BBC news 2011-12-27 加文本

BBC news 2011-12-27

BBC News with Jonathan Wheatley

The main contingent of an Arab League observer mission has arrived in Syria to monitor an initiative to end the continued violence. It has left thousands dead since anti-government protests began earlier this year. At least 18 people are reported to have been killed in the latest shelling of the city of Homs. The Arab League initiative agreed with the Syrian government requires all armed forces to withdraw from the areas of conflict. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says it's not clear whether the observers' movements will be restricted.

Syrian officials are saying they are committed to the protocol they signed with the Arab League that the observers will have complete freedom of movement, but of course they do have to coordinate with the Syrian authorities because they need to have security; they can't just jump in cars and drive off to a place like Homs. So that in a sense makes them sort of dependent on the regime.

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews have clashed with police near Jerusalem as tensions mount over their campaign of segregation between men and women. A police officer was wounded in the town of Beit Shemesh as police were called to remove a sign on a main road ordering segregation between the sexes. Here's Aidan Lewis.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews pelted police and journalists with rocks and eggs, and set fire to rubbish bins. They also re-installed a number of placards ordering segregation that had earlier been removed. Beit Shemesh has become a focus of friction between ultra-Orthodox and more secular-minded Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says police will continue to arrest ultra-Orthodox offenders and insists that there's no place in Israel for discrimination.

The authorities in Mexico say they've arrested the chief bodyguard of the country's most wanted drugs baron, the fugitive Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The bodyguard, Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, was detained by army special forces. Colonel Ricardo Trevilla of the Mexican army said Cabrera had risen through the ranks of the cartel.

"Cabrera used violence to keep control of the group's criminal activities. This allowed him to gain stature in the group. It allowed him to become a key player in drug smuggling and trafficking. It helped him become a security provider for the head of the cartel in his area of operations."

The head of the army in Guinea-Bissau, General Antonio Indjai, has said an attack on the general staff headquarters and other military bases in the capital has been foiled. He said the army and the government remained in control of the country following an attempt to seize weapons from military armouries.

Hundreds of people have attended a memorial service in Nigeria at the Roman Catholic church where more than 30 people were killed in a bomb attack on Sunday. The blast on the outskirts of the capital Abuja was the first in a series of attacks on Christmas Day.

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Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba has urged the nominally civilian Burmese government to continue its reforms, saying Japan would do what it could to help Burma's reconciliation process and improve its economy. Mr Gemba spoke after meeting President Thein Sein and the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. For her part, Ms Suu Kyi said Japan's ongoing support was crucial.

"Our country is bound and determined to march towards the democratic goal. In doing so, I expect Japan to be at the forefront of friendly nations who will help us."

Two prominent South Korean women have met the man chosen as the next leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. South Korean officials said the country's former first lady and the chairman of Hyundai talked (about口误) with the leader for about 10 minutes after arriving in Pyongyang to pay their respects to his father Kim Jong-il.

Police here in London say [they] are investigating two stabbings on Oxford Street, one of the busiest shopping streets in Europe. In the first incident, an 18-year-old died when (where口误) he was attacked. The second stabbing was in another area of Oxford Street, and the victim is being treated in hospital.

A newspaper in Chile has been ordered to compensate 13 readers who suffered injuries when they followed a recipe it published. The recipe for churros - a sweet fried pastry snack - caused explosions that showered the cooks with hot oil, causing burns. Chile's Supreme Court ordered La Tercera newspaper to pay more than $160,000 to the victims. The court found that injury had been inevitable for anyone who followed the printed recipe correctly.

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