BBC news 2009-10-05 加文本

BBC 2009-10-05


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BBC with Ally Macue.

Iran has agreed to let inspectors from the United Nations nuclear agency visit its recently-revealed second uranium enrichment plant. They will go there on Oct 25th. The day was set during a visit to Tehran by the head of the agency Mohammed ElBaradei. The revelation last month said Iran was building an underground facility near Qom heightened international concern that it’s secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. But Mr. ElBaradei gave an upbeat assessment of relations with Iran.

"I have been saying for a number of years that we need transparency on the part of Iran, we need cooperation on the part of the international community. So I see that we are at the critical moment. I see that we are shifting gears from confrontation into transparency and cooperation."

In Washington, President Obama’s top security advisor said things appeared to be moving in the right direction.

The opposition Socialist Party in Greece has won the general election. The Prime Minister, Costas Karamanlis, conceded after early results showed the socialists under George Papandreou had a lead of more than 8% enough to give them an absolute majority in parliament. Malcolm Brabant reports from Athens.

Costas Karamanlis's gamble in calling a snap election backfired spectacularly. It is a humiliating defeat, and after congratulating George Papandreou on his victorious, the outgoing prime minister immediately fell on his sword and resigned from the conservative party leadership. The victory socialists have described their success as a humbling responsibility and have promised to do everything humanly possible to have a productive four-year term on behalf of all Greeks.

All the main militant leaders in Nigeria’s Niger Delta have now joined the disarmament process set up as part of an amnesty deal. The government has offered to pay and train the militants who've been fighting for a greater share of the delta’s oil wealth. Mary Harper has the details.

The last leader to start disarming is one of the most powerful. Government Tompolo has been commanding the main militant faction in western Niger Delta, attacking oil installations and seriously disrupting oil production. Two other militant leaders gave up their weapons on Saturday. Thousands of people have come to see the disarmament ceremonies hoping that peace will return to the region. Security has been beefed up in the Niger Delta and the authorities say they will come down hard on anybody returning to violence.

At least nine people in Brazil were killed and another two injured when a group of gunmen opened fire indiscriminately on a street in the southern city of Guaraciaba. Among those killed in the shooting on Saturday evening were a mother and her baby. The police say the gunmen may be connected to the illegal drugs trade. Nearly all of the 600 killings in Guaraciaba last year were connected to drugs trafficking.

World News from the BBC.

A NATO-led mission in Afghanistan says eight American and two Afghan soldiers have been killed in a Taliban attack in the east of the country. Ian Pannell reports from Kabul.

Nearly 300 insurgents attacked two small bases in a remote part of Nuristan province according to the local head of police. First they opened fire on an Afghan military camp and then assaulted an US outpost. The gun battle lasted many hours and left eight American and two Afghan soldiers dead. The incident comes amid a growing debate in Washington over Afghan strategy. This is the worst single incident in what has been the bloodiest year for US forces since 2001. The timing couldn’t be worse for those who are arguing for an increase in troops.

Indonesia says rescue operations after the Sumatra earthquake are now concentrating on helping those who've survived rather than searching for survivors. There is a desperate need for food, clean water and shelter, particularly as it’s begun to rain. A BBC reporter who’s been to outlying villagers in west Sumatra says people are angry and frustrated that help has not arrived sooner.

The former head of the Russian state-run electricity company UES says he takes responsibility for a major accident at the country’s largest hydroelectric plant in August. 75 workers died when the turbine hall at the Sayano-Shushenskaya dam in Siberia flooded after a turbine broke free. Anatoly Chubais, who’d been named in an official report on the accident, said the deaths were a tragedy for him personally.

The renowned Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa has died in Buenos Aires. She was 74 and had been ill for some time. Mercedes Sosa was known to her fans as the voice of the voiceless in Latin America. In recognition of her work for greater social justice and her opposition to military rule, hundreds of people are gathering outside the palace of congress in Buenos Aires where her body will lie in state.

BBC News.