BBC在线收听下载:阿尔及利亚一架军机坠毁77人遇难

BBC news 2014-02-12

BBC News I'm John Shay

Aid workers have failed to evacuate any more people from the besieged Syrian city of Homs or to deliver any food, despite a day of talks between UN officials and representatives of government and oppositions. A spokesman for the Syrian Red Crescent said all activities have been postponed until Wednesday. There has also been no progress at the Syrian peace talks in Geneva. Our chief correspondent Lyse Doucet is in Homs.

The UN had hoped to go into the old city of Homs today, but negotiations are still continuing with the government and the opposition to ensure that aid convoys will not come under fire as they did this weekend and to ensure aid can be distributed to the more than 1,000 people still living in the ruins of the old city. There's also growing concern among UN officials about the fate of hundreds of young men who've left this besieged area during the temporary ceasefire.

The defense ministry in Algeria now says 77 people died when a military transport plane crashed in the Atlas Mountains. Earlier, local media estimated that more than 100 people have been killed. Our correspondent Paul Adams has more details.

The Algerian aircraft, an American made Hercules much like those flown by air forces around the world crashed towards the end of a flight from Tamanrasset, deep in the southern Sahara Desert to the northeastern city of Constantine. There's been very little official word about what happened, but the state news agency said it crashed near the town of Ain Kercha about 35 miles short of its destination. It's thought there were military families on board including women and children, dozens of bodies have already been recovered.

The new chair of the US Federal Reserve Janet Yellen has signaled that the bank will take further steps to reduce its stimulus program if the economy continues to improve. In her first testimony to Congress as Fed chair, she said that the recovery in the labor market is far from complete. Here's our economics correspondent Andrew Walker.

The Fed has already reduced the amount it's pumping into financial markets. And Janet Yellen made it clear she expects further similar steps, provided there are continued signs and improvement on jobs and on inflation, which is currently below the Fed's target. But it was also clear that she's on a long way from being ready to raise interest rate from their current very low levels. Although the number out of work has come down. She suggested it is still too high as a problem with long-term unemployment and too many people currently get part-time work.

Changes to Nicaragua's constitution have come into effect, paving the way for the country's leader Daniel Ortega to run for a third consecutive term in 2016. The signs scrapping term limits for Nicaraguan presidents and doing away with a minimum number of votes required to elect the President. They also allow the President to issue decrees. The amendments were approved last month. Mr. Ortega says the changes were needed for stability, but the opposition claimed they are threats to democracy.

World News from the BBC

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he's cancelling a planned trip to the Middle East next week as his government seeks to deal with serious flooding in parts of the country. The rising water levels have seen more than 1,000 homes evacuated, mostly along the River Thames. After visiting stricken areas in southern England, Mr.Cameron said it would take time for the situation to improve for some communities, but help would be offered.

“There is absolutely no sign of this threat abating. And with further rain and strong winds forecast thoughout the week, things may well get worse before they get better. And my message to the country today is this: Money is no object in this relief effort, whatever money is needed for it, will be spend.”

A war crimes court in Serbia has found 9 members of a paramilitary unit guilty of killing more than 100 ethnic Albanian civilians during the conflict in Kosovo 15 years ago. The members of the group were given sentences of up to 20 years in prison. Guy De Launey reports from Belgrade.

Members of the unit called themselves the Jackals, and they committed some of the most serious crimes of the conflict in Kosovo. The judges ruled that they had raped, murdered and robbed ethnic Albanian civilians. That ultimate aim had been to create such a frightening situation that other Albanians would flee Kosovo. Although 9 men were convicted, several other members of the Jackals are still on the run. Interpol has issued arrest warrants for them.

The first-ever women's Olympic ski jumping competition has been won by Germany's Carina Vogt. With the last jump of the event, she beat the Australian Daniela Iraschko-Stolz. Earlier, the hotly tip snowboarder Shaun White of the USA failed to win a third successive gold medal in one of the most keenly awaited events of the Sochi Games，the men's half pipe. He missed out on the medals coming forth.

And that's the latest BBC World News.