BBC在线收听下载:南非营救被困金矿矿工的行动已经结束

BBC news 2014-02-17

BBC News with Sue Montgomery.

A Nigerian member of parliament has told the BBC that suspected Islamist militants have killed more than 100 people in northeast of Nigeria. The attack has been blamed on the Boko Haram group. Will Ross reports from Lagos. “According to residents who have fled the scene, gunmen rounded up about 30 men in the village of Izghe and shot them all. The suspected Boko Haram militants then went house to house killing people, some were shot, others had their throats slit. A spokesman for the Nigerian military said he did not yet have details of the attack. When asked how Boko Haram was able to carry out these attacks so frequently, killing hundreds of civilians, he said the army could not be everywhere and the Islamist fighters were mobile. He also said they were desperate after their camps had been destroyed.”

The Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he's outraged by allegations of a massive corruption network in the Colombian army. The allegations were published by the Colombian weekly magazine Semana. Leonardo Rocha has the details. “Army Generals and other senior officers have been accused of taking bribes of up to 50% of the value of the contracts they awarded. Some were allegedly diverting money that was meant to be spent in weapons, petrol and other supplies. The magazine says they had access to hours of tape conversations. Colombia media have pointed out that more accountability is needed. The defense budget has soared in recent years and the United States continues to pay Colombia a generous yearly allowance for the war on drugs.”

An operation to rescue miners trapped in an abandoned South African gold mine has ended for the night with an unknown number still underground. A spokesman for the emergency rescue team Werner Vermaak said 11 people suspected of illegal mining have been brought to safety after rubble was cleared from the disused mine east of Johannesburg. They were then arrested after medical checks. Mr. Vermaak said others were unwilling to come out for fear of being detained. “We manage to rescue 11 of them, there are still unknown amount of them trapped. Once they noticed that they got arrested after they’ve been saved particularly or being arrested，they refused to come out and well being safe. So they are scared that they have been arrested and safe, there is no way for them gonna come out just being arrested, so they’d rather stay underground.” Mr. Vermaak said the rescued miners had accused a rival group of deliberately blocking the shaft.

President Obama has warned the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that if he enacts an anti-homosexual law, it will complicate relations with the United States. Under the proposed legislation, those convicted of homosexual acts would face harsh sentences including life imprisonment. Mr. Obama said the law would be a step backwards for all Ugandans.

World News from the BBC

A bomb explosion has hit a tourist bus in Egypt Sinai Peninsula killing at least three South Koreans. An Egyptian driver was also killed and more than ten people were injured. Islamist militants in the Sinai have stepped up attacks on security targets since the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi last year.

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he does not want to flood Isreal with Palestinian refugees after any future peace deal. Speaking to a visiting group of Israeli students in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mr. Abbas said he wanted to reach a compromised solution on the issue of around six million Palestinian refugees. He also said that Jerusalem should not be divided.

Venezuelan police, trying to arrest an opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, have searched his and his parents' homes. Mr. Leopoldo organized recent anti-government protests and has been blamed by President Nicolas Maduro for the deaths of three men at the end of opposition marches in Caracas. Irene Caselli reports. “Leopoldo, the people are with you. Students chanted in support of Leopoldo Lopez in the streets of Caracas. The opposition politician has an arrest warrant pinned against him. Mr. Lopez wrote on the social network Twitter that he had not left the country and would appear in public soon. He was last seen on Wednesday when three people died when marches turned violent. On Sunday, students said they won't stop marching until President Nicolas Maduro resigns.”

This year's British Academy Film Awards ceremony is underway in London. A Somali-born resident of the United States Barkhad Abdi, who'd never acted before, has won best supporting actor for his role in a pirate film, Captain Phillips. Gravity directed by Alfonso Cuaron and 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen are the favourites to win the best film.

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