BBC news 2009-08-08 加文本

BBC 2009-08-08


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BBC News with Marian Marshall.

Indonesian police have surrounded a house in central Java, having exchanged gunfire with the occupants believed to include one of Southeast Asia's most wanted militants Noordin Top. Police say Mr. Noordin, a Malaysian national and the leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah group is suspected of orchestrating all major attacks in Indonesia in recent years, including last month's bombings of two Jakarta hotels and the Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005. Rebecca Henschke reports from Jakarta.
Heavily armed police have surrounded a house in a rice field in the small town of Temanggung in central Java. Police spokesperson Nanan Soekarna says he believes Noordin Mohammed Top is inside. There has been exchange of fire and authorities have evacuated residents in nearby houses. Indonesian police have been searching for the Malaysian-born fugitive for almost 7 years and have mistakenly claimed they’ve caught him in the past.

President Obama has welcomed the improved jobless figures in the United States as a sign that the worst of the economic crisis may have already passed. He said the figures which for the first time in 16 months showed a slight drop in unemployment could be the light at the end of the tunnel. President Obama said that the fall in unemployment figures could signal a turning point in the country's economic fortunes.
"Though we lost 247,000 jobs in July, that was nearly 200,000 fewer jobs lost than in June. Today we're pointed in the right direction. We are losing jobs at less than half the rate we were when I took office. We've pulled the financial system back from the brink."
However, President Obama said there was still a great deal to be done to rebuild the economy.

Ceremonies have been held in Georgia to mark the first anniversary of its brief war with Russia. A nationwide minute of silence was observed to remember the hundreds of people who died in the five-day conflict. And candlelight vigils have been held throughout the night. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the anniversary, the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili accused Russia of having tried to annihilate Georgia.
"My dear people, our nation was yet again thrust into a battle for its existence, for its survival. On the 7th of August 2008, the Russian plan for destroying Georgia's freedom, democracy and statehood was put into operation in the most ruthless and merciless manner."

The Mexican authorities say 12 people were killed including 3 police officers in clashes in the central state of Hidalgo between police and suspected drugs traffickers. A police spokesman said the nine suspected traffickers had been traveling in a convoy of three trucks and were heavily armed. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the last 18 months in Mexico in drug-related violence.

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The Bolivian President Evo Morales has accused his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe of betraying the people of Latin America with his plans to allow American troops to use Colombian military bases. Mr. Morales said that Colombia's plan of greater military cooperation with the US was aimed at countering the efforts of left-wing governments like his that were fighting for greater social justice and equality.

There were strong indications that one of Pakistan's most wanted men, the Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been killed. He's thought to have died in a US drone attack on Wednesday. A senior US official has told the BBC that Baitullah Mehsud had a close relationship with Al-Qaeda and was considered to be in charge of their terror campaign to render Pakistan ungovernable. From Washington, John Donaldson reports.
Baitullah Mehsud is or it would seem was the most wanted man in Pakistan. The American government had a five-million-dollar prize on his head. Now it seems they have got their man. Mehsud is believed to have played a key role in a string of attacks including the assassination of the two-time Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The US officials said if confirmed, his death would be a real setback for the Pakistani Taliban.

The President of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua has received a group of 32 militant leaders who surrendered their arms as part of a weapons amnesty in the oil-rich Niger Delta. At a ceremony in Abuja, the president thanked the militants for laying down their weapons. A spokesman for the group said they wanted to see change in the Delta region.

Archaeologists in Italy said they have discovered the remains of a sumptuous Roman villa believed to be the birthplace of the Emperor Vespasian. The villa dating back some 2,000 years has luxurious features like colonnades, bathhouses and colorful mosaic floors. Vespasian, who became emperor in 69 AD, is credited with rescuing the Roman Empire from the chaos that followed the reign of Emperor Nero.

BBC News.