The French president Nicolas Sarkozy has warned of a new cycle of violence in the middle east if Palestinian demands for full (membership) of the United Nations prompted a US veto. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Mr Sarkozy instead urged a compromise, granting the Palestinians enhanced status as an observer state rather than full membership. President Obama earlier told the General Assembly that peace in the middle east required (negotiations) and would not be achieved through resolutions at the UN. But a spokesman for the Palestinians Nabil Shaah insisted that they would apply for full UN membership.
"With all respect to Mr Obama we have to respect for his disagree. We are not seeking membership of the mafia or Al Qaeda. We are seeking membership of the United Nations. It's (morally), legally and politically acceptable in everywhere. I don't really see that that is a matter that should be bargained about. It's the right that we are puisuing".
The Greek government has announced details of tough new austerity measures to secure the continued backing of its international creditors. Malcolm Brabant in Athens has the details .
Thirty thousand civil servants would be told to sit at home for a year on 60% of their normal salary . They'll join the so called Labor Reserve and if they don't find another state job within a year, they'll be sacked. One of the most brutal measures was the decision to cut tax through income for a second time this year. It means that people earning close to the minimum wages of $6800 will now have to pay (tax). Another painful measure is the extension from 2-4 years of the emergency property tax which will require house holders to pay a substantial lumpsum according to the size and location of their home.
China has summoned the United States ambassador to protest against plans to upgrade Taiwan's aging fleet of American-made F16 fighter planes. Beijing which views Taiwan as a run agate province said the $5b deal would undermine bilateral ties and security cooperation between China and US. Jonathan Marcus reports.
The Taiwanese authorities have been pushing for an upgrade to their airforce for some time. After a (series) of crashes their aging F-5 fighters are literally falling out of the sky. They wanted 66 modern and highly capable US F16 jets. Instead what they are being offered is an upgrade to their existing fleet of over 140 earlier models of the aircraft. US officials say this is a cheeper option for Taiwan and they will get the upgraded aircrafts sooner.
Two Americans held by Iran as spies for more than two years have arrived in the Gulf State of Oman. TV pictures show Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal running down the steps of a plane in Muscat to be reunited with their families. They were freed earlier on Wednesday after paying bail of $500,000 each. The two men were arrested in 2009 near the Iran- Iraq border.
World news from the BBC.
The American state of Georgia is preparing to execute a man despite international pleas to spare him because of doubts about the case against him. Troy Davis was convicted of killing an (off-duty) police officer in 1989. Jenner Bryon reports.
The pope, former president Jimmy Carter and the one-time FBI director are among those who have raised concern that Troy Davis may have been wrongfully convicted. He was sentenced to death for murdering an off-duty policeman in 1989. His lawyers say the trial was flawed because witnesses later recounted their testimony. But the verdict has been upheld at every appeal and in 2010 Davis failed again to prove his innocence after the US supreme court holded its last scheduled execution.
Parts of northeast India are still cut off after an earthquake on Sunday. Road s to remote areas of northern Sikkim close to the border with Tibet are blocked while washed away by heavy rainfall. One local resident told the BBC that several people in his community had died and they couldn't evacuate the injured.
Germany has banned the country's biggest neo-Nazi organization the HNG which offers support to right-wing extremers in German jails. The interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the HNG was outlawed with immediate affect to its aggressive starts against the peaceful, democratic rule of law. The ban follows police (raids) on the group's members across Germany last year. The HNG or Help organization for national political prisoners called itself a charity. Its opponents say it premotes a racist and anti-Semitic agender.
The AmerIcan rock band R.E.M. have announced they are spitting up in a statement on their official website the band thank their fans and said they were walking away with a great sense of gratitude and of astonishment at all that they have accomplished. R.E.M. have been together from more than 30 years producing hits including Losing My Religion, Shiny Happy People and Man On The Moon.
And those are the latest stories from BBC news
