BBC news 2008-04-26 加文本

BBC 2008-04-26


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BBC News with Ian Perdon.

A senior United Nations official who has just finished a visit to Iraq has condemned militias and insurgent groups for making increasing use of children, some as young as ten, in political violence. The official Radhika Coomaraswamy said that some of the child recruits were paid to plant bombs; others were used as decoys by suicide bombers and often died in the attacks. Ms Coomaraswamy also expressed concerns about how few children were attending primary school.

The number of children going to schools has dropped from 80% in 2005 in primary school to 50% now. And so we feel that there must be an urgent message put out by the religious leaders and community leaders and families: keep your children out of the violence and send them back to school.

Iraqi police have said an oil pipeline has been blown up south of Baghdad, causing a large fire. At least eight guards were wounded in the blast near the town of Iskandiriya. It's the second time in the last year that pipeline carrying fuel south from Baghdad's large Doura Oil Refinery has been attacked in the area.

The Sri Lankan government says at least 24 people have been killed in a bomb attack on a bus during the evening rush hour on the outskirts of the capital Colombo. A spokesman said a parcel bomb exploded as the vehicle stopped at a bus stand. This man was among those injured. “We were on a bus on the other side of the road. And suddenly I didn't know what happened. I felt like everybody was thrown all over the place, then all of us ran out of the bus. I saw body pieces everywhere. And I could smell explosives. After that, we ran over and pulled injured people out of the bus.” The government spokesman blames Tamil Tiger rebels for the attack.

Three New York police officers have been cleared of all charges in the killing of an unarmed black man Sean Bell on his wedding day. Mr. Bell died in a barrage of 50 police bullets as he left a strip club with two friends hours before he was due to be married in November 2006. The New York State Supreme Court judge cleared the three officers, two of whom were also black, of charges of manslaughter, reckless endangerment and assault.Heather Alexander reports from New York.

The prosecution said the police were inapt and trigger-happy, the defense that Sean Bell and his two friends were threatening thugs. His mother cried and his fiancee walked out as the judge gave the not-guilty verdicts. The officers said they followed the men, believing they were going to get a gun to settle a dispute at the strip club, and opened fire after one was grazed by Mr. Bell's car as he tried to drive away. The local community have said it's an injustice, pointing to the fact that no gun was found, and witness statement saying the officers didn't identify themselves. One of the detectives, Mark Cooper told the Bell family he was sorry for the tragedy.

World News from the BBC.

The Angolan government has given authorization for a Chinese ship carrying arms destined for Zimbabwe to dock although it will not be allowed to unload weapons. On Thursday, the Chinese authority said they would recall the ship to China after port workers in South Africa refused to unload the weapons.

China says it will talk to representatives of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the ** Lama in the coming days. It would be the first such meeting since last July, and follows international pressure for talks after the widespread anti-China protest by Tibetans last month. The Chinese government statement was read out on state-run television.

In view of the requests repeatedly made by the ** Lama side for resuming talks, the relevant department to the central government will have contact and consultation with the ** Lama's private representative in the coming days. The policy of the central government towards the ** Lama has been consistent, and the door for dialogue has remained open.

The spokesman for the ** Lama said his office had received no official word from China but any opportunity for talks would be a step in the right direction.

The British broadcaster and jazz musician Humphrey Lyttelton has died at the age of 86. Known to millions of radio listeners as the urbane presenter of panel games, like 'I am sorry I haven't a clue', Humphrey Lyttelton first came to fame as a trumpet player and band leader in the 1940s. In 1956, his Bad Penny Blues was the first British jazz record to enter the top 20. Although broadcasting claimed more of his time from the 1970s onwards, Humph, as he was generally known, continued recording and touring with his band until well into his 80s.

Finally, the United Nations says Tajikistan needs urgent help to control a plague of locusts affecting the livelihoods of more than 2 million people. The UN says the scale is exceptional and it’s warning that the infestation could spread to other countries.