BBC news 2010-02-18 加文本

2010-02-18 BBC

BBC News with Ally Macue.

Britain has summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Office to discuss the use of fake British passports by the alleged assassins of a senior Palestinian official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month. Many of the hit squad members carried forge passports of people who had emigrated from Europe to Israel. Earlier, the Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said there was no proof that the Israeli secret service Mossad killed the Hamas leader. Katya Adler reports from Jerusalem.

The murder mystery of the Hamas commander killed in his Dubai hotel room may never be sought publicly. Mossad, Israel's Intelligence Agency is the prime suspect for now, but Israel's Foreign Minister says the killing could have been masterminded by anyone. Referring to the fraudulent British passport used in the murder, Mr.Lieberman said he was confident Britain knew Israeli security procedures followed what he called clear, cautious and responsible rules. But the British-Israeli whose identities were stolen for the Dubai killing, say they are angry and scared.

The United States Federal Reserve has predicted that the American economy will grow more strongly than anticipated this year. The US Central Bank also predicted that the unemployment rate would still be at least 9.5% in 2010. Correspondents say the growth forecast indicates that President Obama's 800 billion dollars stimulus package has been successful. Caroline Hepker is in New York.

America's economy is expected to grow by 3.2% this year, according to the minutes from January's gathering of the Federal Reserves open markets committee. That is more than the 3% predicted at the previous meeting back in November. Meanwhile, the Feds see inflation remain in 10. The slightly rosier outlook for the world's largest economy, though, is coupled with only a slow recovery in unemployment in 2010 and 2011, before returning to low levels in 2012.

The French President Nicolas Sarkozy has promised 370 million dollars to help Haiti recover from last month's devastating earthquake. He made his pledge at the start of the first-ever visit by a French President to the Caribbean State, a colony of France until 1804. President Sarkozy said the people of Haiti should be the ones directing the reconstruction of the country.

International aid must be massive, should be long-term. But it's up to the Haitians alone to draw up a real national plan and then to lead it. Because it is their country and their future stake. The role of the international community and France is to help Haitians regain control of their destiny.

Some news just in the Haitian attorney has said 8 of the 10 American missionaries charged with kidnapping children in the aftermath of last month's earthquake will be released. Reports say they are expected to leave the country later today.

World News from the BBC.

The White House has welcomed the capture of the Afghan Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, calling it a big success for US-Pakistani cooperation. A spokesman praised Pakistan for the capture and said Mr.Baradar was being interrogated. But he did not say if he was providing any intelligence.

An Argentine minister has warned Britain not to be complacent in its actions in the growing dispute over British plans to drill for oil off the Falkland Islands. The Deputy Foreign Minister Victorio Tacetti said Argentina will take adequate measures to stop oil exploration off the Falklands, but will use peaceful means such as dialogue through international organizations.

Twelve French wine producers and traders have been found guilty of fraud after selling millions of bottles of fake Pinot Noir, the American Wine Giant E&J Gallo. A French court ruled that they had deliberately mislabelled 18 millions of bottles of ordinary wine with a more expensive variety of grape in order to get a better price. Emma Jane Kirby reports from Paris.

Eighteen million bottles of ordinary wine was packaged down to the popular Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir title. A single grape wine that's hugely popular in the United States. The scam saw the French producers and traders more than doubling their profits. The judge handed the most prominent wine trader a six month suspended jail sentence and ordered all the defendants to pay hefty fines with one firm having to pay 245,000 dollars.

Players from the Ukrainian Football Team Shakhtar Donetsk has been refused entry to the famous Harrods Department Store. Harrods is owned by the Egyptian entrepreneur Mohamed al-Fayed, who also owns Fulham Football Club, Shakhtar's opponents in a Europa League match this week. A club official said the players were keen to spend plenty of money that were told by security officials their group was too big.

BBC News.