BBC在线收听下载:美国指责伊朗是袭击沙特的幕后黑手

BBC News. Hello, I'm Jerry Smit.

Iran has dismissed a US accusation that it was responsible for two drone attacks that have drastically cut oil production in Saudi Arabia. With the details, here's Alan Johnston. The allegation that Iran was behind the Saudi attacks came from the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He said the Iranians had struck at the world's energy supply. The foreign ministry in Tehran has described the accusation as meaningless. It suggested the Americans were trying to create a pretext paving the way for future action against Iran. Houthi rebels in Yemen say they launched the drones that targeted the Saudi facilities. The Houthis who are aligned with Iran say they were retaliating for years of Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.

Tunisians are voting in a presidential election brought forward following the death in July of President Beji Caid Essebsi. In the popular uprising of 2011, Tunisians gain democratic freedoms that are almost uNPRecedented in the Arab world. But unresolved economic problems and other social issues that brought about the revolts have been at the heart of the electoral campaign. Here is Youssef Taha. Sunday's election is the second free presidential polls in the 2011 uprising which sparked the Arab Spring. There are 26 candidates, including two women. If none of them wins a majority in the first round, the two with the most votes will go to a runoff. The winner will face a number of pressing issues ranging from security to corruption. In recent years, the country has suffered a number of attacks by Islamists. There have also been street protests over economic hardship and unemployment.

The Afghan Taliban say they're lifting a ban on the International Committee of the Red Cross and will now allow its staff to carry out humanitarian work safely. The Taliban imposed a ban in April. The ICRC has worked in Afghanistan for the last thirty years as a politically neutral force.

West African leaders have announced a one-billion dollar fund to fight the growing threat of Jihadis violence in the region. Presidents from the ECO west regional bloc said the money would help reenforce the military operations against groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State. Will Ross reports. The west African leaders met in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, because they're losing the war against the Jihadis. An additional one billion dollars could help, but the challenge they face is huge. The troops are under equipped and often poorly trained. The groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State are thought to have around two thousand mobile fighters operating across borders. In Mali and Burkina Faso, they're also stoking ethnic conflicts. At the security summit, the President of Niger Mahamadou Issoufou said the international community had a duty to offer more help, because he said it had caused the crisis in Libya, which in turn had led to the insecurity across the region.

World news from the BBC.