BBC news 2008-10-24 加文本

BBC News with John Jason.

The Head of Colombia's Intelligence Services, Maria del Pilar Hurtado, has resigned after admitting that her agents spied on left-wing political opponents of President Alvaro Uribe. Ms. Hurtado said she was stepping down to preserve the honor of the security services. Emilio San Pedro reports.

This is the latest in a series of scandals surrounding the Colombian intelligence agency, the DAS. One of its former directors Jorge Noguera is currently under investigation for his alleged links to the country's right-wing paramilitary groups. His critics accuse him of having used the DAS to take on all of the government's opponents from union members to high-ranking politicians. And the latest scandal which has prompted the resignation of the agency's current director, Maria del Pilar Hurtado, would seem to indicate that those practices may have continued after his departure.

One of the most prominent journalists in Croatia and a colleague have been killed by a car bomb in the capital Zagreb. The bomb went off outside the offices of the weekly publication, Nacional. From Belgrade, Helen Fawkes reports.

The bomb was planted under the car of Ivo Pukanic. His publication has often exposed corruption and human rights abuses. This car bomb follows a wave of violent attacks in the capital which have been linked to organized crime. Earlier this month the daughter of a prominent Croatian lawyer was shot dead. Her killing sparked public outrage and led to two government ministers been sacked. Following this latest incident, the prime minister vowed that there would be a further crackdown on organized crime, and he said he would not allow Croatia to become Beirut.

The South African Parliament has voted to abolish the elite crime-fighting unit, known as the Scorpions, and merge it with a national police force. The Scorpions were involved in investigating corruption allegations against the ANC leader Jacob Zuma and other senior party figures. An opposition party leader, Kenneth Meshoe, said the ANC was pursuing a political vendetta against the unit, and the South African police service was not equipped to fight organized crime.

"There can be no doubt that disbanding the Scorpions will harm the fight against organized crime, since the SAPS, we are not convinced,[it] is well positioned or equipped to deal effectively with those organized crime. Like most South Africans, we believe that the ANC's decision to disband the Scorpions was not motivated by the Scorpions's low success rate, but was rather motivated by the fact that the Scorpions have been too successful."

Car manufacturers in the United States and other parts of the world have announced more job and production cuts in a further sign of the global economic crisis. The giant American corporation Chrysler is to cut 2,000 jobs. General Motors is also reported to be cutting staff. Fiat in Italy said profits could drop as much as 65%, and Daimler in Germany is forecasting sharply lower revenue, profits and sales.

World News from the BBC.

A United Nations Special Representative has delivered a scathing report on human rights in North Korea, urging the Communist authorities there to end public executions and stop providing food for only the country's elite. The UN envoy said the North should end the punishment of asylum-seekers who return from abroad and account for foreigners kidnapped by North Korean agents.

Nearly 50 heads of state and government from Asia and the European Union are holding a summit in Beijing to discuss the global economic crisis. The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said a coordinated response was needed and the economies of Asia and Europe would either swim together or sink together. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the leaders would explore measures to stabilize international financial markets.

The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is being allowed to seek a third term in office. Current laws limit mayors to two terms of four years each, but the New York City Council voted to allow him to run again when his second term ends next year. From New York, here's David Willis.

A self-made billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, had campaigned to be able to run for a third term on the premise that his financial experience was vital to guide New York through the lean financial times that are expected to lie ahead. He achieved his wish thanks to a narrow vote by the New York City Council, two-thirds of whose members will also be able to run for a third term as a result of this decision, despite opinion polls which suggested that the vast majority of voters preferred a referendum on the issue.(Www.hxen.net)

The Spanish golfing champion, Severiano Ballesteros, is to undergo further surgery in a Madrid hospital where he is in a serious condition. The operation is to relieve swelling in his brain and try to remove the remains of a tumor. Ballesteros was admitted to hospital earlier this month after receiving or after suffering epileptic fit.

And that's the latest BBC News.