BBC news 2010-06-04 加文本

2010-06-04 BBC

BBC News with Zoe Diamond.

The oil company BP says it has succeeded in cutting through a ruptured underwater pipe in its latest attempt to stem the huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Engineers will now lower a containment cap to the seabed and attempt to fit it over what's left of the riser pipe. BP's Chief Executive Tony Hayward said they'd know soon whether the capping would work. Richard Lister reports.

BP's Chief Executive Tony Hayward was upbeat as he announced that they successfully cut away the damaged pipeline, and should soon be able to cap the leaking well. Mr Hayward acknowledged though that what they are doing has never been tried before and there're plenty of challenges still ahead. The cutting tools used by the undersea robots left a jagged edge on the remnants of the pipe which will make fitting of a fully sealed containment device more difficult. Mr Hayward said they hoped to have one in place by the end of the month, but he added they'd have a better idea of the likely success of the capping operation in the next day or so.

More than 80 people have been killed and many more have been injured in a fire that's engulfed several buildings in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Here is Naresh Kaushik.

The fire started with an explosion at an electrical transformer in a building in the Nimtoli area of old Dhaka, and then quickly spread to several nearby residential and industrial blocks. Several shops selling chemicals made the blaze worse. Local media said many of the victims were burnt alive. Rescue workers are trying to find people thought to be still trapped in the fire-affected buildings, but their work has been made difficult because of the narrow lanes of the densely populated area.

Heavy fighting has broken out in the Somali capital brother Mogadishu between government forces and Islamist militants from the al-Shabab group. At least 17 people have died and around 60 have been wounded. Richard Hamilton has more.

After years of humiliating setbacks at the hands of al-Shabab, the transitional government has begun a long-awaited offensive. This counter-attack involves Somali troops who've been trained in Ethiopia - although Somalia's neighbour officially withdrew from the conflict in early 2009. Reports suggest the operation has been successful in taking back key districts in the north of Mogadishu near the presidential palace. The government backed by troops from the African Union has been fighting Islamist insurgents who control much of southern Somalia and have imposed a strict form of Sharia, or Islamic law.

Police in Colombia have arrested a man they believe was responsible for the kidnapping and killing of a provincial governor in December. Luis Francisco Cuellar was found with his throat cut and explosives strapped to his body two days after he'd been abducted. Police say the man they’ve detained is also accused of leading a column of the FARC, Colombia's main left-wing rebel group.

This is the latest World News from the BBC here in London.

Israel has rejected international calls for an outside investigation into its assault on an aid flotilla that tried to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed in the incident. Andrew North reports from Jerusalem.

Israel is under intense world-wide pressure to accept an external investigation into its deadly raid on the Gaza aid ships. The United Nations Human Rights Council has already ordered a fact-finding mission to start work. But the Israeli government says its military has begun its own investigation, and there's no need for any outside inquiry. Demands for one showed a double-standard towards Israel, said a spokesman, which no other country has to meet. When American or British troops have been accused of killing civilians in Iraq or Afghanistan, he said, it's their countries that investigate, not an international body.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Turkey has been stabbed to death. Bishop Luigi Padovese, who was 63, was attacked at his home in the southern province of Hatay. He died on his way to hospital. Police have arrested the bishop's driver. The provincial governor said that the incident was not politically motivated and the suspect had mental health problems.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned against any premature response to Wednesday's mass shooting in northwest England, when 12 people were killed by a lone gunman. Mr Cameron said the murders would inevitably spark a debate about Britain's gun laws, but they were already among the toughest in the world. Ownership of handguns and automatic weapons was outlawed after previous British shootings.

The English football club Liverpool has announced that its manager Rafael Benitez is to leave by mutual consent. Mr Benitez has been in charge for six years, but failed to deliver a success last season as Liverpool missed out on a Champions League place. The announcement came after talks between the club and Mr Benitez's agent to discuss a compensation deal.

BBC World News.