World News from the BBC

NEWS:

The White House has called for the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing to be returned to prison in Scotland. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan, was freed on compassionate grounds and returned to Libya a year ago today. From Washington, here is Steve Kingstone.

John Brennan described the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber as "unfortunate, inappropriate and wrong". He said the Obama White House had emphatically disagreed with the Scottish government which released the terminally ill prisoner on compassionate grounds. Mr Brennan said Abdelbaset al-Megrahi had been rightly convicted of what he called a "reprehensible act of terrorism", and he said Megrahi should now be returned to Scotland to complete his 27-year prison sentence. That US position is not new, but it carries additional force coming from President Obama's counter-terrorism adviser on the anniversary of Megrahi's release.

Six police officers have been arrested in Mexico in connection with the murder earlier this week of the mayor of a northern town. The body of the local mayor Edelmiro Cavazos was found on Wednesday bound and dumped on a road three days after he was seized from his home in Santiago. It's believed Mr Cavazos may have been killed for his efforts in ridding local police of corrupt officials.

Public sector workers in South Africa have continued their strike for a third day with little signs of progress in pay talks with the government. Hospitals have been particularly badly affected, and volunteers have been called up to replace striking staff. The South African Health Minister Aaron Motosaledi said that those who interrupted vital medical care were guilty of murder.

And Britain has held commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the speech by its wartime leader, Winston Churchill, who thanked the young pilots of the Royal Air Force for what became known as the Battle of Britain.