BBC news 2012-04-18 加文本

BBC news 2012-04-18

BBC News with Jerry Smit

Argentina has been defending its decision to nationalise the Spanish-controlled oil company YPF in the face of growing international criticism. The Deputy Economy Minister Axel Kicillof, who's been put in charge of the company, accused its Spanish owner Repsol of hiding its true value. The European Union has promised Spain its full support and says it's considering all possible options. From Buenos Aires, Vladimir Hernandez.

The move to take back YPF, which was sold to the Spanish firm Repsol in 1999, can be seen as a big shift in Argentina's energy policy. The draft bill declares the energy industry of national interest, and analysts believe it could open the door to further moves on foreign companies who are deemed to not be investing enough. The Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said Repsol did not invest enough in oil exploration and sent most of its profits back to Spain.

Egypt's election commission has confirmed the disqualification of candidates in the presidential election. These include three of the leading contenders: President Mubarak's former intelligence chief, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate and a radical Islamist. Ammar Dharak, the secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, told the BBC that the decision was politically motivated.

"I'm actually more disappointed from the fact that the old regime seems to be still in control of the situation in Egypt. It's very clear that the decision is political, and the intention was to make it look as if the committee is neutral that it banned Omar Suleiman, same way it banned Khairat Shater and Hazem Ismail. The real candidate of the old regime is someone else."

A former London shop worker who became governor of one of the wealthiest states in Nigeria has been jailed in Britain for money laundering and fraud. James Ibori admitted stealing nearly $80m from (the) Delta state. Angus Crawford reports.

The total amount James Ibori stole is, according to the prosecution, "unquantifiable". The court was told that he went from working in a DIY shop in west London in 1991 to governor of the oil-rich Delta state in Nigeria just eight years later. But he fell from political favour, was extradited back to the UK and pleaded guilty to 10 charges of money laundering and fraud. In sentencing Ibori, the trial judge described him as a man of corruption lining his own pockets with his single-minded devotion.

More than 100 schoolgirls in northeastern Afghanistan have been taken to hospital with suspected poisoning after complaining of severe nausea, headaches and dizziness. The health director of Takhar province said the girls fell ill shortly after drinking from water fountains at their school in a remote district of the province. A local official suggested that people opposed to education for girls were responsible.

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Officials in Somalia say warplanes have fired missiles at a coastal village in the north of the country, injuring two people. The attack is said to have taken place at Gumah in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. Some reports say the missiles were aimed at a suspected pirate base. The European Union last month expanded its mission against Somali pirates by allowing military forces to attack land as well as sea targets.

The International Monetary Fund says that global economic prospects are gradually strengthening, but recent improvements are fragile. In its latest assessment, the IMF identifies oil prices and the eurozone crisis as the main threats. The IMF's chief economist is Olivier Blanchard.

"There are always many risks, but there is just one overwhelming one which is another euro crisis. You know, some measures were taken - actually important measures were taken - as a result of the last one, but they are not quite enough."

The IMF warns that the breakup of the eurozone cannot be entirely ruled out, and that if it does happen, it could have a greater impact on the world economy than the collapse of the investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008.

North Korea has dismissed the United Nations' condemnation of its latest rocket launch, and vowed to continue trying to put a satellite into space. A foreign ministry statement also said Pyongyang would retaliate for US hostility in suspending a February deal which provided it with food aid. The statement followed a warning by a senior US military commander that the United States was working with its allies to prevent future provocations as he put it.

The United States is the latest country to ease sanctions against Burma in recognition of its recent political reforms. The US treasury says American non-governmental groups will now be allowed to carry out humanitarian work in Burma. Australia has already lifted financial and travel bans on the Burmese President Thein Sein.

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