BBC news 2009-07-19 加文本

BBC 2009-07-19


Download Audio

BBC News with David Legg.

The Italian city of Milan has banned the consumption of alcohol by young teenagers. The move is part of attempts to curb increasing social problems. David Willie reports.

The authorities are deeply concerned about the increasing consumption of alcohol. A third of 11-year-olds in Milan have alcohol-related problems, the municipality says. So, as an experiment, supplying alcohol, either wine or spirits to youths under the age of 16 will be banned. Heavy fines will be imposed on the parents of offending children and on shopkeepers or bar owners who serve them.

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sought to allay fears that Washington is pressurizing India into carbon emission cuts that could jeopardize development. Speaking on the first day of her visit to India, Mrs. Clinton said there was no contradiction between poverty eradication and a low-carbon economy. She said developed countries had made mistakes but countries like India could lead in a different direction.

“We are hoping that a great country like India will not make the same mistakes. And just as India went from a few years ago, having very few telephones to now having more than 500 million mostly cell phones by leapfrogging over the infrastructure that we built for telephone service. We believe India is innovative and entrepreneurial enough to figure out how to deal with climate change while continuing to lift people out of poverty.”

The Russian human rights organization Memorial says it's suspending its investigations in Chechnya following the killing of its campaigner Natalia Estemirova. She'd been investigating human rights violations in Chechnya including the recent extra-judicial execution of a man accused of aiding extremist militants. Sarah Riser Reports.

Memorial says to continue working in Chechnya would put its remaining staff in mortal danger, so it’s suspending operations at all four of its offices. The announcement comes three days after the murder of its activist Natalia Estemirova. Many of the abuse cases Estemirova took on were linked to forces close to the Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. Memorial says it was warned directly that he was greatly displeased by her work. Mr. Kadyrov has denied any involvement in her murder and pledged to find and punish whoever is responsible.

Indonesian security officials say there are strong indications that Friday’s bomb attacks in Jakarta were planned by the militant Islamist leader Noordin Top. He heads a splinter faction of Jemaah Islamiyah, a group which has been linked to al-Qaeda. At least eight people including two suicide bombers were killed in the blasts. The Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has visited the scene and been briefed on the attacks. He said Indonesians needed to be more alert in the future but he was optimistic the government would be able to track down those who carried out the blasts.

World News from the BBC

The British government’s Environment Agency says the companies and individuals responsible for transporting hundreds of tons of hazardous waste to Brazil could face prosecution. Speaking to the BBC, Liz Parks of the Environment Agency said British courts took the dumping of hazardous waste very seriously. Earlier, Brazil demanded that the waste be sent back to Britain. The cargo includes batteries, syringes, condoms and hospital bags containing blood.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has announced that a major rebel group in the Sudanese region of Darfur has released 60 captured government soldiers and police. It said the Justice and Equality Movement had transferred the personnel to Red Cross officials who then handed them over to the Sudanese authorities in Darfur. James Corpnel reports.

It’s believed most of them were captured in recent fighting between the government and JEM, one of the biggest of the many rebel groups in Darfur. It is one of the biggest prisoner releases since the beginning of the civil war in Darfur. JEM says it took up arms to end government neglect. As many as 300,000 people have died during the conflict, according to the UN. But Khartoum disputes the figure; saying only 10,000 people have lost their lives.

The President of Ecuador Rafael Correa has strongly denied allegations that he received election funds from Marxist rebels in neighbouring Colombia. He said the evidence was part of a campaign to destabilize left-wing governments in the region. A video recording broadcast on Colombian television on Friday appeared to show a top commander of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels saying that they’d helped fund Mr. Correa’s election.

Turkey has extended a ban on smoking in public places to all bars, cafes and restaurants. The ban has come into force despite opposition from some bar and cafe owners who fear losing business. Turkey has more than 20 million smokers about a third of the entire population.

BBC News