BBC news 2015-10-06 加文本

BBC news 2015-10-06

Hello, I'm Stewart Macintosh with the BBC News.

President Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have met in New Yorkopening their discussions on Syria and Ukraine with a stony face handshake. USofficials said they agreed to explore a political solution to the crisis inSyria. President Putin said the meeting had been surprisingly frank. From NewYork, Barbara Plett Usher has more details. “Mr. Putin said Russia was thinkingabout how to further strengthen the Syrian army. He ruled out Russian groundforces, but not airstrikes, as long as they respected international norms, suchas the request from the country's government, he said, unlike the strikescarried out by the US-led coalition. A US official said the two men decided to directthe militaries to talk about how to avoid conflicts between potentialoperations in Syria. They also agreed to explore options for a politicalsolution, said the official, but still disagreed on the main sticking point,the future of the president Bashar al-Assad.”

Four British citizens who have gone to Syria to join the Islamic State groupare to face international sanctions up to a request of their own government.The four described as notorious foreign fighters will subject to global travelbans and asset freezes. Here is Carole Walker. “The list includes Sally-AnnesJones from Chatham in Kent, who left her two young sons to travel to Syria withher husband. And Aqsa Mahmood, a former Glasgow University student who isbelieved to have recruited other women to the IS cause. The other two are Abu-Saidal-Britani and Nasser Muthana. A government official said the Prime Ministerbelieves the sanctions were a powerful tool sending a clear message to thosethinking of going to join IS extremists.”

NASA has obtained the clearest evidence that water flows on Mars raising thepossibility that the planet could be home to primitive life. Images captured bythe Mars reconnaissance orbiter suggested gullies on its surface were formed bysalty water. Doctor Robert Zubin is president of the international MarsSociety. “It’s liquid water, not fresh water or salt water, but not a littlebit of it in one place, and their discovering this is a widespread phenomenonthat it has presence of liquid water on the surface of Mars and undoubtedly alarge aquifer underground as well. So this greatly supports the motivation forthe scientific exploration of Mars because everywhere on earth with this liquidwater, we found life.”

Christian militia men have attacked the main jail in Bangui, the capital of theCentral African Public, freeing hundreds of prisoners. The breakout came duringan upsurge in violence between Christians and Muslims. French and UN peace keepingtroops are trying to restore order.

The military in Burkina Faso say members of the presidential guard that stageda short live coup earlier this month are refusing to lay down their weapons.Under a peace deal brokered last week, the army agreed to withdraw from thecapital while the presidential guards were supposed to be disarmed. Worldnews from the BBC.

The Taliban in Afghanistan have captured a major city for the first time sincethe US-led invasion in 2001. Hundreds of fighters stormed Konduz in the multiprongedassault. Jonny Dymond reports. “Taliban fighters attacked Konduz from threedirections. After the initial assault, one resident says that they were toldthe battle was over. But by later afternoon, the Taliban banner was flying inthe city’s main square. A spokesman said that they had taken the governor’shouse and were marching on the airport. The Afghan government is sendingreinforcements. But if Taliban dig in, they will be difficult to dislodge.”

The Cuban leader Raul Castro and president Obama have both called for an end toUS economic sanctions on Havana. Speaking at the United Nations, President Castrosaid a full normalization of relations with the United States could only beachieved if, what he called, the economic blockade against Cuba was lifted.Speaking to the same gathering just hours before, President Obama expressed theconfidence the US congress would lift the embargo.

The Japanese firm Hitachi has agreed to pay 19 million dollars to settlecharges by US regulators that it made improper payments to South Africa’sgoverning party, the African national Congress. The US Security and ExchangeCommission says Hitachi paid millions of dollars to a front company for the ANCto secure contracts to build two power plants. Hitachi has refused to admit ordeny the allegations, but power station contracts became a huge scandal inSouth Africa five years ago.

Surgeons in London have used human embryonic stem cells in a pioneering attemptto cure blindness. Cells derived from a donated early embryo were implantedinto the retainer of the 60 year-old woman with age related maculardegeneration, the most common cause of blindness in the UK. Initial results onwhether any vision has been restored should be available by the end of theyear. BBC news.