BBC news 2011-09-29 加文本

BBC news 2011-09-29

BBC News with Iain Purdon

Rwanda has failed to secure the extradition from France of the former Rwandan First Lady Agathe Habyarimana. She's accused of being a chief architect of the 1994 genocide that followed the death of her husband. A French appeal court ruled that the indictment against her of genocide and crimes against humanity was too vague. Grant Ferrett reports.

Agathe Habyarimana smiled as she left the courtroom in Paris. She told reporters she'd always had faith in French justice. Mrs Habyarimana, who's lived in France for more than 15 years, was accused of involvement in planning the genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were murdered. Human rights organisations say she was a member of an elite Hutu group which masterminded the killings, an allegation she emphatically denies. Rwanda's justice minister told the BBC his country respected the judgment.

The International Red Cross in Somalia says it's in the final stages of preparing to distribute food aid to more than a million victims of the famine. The operation will involve 17,000 tonnes of supplies being taken by truck from the capital Mogadishu. It'll take around two weeks for the convoy to reach its destination in areas under the control of the Islamist militant group al-Shabab.

The online retailer Amazon has launched a new tablet computer, the Kindle Fire, to rival Apple's hugely successful iPad. The Kindle Fire is cheaper than the Apple iPad, but it has a smaller screen and no built-in camera. Mark Gregory has this report.

Many rivals have tried to emulate the success of the Apple iPad with look-alike tablet devices. None has come close. Amazon, though, is seen as in with a chance partly because its product is much cheaper - less than half the price of the iPad - and partly because Amazon through its online shopping has movies, e-books and other digital content to tie in with its tablet as Apple does with iTunes.

The authorities in Mexico have found five severed heads outside a school in the resort town of Acapulco. The discovery was made in full view of students and passers-by. The remains were left with a message threatening the state governor, but it's not clear if the case was linked to extortion threats against teachers. From Mexico City, Julian Miglierini reports.

The heads which belonged to five still unidentified men were found in a sack inside a wooden crate near the school after an anonymous call alerted the police. Last month, the teachers, through phone calls and anonymous messages, were told to hand over half their salaries to the gangs or face violent consequences. The teachers walked out in protest and urged the government to provide more protection for them. The authorities have promised to deploy more police and install security cameras at schools, but so far the teachers have not lifted their strike.

World News from the BBC

A Saudi Arabian prisoner accused of plotting the attack on the warship, the USS Cole, is to be tried in Guantanamo and could face the death sentence if convicted. The Pentagon formally approved terrorism and murder charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who will face a military tribunal within the next 30 days. Seventeen US sailors were killed when suicide bombers rammed an explosive-laden boat into the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000.

The United Nations Security Council has taken its first official step in considering the Palestinians' application for membership. It could be weeks before the issue is brought to a vote in the Security Council, where the United States has already promised to use its veto. From the UN, Barbara Plett reports.

In a session that lasted barely two minutes, the Palestinian application was formally sent to the Security Council's membership committee. Despite American opposition and European unease, no one opposed the move. The committee will hold its first meeting on Friday. But diplomats say it will probably be at least a month before it reports back to the council. During that time, international mediators will redouble efforts to resume peace talks based on a timetable they proposed last week. It's expected that America will also pressure Palestinian allies on the council not to back the move, hoping to avoid the embarrassment of a veto. The Palestinians need majority support to bring their bid to a vote.

Cuba says it's allowing people to sell cars privately for the first time in 50 years. Private property has always been severely restricted in the communist-run island, and until now Cubans could only trade in cars built before the revolution in 1959. The sale of new cars will still be restricted to those holding dollars or convertible pesos. But ordinary Cubans will be able to buy post-1959 cars from foreigners and those whose jobs allowed them to import Soviet-made cars.

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