BBC news 2010-08-09 加文本

BBC news 2010-08-09

(BBC News with Sue) Montgomery.

In one of the most severe monsoon seasons in Asia for years, the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has gone to the western province of Gansu, where huge mudslides engulfed mainly Tibetan communities. More than 120 people were killed. Michael Bristow reports.

The landslides began at about midnight, when most people were at home and in bed. Television pictures show how rivers of rock and mud slid down mountainsides following heavy rain. They buried buildings in their path. Most of the damage happened in the main town of Zhouqu County in the western province of Gansu. The landslides blocked the main river running through the town, and water built up behind these natural dams. The river eventually burst its banks and flooded the town. Buildings, several storeys high, were reported to be completely under water.

As a monsoon drenches Pakistan, officials say at least 40 people have been killed by landslides in the north. The rain has severely hampered aid efforts in the northwest, and officials say the Swat valley is completely cut off. Gan Rice, who's in charge of US (food)flood relief operations there, said it was difficult to reach those in need.

"The magnitude of the disaster is very great. The terrain that we were, we are operating in, it is very formidable - very high mountains, very constricted valleys, and clearly weather challenges have been a problem for the last couple days."

The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has urged Colombia's largest left-wing rebel group, the Farc, to free all its hostages as proof that it wants peace. The call comes hours after the new Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos took office. Here is Will Grant.

Shortly after Mr Santos received the presidential sash in Bogota, President Chavez spoke of his wish to turn the page with Colombia. He's now followed that out with a call to the left-wing rebels, the Farc, to give up their arms and hand over their remaining hostages. There was no future for the Farc as an armed guerilla group, Mr Chavez said, asking on his national television program “why did the guerillas need to kidnap people”. He urged them to show a commitment to the peace effort, suggesting the release of the remaining hostages would be an adequate step.

Journalists in South Africa have launched a campaign against proposed legislation which, they say, would curtail the freedom of the press and threaten democracy. Marcus Elbow reports.

In a strongly-worded declaration, the editors of South Africa's major newspapers express deep concern about the proposed legislation that would allow the government to classify material that is currently not secret, and would make it an offence to publish such information. They appeal to the governing party, the African National Congress, to abandon the planned measures. The ANC says new legislation is needed to make journalists legally accountable for inaccurate reporting.

BBC News.

Reports from Iran say seven of the most senior members of the Baha'i Faith have been sentenced to jail for up to 20 years. The seven have faced a number of charges including acting against Islam and spying. Members of the Baha'i community say the charges are “baseless” and are an example of the persecution of Baha'i's in Iran. The Iranian authorities do not recognise the Baha'i Faith. They accused Baha'i of holding heretical views on Islam.

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the Taliban for killing 8 medical workers in Afghanistan. The six Americans, one German and one Briton, and their two Afghan translators were shot dead on Saturday. Mrs Clinton described the medical workers as "heroic and generous".

A United States naval force is visiting Vietnam to mark the 15th anniversary of normalised diplomatic relations between the two countries. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, is expected to be joined by a guided missile destroyer and a mine hunting warship off the port of Da Nang. As Brandon Marshall reports, it's not just a goodwill exercise.

This latest show of naval strength by America in the Asia-Pacific region follows the recent joint naval exercises it has held with South Korea. Those were partly aimed at deterring any aggressive action from North Korea, following the sinking of a South Korean warship for which the North has been blamed. The exercises also strengthen relations between the US and Japan, which sent observers to the event. But China criticised the maneuvers, saying they could exacerbate tensions with North Korea.

Police officers in the Mexican city of Juarez have detained their commander at gunpoint, accusing him of corruption and links to organised crime. Two hundred and fifty federal police agents raided the hotel where the commander was staying, and accused him of planting drugs on police officers to blackmail them into carrying out extortion. The commander has been suspended, pending an investigation.

BBC News.