BBC news 2010-10-18 加文本

BBC news 2010-10-18

BBC News with Iain Purdon

Some of the 33 miners rescued in Chile last week have attended a private Mass at the San Jose mine to give thanks for their safe return. Friends and relatives joined the miners inside a large tent during the religious service. Outside, there were some 50 protesters who used the event to express their anger at the government. The crowd was made up of miners who weren't part of the group of 33 workers. They complained they hadn't been invited to the Mass and hadn't been paid for almost two months.

"All we are asking for is that they pay everything, our years of service and our severance package. The government has said it will support us, but so far just empty words. The government's only paid out to the 33 miners as if this mine just consisted of 33 miners."

The president of football's governing body, Sepp Blatter, says allegations of bribery over the choice of country to host future World Cups have cast a shadow. In a letter to his executive committee, Mr Blatter says the allegations made in the British newspaper, The Sunday Times, have created a very negative impact on Fifa and on the bidding process for hosting the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. He's promised a full investigation.

France says it's received fresh warnings from the Saudi authorities of an imminent terrorist attack. The French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said that the threat was said to have come from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, targeted at Europe and focused on France. Christian Fraser reports from Paris.

France has been on high alert for several weeks, but this appears to have been specific intelligence from the Saudi authorities that al-Qaeda was planning an imminent attack in Europe and that that attack was most likely focused on France. The interior minister gave very little detail about the intelligence received. It appears to have been released by the government as a warning to the French public they must remain vigilant. On average, two attacks are foiled a year, said Mr Hortefeux, and 61 people are currently in prison, he added, for suspected involvement in terrorist attacks.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said fresh efforts are underway to free an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who is being held by the militant Palestinian group Hamas. Mr Netanyahu said negotiation had resumed after months of deadlock. Jon Donnison reports.

Gilad Shalit was captured when he was just 19. He is now 24, and all previous efforts to secure his release have come to nothing. In exchange for Sergeant Shalit, Hamas is demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. So far, neither side has been able to agree on the names of exactly which prisoners should be freed, and a Hamas spokesman has already said that in the latest talks, Benjamin Netanyahu is offering nothing new.

World News from the BBC

The Pentagon says that after reviewing the intelligence file on the Iraq war, it believes it knows which documents may be about to be released by the whistle-blower website Wikileaks. US officials have assembled a 120 strong team ahead of the expected publication by the website of some 400,000 documents relating to the conflict in Iraq. It's thought some of the Iraq documents could relate to civilian casualties.

At least eight people have been killed in the Iraqi capital Baghdad after a robbery by gunmen in a row of jewellery shops ended in a shoot-out with security forces. Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.

The raiders arrived in the targeted area in several cars. First they set off a small explosion which wounded two civilians and caused panic. Then they stormed a row of jewellery shops, shooting dead three of the goldsmiths and stealing everything they could lay their hands on. But security forces intervened. There was a prolonged shoot-out in which two policemen, two soldiers and two of the attackers were killed, according to the police account. Some of the assailants managed to escape with their loot. It's the latest in a series of raids, which have followed an identical pattern.

There has been a new upsurge of violence in Pakistan's largest city Karachi. More than 20 people have died in clashes between political rivals. Vehicles were set ablaze and there were bursts of gunfire in the Orangi district. The violence coincided with a by-election for a seat in the provincial assembly. Two main parties are linked to the violence, the MQM and the Awami National Party, which represents mostly ethnic Pashtuns.

And finally, Nicaragua has declared a nationwide state of emergency after 16 people died this month as a result of catching the leptospirosis virus. A hundred and fifty cases of the disease have been reported so far. Humans contract the virus by coming into contact with water or vegetation contaminated by diseased animals.