowinbyalandslide.Sofarithasbeentheonlypartyrepresentedinparliament.Butanewelectionlawguaranteesthepartywiththesecondhighestnumberofvotessomeseats.ThesixotherpoliticalpartiesthatarestandingdonotposeaseriouschallengetoNurOtan.
ASwiss-Germanconsortiumhasannounceda$2bnprojecttodevelopsolartechnologyinOman.Theinvestorsplantobuild400megawattsofsolargeneratingcapacity,andfactoriestomakesolarpanelsforOmanandforexport.Despiteplentifulsunshine,theMiddleEastregion'ssolarpowerproductionisnegligible,comparedwiththatofEurope,ChinaortheUnitedStates.
RussiasaysitbelievesdebrisfromaspacecraftthatfailedinitsmissiontoMarshascrashedintothePacificOcean.Theprobe,Phobos-Grunt,isoneoftheheaviestandmosttoxicevertofallbackdowntoearthalthoughtheRussianspaceagencysaysmostofitwillhaveburntuponre-entry.ThespacecraftwaslaunchedlastNovemberinanambitiousbidtoscoopuprockyfragmentsfromaMartianmoonandbringthembackforstudy.ButitbecamestrandedinEarth'sorbitafterthelaunchwentwrong.
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