2010-07-03 BBC
BBC News with Michael Powles.
Prosecutors in the United States say two suspects in an alleged Russian spy ring have admitted they are Russian citizens living in America under false identities. They said the defendants, known as Michael Zottoli and Patricia Mills, told the authorities after their arrest that their real names are Mikhail Kutzik and Natalia Pereverzeva. David Willis reports from Virginia.
The defendants were brought into the modern wood-panelled courtroom in green prison jumpsuits. In a written submission to the judge, the prosecution said there was, in its words, voluminous evidence against the husband and wife, Zottoli and Mills, and that they had admitted using false names and claiming to be either American or Canadian citizens whilst in fact coming from Russia. There was also clear evidence of an established relationship between them and other members of the alleged spy ring in New York.
The former head of police in South Africa, Jackie Selebi, has been found guilty of corruption. Mr Selebi was accused of accepting bribes from a convicted drug dealer. Mr Selebi, who was also a former head of Interpol, is one of the most senior officials to be tried for corruption in South Africa. Karen Allen reports from Johannesburg.
Leaving court with a crowd of press trailing behind him, Jackie Selebi, the former chief of police, gave no reaction to the verdict. He'd accepted gifts worth up to $150,000 from a convicted drugs baron, Glen Agliotti, in return for turning a blind eye to his drug deals. And although Mr Selebi pleaded his innocence, claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy, in the words of Judge Meyer Joffe, Mr Selebi knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
A trial has begun in Argentina of a former military ruler, Jorge Videla, for the murder of political prisoners after he seized power in 1976. General Videla is one of more than 20 defendants facing trial for abuses committed during military rule. It's also the first in a series of new charges against him that have accumulated since Argentina's Supreme Court overturned a presidential pardon he was given in 1990.
An unmanned Russian cargo vessel has failed to dock with the International Space Station. Russian and mission control officials said the space freighter called Progress 38 missed the space station instead of docking as planned. Jason Caffrey has more.
The Russian news agency Interfax quoted the space station commander Alexander Skvortsov as saying the cargo ship was spinning uncontrollably as it moved away from him. The supply vessel was trying to deliver food, water and fuel. But instead of docking as planned, mission control officials say the craft missed the space station and passed it by completely. The cargo ship is now at a safe distance from the orbiting station, and another docking attempt could be made in the next 48 hours.
World News from the BBC.
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to set up a new agency to promote equality for women. It will be known officially as the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and it will start work at the beginning of next year, unifying the work of four existing UN bodies. Diplomats said the decision was the culmination of four years of tough bargaining over the different views on gender equality held by western and some developing countries.
Five-times World Cup football champions, Brazil, are out of the tournament. The Netherlands beat Brazilians in their quarter-final match by two goals to one. Alex Capstick reports from Johannesburg.
The most successful country in World Cup history has been eliminated at the quarter-final stage for the second successive tournament. In Brazil, this will be treated as a national tragedy. It was a feisty encounter. Brazil had a man sent off, by then they were in the unfamiliar position of trailing by two goals to one. They couldn't recover. The Netherlands have maintained their 100% record at this World Cup. Their place in the semi-finals might be viewed as a surprise, but the Dutch are now serious contenders for the title.
Within the past few minutes, the World Cup quarter-final match between Ghana and Uruguay has gone to penalties after the two sides ended extra-time at one goal each. Ghana missed a penalty in the dying seconds of the match. Earlier in the day, five-times World Cup champions Brazil were knocked out of the tournament.
Tennis - the men's finalists at this year's Wimbledon tournament have been decided. The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, currently ranked No.1 in the world, will face the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych. Nadal beat British favourite Andy Murray in straight sets in today's semi-final, winning 6-4, 7-6, 6-4. Berdych beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. This will be Berdych's first Wimbledon final.
And that's the final whistle for the BBC News.