BBC在线收听下载:撒切尔夫人服装被高价拍卖

BBC news 2012-09-04

BBC News with Stewart Macintosh

The first of a large group of South African miners accused of murder after recent protests have been released by a court. Karen Allen reports from Johannesburg.

Celebrations as the protesting mine workers were released from custody, and a sense of triumphalism that murder charges which had prompted a public outcry have been withdrawn – for the time being, at least. In a move that prompted public outrage, 290 miners from the Marikana mine were initially charged with the murder of their colleagues using an apartheid-era law after a protest during a wage dispute ended with 34 mine workers shot dead. TV footage at the time appeared to show the police fired the fatal shots.

The funeral of one of Italy's most popular and controversial church figures, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, has taken place in Milan. In a posthumously published interview, the cardinal had criticized the church for being 200 years behind the time. David Willey reports.

The cardinal, an impressive churchman, died last Friday at the age of 85. Over 200,000 people filed past his coffin during the weekend as he lay in state in the cathedral where he'd been archbishop for more than two decades. Among the mourners at the crowded recurring mass, were leaders from all walks of Italian public life, including Prime Minster Mario Monti. Cardinal Martini, a Jesuit, was seen as one of the last progressives in a church increasingly dominated by conservatives headed by Pope Benedict.

Armenia has warned its neighbor and traditional enemy Azerbaijan that it's ready for war if it has to fight one. President Serzh Sarkisyan made a statement after Azerbaijan gave a hero's welcome to an Azeri officer who'd served eight years in a Hungarian jail for hacking an Armenian colleague to death during Nato language course in Hungary. Budapest sent him back to Azerbaijan last week to serve the rest of his sentence there. But Azerbaijan pardoned him, promoted him and paid him eight years back wages.

Opposition activists in Syria say more than 30 people have been killed in a government airstrike on al-Bab, a town in the north of the country. They said several children and women were among those who died. Opposition groups also said more than 100 others were killed in different parts of the country. The Syrian information minister said the campaign against the rebels would continue irrespective of any political moves to halt the violence.

The larges rebel group in Colombia, the Farc, has confirmed that exploratory talks are underway with the Colombian government on reaching a peace deal. The Farc leader, Rodrigo Londono, said the rebels were coming to the table without rancor or arrogance. It was the first official statement by the Marxist guerrilla group since the Colombian president first announced that preliminary talks with the rebels had been held. The Farc have been fighting the government for almost five decades.

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The Mexican President Felipe Calderon has delivered his final state of the nation address before leaving office in December. He admitted errors had been made tackling Mexico's drug cartels as Will Grant reports.

President Calderon also recognized his own mistakes and limitations, but overall, he suggested his government to put the foundations in place for improved security in Mexico. 'To protect Mexicans from criminality has been a legal, political and moral imperative for my government', he said. The policies had begun to bear fruit, but the real results were still to come, he said. Beyond the country's drug violence, Mr Calderon was met with applause for his economic record when he said he'd created nearly two million new jobs in Mexico despite the global economic crisis.

Police in Madagascar say villagers have killed more than 80 cattle thieves in separate attacks in the south of the island. Richard Hamilton reports.

The incident occurred on Friday night near the southern town of Fort-Dapuhin. Police said they'd sent reinforcements to prevent reprisals. Cattle rustling is common in Madagascar, particularly in the arid south of the island, although the casualties are not normally this large. At the center of the conflict are the local humped cattle known as zebu, which have become the target of a bombing criminal trade. The zebu(s) are coveted as symbols of wealth and social standing. In some communities, a young man even has to steal an animal to prove his manhood and win the favor of his in-laws. The stolen zebu then has to be returned to its owner.

Several outfits worn by the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have soared at auction for more than $115,000. A jade-colored business suit she wore when she was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975 fetched almost $40,000. Baroness Thatcher, who's 86, was noted for choosing her clothes to convey power and authority.

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