BBC news 2010-11-12 加文本

BBC news 2010-11-12

BBC News with Nick Kelly

The newly re-elected Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has re-appointed the Shia leader Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister. The move is part of a power-sharing deal struck earlier, which was thrown into doubt after the main Sunni alliance led by Iyad Allawi walked out of parliament. They accused Mr Maliki of reneging on part of the agreement concerning four Sunni leaders who'd worked for Saddam Hussein's Baath party. From Baghdad, here is Jim Muir.

Mr Allawi's alliance angrily accused Mr Maliki, who's the incumbent prime minister and likely to retain the position, of breaking an agreement reached in the run-up to this parliamentary meeting. They believe that before going on to elect the president of the republic, parliament should first pass a motion to remove the stigma of Baathism from four senior figures in Mr Allawi's coalition. The MPs who remained in parliament nonetheless went on to vote for the president. But the challenge now will be to win back the involvement of Mr Allawi and his mainly Sunni followers, which is seen as crucial to the balance and credibility of the new government.

At least 20 people have been killed, and many more injured following a powerful explosion at a police compound in the Pakistani port city of Karachi. The blast left a large crater. This report from our correspondent Syed Shoaib Hasan.

The massive blast tore through the tightly guarded compound in Karachi's high-security zone on Thursday evening. An eyewitness told the BBC that a pick-up truck tried to force its way into the compound. He said an exchange of fire took place and then the truck crashed into the boundary wall. Officials later confirmed this. Eyewitnesses say most of the building has now been reduced to rubble. Rescue workers were quick to reach the scene. Bodies are being pulled out, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Talks between the leaders of the G20 group of major economies are entering their second day in the South Korean capital Seoul amid continued tension between some delegations. The United States has faced criticism from a number of countries for pumping billions of dollars into its economy to try to revive growth.

The US Defence Department is reported to have concluded that the armed forces can lift a ban on openly gay men and women serving in uniform. The Washington Post newspaper says it's read a draft report due to be presented to President Obama next month. From Washington, Paul Adams reports.

The military study has not yet been published, but the Washington Post claims to have read the 370-page document already. Among its conclusions, more than 70% of the soldiers who responded to a survey over the summer said that lifting the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy would have positive, mixed or no consequences. But the findings aren't quite that straightforward. According to the newspaper, a significant minority of respondents are opposed to serving with openly gay troops. The Obama administration has made no secret of its desire to get rid of the 17-year-old policy. The issue is likely to return to Congress before the end of the year.

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The leader of the Shia Hezbollah movement in Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah has warned that it will resist any attempts to arrest members of the assassination in 2005 of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. A United Nations-backed investigation is believed to be close to issuing an indictment that may implicate high-ranking Hezbollah figures.

Several hundred journalists have staged a demonstration in Moscow to demand that those responsible for a violent attack on one of their colleagues be brought to justice. A Russian political correspondent and blogger, Oleg Kashin, was beaten up outside his house on Saturday. Video pictures show two men using a metal rod to smash his leg, hands and jaw. Mr Kashin is renowned for his sharp criticism of the Russian authorities.

A military court in Indonesia has sentenced four soldiers to prison terms for abusing civilians in the province of Papua. Three were given five-month sentences while the platoon commander was sentenced to seven months. The men were shown kicking and hitting detainees in a video that was posted online.

The producer of Hollywood blockbusters and some of Italy's best-known films, Dino De Laurentiis, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 91. He produced more than 500 films over a period of 60 years ranging from Italian New Wave cinema to American blockbusters. With more details about his life, here is Marcus George.

From humble origins, Agostino De Laurentiis crafted his early career in post-war Italy, producing Federico Fellini's La Strada and Nights of Cabiria in the 1950s. He took full advantage of the demise of the big American studios at the time to lure big stars to film in Italy. America soon beckoned, and his move was rewarded with big hits including Death Wish and Flash Gordon. He persisted, and more acclaim followed with the production of Blue Velvet, directed by David Lynch. The popularity of the films Red Dragon and Hannibal capped a career that spanned more than six decades.

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