BBC在线收听下载:美国总统奥巴马走访了受飓风袭击地区

BBC news 2012-11-16

BBC News with Gaenor Howells

Air-raid sirens have sounded in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv as rockets were fired towards the city by Palestinian militants for the first time in more than two decades. There were no casualties. The Israeli government has given the go ahead for the army to call-up 30,000 reservists, and Defense Minister, Ehud Barak said the militants would be made to pay the price for their actions. Our defense and diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus reports.

This is the first time that Israel largest population centre has been threatened by rocket fire since the 1991 Gulf War. The radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad says that it fired a Fajr-5 missile at Tel Aviv. This Iranian supplied missile is the only weapon in the Palestinians arsenal with a sufficient range of around 75km. Israel had claimed to destroy the bulk of Palestinians Fajr-5 missiles in their hiding places. Targeting Tel Aviv could be a significant red line in this conflict, potentially opening the way to a much deeper Israeli military involvement on the ground.

The Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil is to visit Gaza on Friday. The BBC understands that Cairo is actively trying to mediate between Israel and Hamas over the fighting. Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi has condemned the Israel's actions and said they'd affect stability in the region.

The British energy company BP has agreed to pay $4bn to the US authorities in connection with a huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill two years ago. The US Attorney General, Eric Holder said three BP employees had been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the disaster. Jonny Dymond reports from Washington.

It is the largest single criminal fine in US history, $1.25bn just part of the $4bn criminal settlement that BP has made with the American Department of Justice. BP will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges taking responsibility for the deaths of 11 men killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and for the environmental disaster that followed. Two of BP's workers from the rig will be charged with manslaughter, and the former vice-president of exploration will be charged with obstruction of Congress. This is not the end of the BP's troubles. There is still a civil suit outstanding with the Federal Government, one that could cost the BP billions more.

The BBC has agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in damages to a former senior British political figure, Lord McAlpine, after broadcasting a report which resulted in him being wrongly identified as a child abuser. A BBC statement said the settlement reflected the gravity of the false allegations. The BBC television report had not directly named Lord McAlpine, but it resulted in him being identified. Lord McAlpine's lawyers have said the legal action will be taken against those who used social networking sites to name him.

World News from the BBC

Fresh fighting has broken out in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo between government troops and rebels. A BBC correspondent at the scene says the army has deployed tanks and helicopter gunships. He says the clashes about 30km north of the provincial capital Goma are the most serious in months. Nearly half a million people have been displaced since soldiers mutinied in April to set up the rebel group - the M23. The United Nations accuses Rwanda and Uganda of backing the rebels, allegations they both deny.

Nigeria says that it expects to deploy troops to northern Mali within the weeks to fight the Islamist militant there. The head of the Nigeria's armed forces Admiral Ola Ibrahim said it was necessary to defeat the Islamists to ensure that instability didn't spread to other parts of West Africa. Will Ross reports.

Ola Ibrahim said once the United Nations Security Council has given the green light for the mission, Nigerian troops would be on the ground in Mali within one or two weeks. West African leaders are still hoping peace talks can be held with the Islamist militants who control northern Mali, but dialogue seems unlikely to succeed, and there are plans for more 3,000 West African soldiers to be deployed to oust the militants.

The Colombian security forces have arrested three men they suspected of shooting dead ten farm workers last week. The killing was one of the worst targeted attacks in Colombia in years. Police say the suspects belong to a criminal gang whose leader ordered the attack from behind bars.

President Obama has visited several areas in New York city devastated by a huge storm Sandy which hit the east coast of the US two and a half weeks ago. Mr Obama promised ongoing Federal's support for the victims and said the hardest areas would need a long term recovery plan. In the states of New York and New Jersey, there are still people without electricity 17 days after the storm.

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