BBC news 2010-08-11 加文本

2010-08-11 BBC

A former child soldier has gone on trial at the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, the first detainee to face military justice under President Obama, who had promised to close the camp by the beginning of this year. Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen, was 15 years old when he was captured in Afghanistan. Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.

Jurors at the trial have been told they can consider the age of the defendant when they decide whether he intended to commit a war crime eight years ago in Afghanistan. But the military officers in the jury may not see Omar Khadr's actions as those of a child. In court, they will be face to face with a tall, broad-shouldered, bearded man. The UN has warned the trial may set a dangerous precedent for child soldiers worldwide. No child has been prosecuted for an alleged war crime since World War II. Military prosecutors say Mr Khadr is a clear-eyed al-Qaeda fighter. His lawyers say he is a victim forced into war by his family. Mr Khadr has pleaded not guilty to all five charges against him.

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela says he hopes to rebuild relations with Colombia during talks with the new President Juan Manuel Santos. Speaking on his arrival in Colombia, Mr Chavez said he wanted to ensure unity and peace after months of tension between the two neighbours. Jeremy McDermott reports from Colombia.

President Chavez arrived in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta amid a large deployment of the Colombian security forces. Now begin some very delicate negotiations. Venezuela will want Colombia's assertions that it's harbouring Marxist rebels who were included in international lists of terrorist groups either withdrawn or buried. This was the cause of the most recent breakdown in diplomatic relations. Mr Chavez may also want to discuss the presence of the US military in Colombia which, he has insisted, has hostile intentions towards Venezuela.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a fresh start in Indian-administered Kashmir. His call came after weeks of violence. Chris Morris reports from Sri Lanka.

The past two months in Indian-administered Kashmir has seen some of the worst clashes between protesters and the police for many years. There has been and there still is a barely concealed fury. But only now has India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the issue in public. He said he feels the pain and alienation of Kashmiri youth; he wants dialogue and he wants to create a better future for Kashmir. Some Kashmiris will reject his initiative outright; others will be pleased that he has at least spoken directly to them. But there is enormous skepticism here about any proposals emanating from Delhi.

The authorities in Morocco say they will close more than 1,200 mosques they deem unsafe to avoid a repeat of the collapse of a minaret that killed 41 people earlier this year. The Ministry of Religious Affairs said more than 500 mosques would be completely demolished and rebuilt.

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The United States central bank, the Federal Reserve, has said it will maintain stimulus spending to help bolster the economic recovery which, it says, has slowed in recent months. The Federal Reserve also said it would not change interest rates in the face of slowing growth and high unemployment. Economists say the action is a signal that the Fed sees the recovery weakening.

The Russian government has criticized the mayor of Moscow for being on holiday while the city struggled to deal with smoke and pollution from wildfires in the surrounding region. Economists have suggested that the fires in central and western Russia could reduce national output by up to 1%. Richard Galpin reports from Moscow.

Hundreds of fires continue to burn in several different regions of the country, including around the capital. But here in Moscow, the dense smog has lifted for the first time in almost a week, being replaced by sunshine and then some rain, welcome relief for the population which has been suffering from the very high levels of pollution. But the heatwave continues, and experts say it's having a serious impact on the country's economy, in particular agricultural output.

A former police officer in Northern Ireland has escaped injury after a bomb exploded under his car. It's the third such attack on security personnel in a week. Bombs had been planted below the cars of an army major and a policewoman, but this is the first time such devices detonated. Police are blaming the attacks on dissident Republicans trying to disrupt the Northern Ireland peace process.

Scientists in Britain say they have developed a new brain scan which can detect autism with over 90% accuracy. The researchers from King's College London say the scans take minutes to complete and could eventually replace the lengthy and costly tests currently used to diagnose the condition which impairs social interaction and can lead to repetitive behaviour. The study was carried out on autistic adults, and the scientists are testing to see if the scans could work on children.

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