BBC news 2008-05-29 加文本

BBC News with Punet Godusy.

A major new arms control agreement which bans the use and stockpiling of cluster munitions has been signed in the Irish capital Dublin. More than 100 countries have agreed to ban cluster bombs, weapons that explode into tiny bomblets. They have been blamed for killing hundreds of civilians often years after being used in battle. Thomas Nash of the campaign group Cluster Munitions Coalition said this was a very important agreement.

"This is an incredibly positive document. It's going to set a new norm, a new standard of international behavior that will say cluster munitions are unacceptable, they will be stigmatized, and it will also say that the use of explosive force in areas is also beginning to be unacceptable for, for the international community. So, it's a hugely significant document and the Irish have done a, a brilliant job in pulling it together so quickly." Some of the major users of cluster bombs, however, won't be signing. The United States, Russia, China and Israel were absent from the Dublin meeting.

The Mexican government says the army will be deployed on the streets of Mexico for at least another two years in the fight against the country's drug gangs. About 25, 000 troops have been involved in a battle with the cartels for more than a year. Duncan Kennedy reports from Mexico City.

The government has never put a timeline on the use of Mexico's regular army in the fight against the cartels. The army's been deployed for more than a year. Now according to Medina-Mora, Mexico's Attorney General, it will be at least another two years before the army can withdraw. Mr. Mora said he saw no quick end to the violence which has left nearly 1, 400 people dead so far this year.

A former member of George Bush's inner circle has accused the president of relying on political propaganda rather than the truth to sell the war in Iraq to the American people. In the new memoir, Scott McClellan, a former White House press secretary, said President Bush rushed into an unnecessary war. Jack Izzard reports.

Two years after he resigned, Mr. McClellan has written a stinging critique of the Bush administration. He accused the president of veering terribly off course and botching the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps most damning of all, he claims that President Bush ran a political propaganda campaign to persuade the Americans to support the invasion of Iraq with a flattering description of President's personal qualities, charm, wit and enormous political skill. But overall, it is a visceral attack on the administration.(www.hXen.com)

The first American court-martial to arise from the killing of civilians in the northern Iraqi city of Haditha three years ago is underway in California. Lieutenant Andrew Grayson is accused of obstructing justice. It's the first case to come to trial in the biggest US criminal prosecution involving civilian deaths in Iraq. It's alleged that 24 people were killed in 2005 in revenge for a roadside bombing in which an American marine died.

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The Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has called on the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to stand down. Mr. Olmert is currently battling allegations of corruption. Mr. Barak said he could not remain as Prime Minister while also facing a police investigation.

Farmers' groups in Argentina have stepped up their protests against new export taxes banning all exports of grain and beef for almost a week. It's the latest escalation of a two-month confrontation with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, which has already caused riots and food shortages across Argentina. The farmers say that the tax increases are crippling them. But President Fernandez insists that the money is needed to redistribute wealth to the poor.

A special assembly in Nepal has voted to abolish the monarchy after more than two centuries in power. King Gyanendra has now fifteen days to leave his palace in central Kathmandu. The much-heralded decision was delayed for many hours while members of the assembly argued over an interim plan for a presidential system for Nepal. There was no immediate reaction to decision from the King himself.

Scientists in the United States have taught monkeys to control a robotic arm through electrodes implanted in their brains. The researchers hoped that such a system may eventually allow paralyzed patients to operate artificial limbs with their minds. Here's our science reporter Paul Rincon.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have built a complex robotic arm complete with joints and the claw that works much like human hands. Then they ran tiny electrodes from the artificial limb and implanted them into the monkeys' brains. Using food as rewards, the scientists managed to train the monkeys to control the robot arm using only the power of their minds. Within a few days, the animals were using the false limb to feed themselves with marshmallows, chunks of fruit and other treats.

That report was by Paul Rinco and it's the latest BBC News.