Home / bbc.co.uk rss archive / September-17-2007


Worrying wait for Northern Rock
Northern Rock waits to see if a government pledge to protect accounts will reassure its customers.

Australia slashes wheat forecast
Australia cuts its wheat forecast by 30% due to drought, with global wheat prices at record highs.

Musharraf to 'give up army post'
The chief lawyer for Pakistan';s President Pervez Musharraf says he will give up his post of army chief if he is re-elected.

Three held over Afghan kidnapping
Afghan police say they have arrested three men over the kidnapping of a Bangladeshi aid worker.

Work to identify Thai crash dead
Officials work to identify victims of the Phuket plane crash, amid reports the pilot was warned of wind shear.

Shanghai braced for typhoon
The Chinese authorities evacuate 200,000 people from Shanghai as a major typhoon heads for the east coast.

Life in jail for Mexico drugs man
A member of Mexico';s Tijuana drugs cartel will be jailed for life by a US court for his role in narco-business.

French MPs debate immigrants bill
Proposals in France to tighten entry conditions for immigrants'; relatives are to be debated by MPs.

'Citizen juries' to discuss NHS
Members of the public will discuss the future of the NHS in England when "citizens'; juries" meet for the first time.

Venezuela head warns on schools
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warns private schools they face closure unless they adopt a socialist curriculum.

Female smokers 'risk spotty face'
Women who smoke are more likely to develop a form of acne than those who do not, research suggests.

Unity urged over Zimbabwe crisis
Zimbabwe is closer to collapse than ever, and only regional leaders can make a difference, a new report says.

Oil hits record on supply fears
Oil breaches the $81 a barrel mark on worries about rising demand amid constrained supply.

Darfur rebel head warns of split
One of the main rebel leaders in Darfur says without equality for his people the province will split from Sudan.

'Fair probe' vow on Iraq gunfight
A "fair and transparent" probe will be held into a Baghdad gunfight involving a US firm, says Iraq';s prime minister.

Peruvians vote against mine plan
Plans for a huge mine in northern Peru are rejected in a referendum amid fears for the environment.

Fed to meet for US rate decision
The Federal Reserve is preparing to meet to decide whether US interest rates should be reduced from 5.25%.

Swedish cartoon drawer in hiding
A Swedish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad as a dog goes into hiding.

Northern Rock deposits guaranteed
The government says it will guarantee all deposits with the Northern Rock bank, as its shares fall heavily.

Colombia rebels 'to meet Chavez'
Left-wing Colombian rebels indicate they are ready to meet Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for preliminary talks.

Burma monks stage fresh protests
Hundreds of Buddhist monks in central Burma hold another demonstration against the military government.

Teenager shot dead in West Bank
A Palestinian teenager is shot dead by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Ramallah, officials say.

Egypt antiquities official held
A top official in Egypt';s authority of antiquities is arrested as part of probe into restoration project bribes.

Banana firm must pay $25m fine
A US judge confirms a $25m fine on banana group Chiquita for giving protection money to Colombian paramilitaries.

50 Cent postpones European tour
US rapper 50 Cent postpones his European tour, prompting questions over his retirement.

Rebels 'kill 18 Pakistan troops'
Pro-Taleban militants have killed 18 soldiers in Pakistan';s tribal area of North Waziristan, local officials say.

Somali clan unity deal rejected
The transitional government in Somalia signs an agreement in Jeddah aimed at uniting clans, but Islamists reject it.

Chernobyl to be covered in steel
Ukraine approves a giant steel cover over the site of the world';s worst nuclear disaster, Chernobyl.

Pakistan angry at Kashmir tourism
Pakistan formally protests against India';s decision to start tourism on the disputed Siachen glacier.

Greek PM to form new government
Greek PM Costas Karamanlis has been asked to form a new government after his victory in Sunday';s poll.

Bush names new attorney general
US President George W Bush nominates retired federal judge Michael Mukasey as his new attorney general.

'Elders' in landmark Darfur visit
Archbishop Tutu will lead a delegation of influential elder statesmen to Sudan to try to help end suffering in Darfur.

Cricket: S Lanka test for Pakistan
Pakistan and Sri Lanka play their first Super Eight match at the ICC World Twenty20 on Monday.

More progress urged on ozone hole
One of the scientists who found the Antarctic ozone hole urges more action on ozone-attacking chemicals.

Saudis 'buy Eurofighters from UK'
Saudi Arabia';s state news agency says the kingdom is to buy 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the UK for £4.43bn.

Banking shares fall across Europe
Shares in banks fall throughout Europe as savers continue to withdraw money from British lender Northern Rock.

Iraq pulls security firm contract
Iraq cancels the licence of US private security firm Blackwater after eight civilians died in a shootout.

Student guilty of terror offences
A 21-year-old student is found guilty of a series of terror-related offences at the High Court in Glasgow.

Madonna 'talks peace with Peres'
Madonna meets Israeli President Shimon Peres during a spiritual pilgrimage to mark the Jewish New Year.

Iran scorns French warning of war
Iran';s media respond furiously as France';s foreign minister warns of possible war over Tehran';s nuclear programme.

"War with Iran" - a likely event?
Is the French Foreign Minister';s warning that the world should prepared for the worst realistic?

Million hit by floods in Africa
More than a million people across a swathe of 17 African countries are suffering the effects of severe floods.

S Leone opposition wins vote
Opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma win';s Sierra Leone';s presidential election run-off.

Deadly blast at Afghan police HQ
A suspected suicide bombing in southern Afghanistan leaves at least eight people dead, officials say.

Yale to return Peruvian artefacts
Yale University agrees to return to Peru thousands of Inca relics dug up by a US professor at Machu Picchu some 90 years ago.

US contractors in Iraq shootout
Officials investigate after at least eight Iraqi civilians are reported killed by US private contractors.

Profile: Neelie Kroes
Europe';s competition commissioner Neelie Kroes is not shy of upsetting big corporate interests, writes Stephen Mulvey.

Banned sect 'beheads' policeman
Kenya';s banned Mungiki gang is blamed for the beheading of a police officer north-east of the capital, Nairobi.

Foster revenge film tops US chart
Jodie Foster';s crime thriller The Brave One takes $14m (£7m) to top the US and Canada box office.

Crocker urges Iraq refugee action
The US envoy to Iraq warns that about 10,000 Iraqis seeking to enter the US may have to wait two years.

Leader visits quake-hit Sumatra
Indonesia';s president visits the island of Sumatra, spared major damage when two big earthquakes hit last week.

Africa flood relief gathers pace
Efforts continue to deliver aid to large parts of Africa after heavy rains and flooding in at least 14 countries.

F1: Hamilton defiant over race
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton believes he can hold off McLaren team-mate and title rival Fernando Alonso in the last three races.

Cycling boss calls for life bans
World cycling chief Pat McQuaid wants to introduce life bans for riders caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

EU court giving Microsoft verdict
A European court begins delivering its verdict in the long-running competition dispute with Microsoft.

Greenspan in warning on inflation
Alan Greenspan says the turmoil in credit markets was an "accident waiting to happen" and warns of rising UK inflation in future years.

Musharraf to 'quit as army chief'
Pakistan';s President Pervez Musharraf plans to stand down as army head, says a ruling party official.