BBC news 2008-12-04 加文本

BBC 2008-12-04

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BBC News with Mary Small.

America’s main Car Workers Union has said it will give up key job protections and healthcare benefits to help the three main US car manufacturers save money, as they seek emergency funding from the government. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, say they are facing collapse, and are about to present new bailout plans to Congress. Greg Wood reports from Washington.

The president of the United Auto Workers Ron Gettelfinger, said his union would suspend the jobs bank，an arrangement under which workers laid off by the big three Detroit car makers continue to receive up to 90% of their pay. The UAW also agreed that payments by the motor companies, into a union-run healthcare trust for retired employees would be deferred. These concessions will allow Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to make some of the cost savings demanded by Congress as a condition of granting them a 25- billion-dollar emergency loan.

The American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called on both India and Pakistan to show moderation in their response to last week's attacks in Mumbai, which killed almost 200 people. India says the attackers had links to Pakistan. Islamabad denies this. Speaking after talks with Indian leaders in Delhi, Doctor Rice said both countries needed to make sure that their response did not lead to more attacks, or other unintended consequences. She said India had the full support of the US.

"I know that this is a very difficult time for the people of India, for the people of Mumbai. But I hope that it is a time also when you can feel the sense of solidarity and support, that is there in the international community from your friends."

The World Health Organization says the government of Zimbabwe has asked for urgent help to tackle a cholera outbreak that's killed hundreds of people. Zimbabwean officials said they needed medicines and water treatment chemicals as well as funds to pay doctors and nurses who’ve stopped coming to work. A leading Zimbabwean doctor, Malvern Nyamutora, said there was no clean water in the capital Harare.

"Almost everything has gone down, there is no water, clean source of water, so it means that people are drinking um, water from uNPRotected sources. I am actually wondering where people are getting water, ‘cause me myself don’t also have water, for the rich probably they might get mineral water, but for the general public, it’s a crisis and we are wondering what to happen in the next two, three, four days.

The United States has released nearly 200 million dollars in aid to Mexico, for its fight against powerful drugs cartels that control the flow of illegal narcotics to the US. The money, which is part of a 400-milliom-dollar aid package, was granted as a leading  Mexican newspaper reported that at least 5,000 people had been killed so far this year in drugs-related violence in Mexico, nearly doubled the amount of killings registered in 2007.

BBC News.

A Danish pharmaceutical company has promised to give free insulin to thousands of diabetic children in ten poor African countries. The company Novo Nordisk said it would also train health workers to ensure a long term solution. Diabetes is treatable, but many African children died because it goes unrecognized or their parents can’t afford to buy insulin.

Nigeria is flying in extra drugs to try to stem a growing number of child deaths from contaminated medicine. 34 babies and children have now died from kidney failure, after taking a teething syrup tainted with poisonous diethylene glycol. The Nigerian authorities have closed down the makers of the syrup.

Wildlife experts meeting at Rome say noise pollution in the world’s oceans is threatening the survival of whales and dolphins. The scientists say the increase in commercial shipping, new types of military sonar and seabed gas service, are among the growing sources of underwater noise. Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome.

The songs that whales and dolphins used to communicate and find mates are being drowned out by man-made sounds. That means they lose touch with each other, so threatening their long term survival. That’s the key finding from this UN backed conference on conservation here, a number of causes have been blamed. Ships engines, oil and gas exploration and military sonars. But another indirect problem, could be global warming. As the oceans become more acidic, sounds from these human activities travel even further.

Tibet’s spiritual leader the ** Lama has urged the European Union to stand firm on the issue of human rights in order as he put it, to protect the long term interests of the Chinese people. Speaking to the BBC, he said people in China wanted freedom of expression, a free media and the rule of law. The ** Lama's visiting Europe this week, and he is due to address the European parliament, and meet the French President Nicolas Sarkozy.(www.hXen.com)

BBC News.