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BBC news 2012-02-10

BBC News with David Austin

Influential EU figures have cast doubt on an austerity package agreed by Greek politicians in an effort to unlock another 130bn in bailout funds. The deal which includes drastic wage cuts was struck after days of talks in Athens. The Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos urged his colleagues in the Eurogroup to endorse it, but the head of the Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, said too many points still needed clearing up for that to happen at talks in Brussels today. Chris Morris reports.

The pieces of an overall deal on Greece are beginning to fall into place, but the agreement between political parties in Athens is just one part of a complex set of negotiations involving the second financial bailout and a deal with private banks to write off 100bn of Greek debt. Crucially the whole package has to satisfy the demand from creditors like the IMF that it will make Greek debts sustainable, and it's not clear that that point has yet been reached. So no one will be signing any checks straight away.

Activists in the Syrian city of Homs say nearly 40 people have been killed during the sixth day of bombardment by government forces. Several districts were pounded with tank, artillery and rocket fire. Three families were buried in the rubble of their homes. In the country's border areas, the Syrian authorities have stepped up security to prevent smuggling of weapons to rebels. Our correspondent Jim Muir has been monitoring developments from Beirut.

The Syrian government seems determined to push ahead with its crackdown against pockets of armed opposition in Homs and many other centres. It's also stepped up operations near all the country's borders to stop the flow of arms being smuggled to rebel fighters. As the carnage continues, the outside world is struggling to find a way forward after the Russian and Chinese veto of an otherwise unanimous UN Security Council resolution. The trend is towards beefing up support for the Syrian opposition at the risk of hastening the slide towards a sectarian civil war.

Libya is expelling Syria's top diplomat and his staff in protest against the Syrian government's efforts to suppress the opposition. The Libyan National Transitional Council has given the Syrians 72 hours to leave Libya. Jonathan Head has this report.

After the success of their own revolution, many people in Libya feel strong sympathy for the uprising in Syria. The transitional government that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi last year was the first to give official recognition to the opposition Syrian National Council. A small number of Libyan volunteer fighters have gone to support the Free Syrian Army. Now the government has ordered the Syrian mission here to shut down and told the charge d'affaires and all his staff to leave Libya within 72 hours. A government spokesman said this was to show Libya's anger over the assault by Syrian military forces on opposition strongholds like the city of Homs.

World News from the BBC

The campaigning Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon says he will appeal against his 11-year ban from the legal profession. The Supreme Court in Madrid earlier today found him guilty of illegal wiretapping. It said his practices were worthy of a totalitarian regime. Judge Garzon strongly rejected the ruling.

The Mexican army says it's seized 15 tonnes of methamphetamine at a ranch in the western state of Jalisco. It's thought to be the largest amount ever seized in Mexico. Will Grant reports from Mexico City.

For the Mexican and US anti-drug authorities, this seizure is a huge victory. With an estimated street value of around $4bn, it represents a major blow to the Mexican drug cartels which control the lucrative and growing methamphetamine trade. An official from the US Drug Enforcement Administration described the haul as having put a huge dent in the supply chain of the synthetic drug to the United States. The Mexican army said it was a historic seizure.

The authorities in the West African state of Guinea have charged a senior army officer in connection with a massacre in 2009 of protesters against the former military government. Colonel Moussa Tiegboro Camara is the highest ranking person to face charges over the incident. More than 150 people were killed when troops raided an opposition rally at a stadium in Conakry, and 100 women were raped.

America's biggest banks have agreed a $25bn deal with the government to compensate homeowners for allegedly abusive practices. A million people will see their mortgage payments reduced. President Obama said he hoped it would help right some of the wrongs.

"We have reached a landmark settlement with the nation's largest banks that will speed relief to the hardest-hit homeowners and some of the most abusive practices of the mortgage industry, and begin to turn the page on an era of recklessness that has left so much damage in its wake."

President Barack Obama

That's the BBC News.