BBC news 2010-06-14 加文本

2010-06-14 BBC

BBC News with Zoe Diamond.

Russian officials say Moscow has sent extra troops to Kyrgyzstan as ethnic violence in the south of the country worsens. They said the troops would guard a military base in the north. The Kyrgyz government has appealed for Russian intervention, but Moscow has said that it will not act alone. From Moscow, here is Richard Galpin.

Officials have been quoted as saying their role is to protect the base as well as the servicemen and their families stationed there. At the moment, however, the violence is confined to the south of the country, hundreds of kilometres away. Although there has been a direct appeal by the Kyrgyz government for Russia to intervene militarily, Moscow has so far refused to act alone. Instead, it's expected the issue will be discussed on Monday by members of a regional security organization made up of former Soviet republics. The organization is led by Russia.

We are just hearing that Israel says it's setting up an independent public commission to investigate its commando raid on an aid flotilla to Gaza two weeks ago, in which nine Turkish activists died. An Israeli statement said the commission would include observers from Canada and Ireland.

There has been an attack on the Iraqi central bank in Baghdad with police saying at least 15 people being killed and more than 50 injured. Jim Muir is in Baghdad.

It's still not clear whether this was an audacious bank raid or an insurgent attack or both. The Baghdad Operations Command said the attack began with a big explosion which set fire to a generator and its fuel tank. That sent up a big column of black smoke and fire broke out in one of the bank buildings. According to the official account, a group of three gunmen in military uniform then tried to storm the main entrance. They were fired on and blew themselves up. Another group of two armed men then attacked the back of the building, clashed with guards and also blew themselves up.

The President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe has said the Colombian security forces have freed two senior police officers who’ve been held hostage by Marxist rebels. General Luis Mendieta was captured by Colombia's main rebel group, the Farc, 12 years ago and is one of their longest held captives. He was rescued along with Col Enrique Murillo.

A space capsule has returned to earth, containing what scientists hope will be the first-ever samples taken from the surface of an asteroid. The Japanese craft has been in space for seven years. Dr. Trevor Ireland was among the space scientists who watched the capsule come down.

“We just had a spectacular display out over the outback skies of South Australia. So we could see the little sample-return capsule separate from the main ship and lead its way in, and (we) just had this magnificent display of the breakup of Hayabusa. It was sad in one way but just tremendously exciting in other ways.”

This is the World News from the BBC.

At least five people have been killed in a stampede at a rally in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Dozens of people were injured. Reports say that people panicked when they thought they'd heard an explosion. Police are investigating whether a homemade device was detonated. Thousands of people were at the rally organised by Christian groups opposed to a new draft constitution. Some church leaders oppose the document which endorses a role for Islamic courts.

For the second year in a row, a five-million-dollar prize for excellence in African leadership will not be awarded. The organizers of the Mo Ibrahim Prize led by the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have decided that no former African president or prime minister will receive the award. Only the former leaders in Mozambique and Botswana have won the prize since it was set up in 2007. Despite the decision, the Sudanese telecoms tycoon who set up the award said his foundation had registered real progress in African government.

The United States is to ask the oil company BP to set up a special fund to compensate victims of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama is expected to put his demands to the chairman of BP at a meeting at the White House on Wednesday. Madeleine Morris reports from Washington.

According to his top adviser David Axelrod, the president will demand BP establishes an account to be administered by an independent third-party to fund damages claims. It's not yet clear how much money the president will ask BP to put aside. Wednesday's meeting will come after Mr. Obama makes a fourth visit to the affected region, followed by a special televised address to the nation. Last week, the US Coast Guard sent a letter to BP, demanding the oil giant present a plan to contain more of the spill by the time President Obama arrives in the Gulf.

In the Football World Cup in South Africa, Germany have beaten Australia four-nil. In earlier matches today, Ghana beat Serbia one-nil and Slovenia won against Algeria also by one goal to nil.

BBC News.