BBC news 2010-10-16 加文本

BBC news 2010-10-16

BBC News with John Jason

The chairman of the American Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, has given the strongest indication yet that he may need to take more action to make the fragile recovery of the US economy on track. He said high unemployment and low inflation continue to pose a risk. Mark Mardell is in Washington.

The economic recovery in the USA officially began more than a year ago, but to many Americans it hardly feels like the recession has ended. The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, says that consumer confidence and spending are at the heart of the recovery, but growth has been less vigorous than he would like because of uncertainty among consumers and a painfully slow recovery of the jobs market. Moreover, he sees little improvement next year, with unemployment only declining slowly. Mr Bernanke gently hints there's a case for further action by the Federal Reserve that is buying more treasury bonds, the modern equivalent of printing more money.

The US has delayed until next month the publication of a report which is believed to accuse China of manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage. Such an accusation would have opened the way for sanctions against Chinese goods. The US treasury secretary indicated publication had been delayed because of action by China last month to allow its currency to rise.

Amid scenes of jubilation among miners and dignitaries, a giant drilling machine has punched through the final metres of rock under the St Gotthard section of the Swiss Alps to complete the world's longest tunnel. Construction of the rail tunnel has taken 14 years and cost $10 billion. From Switzerland, here is Imogen Foulkes.

Europe's freight, rumbling through on the backs of 40-ton lorries, has been clogging the alpine valleys for years. An estimated 3,000 heavy goods vehicles pass through the Swiss Alps every single day. Switzerland wants that freight underground, on the railways, and the new tunnel should achieve just that. It will be another six years before the line is open, but today's breakthrough is, the Swiss say, a crucial step to improving Europe's transport network and protecting the alpine environment.

Hundreds of residents affected by toxic sludge disaster in Hungary have been returning to their homes in the village of Kolontar. Nine people were killed when thousands of tons of toxic waste spilled from a storage reservoir of an aluminium plant 12 days ago. The company responsible for the plant restarted production today, as Nick Thorpe reports from Budapest.

This was a move urged by both the management and the workers of the plant to save the factory which provides 13% of Europe's alumina supply, the base material from which aluminium is made. On Wednesday, the managing director Zoltan Bakonyi was released after 48 hours in police custody. A criminal investigation is underway to find those responsible for the disaster.

World News from the BBC

One of the most successful English football clubs, Liverpool, now has new owners. New England Sports Ventures, who also own the Boston Red Sox baseball team, have won their legal battle for control of the club. The deal is thought to be worth nearly $500 million. The club's chairman is Martin Broughton.

"As every Liverpool fan knows, the most nerve-wracking way to win a match is in a penalty shoot-out, but in the end, as long as you get the right result, it's worth the wait. We've got the right result. John..."

John W Henry, the new owner, said a cloud had been lifted.

"I am proud and humble. We have a lot of work to do, and I can't tell you how happy I am that we've finally, finally got to this point."

Apologies for the delay there, but the former American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett who fought to block the sale say they'll sue New England Sports Ventures for over $1 billion in damages.

Prosecutors in the Netherlands have asked for the acquittal of the controversial politician Geert Wilders, who's been charged with inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. The prosecutors told the court in Amsterdam that Mr Wilders had criticised Islam as an ideology and not Muslims as a group. They said Mr Wilders' statements, such as comparing Islam to Nazism, might well be hurtful to Muslims, but they said the wounding of feelings could play no role in a criminal trial. The case continues next week.

A unique German exhibition about Hitler has attracted thousands of visitors on the day it opened in the capital Berlin. Hitler and the German People is the first such event in Germany. Items on display include a toy model of Hitler for children, cups and saucers decorated with swastikas and a deck of playing cards showing Hitler. The organisers said they decided not to include any items that had belonged to Hitler because they did not want to attract neo-Nazis.

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