BBC news 2010-03-08

2010-03-08 BBC

BBC News with Mary Small.

The acting President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan has placed the security forces in the center of the country on full alert following a fresh wave of sectarian violence near the city of Jos. Witnesses say they saw more than 100 corpses, many of them women and children in the village Dogo-Nahawa, just a few kilometers from the city. With more, here is Richard Hamilton.

Reports say the attack happened at about three in the morning local time when gangs of men descended on the village and attacked people with machetes. One eyewitness said he saw scores of dead bodies including those of children. The military which already has a presence in Jos has sent troops to the village. The attack seems to be a reprisal for earlier incidents in January when Christians and Muslims clashed, claiming the lives of at least 200 people and displacing thousands of others.

President Obama has praised the courage of Iraqi voters who turned out to vote in the country's parliamentary elections, despite attacks by insurgent groups which killed at least 35 people. Mr Obama praised the Iraqi authorities for their conduct of the poll and the professionalism of the security forces.

"On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the Iraqi people on their courage throughout this historic election. Today, in the face of violence from those who would only destroy, Iraqis took a step forward in the hard work of building up their country. The United States will continue to help them in that effort as we responsibly end this war, and support the Iraqi people as they take control of their future."

Election officials said it could take several days for preliminary results to be released.

Reports from Pakistan say one of the best known faces of al-Qaeda, an American-born senior spokesman for the organization Adam Gadahn, has been arrested. The reports, which’ve not yet been confirmed either in Islamabad or Washington, say Mr Gadahn was captured by Pakistani intelligence officers in the past few days. Madeleine Morris reports from Washington.

Adam Gadahn is one of the best known faces of al-Qaeda, frequently appearing in videos exhorting Muslims to commit terrorist acts against western targets. The most recent of these was posed at Sunday morning — a 25-minute speech praising a Muslim US army Major who allegedly killed 13 people on a Texas army base last year. Adam Gadahn, who converted to Islam as a teenager in California, is on the FBI's wanted list and faces charges of treason in the United States.

The Palestinian leadership in the occupied West Bank has agreed to resume indirect peace talks with Israel. The news came as the Obama administration announced a new attempt to relaunch the Middle East peace process by sending two senior envoys to the region. Previously, the Palestinians had said that they'd not re-enter any negotiations until the Israelis halted illegal Jewish settlement expansion in all the occupied Palestinian territories.

World News from the BBC.

The charity campaigner Bob Geldof has challenged the BBC to substantiate a report, alleging that some of the funds raised for Ethiopian famine victims in the 1980s ended up buying arms for rebel groups in Tigray. Mr Geldof, whose Band Aid campaign raised many millions of dollars, said the allegation of the BBC World Service program was rubbish, produced, as he put it, without a shred of evidence. The BBC said it stood by the program which said there was evidence that some of the money sent to rebel-held areas of Tigray was misappropriated to buy arms.

Voters in Switzerland have rejected by a large majority, a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers to represent animals in court. An animal rights lawyer already operates in the city of Zurich, and supporters say this has helped prevent cases of cruelty. A yes vote in the referendum would have introduced the same system across the country. Opponents said the measure would simply increase costs and bureaucracy.

Haiti's national footballers have played a charity match against a team of former European football stars to raise money for the victims of the Haitian earthquake which killed more than 200,000 people in January. The match, which the Haitians won six goals to two, was played in the German city of Augsburg. From Berlin, Steve Rosenberg reports.

It was the first time Haiti's national football team had played in Europe since the World Cup of 1974. Taking on the Haitian team in the Augsburg Stadium was an all-star 11 made up of former footballing greats from across Europe, like Fredi Bobic and Krasimir Balakov. The match was broadcast live in Haiti and across Germany where viewers were encouraged to call in and pledge money.

Concerns have been voiced in China that people under 25 are much less healthy than the generation before them. Government advisers meeting in Beijing warned the issue would have a direct bearing on China's future.