BBC news 2008-09-08 加文本

BBC 2008-09-08

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BBC News with Roy Lamar.

President Bush has said the government’s takeover of the two biggest mortgage finance companies in the United States was necessary to keep them from failing. He said putting the companies on a sound footing was crucial to the health of the American economy. The two companies have lost billions of dollars in the collapse of the U.S. housing market. Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.

The dramatic move is the most sweeping US government intervention in financial markets in decades. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are government-chartered shareholder-owned firms and they have a hand in 50% of all mortgages in the United States. The government intervention may cost taxpayers billions of dollars and will dramatically reduce the value of the two companies’ common stock.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been moved from low-lying areas of northeastern Cuba as the country braces itself for the arrival of Hurricane Ike. The hurricane has been downgraded to a Category-3 storm but it remains a serious threat. Emilio San Pedro reports.

The storm is expected to make landfall in the northeastern part of the country near the city of Holguin in the coming hours. The Cuban authorities have always proven to be extremely effective at dealing with these types of emergencies, but the fact that this latest hurricane comes as the relief effort continues in the wake of hurricane Gustav makes this perhaps the most challenging of times for the Cuban government. Of critical concern is whether the capital Havana will take a direct hit from the storm. If that were to happen, it could prove devastating.

American forces in Afghanistan are reopening an investigation into a US air attack last month in which many civilians were reportedly killed. They say there is new information about the attack in the western province of Herat. Dan Isaacs reports.

The evidence of video footage from mobile phones showing dozens of dead bodies has given increasing credence to claims made by local residents that as many as 90 civilians were killed in last month's combined ground operation and air strike. Both the Afghan government and the United Nations have carried out separate investigations in which they say that the video evidence as well as the presence of a large number of freshly-dug graves confirms the villagers’ account. Until now, the US military in Afghanistan has stood by their version of events that far fewer civilians died in what was a largely successful operation against Taliban militants in the area.

Police in Israel have recommended that the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted on corruption charges. The proposed charges include accepting bribes and breaching public trust. Mr. Olmert denies all wrongdoing but he said he will stand down after his Kadima Party chooses a new leader later this month. The police recommendation will be considered by the Israeli Attorney General who will decide whether to file formal charges.

This is world news from the BBC.(Www.hXen.com)

With more than half of votes counted in Angola’s first peacetime election, the governing MPLA party is heading for an overwhelming victory. Angola’s electoral commission said the MPLA had won more than 80% of the vote in the parliamentary poll. The main opposition Unita party says it’s unhappy with the conduct of the poll in the capital Luanda where voting was extended for an extra day after a chaotic start.

The pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong has done better than expected in elections to the territory’s Legislative Council. It has won more than a third of the seats, meaning that it will retain its power of veto over major legislation. Partial results showed the pro-democracy candidates secured at least 22 seats in the 60-seat council. Vaudine England reports from Hong Kong.

Amid predictions of heavy losses, parties in the democratic camp have done better than they had feared. Some had issued statements during voting on Sunday that the situation was critical. Others were in tears, expecting to lose. Instead, the democratic camp secured four out of 6 seats available on Hong Kong Island. Analysts had been predicting that the popular vote might not be as solidly pro-democracy as usual.

Farmers in India have suspended protests that jeopardized plans to produce the world’s cheapest car there. They have been demanding the return of land given by the state government in West Bengal to the Tata Nano factory. In a deal that farmers described as the victory, the state governor has agreed to hand back some of the land to them. The Tata Company which didn’t take part in the talks had the earlier threatened to move out its operations if the protests continued.  

Tennis, the British player Andy Murray has won his way through to the final of the US Open by beating the world Number one Rafael Nadal. Murray won in four sets. He will now play Roger Federer in Monday’s final.

BBC News.