BBC news 2011-01-21 加文本

BBC news 2011-01-21

BBC News with Iain Purdon

Federal authorities in the United States have made 115 arrests in what the US Attorney General Eric Holder called the largest ever single-day operation against the mafia. Those detained include prominent members of at least six organised crime families. They face charges ranging from extortion to drug dealing and murder. Mr Holder said it was part of an ongoing battle against the mafia.

"Today's arrests mark an important and encouraging step forward in disrupting La Cosa Nostra's operations. But the reality is that our battle against organised crime enterprises is far from over. This is an ongoing effort, and it must and will remain a top priority for all of us in law enforcement. Members and associates of La Cosa Nostra are among the most dangerous criminals in our country."

Suicide bomb attacks near the Iraqi city of Karbala have killed at least 50 people and injured many more. Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.

The Karbala bombings came despite very stringent security measures to protect the many hundreds of thousands of Shia faithful making their way to the city on foot from all over the country in a pilgrimage that reaches its climax early next week. Even before that, the earlier spate of attacks had prompted questions here about the effectiveness of security arrangements not just for pilgrims but even for the security forces themselves increasingly targeted as American forces withdraw.

The Chinese President Hu Jintao says China has no interest in pursuing an arms race, nor exerting military dominance over other nations. Speaking at a business forum in Washington, Mr Hu said there was no need for the US to see China as a threat. Paul Adams reports.

President Hu used his lunch-time speech to drive home his message that America should not see China as a dangerous rival. "We do not engage in arms races," he said. "We are not a military threat to any country." He described Tibet and Taiwan as core Chinese interests but did not add the South China Sea to this list, suggesting a degree of flexibility on an issue that has been a recent source of tension. Earlier, President Hu swapped the military bands and state banquet at the White House for the rather more combative atmosphere of Capitol Hill. Members of Congress raised a number of familiar concerns, including human rights, efforts to contain North Korea, safeguarding intellectual property and the need for a level playing field in international trade.

Tunisia's new interim government says it'll recognise all banned political groups and grant amnesties to all political prisoners. A government spokesman said all groups would be recognised including the Islamist Ennahda movement. The announcement came as the new cabinet met for the first time a week after street protest[s] forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee Tunisia.

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The Vatican says it's worried about the latest scandal surrounding the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and demanded higher moral standards from politicians. The secretary of state of the Holy See made his comments after being asked about allegations that Mr Berlusconi had organised sex parties with young prostitutes. He said Italy was in turmoil over the issue. The prime minister has vehemently denied the allegations.

A new estimate says there may be twice as much natural gas available in the world as previously thought. The International Energy Agency said new techniques to extract gas from previously inaccessible rock formations could extend global reserves for more than 250 years. Roger Harrabin reports.

A few years ago, the world looked likely to enjoy natural gas for 60 years with maybe a further 60 if engineers could access all known supplies. Then came a technological breakthrough in the United States, where firms found a way to free gas previously trapped in shale rocks. It made the US the world's top gas producer in 2009. Engineers worldwide now want to recover more so-called unconventional gas from coal beds and other rocks where it's currently trapped.

One of the most senior members of Britain's opposition Labour Party has announced that he's stepping down as its spokesman on financial affairs. The politician Alan Johnson had been in the job only a few months and admitted having little economic experience. He said he was resigning for personal reasons but gave no more details.

Police in Mexico say a posting on the social networking site Facebook has led them to the main suspect in the shooting of the Paraguayan footballer Salvador Cabanas last year. Police knew that the suspect, Jose Jorge Balderas Garza, was in a relationship with a Colombian model. When she listed a Mexico City neighbourhood as her current location on Facebook, police moved in.

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