BBC News with Jonathan Izard
The security forces in Kenya are still trying to flush out the Islamist militants who carried out Saturday’s attack on the Westgate shopping mall in the capital Nairobi. The Kenyan authorities say 62 people have died. At least three gunmen are also reported to have been killed. Gabriel Gatehouse sent this report from the outside of the shopping centre.
Well, you can hear some firing starting up again now. We are just going to take a little bit of cover behind this truck. There’s been about an hour or so of low, during which that smoke has continued to rise, but appeared of calm, and now suddenly this firing. We don’t know what’s going on inside, but certainly it sounds to me very much like that’s fire going into the shopping centre. The shooting seems to have calmed down a little bit for now, but we can still see some of those soldiers there in the distance-- certainly look like there, taking a covering position behind that wall.
The Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku has told the BBC that the siege was at its tail end. He said that Kenya would not be cowed by the Somali movement al-Shabab, which is believed to have carried out the attack. He said Kenyan troops will stay in Somalia along with Amisom, the African Union Mission in Somalia, and will intensify their presence.
“Our business and our intention to go to Somalia was for some very clear reason. We have unfinished business there. We are going to continue to be there. And this attack would only make our resilience and our position very clear that al-Shabab posed a real threat not only to Kenya, but East Africa. And therefore, we would not be cowed and would not consider whether we need to rethink our activities there. If anything, using the aim of Amisom, we are only going to intensify our presence.”
Britain has welcomed recent statements from Iran’s new government that it wants to improve relations with the West and ease concerns about its nuclear programme. Speaking after meeting his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Zarif on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was time for Iran’s statements to be matched by concrete steps. The BBC diplomatic correspondent says there are expectations that the UN summit could produce a turning point in Iran’s relations with the West.
A court in Egypt has banned the Muslim Brotherhood from carrying out any activity in the country and has ordered the confiscation of its assets. The military-backed government has taken a series of tough measures against the group since Mohamed Morsi from the brotherhood was ousted from presidency in July. The brotherhood reacted angrily to the latest move by the government. It described the measures as corrupt and politically motivated, and said that the brotherhood would remain part of Egyptian society even if it was dissolved.
You are listening to the latest World News from the BBC.
The ailing Canadian smartphone maker Blackberry says it’s agreed in principle to be bought by a consortium led by its largest shareholder. The decision comes days after Blackberry said it was cutting its global workforce by 40%. Samira Hussain reports.
Fairfax is a private equity company. It is a Canadian company and it’s led by Prem Watsa. He is a Canadian billionaire often referred to sort of as the Warren Buffett of Canada, and his company holds 10% of the common shares of Blackberry and they’ve put in a bid to purchase the company. Blackberry was the preeminent smartphone. It was the one gadget that everyone had, but nowadays are facing such stiff competition from companies like iPhone, or from Microsoft or other people that are entering into the market—even Lenovo. And so they haven’t been able to regain any of the market-share that it’s really lost.
The Maldives Supreme Court has postponed the second round of the presidential election due to have taken place on Saturday. Charles Haviland reports.
The run-off was to have featured Mohammed Nasheed, the Maldives first democratically elected president, against the half-brother of his own direct predecessor. They scored 45 and 25 per cent respectively in the first round. But the second round has now been delayed because the party that came third has initiated a court case alleging there were irregularities in the voters’ register. The Supreme Court has now delayed the next round until it has reached conclusions on this case.
The internet company Google has launched an online archive of the world’s constitutions. Google says the initiative was designed to help nations draft better constitutions by using its powerful search tools to extract and compare elements which best suit their own circumstances. It said this applied especially to countries emerging conflict or political crises. The Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, who was present at the New York launch, said the new site would be an invaluable resource.