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BBC news 2007-11-23 加文本
2007-11-23来源:和谐英语
BBC 2007-11-23
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BBC News with Half Parasol.
Pakistan has been suspended from the Commonwealth group of nations over President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule. At a meeting in Uganda, Commonwealth foreign ministers said Pakistan would be excluded until it restored democracy and the rule of law. The British Minister for Africa, Asia and United Nations, Lord Malloch Brown, told the BBC why the decision was taken.
When this Commonwealth group first met, set a pretty high bar deliberately that that to be really significant progress on free and fair elections, release of political prisoners, restoration of an independent judiciary, General Musharraf stepping out of his uniform to be a civilian president. And while there was progress on some of those issues, collectively it just didn't amount to enough of a turn in the road yet to give one any confidence that there could be free and fair elections in January.
The head of the European plane maker, Airbus, says the current weakness of the American dollar threatens the company's survival. The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said that radical cost-cutting measures were required to counter the impact to the weakening US currency. Matthew Davis reports.
Mr. Enders has told his employees the falling dollar is no less than life-threatening for the company. It's because Airbus has to pay for the cost of building its planes in Euros but sells them in dollars, not an enviable position to be in, given that US dollar has lost nearly half of its value over the past seven years. But Mr. Enders' arguments don't sit well with the Airbus unions. They believe he wants to save more money by outsourcing some of the production to countries like China, where overheads are cheaper.
Foreign ministers from France, Spain and Italy has spent a day in Lebanon, shuttling between rival groups' of politicians who can't agree on who should be the country's next president. The Western-backed majority and the Syrian-backed opposition have just one day left to choose a new president before the term of the incumbent, Emile Lahoud, expires. Our Middle East analyst Roger Hardy reports.
The country is painfully split between two loose coalitions: an alliance of Sunni Muslims and Christians led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and an opposition alliance led by the Shiite movement Hezbollah. What's more, their conflict has become a kind of proxy war between pro-American and anti-American forces in the Middle East. The Saudis, like President Bush, are rooting for Mr. Siniora, Iran and Syria are rooting for Hezbollah. But while all of these parties have a stake in the outcome, failure to elect a new president would be in no one's interest.
A court in Israel has charged five police officers in connection with an attempt to kill the suspected head of an organized crime organization last month. The five men are accused of planting explosive devices in vehicles belonging to the man thought to be one of Israel's biggest crime bosses. Police say the attacks were carried out in retaliation for similar attacks on the homes of police officers.
World News from the BBC.
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa says he is very confident that the mediation efforts between the government and opposition in Zimbabwe will produce a solution to the political crisis in the country. Speaking after consultations with both sides in Harare, Mr. Mbeki said they had gone very well.
Venezuela has expressed frustration at Colombia's decision to end the involvement of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in efforts to negotiate a prisoner swap with the Colombian rebel group, the FARC. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said three months of mediation have made important advances but it accepted Colombia's decision. From Caracas, James Ingham reports.
Mr. Chavez's involvement in this conflict had raised hopes that a solution could be found. Families of some of the hostages held by the FARC were encouraged by his words of hope. They've now spoken of their disappointment over this sudden end. This all stemmed from a view in Bogota that President Chavez had disregarded proper diplomatic channels. His decision to speak directly to the head of Colombian military against the wishes of Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe was cited as the reason for this deal being called off.
Islamist militant fighters thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda have carried out a surprise attack in Baghdad. They overran an army position, killing three Iraqi soldiers. They then drove off in an army vehicle, changed into army uniforms and attacked a nearby neighborhood of local Sunnis opposed to Al-Qaeda. At least eight Sunni guards were killed.
Forensic experts in Bosnia have unearthed the remains of more than 600 Muslim victims of the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995. The exhumation in the village of Kamenica is reported to have been the largest this year.
The Chinese government has accused the ** Lama of being in breach of Buddhist teaching, after the Tibetan religious leader said he was considering nominating his own successor. The ** Lama has traditionally been considered a reincarnation of the previous post holder.
BBC World News.
Glossary
overheads: n. 企业的日常管理费用
The overheads of a business are its regular and essential expenses, such as salaries, rent, electricity, and telephone bills.
root for: 支持，赞助
If you are rooting for someone, you are giving them your support while they are doing something difficult or trying to defeat another person.
reincarnation: n. 转世化身, 再生
A reincarnation is a person or animal whose body is believed to contain the spirit of a dead person.
音频下载[点击右键另存为]
BBC News with Half Parasol.
Pakistan has been suspended from the Commonwealth group of nations over President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule. At a meeting in Uganda, Commonwealth foreign ministers said Pakistan would be excluded until it restored democracy and the rule of law. The British Minister for Africa, Asia and United Nations, Lord Malloch Brown, told the BBC why the decision was taken.
When this Commonwealth group first met, set a pretty high bar deliberately that that to be really significant progress on free and fair elections, release of political prisoners, restoration of an independent judiciary, General Musharraf stepping out of his uniform to be a civilian president. And while there was progress on some of those issues, collectively it just didn't amount to enough of a turn in the road yet to give one any confidence that there could be free and fair elections in January.
The head of the European plane maker, Airbus, says the current weakness of the American dollar threatens the company's survival. The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said that radical cost-cutting measures were required to counter the impact to the weakening US currency. Matthew Davis reports.
Mr. Enders has told his employees the falling dollar is no less than life-threatening for the company. It's because Airbus has to pay for the cost of building its planes in Euros but sells them in dollars, not an enviable position to be in, given that US dollar has lost nearly half of its value over the past seven years. But Mr. Enders' arguments don't sit well with the Airbus unions. They believe he wants to save more money by outsourcing some of the production to countries like China, where overheads are cheaper.
Foreign ministers from France, Spain and Italy has spent a day in Lebanon, shuttling between rival groups' of politicians who can't agree on who should be the country's next president. The Western-backed majority and the Syrian-backed opposition have just one day left to choose a new president before the term of the incumbent, Emile Lahoud, expires. Our Middle East analyst Roger Hardy reports.
The country is painfully split between two loose coalitions: an alliance of Sunni Muslims and Christians led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and an opposition alliance led by the Shiite movement Hezbollah. What's more, their conflict has become a kind of proxy war between pro-American and anti-American forces in the Middle East. The Saudis, like President Bush, are rooting for Mr. Siniora, Iran and Syria are rooting for Hezbollah. But while all of these parties have a stake in the outcome, failure to elect a new president would be in no one's interest.
A court in Israel has charged five police officers in connection with an attempt to kill the suspected head of an organized crime organization last month. The five men are accused of planting explosive devices in vehicles belonging to the man thought to be one of Israel's biggest crime bosses. Police say the attacks were carried out in retaliation for similar attacks on the homes of police officers.
World News from the BBC.
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa says he is very confident that the mediation efforts between the government and opposition in Zimbabwe will produce a solution to the political crisis in the country. Speaking after consultations with both sides in Harare, Mr. Mbeki said they had gone very well.
Venezuela has expressed frustration at Colombia's decision to end the involvement of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in efforts to negotiate a prisoner swap with the Colombian rebel group, the FARC. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said three months of mediation have made important advances but it accepted Colombia's decision. From Caracas, James Ingham reports.
Mr. Chavez's involvement in this conflict had raised hopes that a solution could be found. Families of some of the hostages held by the FARC were encouraged by his words of hope. They've now spoken of their disappointment over this sudden end. This all stemmed from a view in Bogota that President Chavez had disregarded proper diplomatic channels. His decision to speak directly to the head of Colombian military against the wishes of Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe was cited as the reason for this deal being called off.
Islamist militant fighters thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda have carried out a surprise attack in Baghdad. They overran an army position, killing three Iraqi soldiers. They then drove off in an army vehicle, changed into army uniforms and attacked a nearby neighborhood of local Sunnis opposed to Al-Qaeda. At least eight Sunni guards were killed.
Forensic experts in Bosnia have unearthed the remains of more than 600 Muslim victims of the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995. The exhumation in the village of Kamenica is reported to have been the largest this year.
The Chinese government has accused the ** Lama of being in breach of Buddhist teaching, after the Tibetan religious leader said he was considering nominating his own successor. The ** Lama has traditionally been considered a reincarnation of the previous post holder.
BBC World News.
Glossary
overheads: n. 企业的日常管理费用
The overheads of a business are its regular and essential expenses, such as salaries, rent, electricity, and telephone bills.
root for: 支持，赞助
If you are rooting for someone, you are giving them your support while they are doing something difficult or trying to defeat another person.
reincarnation: n. 转世化身, 再生
A reincarnation is a person or animal whose body is believed to contain the spirit of a dead person.
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