BBC news 2009-04-07 加文本

BBC 2009-04-07


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BBC News with Jerry Schmitt

Emergency services in central Italy are trying to provide shelter for tens of thousands of people left homeless by the earthquake that struck before dawn. Rescuers are continuing to dig through the rubble for survivors. At least 150 people were killed and 1,500 injured in the quake——Italy’s worst in nearly 30 years. The epicenter was near the city of L’Aquila. David Willey reports.

The small medieval town of L’Aquila was one of Italy’s architectural treasures. With a tremor lasting some 30 seconds reduced this historic center to ruins and caused heavy casualties in many surrounding towns and villages. Field hospitals are treating hundreds of injured people. More than half the population has been forced to evacuate their homes even the ones which bear no obvious external signs of damage. The authorities have built a tent city to accommodate tens of thousands of homeless families

On his first overseas tour, the American President Barack Obama has declared that the United States is not at war with Islam, and never will be. Addressing Parliament in Turkey, Mr. Obama called for a greater partnership between America and the Muslim world. He said that was the way to defeat al-Qaeda. But he added that the cooperation should not be limited to security issues.

“I also want to be clear that America’s relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world cannot and will not just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. ”

The United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced a budget plan, which, if passed by Congress, will profoundly reform the way the Pentagon buys its weapons. Mr. Gates says he wants the military to stop buying hardware designed for the Cold War, such as the expensive F-22 fighter jet, which is now being used in Iraq. Adam Brookes reports.

Some of the US military’s most high-profile weapon’s programs may be falling victim to the unrelenting acts of Robert Gates. The secretary of Defense says he wants to save money and he wants the military to stop buying weapons that were designed with the Cold War in mind, and he says he wants to impose the lessons of the low-tech wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, overall, the US defense budget will still rise this coming year. The United States accounts for about 40% of all military spending in the world.

The Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Kara has resigned from her post, raising doubts over the stability of the country’s coalition government. At a news conference, the minister said that her reform agenda was being undermined and that judges were being appointed without her knowledge. Last week, the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki appointed seven new judges.

World news from the BBC

The leader of South Africa’s main opposition Helen Zille says she will challenge the decision to drop corruption charges against the President of the African National Congress Jacob Zuma. The decision clears the way for Mr. Zuma to become South Africa’s next president in elections later this month. Mrs. Zille, who heads the Democratic Alliance, said prosecutors had bowed to political pressure.

“Nothing takes away from the fact that there are 783 charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering you name it, against Jacob Zuma, all of which stood up as a prima-facie case. If anybody in the national prosecuting authority misuses their position, they must also be charged. But it is no reason at all to withdraw the charges against Jacob Zuma. ”

 A British-owned cargo ship has been seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the fifth such hijacking in just 2 days. The gunmen swept up in two speed boats and boarded the vessel and overpowered its crew before the captain could summon help. This latest hijacking in broad daylight prompted one ship owner to say that the pirates have clearly adapted to operating in the presence of international naval patrols.

 The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has published his family income and assets as part of a campaign against corruption. On his presidential website, Mr. Medvedev reviews that he owns 124,000 dollars and owns a Moscow apartment of almost 400 square meters jointly with his wife, Svetlana. President Medvedev has changed the law to force senior Russian officials to disclose their income and property.

One of America’s iconic skyscrapers, the Empire State Building in New York, is to undergo a major environmental overhaul that will see its energy use reduced by more than a third. The works include the renovation of 6500 windows and the rebuilding of a cooling plant in the basement. It will cut the building’s annual energy bill by more than $4,000,000.

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