BBC news 2009-10-19 加文本

BBC 2009-10-19


Download Audio

BBC News with Fiona McDonald.

President Obama’s most senior aide has warned there will be no decision on more troops for Afghanistan until there’s a credible government in Kabul. In a cnn interview, the White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said it will be reckless to decide before Mr. Obama was satisfied that there was an Afghan government that could work effectively with the United States. Mr. Emanuel said a credible outcome to Afghanistan's disputed presidential election was vital.

"What President Karzai must do, you know, the process there, is a credible and legitimate election or result, more importantly, for the Afghan people and for that government going forward. Whether that's through a run-off, whether that's through negotiations, the process will be determined by the Afghan people. The result for us and for the president is whether, in fact, there is a credible government and a legitimate process, the Afghan people then think, this has worked, it’s processed through."

As fighting continues in the Pakistani army’s offensive against al-Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan, there are conflicting reports of casualties. Each side is saying the other has suffered heavy losses. Shoaib Hasan reports from Pakistan.

Fierce fighting is continuing as Taliban militants stand firm against the security forces in South Waziristan. A Taliban spokesman told the BBC that the militants had not conceded one inch of territory to the army. He also said dozens of soldiers have been killed while the militants have suffered few casualties. The army denies this and says scores of militants have been killed. Locals say both sides are not coming clean with the numbers.

Iran says five commanders of the Revolutionary Guards as well as senior tribal leaders were among around 30 people killed in an attack in the country’s southeast. Iranian state media said suicide bombers targeted a meeting between the Guards and tribal leaders in the province of Sistan-Baluchestan bordering Pakistan. Iran says a Sunni militant group Jundullah claimed responsibility for the attack. In the Iranian parliament, the speaker Ali Larijani condemned the bombing.

Those dear people were working hard to restore security in Sistan-Baluchestan, and such behaviour is aimed at preventing economic progress there. The Revolutionary Guards will definitely redouble their efforts in order to restore security and ensure the province’s progress.

A sheriff in the American state of Colorado has said the authorities are now convinced that the case of a 6-year-old boy whose parents reported that he was adrift in a hot-air balloon was a hoax. The sheriff, Jim Alderden, said the family was hoping to use the incident to obtain a lucrative contract for a reality television show. He said the police were considering bringing charges against the boy’s parents.

World News from the BBC.

Police in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have deployed an additional 3,500 troops to quell two days of violence in a hillside shanty town dominated by drugs gangs. On Saturday, a police helicopter made an emergency landing after being hit by gunfire during a firefight between rival gangs. During a police raid early on Sunday, officers say they shot dead two suspected drugs traffickers and arrested four others.

12 teenage boys are burnt to death in northern Nigeria after their speeding cars hit petrol cans piled up by the side of the road. The seller of the black-market fuel was also killed. The accident happened in the northern city of Kano late on Saturday night. An eyewitness told the BBC two cars had been racing bumper-to-bumper when they collided with each other and crashed into the cans and burst into flames.

Iceland has agreed to repay Britain and the Netherlands more than 5.5 billion dollars they paid to compensate savers who lost money when the Icesave bank collapsed last year. Iceland had passed a law in August to repay the money but the Netherlands and Britain rejected the deal. The failure to agree has blocked Iceland from getting access to billions of dollars in aid from the IMF.

The British driver Jenson Button has won the 2009 Formula 1 title. He came 5th in the Brazilian Grand Prix, and that gave him enough points for the championship title. The race was won by the Australian driver Mark Webber. Gary Duffy reports

Jenson Button has started 14th on the grid after a disappointing qualifying run. But when the day was over, he was world champion. By contrast, the Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello had started the race in pole position but finished in the disappointing 8th place. There was an element of luck and a lot of skill involved in Button’s victory. An early collision between two other drivers are lightened to move quickly up the field while a punctured tire helped to thwart the hopes of Rubens Barrichello.

BBC News.