BBC news 2011-08-14 加文本

BBC news 2011-08-14

BBC News with Fiona MacDonald

The Texas state governor Rick Perry has confirmed he'll stand for the Republican Party nomination in the US presidential elections next year. His announcement comes as eight existing Republican candidates take part in an unofficial straw poll in Iowa state, which could influence who is eventually chosen to challenge Barack Obama. Rajesh Mirchandani reports from Washington.

Rick Perry announces his intention to run for president with a stirring speech to supporters in South Carolina. He spoke of humble farming roots and values of hard work, faith and thrift. He criticised President Obama's economic policies, which he said had left the US with record debt and high unemployment. "It's time to get America working again," he said. And he thinks he is the man to do it. The governor of Texas is a fiscal conservative with a track record of creating jobs and reducing government. He's religious with socially conservative views, and he could be the candidate to unite both moderate and Tea Party Republicans.

A doctor in the Syrian city of Hama says the recent operation by security forces against the opposition there has had a severe effect on medical services. He told the BBC that people were refusing to go to one of the main hospitals because security forces were present and had killed some of the wounded. He said two hospitals had been destroyed during the week-long offensive, and others heavily damaged. The doctor, who did not wish to be named, gave his assessment of the number of dead in the city. His voice has been replaced here by an actor.

"I want to point out that the number of people killed during this attack is about 2,000. We can't find the bodies of many of the dead because they are under houses destroyed by missiles, and some bodies have been taken by the security forces and photographed to make them look like members of armed gangs."

President Obama and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia have jointly called for the Syrian government to immediately halt the use of violence against its citizens. In a phone conversation, they expressed deep concerns about the situation in Syria.

The Libyan government has dismissed suggestions that rebels have taken control of the centre of the strategically important coastal town of Zawiya, in the west of the country. A group of international journalists travelling through the town heard gunfire, and rebel reports said government troops were fleeing. Matthew(Martin口误) Price reports from Tripoli.

The rebels will have to take Zawiya if they are to be able to advance on the capital. The town lies on the main route running along the coast from Tripoli to Tunisia. Without it, the government is, in effect, cut off from the outside world. Libyan rebels have been pushing north towards Zawiya for some weeks now. Earlier today, it was reported that they had advanced to within 25km off it. The Libyan Information Minister Moussa Ibrahim said a small group of rebels had attacked the town and had been forced back by the Libyan army.

That was Matthew Price, and you're listening to the World News from the BBC.

The prime minister of Somalia has announced the creation of a special force to protect convoys delivering aid to people affected by drought and famine. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said an initial force of 300 men would also protect camps for the displaced in the capital Mogadishu. He was speaking after meeting the United Nations emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos. She said improved security in Mogadishu meant the UN was now able to step up relief efforts.

Police in Britain say more than 2,000 people have now been arrested in connection with rioting and looting in England over the past week. In London, courts are operating through the weekend to process more than 700 people who've been charged in the capital alone. Some senior magistrates have expressed concern at the speed suspects are being dealt with, saying it could affect the justice process. Richard Monkhouse is a trustee of the Magistrates' Association.

"The speed of these cases coming to court, sometimes you have your think: well, are we actually trying to do this too quickly? Are we trying to do this without all the full information that magistrates can assess what the seriousness of the offence and who the offender is? It's almost knee-jerk. Can you think...well, just calm down."

England's cricketers have beaten India and so made sure that they'll go to the top of the international Test match rankings. England's win by an innings and 242 runs gave them a 3-0 lead in the four-match series. Richard Connelly reports.

Experienced former players believe this is the finest England team of their lifetimes, and although India were dreadfully under-prepared, the gap between the sides in the series so far has been enormous. Here, England won with a day and a half to spare. One England batsman, Alastair Cook, survived nearly 13 hours at the crease in this game, longer than both Indian and England's combined. Cook was man of the match for his 294 and says the England team want to build on their achievement.

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