December 2012

December 2012

Egypt's main opposition has demanded an inquiry into the referendum on the draft constitution, citing fraud.

The National Salvation Front urged the election commission to investigate the "irregularities".

Initial unofficial results indicate a "Yes" vote for a document which President Mohammed Morsi says will safeguard democracy.

The opposition says the constitution favours Islamists, and the referendum has highlighted bitter divisions.

The result is expected to be officially announced on Monday.

If the constitution passes, elections must take place within three months. In the meantime, legislative powers would remain with Mr Morsi.

December 2012

Dozens of people have been killed in a government air strike on a bakery in the central Syrian province of Hama, opposition activists say.

The incident took place in Halfaya, a town recently captured by rebels.

If activists' reports of 90 deaths are confirmed, this would be one of the deadliest air strikes of the civil war.

Rebels have been fighting President Bashar al-Assad for 21 months, with opposition groups saying more than 44,000 people have been killed.

The latest violence comes as the joint United Nations-Arab League special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, arrived in Damascus to discuss ways to end the unrest.

December 2012

North Korea's recent rocket launch shows it has the ability to fire a rocket more than 10,000km (6,200 miles), South Korean officials say.

The estimate, which would potentially put the Western US in range, was based on an analysis of rocket debris.

However, there was no confirmation that the North had the re-entry technology needed to deliver a missile.

Experts believe North Korea is also years away from gaining the ability to mount a nuclear bomb on a missile.

North Korea launched the Unha-3 rocket on 12 December, in defiance of sanctions and international warnings.

It was the first time the North had made successful use of a three-stage rocket to put a satellite into orbit, and observers said it appeared to mark a step towards fielding an intercontinental range ballistic missile.

"As a result of analysing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000km in case the warhead is 500-600kg," a South Korean defence ministry official told journalists.

Charles Scanlon BBC News Asia analyst

The South Koreans - and others - have long alleged that the North Koreans are trying to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting the US. The South Korean defence ministry says its analysis of the remains of the first stage of the rocket fired on 12 December backs up that view - that North Korea has dual use technology that could potentially propel a missile onto the US mainland.

They acknowledge that there's no evidence that the North has the guidance systems or re-entry capability needed to mount an actual strike. Experts also believe that many more rocket and nuclear tests will be needed before North Korea can make a warhead small enough to fit its rockets and claim a credible nuclear delivery system.

North Korea still maintains that the latest rocket is purely part of a civilian space programme. But it also wants its frequent threats to foes and rivals to be taken seriously. A credible nuclear deterrent, from Pyongyang's perspective, would strengthen the prestige of its leader, warn off potential aggressors and enhance its negotiating position in any future talks.

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