BBC news 2010-10-09 加文本

2010-10-09 BBC

BBC News with John Jason

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Arab League ministers meeting in Libya have endorsed the Palestinian decision to halt all direct peace talks with Israel unless it agrees to stop construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. But the ministers also said in a statement that the United States should be given another month in its efforts to break the impasse. The direct peace talks began in September but broke down quickly when Israel refused to extend a partial moratorium on illegal settlement building.

United States National Security Adviser James Jones is stepping down, the fifth senior official in the Obama administration to resign in a matter of weeks. He's to be replaced by his deputy, Tom Donilon. Speaking at a press conference, President Obama said this had been a plan all along.

"When I talked to Jim about taking this job shortly after the election, it was a difficult decision for him. He had just retired from the military, had a wide range of family obligations. But because of his patriotism, his dedication to keeping America safe, we were able to agree that he would serve, but he asked that (we would) he would serve for about two years."

China and Turkey have agreed on what they describe as a new strategic partnership during a visit by the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. The economies of both countries are among the fastest-growing in the world, and the partnership aims to boost trade. Here is our correspondent in Turkey Jonathan Head.

After battling with Europe over his currency, the Chinese premier must have found his welcome here in Turkey, something of a relief. There was no mention of the undervalued renminbi by his Turkish hosts, and although Turkey is concerned about the huge imbalance of their mutual trade in China's favour, it masks those concerns behind a bold declaration that they would boost their trade eightfold to $100 billion over the next 10 years.

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Intelligence officials in Pakistan say another suspected American air attack has killed at least five people in the northwest close to the Afghan border. Officials said two missiles hit a house used by Islamic militants in North Waziristan. On Thursday, Pakistan repeated its call for the United States to stop the increasing number of cross-border attacks.

The United States has expressed its deep disappointment at Guinea-Bissau's decision to reinstate an alleged drugs kingpin as head of the navy. The US accuses Rear Admiral Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto of playing a key role in international drugs trafficking. This report from Aidan Lewis.

Rear Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto had led Guinea-Bissau's navy until 2008 when he was suspected of plotting a failed coup. He fled into exile in Gambia before returning to Guinea-Bissau disguised as a fisherman late last year. Now the rear admiral has said he feels vindicated by his reinstatement and that he'll push for stability and reconciliation. But Washington says his return is a step backwards. There are growing fears in the US and its western allies that Guinea-Bissau will remain unstable and poor unless its leadership cuts its ties with Latin American drugs cartels.

A former bank executive in Nigeria has been sentenced to six months in prison for fraud and ordered to hand over more than $1 billion in cash and assets. Cecilia Ibru is the first former senior bank official to be sentenced following a financial crisis in Nigeria last year. A number of top executives of several other banks face charges of corruption and share price manipulation.

The World Health Organization says there's been a sixfold increase in a deadly parasitic disease, visceral leishmaniasis, in south Sudan. It says more than 300 people have died in the past 12 months from the disease, which is often spread by sand-fly bites. Symptoms include a high fever and weight loss, and it's almost always fatal if untreated.

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