BBC news 2008-06-23 加文本

BBC News with Nick Kelly.

Critics around the world of Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe have condemned his actions that have led the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to pull out of the presidential run-off election. The United States said President Mugabe's government must stop violence against Zimbabwean opposition supporters now. The British Foreign Secretary said Mr. Mugabe could not be regarded as a legitimate leader. President Levy Mwanawasa of neighboring Zambia said the presidential election should now be called off. The head of the Pan-African Parliament Observer Mission, Marwick Khumalo, said he was not surprised that Mr. Tsvangirai had withdrawn from the election.

"Here is a situation whereby one party is not free to campaign,one party has no access to publics or state media. One party is not allowed to travel the length and breadth of this country as it pleases. So it became clear to some of us that, you know, it’s becoming more and more a one-sided election."

A meeting in Saudi Arabia that brought together ministers from leading oil producing and importing countries has agreed that soaring oil prices are damaging the world economy, and especially the poorest countries. But the exporting countries except for Saudi Arabia stop short of saying that they will produce more oil to ease soaring prices. Our economics editor Andrew Walker reports from the meeting in Jidda.

The countries represented at the meeting agreed that high and volatile oil prices are a problem. They also agreed that some more investment in getting oil out of the ground and in processing it is needed. And they discussed the case for at least considering conflicting views about why prices are high now, whether it’s insufficient capacity among oil supplies as many consumer countries say or financial market speculation as many of the exporters believe. After the meeting, the Saudi Petroleum Minister Ali al-Naimi insisted there had been progress.

The US State Department says at least 150 of its embassies around the world do not meet America’s security standards. Sarah Morris reports from Washington.

The United States State Department has spent 4 billion dollars on measures to protect buildings and staff at its foreign embassies and consulates over the last decade. Despite this, it's now estimated that at least 150 US missions abroad have not attained designated safety standards according to documents obtained by the AP News Agency. The move to improve security was spurred by the attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania a decade ago, in which 231 people were killed.(www.hXen.com)

China has allowed a group of foreign journalists to visit a Tibetan monastery, where monks held anti-China demonstrations in March. A BBC correspondent who went to the monastery near the Tibetan capital Lhasa says the visit was monitored by police.

World News from the BBC.

A group of 28 survivors has been found from a Philippine ferry that capsized in the typhoon. Hundreds are still missing. And local villagers reported finding several bodies among debris and life jackets that washed ashore. Elsewhere in the Philippines， at least 200 people have been killed by flash floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Fengshen.

People in the energy-rich Bolivian region of Tarija have voted in a referendum to distance themselves from the central government of President Evo Morales. Exit polls suggest around 80% of voters in Tarija backed greater autonomy. The move is seen as a rejection of Mr. Morales' proposals to redistribute wealth in South America's poorest country. Tarija, which holds nearly all of Bolivia's natural gas reserves, wants some control over its energy revenues. The government said the referendum was illegal and separatist.

The most active militant group in Nigeria's main oil producing region, the Niger Delta, has declared a unilateral cease-fire from midnight on Tuesday. The group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said it was respecting an appeal made by elders in the region to give peace and dialogue another chance. It said there will be no more attacks until further notice. President Umaru Yar'Adua has called for tighter security at oil installations following a recent attack by militants on an off-shore oil installation.

Football. Spain have beaten Italy in the last of the quarter-finals of the European Championship. Richard Galpin reports.

The day, June the 22nd, has not been kind to Spain down the years in three previous major tournaments, two World Cup and an European Championship. They’ve lost three quarter-final matches on penalties, but not this time. A dull 120 minutes in a march stifled by Italy did go to spot kicks. De Rossi and Di Natale missed for Italy, Daniel Guiza for Spain and it was left to Cesc Fabregas to convert his penalty and sent Spain through to a semi-final meeting with Russia, back here in Vienna on Thursday.

BBC News.

the length and breadth of the area/country/land etc: in or through every part of a large area.

stop short of doing something: to decide that you are not willing to do something wrong or dangerous, though you will do something similar that is less dangerous. 对（做）某事有所顾忌（或裹足不前）；在（做）某事面前住手（或刹车）

wash ashore: 冲上海滩

flash floods：山洪爆发

spot kick: 罚点球

convert a penalty: 罚中点球 or（convert a penalty kick）没罚中就是miss a penalty kick