BBC news 2011-05-13 加文本

BBC news 2011-05-13

BBC News with Neil Nunes

New research suggests the risk of an HIV-positive person transmitting the disease to an uninfected partner can be reduced drastically if they are given early treatment with anti-retroviral drugs. A large-scale trial of couples across four continents gave a reduction of 96% in cross infections. Professor Ian Sanne is a chief researcher in the trials from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

"This, a 96% result, is quite remarkable. Because of the very convincing result, we now need to look at how this result will impact on the international treatment guidelines, and we need to work out how the package of prevention care can be best adopted for different populations."

A court in Germany has ordered the release of 91-year-old John Demjanjuk, despite finding him guilty of helping to murder more than 28,000 Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland. The court in Munich sentenced him to five years in prison, but issued the release order on grounds of his age and pending an appeal. The main German prosecutor Hans-Joachim Lutz said Mr Demjanjuk's personal guilt was proven.

"Nearly 70 years after the crime, we have been able to prove the guilt of the accused. The accused was a victim of German aggression as shown by the trial, but he later became a criminal of his own will. He could have withdrawn from his job in the concentration camp in Sobibor, but he didn't do this."

Descendants of the founder of the giant French vehicle maker Renault are seeking compensation for the nationalisation of the company in 1945 after their grandfather was accused of collaborating with the Nazis during the Second World War. Seven grandchildren of Louis Renault argued that no other company similarly placed under German control was nationalised without compensation.

Europe's football governing body Uefa has called the Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets to a disciplinary hearing over allegations he racially abused a black Real Madrid player by calling him a monkey during a match. The abuse allegation was brought by Real Madrid's Brazilian player Marcelo, supported by video evidence from the club. Alex Capstick reports.

European football's governing body, which has vowed to crack down on racism in football, has now decided to launch disciplinary proceedings. The punishment for racial abuse is a five-match ban. Uefa have already handed a five-match ban to Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho after his outburst during the same match. Racism has been a controversial issue in Spanish football. There have been complaints from foreign black players. Earlier this year, Barcelona's Brazilian defender Danny Alves said it was uncontrollable.

World News from the BBC

A British inquiry into the invasion of Iraq has released a letter from a former intelligence officer who said he came under strong pressure to find evidence to support military action. The official Michael Laurie said an intelligence dossier in 2002 asserting that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction was intended to make the case for war. His comments directly contradict the testimony of the former British government's director of communications, Alastair Campbell.

The founder of the Bangladeshi micro-lending institution the Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, has resigned as its head after a row with the government. More from Anbarasan Ethirajan.

In a short statement, Mr Yunus said he had taken the decision to avoid what he called "undue disruption" to the bank's activities following last week's Supreme Court's ruling. The court upheld the official decision to sack him from the bank saying at 70 he was well past the mandatory retirement age. His supporters say the decision to sack him from the bank is related to his attempt to enter politics three years ago, a charge the government denies. Mr Yunus started the Grameen Bank to offer micro loans to the poor, and the model has been replicated in many countries around the world.

A body that represents Europe's professional athletes has said that hundreds of its members want to launch a legal challenge to the World Anti-Doping Code on the grounds that it violates their human rights. The code requires that some athletes declare their whereabouts for an hour every day in case they are ordered to have a drugs test.

The White House is proposing radical new legislation to regulate the way the United States protects itself from hackers, criminals and spies. It will be the country's first comprehensive plan to improve the protection of critical infrastructure, such as the electrical grid and financial systems, and also includes better reporting and monitoring.

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