BBC news 2009-10-16 加文本

BBC 2009-10-16


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BBC News with David Austin.

A week and a half into a concerted campaign of violence, militants in Pakistan have carried out a series of attacks on police buildings that left about 40 people dead. At least 26 died in Lahore, where police clashed with militants who’d attacked a federal security building and two police training centres. Aleem Maqbool reports.

These were brazen, coordinated attacks. It took three hours of gun battles between police and militants to finally bring the situation in Lahore under control. But civilians and security officers had already been killed and public confidence shaking further. Bombings in Kohat and Peshawar both in the northwest of the country left more dead and injured. Eleven days of what seems to be a concerted and audacious new militant campaign have left Pakistanis wondering what violence they will wake up to next and what their government can really do about it.

A short time ago Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the BBC that three suspected militants had been detained in Islamabad with grenades and suicide jackets.

A homemade helium balloon that broke free of its moorings in the United States, reportedly with a 6-year-old boy inside, has landed in a field after a flight across the Colorado countryside. The dramatic event was followed live on American television. Imtiaz Tyab reports.

For an hour or so, the homemade silver foil or mylar-coated helium balloon floated high above the countryside in southern Colorado State. It was earlier reported a 6-year-old boy was on board, but police on the scene where the balloon touched down say there was no one inside. Several US television networks have reported one of the small boy’s brothers saw the 6-year-old fall out of the balloon-like vessel shortly after it took off, but that hasn’t been confirmed by the authorities.

Residents of several South African townships have taken to the streets, demanding that the government provide basic services and sack corrupt officials. In three weeks of protests, roads have been blocked and municipal buildings set alight. Jonah Fisher reports.

Fifteen years after the end of apartheid, it is the ANC at local government level, not new President Jacob Zuma, that’s being blamed for the lack of basic service delivery. In Sakhile, burning tires blockaded the streets and the police responded by firing teargas and rubber bullets. Earlier this week, a spokesman for Jacob Zuma said that instead of demonstrating, those unhappy with the delivery of housing, electricity and water should call a telephone hotline set up to handle complaints.

Vaccination against swine flu will begin across Britain next week, following a sharp increase in cases including the death of a pregnant teenager on Thursday. Doctors will contact over 13 million people in priority groups like pregnant women and frontline health workers to encourage them to be immunized. A number of other countries have already started on their mass vaccination programmes.

World News from the BBC.

Thousands of public sector workers have taken to the streets on the US island of Puerto Rico to protest against major government cuts and layoffs. The public sector union’s called a 24-hour strike to oppose the dismissal of more than 20,000 workers. The Governor Luis Fortuno said the layoffs were needed to cut government spending and would help avoid Puerto Rico having its credit rating downgraded again.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has included the country’s former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on a new list of wealthy people who’ve failed to pay back huge loans to banks. The list includes other prominent figures including Nigeria’s wealthiest man. The Central Bank says they owe more than 2 billion dollars. Caroline Duffield reports.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the most high-profile debtor named by Nigeria’s Central Bank. He was named as an individual in debt to Spring Bank. His office has issued a statement in which they say he’s done nothing wrong. The former vice president doesn’t deny that he owes the money, but he says it’s from an old and dormant bank account that’s lain untouched for years and he says he’ll pay the outstanding sum as soon as it is agreed upon.

Unions representing workers at the French communications company France Telecom have called for a day of protests following the latest in a number of suicides among staff. A 48-year-old employee was found hanged in his home on Thursday. He was the 25th France Telecom employee to commit suicide since February last year.

A letter written by a British serviceman during the Second World War has finally been delivered to its destination 60 years after Charles Fleming, who was serving in Italy, sent the 2-page letter to his dearest. It arrived at a British Royal Air Force base in England. Following some research and a lot of media attention, the author has been identified and the letter has been passed on to his surviving niece. It had been intended for Mr. Fleming’s mother.

And those are the latest stories from BBC News.