BBC news 2009-11-20 加文本

BBC 2009-11-20


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BBC News with David Austin.

The leaders of the European Union member states have chosen the Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy to become president of the European Council. Mr. Rompuy will be the EU’s first full-time president. Speaking in French and English after his appointment, Mr. Rompuy said employment and the environment were urgent concerns for Europe. He said he was confident that different member countries will be able to work together successfully.

Every country has its own history, its own culture, its own way of doing things. Our journey may be towards a common destination. But we will all bring along different luggage. Denying this will be counterproductive, without respect for our diversity, we will never build on our unity. I will always bear this principle in mind.

A British politician Catherine Ashton has been named as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs.

Hamid Karzai has begun his second term as president of Afghanistan by saying Afghan forces would take over primary responsibility for security from foreign troops within five years, providing that NATO countries trained them effectively. Mr. Karzai also promised an end to what he called a culture of impunity and invited his main political opponent Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to contribute to the new government. He declined the offer but had this advice.

If they respect the decisions by their representative of the parliament, that empowers the government rather than weakening it, so if we respect the rule of law in deliver justice to the people, then that will lead to the empowerment of the people to the strengthening of the system.

President Obama has given an uNPRecedented online interview to a Cuban blogger, who's openly critical of her island’s communist government. More from Michael Voss in Havana.

Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez emailed a series of questions to both President Barack Obama and Raul Castro asking mainly about how future US relations could develop. On the question of whether he’s prepared to hold direct talks with Raul Castro, President Obama wrote that he was not interested in talking for the sake of talking. US and Cuban officials are discussing specific issues such as migration and restoring direct postal services. But the American president wrote that normalizing relations will require actions in other words reforms by the Cuban authorities.

Michael Voss in Havana.

Colombia has accused neighboring Venezuela of blowing up two pedestrian bridges on its shared border without prior consent or consultation. The Colombian defense minister described the alleged incident as a violation of international law. Venezuela has not responded to the accusation. Tension between the two countries rose after Columbia decided to allow the US full access to its military bases.

This is the World News from the BBC.

Advisors have warned the US Congress to ensure that America is adequately defended against Chinese spying which they say is becoming more intense and sophisticated. A report by a panel on US-China relations says Chinese spies are aggressively stealing American secrets to help build up China’s military and economic power. A Chinese embassy spokesman in Washington dismissed the allegations as baseless and irresponsible.

A government minister from the Gulf state of Bahrain has warned against the region’s reliance on millions of foreign laborers. The Minister for Labor Majeed Al Alawi told the Al Arabiya television network, that the phenomenon threatened the Gulf's cultural and social identity. Dr. Al Alawi blamed local altitudes for the over-reliance on foreign laborers saying the people of the Arab Gulf states didn’t like working. Some 30 million migrant workers live in the Gulf States.

The Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has backed appeals for a replay of his national team’s football match with France in which an obvious French handball prevented Ireland from qualifying for next year’s World Cup. The international governing body FIFA has so far said only the referees’ decisions are final. The Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland John Delaney said FIFA must live up to its own principles.

This was a defining game that the whole world were watching and FIFA believe in fair play and integrity and all the team were told. And we go to congresses and draw the different literature we get. This is their opportunity to step forward. And from the French FA’s point of view, they need to look at themselves and look at this situation.

John Delaney from the Football Association of Ireland.

A Russian government commission has approved plans to set up a minimum prize for vodka in a further attempt to reduce alcohol abuse. The draft regulation raises the prize for a half liter bottle of the cheapest Vodka by more than 50% to just over three dollars.

And that’s the latest, BBC News.