BBC news 2009-08-22 加文本

BBC 2009-08-22


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BBC News with Ally Macue.

The head of the United States Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke has said the global economy is on the verge of recovery. He was addressing a bankers' conference in Wyoming, from where Greg Wood reports.

Ben Bernanke said that the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appeared good, a word he hasn’t used before and one which gave a boost to share prices around the world. But others here are more cautious. The President of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, said he was a little bit uneasy when he heard people commenting that because of a few green shoots, things were close to back to normal.  Twelve months ago, when central bankers gathered in this beautiful mountain setting, a financial storm was about to break. Today, the economic outlook is calmer, but a strong global recovery is by no means assured.

The daughter of the Libyan, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie airliner bomber released from a Scottish jail on Thursday has told the BBC of her family's joy at his return to Libya. Mr. al-Megrahi had been serving life in prison for blowing up an American airliner in 1988 with a loss of 270 lives. Rana Jawad reports from the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Not a word on al-Megrahi since the televised scenes of his arrival on Libyan soil until now. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's daughter, Ghada, describes her father's return as a lifetime joy. She says he's resting at home with his family after what she described as a long journey from Scotland that's worn him out. Al-Megrahi is terminally ill with cancer and it’s said he may only have three months to live.

President Obama has praised the way millions of voters in Afghanistan took part in last Thursday's presidential election. Mr. Obama said he was struck by the courage of Afghans who went to polling stations despite the threats of violence by the Taliban. From Washington, Imtiaz Tyab reports.

President Barack Obama pledged the United States would support Afghanistan's new government. Mr. Obama also hailed the country's presidential elections as an important step forward and praised Afghans for voting despite sporadic attacks at polling stations in a number of provinces. Thursday’s vote is widely seen as a success because there was far less bloodshed than expected. Voter turnout reportedly was much lower than the first presidential elections held in 2004. It's understood the violence or the threats have kept many people away.

The United States envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, says that four of the main rebel groups in Darfur have produced a clear plan for unifying their movements in preparation for final peace talks with the government. Mr. Gration told the BBC there was now a good chance of the more than 20 rebel groups in Darfur being able to present a unified stance at the final stage of the peace process. He was speaking after meeting rebels in Ethiopia.

This is Ally Macue with the latest World News from the BBC.

Indian officials say they have handed over new evidence to Pakistan on the alleged role of a Pakistani-based militant leader in attacks in Mumbai last year. They said a dossier on Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the founder of the banned Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was given to the Pakistani high commissioner in Delhi. The Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his government would examine the new evidence. More than 160 people were killed in the Mumbai attacks.

The Mexican government has enacted a law decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Mexican prosecutors say the move does not amount to legalization, but is designed to prevent corrupt police from seeking bribes from small-time drug users and encourage addicts to seek treatment. Stephen Gibbs reports from Mexico City.

Those found in the possession of the equivalent of four joints of marijuana or four lines of cocaine will no longer be viewed as criminals in Mexico. Instead, they will be encouraged to seek government-funded drug treatment which will be compulsory if users are caught a third time. The new law applies to a wide range of drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine. The Mexican attorney general's office says previously individual police officers could choose whether to arrest or just caution small-time drug users, a situation which encouraged bribery.

The Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has telephoned President Obama asking him to meet Latin American leaders to address concerns about greater US access to Colombian bases. He said the troop should be restricted to their stated role of fighting drugs and terrorists. The US has tried to calm fears by saying it will not establish its own bases and will restrict troop numbers.

Officials in Portugal say at least five people have been crushed to death by a rockslide on a crowded beach in the southern Algarve region. They say three others were injured in the incident at Albufeira, a popular resort on the Algarve.

BBC News.