News with David Austin.

　　The United States Federal Reserve, the country’s central bank, has said its main interest rate is likely to remain exceptionally low until at least late 2014. The bank’s main policy-making committee said in a statement that growth is likely to be modest with inflation low and unemployment declining only gradually. The statement was read out by the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke.

　　“To support of a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation over time is at levels consistent with our statue of mandate. The committee expects to maintain a highly accommodative stance for monetary policy. And particularly, the committee decided to keep the target range for the federal fund rate 0-0.25%, and currently anticipates economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal fund’s rate at least until late 2014.”

　　The same elite unit of US special force that killed Osama Ben Laden last year has successfully rescued two western aid workers kidnapped by pirates in Somalia. Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted were abducted on October while working for a Danish demining organization. Here is our security correspondent, Frend Governor.

　　The US military and the White House are celebrating today’s rescue mission as an unqualified success. Swooping in under cover of darkness, an elite team of US Navy Seal commanders parachuted into a remote thorn scrub in northern Somalia and moved in on the pirate camp where two western aid workers were held prisoner. The American Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted from Denmark were kidnapped by gunmen three months ago. And fears were growing for their chances of survival. The nine pirates holding them, reportedly suffering from the after-effect of chewing the narcotic cut leaf the day before, were quickly overpowered in an exchange of fire. All nine were killed. Both hostages were released unharmed and none of the rescue team were injured.

　　Doctors in Pakistan say contaminated medicines are believed to have killed at least 70 heart patients in the eastern city of Lahore. A hundred others are being monitored in hospitals. Some are said to be in a critical condition. Aura Garron reports from Islamabad.

　　The deaths are believed to be linked to a suspect batch of drugs given out in mid-December. A government official has told the BBC that 28,000 patients received the drugs. He denied the medications have no expiry dates. As other officials have claimed, several arrests have been made and at least one pharmaceutical firm has been closed. But relatives of the dead have accused the authorities of responding too late. Hospital sources have told the BBC they are under pressure to buy the cheapest drugs available.

　　The Senegalese musician, Youssou N'Dour, has registered to stand for the country’s presidential elections to be held on the 26th, February. He announced his plans to run earlier this month.

　　World News from the BBC.

　　The Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has sacked the country’s police chief after a spate of attacks by the Islamist group, Boko Haram. And the attack by Boko Haram in the northern city of Kano last Friday left 185 people dead and the group is suspected of striking again on Tuesday night. From Lagas, Mark Lobel reports.

　　The earlier retirement of Hafiz Ringim, Nigeria’s most senior police officer just weeks before his official leaving date, illustrates the urgent pressure on the authorities to restore public faith in the force after the recent deadly attacks by the militants across the country. A fatal blow to Mr.Ringim’s reputation as someone unable to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency, came with the escape after 24 hours in custody of the suspected mastermind’s bombings which killed at 38 people in the church on Christmas day.

　　Palestinian negotiators say their talks with Israeli officials have run their course, failing to achieve any progress. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have met five times in recent weeks in the Jordanian capital of Amman with Jordanian government trying to bring the two sides back together in full-scale peace negotiations.

　　A Christian priest and a regional head of the Red Crescent have been killed in Syria. Activists say the priest father Bassilius Nassa was shot dead during a military attack on the city of Hama. The Red Crescent official, Doctor Abdulrazak Jbeiro, died in a car on his way from Damascus to the northwestern town of Idlid.

　　European Union has launched new proposals to give people more control over their personal electronic data. The measures include the right to be forgotten, which would prevent leading Internet sites storing photos and information from users who want their profiles erased completely. The European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says the new rules will give people great control over personal information. Some business groups say the legislations will be too costly and in practice too difficultly to enforce.

　　BBC News.