BBC news 2011-01-02 加文本

BBC news 2011-01-02

BBC News with Julie Candler

Dilma Rousseff has been sworn in as the new president of Brazil, the first woman to lead Latin America's biggest nation. In her inaugural speech, she promised to consolidate the work of her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, saying he'd transformed the way Brazil was governed and lifted millions out of misery. Ms Rousseff said her top priorities were to eradicate extreme poverty, and improve education and health.

"I cannot rest when there are people who don't have food on the table, when families are sleeping rough on the streets and when there are poor children who've been abandoned."

Ms Rousseff said Brazil had been living through one of the greatest moments in its history.

There's been widespread condemnation of a bomb attack on a Christian church in Egypt which killed 21 people and injured many more. President Mubarak said it was the work of wicked terrorists who wanted to destabilise the country. Mohammed al-Tahtawi, a spokesman for the al-Azhar mosque, the highest religious authority in Egypt, said that Islam outlawed any attacks on places of worship.

"I would like to emphasise that this act is a sin according to Sharia law because Islam makes it obligatory to protect churches as well as mosques, and whoever carried out this attack has absolutely nothing to do with Islam. On the contrary, an act like this damages the reputation of Islam."

The explosion happened during a New Year's Eve Mass at a Coptic church in the port city of Alexandria. An adjacent mosque was also badly damaged.

Pope Benedict is to organise a summit of world religious leaders to discuss how they can promote world peace. The meeting is to take place in Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis, in October. It'll be on the 25th anniversary of a similar event organised by Pope John Paul which was also attended by leading Jews and Muslims.

Pakistani officials say at least 14 suspected militants have been killed in the northwest of the country by missiles fired from US pilotless aircraft. They say the attacks took place in North Waziristan near the Afghan border. It's the latest evidence of an increase in American drone attacks in recent months, a trend which is adding to the current tension in Pakistan, as Jill McGivering reports.

There aren't official figures for the number of US drone attacks in Pakistan. The issue is so sensitive that both countries are cautious about addressing it in public, but it is clear that they've risen dramatically. Last year, there were more than 100 strikes, more than doubled the previous year, and more than 600 people were killed. Most of the missiles targeted compounds and vehicles in North Waziristan, a remote region on the Afghan border which is seen as a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. The fact that's inaccessible makes it hard to verify exactly what's happening.

World News from the BBC

The first oil pipeline between the world's biggest oil producer Russia and the world's biggest energy consumer China has begun operation. The pipeline links oil refineries in Siberia with the northeastern Chinese city of Daqing. It's expected to transport 110 million barrels of crude a year for the next 20 years. Previously all Russian oil shipments were delivered to China by rail.

The Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has promised decisions early next week about what the West African regional body Ecowas will do next to tackle the continuing political crisis in Ivory Coast. The incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to cede power to his political rival Alassane Ouattara, who is widely seen to have won the presidential run-off in November.

Police in South Africa say 10 people have been killed in a stampede during New Year celebrations in the northwest of the country. The victims were crushed during a disturbance in a bar in the early hours of the morning in a black township on the outskirts of Schweizer-Reneke. Tom Poole reports.

The stampede is thought to have happened after a fight broke out in the busy bar, and panicked patrons rushed towards the only door. People had gathered to see in the New Year at the bar in the Ipelegeng township, about 200km west of Johannesburg. A police spokeswoman confirmed that 10 people had been found dead at the scene although gave few details about the victims. However, most are believed to be young, aged between 18 and 25. A local official said the community was distraught and saddened by the deaths.

Japan's population fell by a record figure last year. While the birth rate remained flat, the country recorded its highest number of deaths since the Second World War. Government estimates suggest that overall the total number of Japanese people fell by 123,000. That's over 50,000 more than last year, itself a record. It's a rapidly growing number of pensioners in Japan, putting pressure on the welfare system.

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