BBC news 2009-03-21 加文本

BBC 2009-03-21


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BBC News with Jonathan Weekley.

European Union leaders have ended a meeting in Brussels by agreeing to provide more than 130 billion dollars in extra support for the International Monetary Fund and eastern European member states facing economic difficulties. Oana Lungescu reports from Brussels.

The EU is pumping significant amounts of cash to double funds meant to fight global recession. Latvia and Hungary have already had access to both. And Romania is also seeking help. But despite American pressure, there is no fresh money for economic stimulus plans. The Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek who holds the EU revolving presidency, told the BBC that America should have learnt from its own history in the 1930s that such big infusions of cash only extend the crisis and the EU wasn't going to fall into the same trap.

Financial regulators in the United States say the banking industry's losses in the last quarter of 2008 were actually six billion dollars worse than originally reported. The Federal Deposit Insurance Cooperation says US banks lost just over 32 billion dollars.

Farmers in Argentina say they are halting grain and beef sales for seven days in protest at the government's agricultural policies. The farmers are bitter about President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's plan to channel export taxes on soybeans into an emergency fund for the provinces, instead of reducing the levy to help sales.

Formula One's Motor racing bosses have agreed to postpone a controversial new scoring system for a year. They wanted to award the driver's title to the man with the most wins instead of points. The team owners have successful blocked the idea. Alex Capstick reports.

Motor sport’s governing body, the FIA has acted quickly to avert a potential row with the Formula One team owners. Earlier this week, it decided that drivers' title would be determined by the number of wins instead of the accumulation of points. The men behind the idea, Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, said it would lead to more exciting racing. But with the first Grand Prix just nine days away, the team owners argued it was too late to bring in the new system for the coming season. They said they weren't properly consulted and it didn't have the unanimously agreement of the competitors.

American astronauts have successfully unfurled the newly installed solar wings at the International Space Station which should increase its power-generating capacity. Andy Gallagher reports from Miami.

This was the International Space Station's final set of solar panels and the highlight of NASA’s latest mission. As the huge golden wings slowly unfurled in a long and delicate operation and one at a time, the astronauts said things went exceedingly well. The wings which are more than 70 meters in length will double the orbiting laboratory's ability to generate power. In all, the International Space Station now has eight full solar wings after a decade of construction. There are now only a handful of space shuttle flights left before the entire fleet of orbiters is retired next year.

World News from the BBC.

The African Union has suspended Madagascar from membership following the removal from power of the elected president Marc Ravalomanana. The Organization's Peace and Security Council said the change of regime was unconstitutional. Mr. Ravalomanana resigned earlier this week after the opposition leader Andry Rajoelina proclaimed himself president and gained the backing of the army. In Washington, a spokesman for the State Department Robert Wood also denounced the takeover and announced punitive measures.

This series of events is tantamount to a coup d'etat and the United States will not maintain our current assistance partnership with Madagascar. In view of these developments, the United States is moving to suspend all non-humanitarian assistance to Madagascar.

The Pope has made an emphatic appeal to Africans to excise corruption once and for all. Speaking during a visit to Angola, Pope Benedict told Africans that armed with integrity and compassion, they could transform the continent. In his speech he also called for respect for human rights. From the capital Luanda, Louise Redvers. (www.hXen.com)

After the controversy of Pope Benedict's condom comments in Cameroon, the world was waiting to see what he will say in Angola. In two addresses today, Pope Benedict praised Angola for its consolidation of peace and its new era of development and growth. But he said while the country was rich in resource, there were still millions living in poverty, and it was important to share the nation's wealth more evenly. The pontiff also called for ends of greed, violence and unrest in Africa. Pope Benedict also criticized the African Union's Charter that guarantees a woman right to abortion in cases of rape, incest or major health risk to the mother, saying the issue was not a health concern.

The United States Navy says two of its vessels, one of them a nuclear-powered submarine, have collided in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. The American Fifth Fleet said 15 sailors on board the submarine received slight injuries. No one was hurt on the other ship, an amphibious surface vessel.

And that's the latest BBC News.

excise: vn excise sth (from sth) (formal) to remove sth completely

pontiff: (formal) the Pope (= the leader of the Roman Catholic Church)