BBC news 2011-10-12 加文本

BBC news 2011-10-12

BBC News with Zoe Diamond

The former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been sentenced to seven years in jail after a judge found her guilty of exceeding her powers when she agreed a gas deal with Russia in 2009. David Stern reports from Kiev.

Mrs Tymoshenko repeatedly interrupted the presiding judge Rodion Kireyev as he read out the sentence, shouting "Glory to Ukraine". In addition to the seven-year jail term, she was fined close to $200m. She was accused of exceeding her authority in signing a gas agreement in 2009 with the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, which ended a so-called "gas war" between the two countries. Mrs Tymoshenko called the proceedings a political show trial and said it was revenge for her opposing President Viktor Yanukovych. The case has been closely watched in the United States and in European capitals, where diplomats have privately echoed her claims.

The European Union and Russia have criticised the sentencing of Mrs Tymoshenko.

State media in Burma have announced an amnesty for more than 6,300 prisoners. State television said the releases would begin on Wednesday. Burma is thought to be holding more than 2,000 political prisoners. Our South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey reports from neighbouring Thailand.

First, Burma's own newly established human rights body urged the president to free what it called "prisoners of conscience"; a few hours later, a statement read out on official media said a total of 6,359 detainees would be granted amnesty on what it called humanitarian grounds, though it didn't make clear how many of those would be political prisoners. The announcement will be welcomed in Western capitals and may lead to calls for some kind of reciprocal measure to encourage further reform.

British and American naval forces have taken control of an Italian cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates, and freed all 23 crew members. The ship was hijacked on Monday in the Indian Ocean, almost 1,000km off the Somali coast. Mike Wooldridge has the details.

The cargo ship, the Montecristo, with a crew of seven Italians, 10 Ukrainians and six Indian nationals, was seized as piracy in the waters off Somalia was expected to see a new upsurge with the ending of the monsoon. Latest reports say 11 pirates were involved. The Ministry of Defence in London says the Fort Victoria and a US frigate went to the aid of the hijacked cargo ship. As the British and American vessels approached, the pirates surrendered, and a Royal Navy party then carried out what's known as a compliant boarding - meaning they met no resistance.

Greece's international creditors say that the country will receive the next instalment of bailout loans in early November to save it from a debt default. There had been uncertainty over the payment because Greece has failed to meet the targets for reducing its deficit for this year. The announcement follows days of talks in Athens.

This is the latest World News from the BBC in London.

Egypt's deputy prime minister and finance minister has resigned from his post over the government's handling of Sunday's deadly Coptic Christian protest. His resignation came as members of the Coptic Christian community began a three-day fast to mourn the 25 people killed. About 2,000 people had gathered in Cairo on Sunday for an initially peaceful rally to protest at the destruction of a church in southern Egypt last month.

A report into unrest in China's factories says a new generation of migrant workers is becoming increasingly assertive and willing to strike for higher pay and better conditions. The Hong Kong-based research group, the China Labour Bulletin, says nearly half of China's 200 million internal migrants have no wish to return to their villages. It says that they want money to build a new life in the cities. Damian Grammaticas reports from Beijing.

For Chinese ruling Communist Party, this new assertiveness poses a real problem. It needs to keep a lid on discontent in its labour force. It wants to see incomes and living standards improve, but it will not allow workers to form their own independent unions which could challenge the party, so they remain disorganised. Any brave enough to lead industrial action often lose their jobs. And for consumers in the West, it means everything from jeans to iPhones, toys to televisions may become just a little bit more expensive.

A report by the World Health Organisation says the number of people infected with tuberculosis has gone down for the first time, from 9.4 million to 8.8 million. The number of people killed by the disease has also fallen to 1.4 million, the first drop in 10 years. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this was major progress, but appealed for more money as too many people were still dying. Improvements in the figures can partly be attributed to developments in China and also in Brazil.

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