BBC news 2009-09-08 加文本

BBC 2009-09-08


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BBC News with Jonathan Weekley.

A court here in London has found three British Muslim men guilty of conspiracy to murder by plotting to blow up planes bound for North America in 2006. Four more defendants were cleared of involvement in the plot. Another was found guilty of general conspiracy to murder. With more details, here is Rob Watson.

It would have been the most devastating attack since 9/11 had it succeeded. Prosecutors alleged the plot had been to smuggle liquid bombs onto at least seven trans-atlantic airlines and then detonate them midair. But the plotters had been under surveillance and were arrested before they could carry it out. Their arrests led to travel chaos and restrictions on carrying liquids onto planes that persist to this day. The verdicts will come as a huge relief to the British authorities after the massive investigation into the plot and two costly trials.

The Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has authorized the building of 455 new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. It is the first new authorization since the government took office in March and defies a call by the United States that all Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank stop. The Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, said the decision was a clear setback for the US administration of President Barack Obama who wants to restart Middle East peace talks.

Now the international community and the Obama Administration face this question: If you, Mr. President, cannot commit Israel to a settlement freeze, who is going to believe in the Arab and the Muslim worlds that you will be able to commit Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders and establish a Palestinian state?

A Sudanese woman found guilty of indecency for wearing trousers has refused to pay a fine. Lubna Ahmed Hussein was subsequently returned to prison to serve a one-month sentence. James Copnall reports from Khartoum.

Lubna Hussein has decided to go to prison for a month rather than pay a fine after she was found guilty of wearing indecent clothing in public. The former journalist appeared in court in the clothes she was arrested in, loose green trousers and a loose top. Miss Hussein was sentenced to a fine of 500 Sudanese pounds, about 200 dollars. The judge could’ve given a punishment of up to 40 lashes. Her lawyer told the BBC Ms Hussein rejects the verdict and so would not pay the fine even though this means going to jail. He also said she intends to appeal to both the appeals court and the constitutional court.

The Prime Minister of Taiwan Liu Chao-shiuan has resigned after heavy criticism of his government’s response to the typhoon that struck the island last month. He told a news conference that more than 600 people were killed in the typhoon and someone had to take political responsibility.

World News from the BBC.

Security officials in Pakistan say that at least three people were killed when a US missile hit a religious school in the village in North Waziristan, a region close to the Afghan border. They said the missile was fired from a US drone and had been targeted at a madrassa and a building close-by believed to be a hideout for militants. At least two people were also injured.

A report on Indians who’ve been working abroad has urged the government to take emergency measures to help those who’ve lost their jobs as a result of the global economic crisis. Reports said huge numbers had already returned in the past year, 200,000 from the United Arab Emirates alone. From Dali, here is Sanjoy Majumder.

The interim report is based on a survey carried out on behalf of the Indian government and is the first study of how many Indians working abroad have been hit by the global economic downturn. Focusing on the Gulf countries and Malaysia, it says that the bulk of those who have returned are poor unskilled workers. Indians working in the United Arab Emirates have been worst affected, because of the slowing down in the construction business and the financial services sector.

The son of the Libyan leader Colonel Qadhafi has said his country will resist paying compensation to British relatives of people killed by IRA bombs made with explosive obtained from Libya. Saif al-Islam Qadhafi was responding to an announcement by the British government that he will now help victims obtain compensation. Mr. Qaddafi said the issue was one for the courts.

And Google says it will remove all imprint European books from an agreement reached in the United States to digitize and sell online literature that was out of print in America. A spokesman for the internet company says titles no longer available to United States customers will not be included in its database because they are still on sale in Europe. The company will now have to negotiate agreements with European publishers and authors for titles currently on the market to complete its project of creating a vast online library.

BBC News.