BBC news 2009-04-10 加文本

BBC 2009-04-10


Download Audio


BBC news with Neil Nunes

The director of the CIA has said the United States agency no longer uses secret overseas prisons to interrogate terrorism suspects. The statement by Leon Panetta follows President Obama's orders to close the prisons. Kevin Conolly has this report from Washington.

President Barack Obama moved quickly to draw a line under the techniques used by the Bush Administration in what it styled “the war on terror”. The closure of the Guantanamo detention centre was announced; the use of torture by US agencies prohibited, and the phrase “war on terror” itself abandoned. Now the CIA Director Leon Panetta has said the so-called "black sites" where suspects were subjected to harsh techniques such as "water-boarding" have been closed and are to be decommissioned. The statement has an impressive ring, but the CIA secret prisons probably in Eastern Europe may never have been elaborated affairs on themselves and decommissioning them may be straightforward.

The United States says it’s moving more forces into the Horn of Africa in response to a hostage standoff with Somalia pirates, who are holding the American captain of a cargo ship in a lifeboat. They briefly hijacked the ship in the Indian Ocean. A US navy destroyer is close by, and is in contact with the pirates. An American spokesman Robber Woods said their priority was to secure his release. "We are in contact with the captain's family in order to try to provide appropriate support and guidance, as you know, the USS Bainbrige is in the region, it’s some of vicinity of their Maersk Alabama ,our focus right now is trying to make sure that the crew is safe, and we get the ship returned and then we'll be looking to see what more we can do to prevent these types of accidents from taking place.”

President Ahmadinejad of Iran has declared that his country intends to press ahead with its nuclear program. His comments came at the inauguration of a plant to produce fuel rod for a planned heavy water nuclear reactor. Western experts fear that the process could eventually enable Iran to produce plutonium for a nuclear bomber. President Obama has offered a new beginning in relations with the Iranian people. Jon Leyne has this report from Tehran.

To celebrate National Nuclear Day, president Ahmadigejad made a series of announcements about Iran's nuclear program. But it was the defiant political message that was most significant, Mr.Ahmadigejad made it clear he did not see any change in American policy towards Iran under the new president, and so he offered nothing in return. Instead he told his audience that pushing ahead with the nuclear program was the only way for Iran to achieve the status in the world that it deserved. Iran was willing to take up the offer of new talks he said, but only on the basis of justice and respect.

The Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has blamed bad construction for much of the loss of life in Monday's earthquake, he said everyone involved in the construction inspection and selling of buildings should examine their consciences.

World news from the BBC

Polls have closed in Algeria after a presidential election boycotted by opposition groups, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in power for ten years is standing for a third term in office against five little-known opponents, Christian Fraser has this report from Algiers.

Most Algerians say the result of this election is already pre-determined. The more serious opposition candidates who boycotted the poll have been encouraging voters to stay away. Most of the polling stations we visited were quiet today. The Interior Minister insisted in a televised interview that over 48% of the electorate had cast their ballot by early afternoon. The government though has been accused of inflating figures before, and there has been no independent verification from Africa Union observers.

The Moldovan Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii has said the authorities are prepared to use all means necessary, including fire arms to protect constitutional order. On Tuesday, opposition supporters stormed parliament in the capital Chişinău during a protest against what they saw as a rigged election, in which the communist party was returned to power. In a television address Ms Greceanii said the organizers of what he called the greatest crime in Moldova’s history planned more demonstrations on Friday.

The Bolivian President Evo Morales says he will refuse to eat until the Upper House of Parliament, the Senate passes a new electoral law. The opposition-controlled Senate is blocking a bill that would give greater political power to Bolivian’s indigenous majority to which Mr. Morales belongs.

A solar-powered cooker has won a seventy-five thousand dollars global competition for innovation's designs to tackle climate change. The cooker called Kyoto Box is made from cardboard with tin-foil flaps to catch sunlight, and a perspex lid to trap the heat. Its inventor says it could revolutionize the lives of many people in the developing world.

BBC News

nuclear bomber: 核轰炸机