BBC news 2008-06-19 加文本

They are defending democracy, the government and the institutions.

We'll hear from our correspondent in Buenos Aires.

First the news.

BBC News with Fiona McDonald.

President Bush has called on the United States Congress to lift its long-standing ban on drilling for oil and gas in American coastal waters. He said with rocketing oil prices pushing US petrol cost to record levels, the embargo introduced 27 years ago to protect the environment and tourism was now counterproductive. Mr. Bush stressed that the priority should be helping American consumers.

I know the Democratic leaders have opposed some of these policies in the past. Now that their opposition has helped drive gas prices to record levels, I ask them to reconsider their positions. Congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without taking action. They would need to explain why $4 a gallon gasoline is not enough incentive for them to act.

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has added his voice to the growing concern over the political violence in Zimbabwe in advance of next week's presidential runoff election. Mr. Ban expressed alarm at the situation there, adding that violence, intimidation and arrests of opposition leaders were not conducive to credible elections. The South African President Thabo Mbeki has meanwhile continued his efforts to mediate between the Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe and the opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai. The American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Mr. Mbeki should deliver a strong message to Mr. Mugabe.

I think that it is time for the leaders of Africa to say to President Mugabe that the people of Zimbabwe deserve a free and fair election that you cannot intimidate opponents, you cannot put opponents in jail, you cannot threaten them with charges of treason and be respected in the international community. And I think that's a strong message and I hope it would be delivered.

Parliament in Britain has voted to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, which is designed to streamline the operation of the European Union. The decision will make Britain the 19th of 27 EU countries to approve the treaty and the first since Irish rejected it in a referendum last week.

New research on the Arctic suggests that the melting of sea ice is speeding up, and that during the coming months the icecap may shrink to levels never seen before. Scientists in the United States warn that if the trend continues, the region could be ice-free during the warmest months in 5-10 years time. Here's Richard Black.

The cold-than-average winter in the northern hemisphere had led to suggestions that arctic sea ice might recover after its record melting last summer. But the latest data indicates the opposite is happening. Over the last month, it's been melting even faster and the area of ice remaining is now almost exactly the same as at this time last year. Scientists from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center say that much of the ice remaining is so thin that even a normal summer may see last year's record broken.

You're listening to World News from the BBC.

The United States Government Accountability Office has upheld a protest by the Boeing aviation company after a loss of $35 billion Air Force contract. The GAO ruling is not legally binding, but analysts say it will add to pressure on the Air Force to review its decision.(www.hxen.net)

The authorities in the United States have warned the residents of 6 Midwestern states of the possibility of further flood defenses being breached along the Mississippi River. More than 20 people have been killed and thousands driven from their homes since the flooding began over a week ago. It's estimated that the flooding which began in Iowa and has been moving south along the swollen Mississippi River has caused upwards of $1.5B in damage.

One of the world’s best-known sportsmen, the American golfer Tiger Woods, will miss the rest of the 2008 season because of injury. He has to have a reconstructive surgery on his left knee and also needs time off to recover from a double stress fracture in a bone of his left leg. Here's a report from Nick Miles.

Tiger Woods is widely regarded as the most talented golfer of all time. That reputation was enhanced when he battled to a narrow victory in the US Open despite grimacing with pain after many of his shots. He'd undergone knee surgery just a few weeks before the tournament. Going into the final day of the US Open, Woods was asked by journalists what advice doctors have given him about his knee. He replied wryly, "Don't play golf." He ignored the advice then, but now, with the adrenaline of competition ebbing away, the Tiger seems to have decided to, if not lick his wounds, then at least heed the doctor's advice.

On football, Russia become the latest team to reach the quarter-finals at Europe 2008. In a game they needed to win in order to go through, they beat Sweden by two goals to nil in the Austrian city of Innsbrook. Russia will now play Holland in their quarter-final match on Saturday.

BBC News.

lick one's wounds: to recover from defeat or disappointment