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There have been scenes of desperation on Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic, where restrictions are in place to stop the cholera outbreak crossing into the neighbouring country.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Campaigners say higher tuition fees will give graduates huge loans to pay off The National Union of Students is to target Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and other Lib Dem MPs as part of a new campaign against tuition fees.
The NUS wants people to sign a pledge not to vote for any MP who backs the proposals to allow universities in England to charge up to £9,000 a year.
It is angry that the Lib Dems promised, pre-election, to oppose such rises.
Mr Clegg’s spokesman said the Lib Dem leader was working on making the new system as fair as possible.
He added that Mr Clegg was not surprised by the NUS campaign.
The Lib Dem leader has said he regrets being unable to deliver on the party’s tuition fees promise as part of the coalition agreement with the Conservatives.
The NUS campaign will feature a new website with the slogan “It’s time MPs kept their promises”.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said that as part of the campaign, the NUS would be urging a parliamentary recall for MPs who had broken promises on tuition fees.
An NUS spokesman said it was using the spirit of the coalition plan, under which it was proposed to give constituencies the right to call a by-election if an MP was found guilty of wrongdoing.
According to the Observer newspaper, there will be a particular focus on MPs in constituencies with large student populations, such as Mr Clegg, who represents Sheffield Hallam.
Caroline Dowd, Sheffield Hallam University’s student union president, told the paper it could not get Mr Clegg “out of our union before the general election”.
“He came and spoke about how MPs should not make promises and then break them, about how fees were wrong.”
But former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris said the NUS campaign was a “transparent stunt”, stressing that manifesto promises could be fulfilled only if a party won a majority.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The US has offered Israel a package of incentives in exchange for a settlement construction freeze in the West Bank, diplomatic sources say.
Under the reported plan, Israel would stop construction for 90 days in the West Bank but not in East Jerusalem.
Israeli media say the cabinet has been discussing the package.
The settlement row threatens to derail direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which resumed in the US in September after a break of almost 20 months.
In addition to the 90-day construction freeze, the plan includes a US pledge not to seek any further extension to the moratorium, the diplomatic sources say.
In return, Washington reportedly offers Israel various security guarantees and commits itself to fighting international resolutions critical of Israel.
The US-brokered Middle East peace talks stalled only a few weeks after their resumption in September.
The Palestinians – backed by the Arab League – have pledged not to return to the talks without a full settlement construction freeze, but have given US negotiators until early November to try to break the impasse.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967, settling close to 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements. They are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams is expected to announce later that he intends running for the Irish parliament in the next election.
If successful, it would mean he would hold a seat at Westminster, Stormont and in Dublin at the same time.
His decision to run for a seat in the Dail would mark a significant change in strategy by the Sinn Fein leader, says BBC correspondent Mark Simpson.
He has always concentrated on electoral politics north of the border.
The Irish prime minister, Brian Cowen, must call a general election before July 2012 and it is thought the election may happen next year.
As the peace process has settled down in recent years, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has often looked bored.
There is no longer a new political crisis every week in Belfast. As a result, Mr Adams has a reduced workload and a much lower profile.
That may not be the main reason he has decided to run for the Irish parliament, but it may well be a factor.
While his right-hand man Martin McGuinness has become the face of Sinn Fein at Stormont, as Deputy First Minister, Mr Adams has had a peripheral role.
He spends a lot of time south of the border, but as an unelected politician he is effectively shouting from the sidelines.
At 62, he has decided to try to re-invent himself. If he wins a seat in the Irish parliament, he is likely to step down from Stormont and concentrate on southern politics.
If he loses it could spell the end of his long political career.
An obvious seat for 62-year-old Mr Adams to attempt to win would be in County Louth, just across the border from Northern Ireland.
Louth is currently represented by Sinn Fein’s Arthur Morgan, who has said he plans to step down at the next election.
Mr Adams is due to deliver the keynote address at the Edentubber Commemoration in County Louth later on Sunday.
In a brief statement issued on Saturday night, the party promised a “significant” speech from its leader at the commemoration.
Sinn Fein has five MPs, including Mr Adams, and four TDs in the Irish parliament.
There is no modern precedent for a politician to seek election to both Westminster, where Mr Adams represents West Belfast, and the Dail.
Our correspondent said if elected to the Dail, Mr Adams would probably step down from Stormont to concentrate on politics south of the Irish border.
Mr Morgan was elected to Louth County Council in 1999, before taking the seat in the Dail at the 2002 general election, and retaining it five years later.
Last week he announced he would be stepping down at the next election to concentrate on his business. He said the party leadership had accepted his decision.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Events of remembrance are being held in towns and cities across Scotland Remembrance Sunday services are set to take place across the country in memory of Scotland’s war dead.
A ceremony will be held at the Stone of Remembrance on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, which will include a march by ex-service and civilian organisations.
HMS Ark Royal crew members will lead a parade as part of Glasgow’s ceremony in George Square, while a service will be held in Glasgow Cathedral.
Events will also be taking place in towns and cities across Scotland.
First Minister Alex Salmond and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore will be at the ceremony in Edinburgh.
The parade will include service personnel, regimental associations, the St Andrews Ambulance Association, the Humanist Society, Girl Guides, Sea Cadets and the Army Cadet Force.
Royal British Legion Scotland general secretary George Ross said: “We want this to reflect the whole of society.
“Remembrance is not the exclusive preserve of the Armed Forces and we hope the parade will reflect this.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The BBC’s correspondent in Rangoon witnessed Aung San Suu Kyi’s release
World leaders and human rights groups have reacted with joy at the release from house arrest of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ms Suu Kyi walked from her Rangoon house at the end of her sentence on Saturday, having been detained for most of the past two decades.
Her lawyers say no conditions have been placed on her freedom.
But correspondents say it is not yet clear what role she will be able to play in the country’s politics.
Her release comes six days after the country held its first elections in 20 years – they were won by the military but widely condemned as a sham.
Mr Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won the election in 1990 but were never allowed to take power. She has been under house arrest or in prison almost continually ever since.
“At best it’s a single step forward on the proverbial thousand mile journey”
Jared Genser Lawyer for Ms Suu Kyi
Thousands of Ms Suu Kyi’s supporters had gathered outside her home in Rangoon since Friday to await her release.
No official announcement was given but in the late morning on Saturday, her release papers were delivered to her house and she emerged to huge celebrations – the cheers were so loud she was unable to address the crowds for about half an hour.
Ms Suu Kyi told the crowd there was “a time to be quiet and a time to talk”, and that she would visit the now-disbanded NLD at their headquarters on Sunday.
US President Barack Obama said Ms Suu Kyi was a “hero” of his while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said she was an “inspiration”.
But both leaders warned that her release should not mask the continued political oppression in Burma.
What we saw here were scenes of extraordinary, unforgettable pleasure. But no-one knows what comes next.
Aung San Suu Kyi phrased her new policy with deliberate vagueness when she talked about people working together to achieve their goals.
Working with the opposition leaders who thought she was wrong to opt out of last week’s elections, certainly – but working with the generals who run this country and who have kept her prisoner so long, that’s going to be very hard indeed.
This isn’t South Africa and the old regime isn’t just prepared to fade away.
“Whether Aung San Suu Kyi is living in the prison of her house, or the prison of her country, does not change the fact that she, and the political opposition she represents, has been systematically silenced,” said Mr Obama.
Mr Ban called on Burma to “build on today’s action by releasing all remaining political prisoners”.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Ms Suu Kyi’s detention had been a “travesty” and that her release had been “long overdue”.
“Freedom is Aung San Suu Kyi’s right. The Burmese regime must now uphold it,” he said.
Jared Genser, an international lawyer who acts for Ms Suu Kyi and president of the campaign group Freedom Now, told the BBC no conditions had been placed on her release.
“They did try to place conditions on her but those were declined, and ultimately the junta decided that it was going to let her go nevertheless,” he said.
Mr Genser said it was a very exciting time, but warned: “At best it’s a single step forward on the proverbial thousand mile journey.”
“Unlike when Nelson Mandela was freed in 1994 and change was in the air and the then-apartheid government of South Africa was clearly looking to do a deal with Nelson Mandela, we see none of those signs present in Burma today,” he said.
Ms Suu Kyi was first detained in 1989.
Her latest period of house arrest was extended by 18 months in August last year, following an incident in which a US man swam across the lake to her home.
Correspondents say it is too early to say whether Ms Suu Kyi’s release will have a significant impact on Burma’s political scene, and to what extent she will be free to engage in political activity.
Her release comes too late for her to take part in the elections, which were billed by the junta as marking the transition from military to civilian rule but were widely criticised as being neither free nor fair.
The NLD had refused to contest the election, partly because new electoral laws prevented anyone with a criminal record – therefore many of its leaders and members – could not run for office.
Its refusal meant it is no longer legally recognised as a party, and so its most famous democracy campaigner has no official political status and an unclear role.
Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The measures being put forward follow the Calman Commission report on Holyrood The Scottish Parliament’s financial powers could be increased to enable it to raise about a third of its revenue, the Scottish secretary has said.
Michael Moore said the Scotland Bill, to be published in the next few weeks, would detail the potential doubling of revenue-raising power for Holyrood.
This could see control over revenue rising from 15% to up to 35% – about £10bn at current rates.
The Scottish government has called instead for full fiscal autonomy.
The proposed bill is expected to seek to implement the recommendations of the Calman Commission, which investigated how devolution could be altered 10 years after the creation of the Edinburgh parliament.
Mr Moore said: “The Scotland Bill will be published shortly and it will be the start of the largest transfer of fiscal powers out of London since the creation of the United Kingdom.
“We are going to increase the financial power and accountability of the Scottish Parliament.”
The Liberal Democrat minister said MSPs did not have enough say in how the Scottish budget was raised and determined by the UK government at Westminster.
“In the plans we are finalising, there will be the right balance between accountability and stability”
Michael Moore Scottish Secretary
Mr Moore added: “Next week the Scottish Parliament will start the process of deciding how to spend next year’s budget. But at the moment they don’t have enough say over how that budget is raised.
“That is a serious weakness that the Scotland Bill will fix.
“In the plans we are finalising, there will be the right balance between accountability and stability, with around a third of revenue raised by Holyrood and the other two-thirds from UK-controlled taxes.”
The UK government’s Scotland Office said estimates showed Holyrood currently controls about 15% of its own revenue. This could rise to about 35% under the package of powers the government may devolve to Edinburgh.
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney will unveil details of his spending plans at Holyrood on Wednesday.
Figures revealed by the Treasury in last month’s Spending Review showed Scotland faced a £900m cut to next year’s budget.
But a spokesman for Mr Swinney put the figure at £1.3bn, including a 25% cut to the capital budget.
He claimed Scotland had built up surpluses of £3.5bn from 2005 to 2009 while the UK had a £72bn deficit.
The spokesman added: “These figures demonstrate beyond doubt that Scotland would be far better off taking responsibility for our own financial decisions, so that we can access our own resources, grow the Scottish economy, and invest in the public services we all value.
“Instead of the Calman fudge, Scotland needs real financial responsibility and economic powers, so that we can compete with other nations on an equal basis.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Literacy levels among seven-year-olds are slightly up on last year Too many children leave primary school unable to read or write well enough, England’s chief schools inspector says.
Head of Ofsted Christine Gilbert said standards of reading and writing among many 11-year-olds fell “stubbornly short” of achievable levels.
One in five is not at the level expected for English at age 11.
Rigorous teaching of phonics, which focuses on the sounds of letters and letter combinations, could help all pupils, of any background, she said.
Ms Gilbert said: “Despite some major initiatives in recent years to raise standards in reading and writing, the levels achieved by many children at the end of primary school fall stubbornly short of what is achievable.”
The literacy levels of England’s 11-year-olds are measured by the national tests – or Sats – and are published in the primary school league tables.
“Teaching children to read is at the heart of their curriculum. Rigorous, intensive and systematic phonics teaching underpins reading, spelling and writing.”
Christine Gilbert Ofsted’s chief inspector
Last year 80% of pupils achieved the grade for English the government expects them to (Level 4), with girls (85%) outshining boys (75%).
Reading levels are higher, with 86% making the grade, while in writing only 68% do so.
Pupils are also assessed by their teachers at the age of six or seven in reading, writing, maths and science.
The latest data on those Key Stage 1 assessments – published last Thursday – showed that nearly 85% of pupils were reading at the expected level (Level 2), with girls doing better than boys.
Overall, there was a slight rise in reading and writing levels on last year’s results.
Ofsted has published a report which looks at how 12 top-rated schools teach children to read and write and hopes it will be a guide to the best practice in teaching phonics.
Ms Gilbert said the schools represented a wide range of communities but shared some key similarities – they all had high expectations of all children and taught pupils to read using phonics.
“They are passionate in their belief that every child can learn to read,” she said.
“Teaching children to read is at the heart of their curriculum. Rigorous, intensive and systematic phonics teaching underpins reading, spelling and writing.”
Phonics is widely used in schools – often in combination with other methods of teaching children to read – but Ms Gilbert says it must be taught rigorously and systematically to have the best effect.
It is a message the coalition government is keen to spread.
Education Secretary Michael Gove wants children to be taught to read using phonics and before the election had said they should be able to do so by the age of six.
The government is planning on introducing “a simple reading test” for six-year-olds to help identify those who need extra help.
Tests will be piloted for a year from next June.
In its business plan, published last week, the government included the target of promoting “systematic synthetic phonics in schools”.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “This report provides further evidence of the success of systematic synthetic phonics in teaching children to read. The government is determined to raise the standard of reading in the first years of primary school so that children can master the basic decoding skills of reading early and then spend the rest of primary school reading to learn.
“The schools highlighted in the report are also characterised by the high expectations which they place on pupils, and how those pupils rise to the challenge – achieving in areas of relatively high deprivation.”
Teachers and head teachers say phonics is a good way of teaching children to read, but is not a magic formula and good teachers will use various strategies to meet their pupils’ needs.
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “Literacy is a fundamental skill and right. The overwhelming majority of children reach good standards but we want every child to get there. More than that, we want every child to enjoy reading and writing.
“Few will be surprised to discover that children benefit from consistent, structured, well-paced teaching coupled with praise and reinforcement.
“This report demonstrates that there are proven strategies, and some ‘essentials’, but no magic formula to get children reading.”
And Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers said: “It is not the case that phonics helps every child read well. Many children with specific learning difficulties not only struggle with it, but in some cases find the approach totally ineffective.
“If phonics was truly the magic solution to literacy then it would have become a systematic part of teaching many years ago. The reality is that a range of teaching methods need to be deployed according to need, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Education is devolved across the UK, with each administration deciding on spending and policies.
In Scotland, there is no set policy guidance on the use of phonics, but it is given as an option in a literacy action plan.
Under the Curriculum for Excellence, local authorities and schools are given flexibility to tailor the curriculum to local needs, officials say.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
World leaders have welcomed the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, but are insisting the Burmese regime release all its political prisoners.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
In Sudan, the southern army says a northern plane bombed its territory, injuring several people.
The bomb landed in the Northern Bahr Gazal state on Friday, said southern army spokesman Col Phillip Aguer.
He said the incident took place when the northern armed forces were pursuing Darfuri rebels near the border.
A northern army spokesman confirmed that troops had engaged the rebels, but said the fighting had taken place 23km (14 miles) north of the border.
The spokesman said he did not believe a bomb had landed in the south.
The United Nations confirmed a bombing had occurred and said it was sending a team to assess the situation.
Tensions in Sudan have been rising in recent weeks, ahead of a referendum next year on possible independence for the south of the country – a consequence of peace deal in 2005 that ended a long civil war.
Earlier this week, ministers in charge of the armed forces from both the north and the south held a joint press conference to stress a new war was not an option.
But many analysts say a return to conflict around the time of the referendum or afterwards is a real possibility.
Southerners are likely to vote for independence, but most of Sudan’s oil is in the south and there are real doubts about whether Khartoum will allow the region to split away.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Prince Charles is patron of the War Widows Association The Prince of Wales is due to join 150 war widows for a service of remembrance at the Cenotaph in London.
The Prince, who is patron of the War Widows Association, will lay a wreath and also attend a reception.
Later the Queen is expected to attend the Royal Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
The annual event is hosted by the Royal British Legion as a tribute to those that made the ultimate sacrifice.
The festival comes on the eve of Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.
Other royals due at the Royal Albert Hall include the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke of York, Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Princess Royal.
Veterans and their families will also be present at the festival, which will see Queen guitarist Brian May and singer Kerry Ellis perform and actor Bernard Cribbens and Hayley Westenra give a rendition of For The Fallen.
One of the evening’s traditionally moving moments is the release of poppy petals from the building’s great dome to represent all those who have died in combat.
Another highlight is expected to be the Book of Remembrance carried into the hall by Royal Marine Lance Corporal Ram Patten, accompanied by the “March For Honour” teams who have been trying to raise £1 million for the Legion.
The serving and ex-servicemen have been marching across the UK since 4 November in four groups – walking a mile for every British military life lost on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Former MP George Galloway can stand for the Respect party in the next Scottish election after it agreed to changes at its annual conference.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
France’s prime minister and cabinet tender their resignation ahead of a planned reshuffle by President Nicolas Sarkozy.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Prince Charles is patron of the War Widows Association The Prince of Wales is due to join 150 war widows for a service of remembrance at the Cenotaph in London.
The Prince, who is patron of the War Widows Association, will lay a wreath and also attend a reception.
Later the Queen is expected to attend the Royal Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
The annual event is hosted by the Royal British Legion as a tribute to those that made the ultimate sacrifice.
The festival comes on the eve of Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.
Other royals due at the Royal Albert Hall include the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke of York, Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Princess Royal.
Veterans and their families will also be present at the festival, which will see Queen guitarist Brian May and singer Kerry Ellis perform and actor Bernard Cribbens and Hayley Westenra give a rendition of For The Fallen.
One of the evening’s traditionally moving moments is the release of poppy petals from the building’s great dome to represent all those who have died in combat.
Another highlight is expected to be the Book of Remembrance carried into the hall by Royal Marine Lance Corporal Ram Patten, accompanied by the “March For Honour” teams who have been trying to raise £1 million for the Legion.
The serving and ex-servicemen have been marching across the UK since 4 November in four groups – walking a mile for every British military life lost on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The BBC’s correspondent in Rangoon witnessed Aung San Suu Kyi’s release
The Burmese military authorities have released the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest.
Appearing outside her home in Rangoon, Ms Suu Kyi told thousands of jubilant supporters they had to “work in unison” to achieve their goals.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years. It is not yet clear if any conditions have been placed on her release.
US President Barack Obama welcomed her release as “long overdue”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Ms Suu Kyi was an “inspiration”, and called on Burma to free all its remaining political prisoners.
The decision to free 65-year-old Ms Suu Kyi comes six days after the political party supported by the military government won the country’s first election in 20 years. The ballot was widely condemned as a sham.
For more than 24 hours crowds of people had been waiting anxiously near Ms Suu Kyi’s home and the headquarters of her now-disbanded National League for Democracy (NLD) party for news of her fate.
Many wore T-shirts sporting the slogan “We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi”.
Hundreds of people are refusing to go away – at this extraordinary moment of history – they keep saying they are very happy.
They are standing outside the house that has been Aung San Suu Kyi’s prison for so many years and is now her home.
It took about half an hour after the release before she came up to the gate and tried to address the crowd – and it took a long time to quiet the crowd so she could speak.
She looked extremely happy, very emotional, and the whole crowd is grinning from ear to ear.
Plain clothes police were around but as soon as an opening appeared in the barricades, people just surged through.
She has been released before and because of what she has said about peace and freedom and democracy she has been jailed again. We don’t know what is gong to happen.
Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi Life in pictures: Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi: Your reaction
On Saturday afternoon, a stand-off developed between armed riot police and several hundred people gathered on the other side of the security barricade blocking the road leading to her lakeside home. Some of them later sat down in the road in an act of defiance.
As tensions rose, reports came in at about 1700 (1030 GMT) that official cars had been seen entering Ms Suu Kyi’s compound, and then that unnamed officials had formally read the release order to her.
Hundreds of people then surged forward and rushed forwards to greet her.
The ecstatic crowd swelled to three or four thousand before Ms Suu Kyi, in a traditional lilac dress, finally appeared, about 30 minutes later, on a platform behind the gate of her compound.
She took a flower from someone in the crowd and placed it in her hair.
Ms Suu Kyi then tried to speak, but was drowned out by the noise of the crowd, many singing the national anthem and chanting her name repeatedly.
“I have to give you the first political lesson since my release. We haven’t seen each other for so long, so we have many things to talk about. If you have any words for me, please come to the [NLD] headquarters tomorrow and we can talk then and I’ll use a loud speaker,” she joked.
“There is a time to be quiet and a time to talk,” she added. “People must work in unison. Only then can we achieve our goal.”
She then went back inside her home for the first meeting with NLD leaders in seven years. She also spoke to her youngest son, Kim Aris, who was awaiting her release in neighbouring Thailand. Ms Suu Kyi had two sons with late husband, British scholar Michael Aris.
International leaders were quick to welcome Ms Suu Kyi’s release.
Mr Ban said she was an “inspiration”, but he regretted that she had been excluded from the elections.
A profile of Aung San Suu Kyi, including rarely-seen footage of her first political speech in 1988
He said he hoped no further restrictions would be placed on Ms Suu Kyi, and urged the Burmese authorities “to build on today’s action by releasing all remaining political prisoners”.
The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Surin Pitsuswan, said he was “very, very relieved” and hoped the move would “contribute to true national reconciliation”.
US President Barack Obama called Ms Suu Kyi “a hero of mine”.
“Whether Aung San Suu Kyi is living in the prison of her house, or the prison of her country, does not change the fact that she, and the political opposition she represents, has been systematically silenced, incarcerated, and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes,” he said.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron also said the release was “long overdue”, describing her detention had been a “travesty”.
“Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech, democracy and human rights,” he added.
The ruling junta has restricted Ms Suu Kyi’s travel and freedom to associate during previous brief spells of liberty, and has demanded she quit politics.
However, earlier this week her lawyer said that she would not accept any would “not accept a limited release”.
A BBC correspondent in Rangoon says it is unlikely that the ruling generals would have freed Ms Suu Kyi unless they felt confident that she no longer represented a threat to them or their plans for the country.
Sunday’s elections were a key step in a carefully planned transition from overt military rule to a nominally civilian government, but the process has been widely condemned as widely fraudulent and un-democratic, she adds.
State media have reported that the biggest military-backed party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), has secured a majority in both houses of parliament. Those elected included the leader of the USDP, Prime Minister Thein Sein, who retired from the military as a general in April to stand.
A quarter of seats in the two new chambers of parliament will be reserved for the military. Any constitutional change will require a majority of more than 75% – meaning that the military will retain a casting vote.
The NLD – which won the last election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power – refused to contest the election, which means that legally it is no longer a political entity, and by extension Burma’s most famous democracy campaigner has no official political status and an unclear role.
Our correspondent says the next few days might provide some answers on how Ms Suu Kyi plans to further the cause of freedom of justice in Burma, for which she has sacrificed so much to achieve, but in the meantime thousands of her supporters are just enjoying the moment.
Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.