BBC news 2011-08-09 加文本

BBC news 2011-08-09

BBC News with Sue Montgomery

Riots have broken out in London for a third consecutive day, this time in broad daylight. Central Hackney, in the east, was cordoned off as youths armed with baseball bats smashed shop windows and hurled missiles at police officers. In the southeast, a fire in a shop in Peckham spread to nearby flats; vehicles were also set ablaze. Naomi Grimley has more.

Any hopes that the rioting in London was going to die down are fading by the hour. Unrest has broken out in Hackney, in the east of the city, as well as Lewisham and Peckham, in the south. Police are also confirming that the UK's second city of Birmingham is being targeted with youths smashing shopping centre windows there. London's mayor Boris Johnson is cutting short his holiday, and the continued unrest will mean more calls for the Prime Minister David Cameron to do the same.

The Acting Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, Tim Godwin, said he wanted the public to help put an end to the rioting.

"I do urge now that parents start contacting their children and asking where their children are. There are far too many spectators who are getting in the way of the police operations to tackle criminal thuggery and burglary. And I'm imploring that people within those communities actually start clearing the streets to enable my police officers to deal with the criminality that is occurring in front of them."

Share prices across the world have continued to fall amid fears that America could slip back into recession and that Europe's debt crisis could worsen. After heavy losses last week, the Dow Jones in New York has fallen again by nearly 5%. Europe and Asia saw big falls earlier. Duncan Bartlett reports.

The worst-hit stock market in Europe was Greece, down more than 6% on Monday to its lowest point for 14 years. Greece's debt problems were seen as the trigger for the whole eurozone crisis. In London, the FTSE index lost another 3.5% on top of the 10% fall it suffered last week. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones opened lower as the market gave its verdict on the downgrading of America's AAA+ debt rating. Investors long to see a consistent credible plan of action to tackle the debt problems. Instead, they have been offered numerous schemes that try to patch over parts of the problem.

Syrian state television says army units have begun to withdraw from the central city of Hama. It said that they had completed their mission and that life was gradually returning to normal in the city. Security forces attacked Hama more than a week ago, escalating the violent suppression of mass demonstrations in the city. Dozens of Syrians were killed in the assault. Elsewhere in Syria, reports suggest the army is pressing ahead with an assault on the eastern city of Deir al-Zour for a second day. Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad appointed a new defence minister.

World News from the BBC

The African Union peacekeeping force in the Somali capital Mogadishu says only small pockets of the militant Islamist group al-Shabab remain in the city. But a spokesman said more troops were needed in order to secure the entire capital. Earlier, the United Nations said its first airlift for five years had landed in Mogadishu.

The police in Burundi have killed three gunmen after a heavy exchange of fire in the capital Bujumbura. Eyewitnesses told the BBC the men were shot dead while attempting to surrender. Local people said the three were members of a hardline Hutu rebel movement, the FNL, which laid down their arms in 2009. The police described the gunmen as armed bandits.

A court in Turkey has ordered the detention of six generals and an admiral accused of attempting to undermine the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Seven other lower-ranked officers will also be detained. They are all charged with setting up anti-government websites. Jonathan Head reports from Istanbul.

Among the generals now facing arrest are some who just a few years ago were destined for promotion to the highest positions in the armed forces. But the balance of power between the civilian government and the traditionally powerful military has shifted dramatically. Following his third successive election victory in June, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in an almost unassailable position, and he wants all officers suspected of anti-government activity to be held to account. Nearly 200 are already on trial over a plot allegedly hatched eight years ago to foment chaos and to bring down Mr Erdogan's administration.

The South African runner Oscar Pistorius will become the first amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes at the World Championships later this month. Known as Blade Runner, the double amputee has already won several Paralympic gold medals but had to take his case to court in order to compete in able-bodied events.

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