BBC News:白宫称奥巴马未能与鲁哈尼会面
The Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta hasannounced the end of the siege of a shopping mallin Nairobi by Islamist militants. In a live televisionaddress, he declared three days of mourning. Hesaid 61 civilians and 60 members of the security forces have died, five militants have been killedand 11 other suspects have been arrested. Michael Rich reports from Nairobi.
President Kenyatta revealed that his security forces concluded their operation of the Westgateshopping center, three floors of the building collapsed. And he said several bodies were trappedin the rubble including those of the militants. But above from this, his address was sparing indetail. In accounting for the fate of all those who carried out the attack and of their hostages,he did say that intelligence reports had suggested a British woman and two or three Americanmay have been involved in the attack. These could not be confirmed, the president said, butforensic investigations were underway to determine the nationalities of all those involved.
The White House has said a much-anticipated meeting between President Obama and the newIranian president Hasan Rouhani will not take place. From the the United Nations in NewYork,Bridget Kendall reports.
After all the speculation, the historic meeting is off. President Obama turned up at the UNlunch for world leaders where it was thought the two might meet, but president Rouhani did notappear. An Iranian TV channel said it was because alcohol was served. UN officials said theIranian president never confirmed he would attend. And U.S. officials claimed they had ofarranged meeting on the margins of the summit. But in the end, the Iranian said it was toocomplicated, giving the political dynamics back in Tehran.
Earlier, in his speech to the UN, President Obama said he was encouraged by Mr Rouhani's moremoderate stands, since he said the diplomatic approach to settling the dispute over Iran'snuclear program must be tested. In remark made after President Obama's speech, the IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the world should not be fooled by Iran's soothingwords, he has ordered the Israeli diplomats to leave the assembly when Iranian president startsspeaking. French president Francois Hollande, in his address to the assembly, said he expectsIran to make concrete gestures, showing that it's serious about renouncing its military nuclearprogram.
A powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude has hit southwest Pakistan in the province ofBalochistan, about 50 people have been killed and dozens injured.Shahzeb Jillani reports fromKarachi.
The quake struck in a remote and sparsely populated district of Awaran in BalochistanProvince. Officials say a large number of mostly mud-brick houses have collapsed. Emergencyhas been declared and rescue teams get in tents and medical supplies are said to be on theirway to Awaran. Balochistan is Pakistan's biggest province in terms of area, it's also Pakistan'smost impoverished and lonest region. The province along with neighboring Iran, is prone toearthquakes.
World news from the BBC.
A leading pro-democracy activist in Swaziland has told the BBC he will bring change to hiscountry after he being elected to parliament.Jan Sithole has become one of 55 MPs afterstanding as an independent in last week's elections. Political parties were not allowed to takepart.Swaziland's king Mswati is Africa's last and absolute monarch and rules by decree.
Former Pope Benedict has spoken out in public for the first time since his surprised retirementin February. In a letter published in an Italian press, he responds to a challenge to his beliefsby a atheist. But he also addressed his handling of the child abuse scandal, denying anycover-ups. He says priests are no more inclined to the guilty of child abuse than any othersectors of the society. When Pope Benedict stepped down, it was understood that he'll retreatto a life of contemplation and keep out of the public eye.
The Russian authorities have began investigating a group of Green Peace activists for allegedpiracy, a charge that carries a jail term of up to 15 years. Environmental campaigners weredetained on board of that ship, the Arctic Sunrise, after the two of them tried to climb onto agas-prone offshore platform in the protest against oil drilling in the Arctic. A spokesman forGreenpeace condemned the detention of its members.
Currently they're being unlawfully held by the Russian authorities, they have no means ofcommunicating with relatives, with us or with their lawyers.Their means of communications weretaken away from them, and they're restricted in their movement aboard the ship. They'reunder armed guard which effectively means they have been unlawfully held for five days.
The United Nations says Peru has become the world's main producer of coco leaves despite asmall drop in the area under cultivation. According to a report by the UN office on drugs andcrime, coco plantation in Peru cover 60,000 hectares last year, 20% more than the previoustop producer Colombia, where coco extermination policies have been very successful.
BBC World Service News.
