BBC news 2009-06-01 加文本

BBC 2009-06-01


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BBC News with Mike Cooper

Aid workers and journalists have painted a picture of destruction and human misery on the Swat Valley of Pakistan, a day after the army retook the main town of Mingero from the Taliban. The International Committee of the Red Cross says tens of thousands of vulnerable civilians remain in the Swat Valley, in need of immediate and comprehensive help. It demanded unimpeded access for relief teams. The BBC’s Rifatullah Orakzai was among the group of journalists who entered the city today without military supervision.

"We saw that the whole area is under control of the military, but the basic facilities, there are the people complain very much because there is no electricity, there is no water-supply, gas is suspended and telephone and mobile services have already suspended for the last three weeks, so they complained very much. And the people were very much more confronted with the shortage of foods.”

The United States says Cuba has agreed to its proposal to resume talks on the legal migration of Cubans to the US that were broken off by the Bush administration. The State Department said the Cubans also wanted to discuss direct mail links and other issues. From Washington, Kim Ghattas reports.

US officials described Cuba’s response as a positive development and a step forward. Cuba has an interest in migration talks because of often embarrassing illegal migration by Cubans into the United States. The new American administration has been pursuing engagement with Cuba and has already lifted restrictions on remittances and travel for Cuban-Americans. But Washington has so far resisted calls for further bigger steps like removing the trade embargo on the island.

A controversial American doctor, one of the few still carrying out late-term abortions has been shot and killed at his church in Wichita, Kansas. Local media say a suspect has been taken into custody. Police have not given any motive for the killing of the doctor, George Tiller. However, he had survived an attempt to kill him at his abortion clinic in 1993.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has accused forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of crossing a red-line after a raid on Hamas militants in the West Bank left six dead. Officials from Fatah which controls the West Bank under President Abbas say police raided a Hamas hideout in the town of Qalqiliya. Tensions between the two Palestinian factions have intensified since Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza. Here’s Aleem Maqbool.

For nearly two years, Hamas has been in charge of the Gaza Strip while Fatah dominates in the West Bank. During that time, both sides have been accused by human rights groups of abuses of power against rival supporters. But Fatah says this incident was a case of simply trying to enforce the law, but that hasn’t stopped raising tensions. Hamas has accused Fatah of collaborating with Israel and now says it's considering withdrawing from already faltering reconciliation talks.

World news from the BBC

The giant American car manufacturer General Motors is reported to have reached an agreement with the majority of its bondholders in a move that’s expected to ease a massive restructuring of the company. GM officials have been holding talks, a day before they are expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the courts in a government-backed plan to save the company from liquidation. Reports from Washington said that 54% of bondholders had signed up to a deal that would give them at least a 10% stake in what’s likely to emerge as a much smaller company. The government is expected to take a stake of more than 70%.

The last survivor of the Titanic disaster Millvina Dean has died. She was 97. Helena Wilkinson reports.

At just nine weeks old, Millvina Dean was the youngest Titanic passenger. Her family were emigrating to America when the ship sank in 1912. Miss. Dean was placed in a sack and carried to safety along with her mother and brother. Her father Bertram died in the tragedy, one of more than 1,500 people who lost their lives. In October last year after struggling to pay for her private nursing home care, she sold some of her mementos.

The US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said President Obama's administration wants to form a closer relationship with China. On his first official visit to Beijing, Mr. Geithner also sought to reassure China that its 800-billion-dollar investment in US government debt was safe, saying the administration was committed to reducing future deficits. Mr. Geithner will hold two days of talk with Chinese leaders, including the Premier Wen Jiabao, who in March expressed concern of the value of Beijing’s US assets.

Venezuela's president Hugo Chaves has called off what was supposed to be a marathon four days of television broadcast, citing technical problems. President Evo Morales of Bolivia who was supposed to appear on the program alongside his socialist ally has also canceled his visit to Venezuela.