BBC news 2007-07-30 加文本

BBC 2007-07-30


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A new report spells out the depth of the humanitarian crisis in the country. The report, drawn up by the charity Oxfam and a number of non-governmental organizations in Iraq says 8 million people, nearly a third of the population, are in need of immediate emergency aid. From Baghdad, Nicholas Witchell has the details.

This report suggests that 70% of Iraqis are without adequate water supplies compared to 50% prior to the invasion and nearly 30% of children are malnourished, again a sharp increase on the situation four years ago. Oxfam says that despite the difficulties caused by the security situation, the Iraqi government and other governments should be doing more to meet the basic needs of the population in terms of water, sanitation, food and shelter. The report also reviews the scale of the country's refugee problem. More than 2 million people have been displaced inside Iraq, a further two million have become refugees in Syria and Jordan.

Faced with a crushing defeat in elections to the upper house of parliament, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he will not step down. His Liberal Democratic Party was defeated in almost half the seats it contested, leaving the Opposition in control of the upper house for the first time in more than 50 years. Mr. Abe said he still wanted to deliver on his promised reforms. "We are facing a very severe situation in the parliament. But I cannot abdicate my responsibilities. Nation building has just begun. I would like to deliver on my duty to proceed with reform as Prime Minister."

Scientists say they have just uncovered two genes which can boost the risk of developing multiple sclerosis by 30%. The team compared more than 20,000 DNA samples using both patients diagnosed with MS and those without. More than 2.5 million people suffer from MS globally. Jessica Hossenger reports.

For the first time in over twenty years, scientists say they've made progress in finding genes conclusively linked to the auto immune disease multiple sclerosis. MS attacks and destroys the insulation along nerve fibers. Then nerve signals get slowed down or blocked. And patients find it difficult to coordinate their movements. The scientists say that the mapping of the human genome or DNA has allowed them to identify these two genes.

The Spanish rider Alberto Contador has won what's been the most controversial Tour de France cycling race in recent years. He beat the Australian Cadel Evans by just 23 seconds. The event has been tainted by a positive drug test that to see the race leader as well as the early favorite thrown out. Some have said that the scandal has called into question the competition's future.

World News from the BBC.

More than 100 Palestinians who are among thousands stranded across the border in Egypt are to be arriving home after Israel agreed to let them travel through its territory. They've been unable to return since the Egyptian border with Gaza was closed last month when Hamas took control of Gaza. Aleem Maqbool reports.

The 100 or so Palestinians including women and children are now back home in Gaza. Thousands are still stuck in Egypt. They've gone there for medical treatment or work and most of them only planned to be there for a matter of days. Now Israel and Egypt have come to an agreement not to allow people directly back into Gaza but via Israel. That way Israeli authorities can approve who or what is being let back in.

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has arrived in the United States for his first talks as leader with President Bush. Mr. Brown is having a private dinner with Mr. Bush at the presidential retreat Camp David with more substantial talks to follow on Monday. Duncan Kennedy reports from Washington.

Arriving in pouring rain, Gordon Brown is no stranger to the United States but is something of a stranger to President Bush. Mr. Brown has been to America many times before as British Finance Minister, but he's believed to have met the president only once. So much of this meeting will be about the two leaders getting to know each other. On policy, this is expected to be widespread agreements, at least in public. Iraq will likely dominate the talks along with Iran, Darfur and Afghanistan.

Two Russian mini-submarines have made a test dive to the seabed near Russia's most northerly Arctic islands. The submersibles each carrying one pilot reached a depth of nearly 1.5 kilometers near the archipelago of Franz Josef Land. The divers will have a trial run for a planned descent to the sea floor under the North Pole later this week. The expedition backed by the Kremlin is seeking geological evidence in support of Moscow's claim to a large part of the Arctic seabed. Experts say that the global warming will make it easier to exploit possible reserves of oil and gas under the Arctic Ocean.

BBC World News.

Glossary

multiple sclerosis : (abbr. MS) disease of the nervous system causing gradual paralysis. 多发性硬化症。
archipelago: group of many islands.