Ivory Coast president refuses to step down

Pressure is mounting on the president of Ivory Coast after last month’s election.The United Nations � and Ivory Coast’s neighbors � believe that Laurent Gbagbo clearly lost the contest and are demanding that he step down.The United States today imposed sanctions on him, his family and top officials.But Gbagbo simply refuses to go. There has been violence, and several thousand Ivorians have fled. Gbagbo’s opponent, Alassane Ouattara, is blockaded by government troops in a hotel protected by UN peacekeepers. The BBC’s John James is in Abidjan, the main city in Ivory Coast.