BBC news 2011-01-27 加文本

BBC news 2011-01-27

BBC News with Marion Marshall

The United States has urged the Egyptian authorities to implement political and economic reforms as they face continuing anti-government protests. The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the government had an important opportunity to respond to what she called the legitimate needs and aspirations of the Egyptian people. Earlier, police used tear gas in Cairo against thousands of demonstrators. Here's Paul Adams.

It's clear that Washington is watching events on the streets of its most populous Arab ally with growing concern. It's not just that the US worries about the destabilising potential of violent unrest at the heart of the Arab world at a time when President Mubarak's days in office are gradually drawing to a close. Egypt is also a key political and military ally in the region.

The US Congressional Budget Office says the federal budget deficit is likely to hit an all-time high of nearly $1.5tn. It said this was nearly 40% above earlier predictions. Here's Andrew Walker.

The financial crisis and the resulting recession did extensive damage to the US government finances. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the CBO, it's now on course for the third consecutive year of borrowing more than $1tn. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama acknowledged the need to reduce the deficit. It could fall sharply over the next few years if tax breaks and spending policies expire as planned. But they have already been extended, and there'll be political pressure for that to happen again.

The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for global action to fight terrorism. He was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland just two days after a bomb blast at Moscow's main international airport killed 35 people.

The BBC World Service has announced big cuts to its staff and services because of reduced government funding. Five language sections will close down while some others will stop broadcasting on radio and focus instead on the Internet. Six hundred and fifty jobs will be lost.

An explosion at a coal mine in northeastern Colombia has killed at least 20 people. Rescuers are trying to reach the bodies and to find other miners reported missing. Reporting from Colombia, Jeremy McDermott.

There was a shift change taking place as an explosion ripped through the coal mine in Sardinata in Norte de Santander province. A build-up of gases is being blamed for the explosion at the small mine which feeds domestic consumption. The facilities at the mine are rudimentary with only basic safety measures in place. Despite a similar accident in February 2007 which cost the lives of 31 miners, few precautions are taken.

The governing party in Haiti has confirmed that it's withdrawing its candidate Jude Celestin from the second round of the presidential election. Mr Celestin has been under international pressure to quit after monitors found that first round results were rigged in his favour.

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Executives of the Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell have been defending their Nigerian operations at a parliamentary hearing in the Netherlands. Its Dutch president Peter de Wit said the company was doing a good job under difficult circumstances. Amnesty International accused Shell of abusing human rights and failing to clean up environmental damage.

An opposition leader in Gabon has taken refuge in the United Nations compound after declaring himself the legitimate president of the country. Andre Mba Obame said he'd been inspired by power struggles in Tunisia and Ivory Coast, but Gabon's government has now dissolved his party. Here's Barbara Plett.

The opposition leader has always claimed to have won elections that were held in 2009. His move now appears to have been inspired by the political struggles in Tunisia and Ivory Coast. In Ivory Coast, the UN is guarding the internationally recognised President Alassane Ouattara because his rival refuses to cede power after contentious elections. The African Union has played a crucial role in supporting Mr Ouattara, but in the case of Gabon, it's expressed surprise and concern, noting that the 2009 election was monitored by international observers. A statement issued by the organisation said it was extremely worried by the tendency toward multiple crises in Africa linked to elections and governance.

Germany has suspended its annual payment of more than $270m to the Global Fund against Aids, tuberculosis and malaria following allegations of corruption. Germany is the third biggest contributor to the UN-backed fund. It's been alleged that the fund's controls are poor in some countries.

The Hubble Space Telescope has detected what astronomers think may be the oldest galaxy ever observed. The fuzzy picture shows a cluster of stars dating back to shortly after the birth of the Universe, an event known as the Big Bang. The galaxy is thought to be more than 13 billion years old. One researcher said the image was from a time when new star systems had been forming at an astonishing rate.

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