BBC News with Marion Marshall
The British Prime Minister David Cameron has praised Margaret Thatcher who died on Monday as an extraordinary leader who’d made Britain great again. However, many opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary session as a sign of Lady Thatcher’s divisive political legacy. Our political correspondent Rob Watson was listening to the debate at Westminster.
"Order. Order.”
It was one of those extraordinary parliamentary occasions that mix eloquence, poignancy, disagreement and even moments of humour. David Cameron led the tributes by hailing Margaret Thatcher as a brave and extraordinary leader, who had changed Britain and the world.
"She made history and let this be her epitaph: that she made our country great again. And I commend this Motion to the House.”
There was also a respectful tone from the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Ed Miliband, who said while Mrs Thatcher had created strong divisions, she had defined the politics of her generation.
A report leaked to a British newspaper appears to show that the Egyptian army participated in torture and killings during the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Hundreds of people were killed and many more are unaccounted for following attempts to put down the unrest. From Cairo, here’s Aleem Maqbool.
The leaked document clearly implicates the armed forces here in serious violations of human rights during Egypt’s 18-day revolution. In it there’s testimony relating to civilians who were detained at military checkpoints but who are never seen again. There’s also evidence presented that protestors from Tahrir Square were detained by the army and tortured inside the nearby Egyptian Museum before being moved to military prisons. And links are made between the army and unidentified bodies being delivered to coroners.
Two US senators have struck a bi-partisan deal to expand background checks on people buying guns, boosting hopes the new legislation on firearms control. The proposal will cover all commercial sales. President Obama has been calling for gun controls since a massacre at a school in Connecticut in December.
President Obama has unveiled his budget proposal for 2014, saying it will stimulate economic growth and reduce the country’s deficit. The proposal worth nearly $3.8tn calls for more taxes on the wealthy and cuts to the benefits and social security system.
"If we want to keep rebuilding our economy on a stronger, more stable foundation, then we’ve got to get smarter about our priorities as a nation. And that’s what the budget I’m sending to Congress today represents-- a fiscally responsible blueprint for middle class, jobs and growth.”
The Republicans called it a left-wing wish list. There’s also criticism from the left, which regards what are known as entitlement programmes as sacrosanct.
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The Serb, who currently chairs the United Nations General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, has been accused of bias in a debate about international justice. Mr Jeremic prevented Bosnian Muslims from speaking and evicted one of their delegates, who （was） wearing a T-shirt commemorating the Srebrenica massacre. Barbara Plett reports.
The event was presented as an impartial debate on the impact of international criminal justice. But some nations said the speakers were stacked in favour of Serbia with the intention of giving them a platform to complain about their treatment by a UN war crimes tribunal. However, the Serbian head of the UN General Assembly Vuk Jeremic didn’t allow Bosnian Muslim victims to express their views. Diplomats said a proper debate could have addressed legitimate complaints. But they accused Mr Jeremic of instead exploiting his position to pursue his own political agenda, prompting a refusal by the heads of international tribunals to attend.
The Netherlands has ordered the recall of 50,000 tonnes of beef over fears that it may contain horsemeat. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said the origin of the beef couldn’t be traced and therefore food safety couldn’t be guaranteed. Anna Holligan reports from The Hague.
A small Dutch factory with the links that may have spread contaminating meat products right across Europe, Willy Selten is a meat processing company that deals with imports and exports. The question at the heart of the investigation is “was this company importing horse and exporting it as beef?” More than 500 firms may have been affected with the majority in Germany, France and Spain. The Dutch food safety authority is trying to reassure consumers that there is no public health risk.
Nelson Mandela’s daughters have launched a court action in South Africa to remove his close friend and lawyer George Bizos from two companies set up to channel funds from Mr Mandela’s artwork to his family. Mr Bizos said the allegations weren’t true.