BBC 2009-05-05
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BBC News with Nick Kelly.
President Barack Obama has presented details of a major tax reform, which he says could increase US government revenue by more than 200 billion dollars over the next decade. Under the proposed legislation, American companies will no longer be allowed to put off paying tax on profits made and reinvested abroad. Mr. Obama said the Internal Revenue Service, the IRS would get hundreds of new agents to go after offshore tax avoidance. He said the government would use the money saved to help companies that boost the American economy.
"We will use the savings to give tax cuts to companies that are investing in research and development here at home, so that we can jump-start job creation, foster innovation and enhance America's competitiveness."
Some business leaders have criticized the plan, saying it would raise taxes to uncompetitive levels.
Armed men have attacked a wedding party in southeastern Turkey, killing and wounding many people. Latest figure suggests that more than 40 people have died. The shootings happened at the village wedding near the city of Mardin. Two Kurdish rebels are active in this part of Turkey, but there is no clear indication yet of the motive for the attack. In Ankara, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been briefed about what's known of the incident.
The World Health Organization says there is no evidence of sustained human transmission of swine flu outside North America. Cases have been confirmed in 20 countries, but the organization said that outside Mexico, the United States and Canada, all infections were related to travel. Imogen Foulkes has more.(www.hxen.net)
Health experts worldwide want to know which population groups are most vulnerable and why the virus has caused severe pneumonia among some patients and diarrhea not normally associated with flu in others. On Tuesday, the WHO will hold a meeting of doctors and scientists to discuss these questions. The answers, the WHO says, will help all those working to control and treat the virus.
In Dubai, a woman who lost her unborn baby in a car crash has been convicted of manslaughter and ordered to pay blood money. The court ruled that the 27-year-old Lebanese woman who was nine-month pregnant at the time failed to exercise due care when driving and caused the collision. Bob Travilian has the details.
Announcing his decision, the judge said it was the first time that a court in Dubai had found a woman guilty of causing the death of her unborn child. Prosecutors said the case showed that the rights of unborn babies were being protected. The woman who hasn't been identified reportedly told the court that she wasn't at fault. Blood money in cases involving death would usually be paid to the next of kin. But prosecutors say that in this case, the money will be deposited with the court until it decides who should receive it. Legal sources said the father of the unborn baby could submit a claim for the money. Bob Travilian reporting.
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The army in Pakistan has accused the Taliban of using 2,000 civilians as human shields to prevent impending operation by its troops against them. Pakistani military wants to clear the militants from Pir Baba, an important religious shrine in Buner district, 100 kilometers from the capital Islamabad. Mark Dummett reports.
When the Taliban seized control of Buner last month, Pir Baba was one of the first places they took control of. They still hold it, even though tanks, helicopter gunships and warplanes have all been deployed to Buner to defeat them. The military says its operations elsewhere in the district, which is only a two-hour drive from the capital, are progressing well. But it seems unlikely that the troops would have retaken Buner within a week as their commanders had originally hoped.
Talks on the future of one of the United States' most influential newspapers, “The Boston Globe", have been extended as unions and the paper's owner struggle to save it from closure. The two sides have so far failed to agree on terms that would see “The Boston Globe" remain open. A major sticking point has been the lifetime job guarantees the union wants to preserve and management wants to end.
United States Supreme Court has told the lower court to reexamine its decision to revoke a heavy fine imposed on the television network CBS, following the live broadcast of the 2004 Super Bowl football match. 550, 000 dollar fine arose from the incident when the singer Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during the performance.
And the Greek Parliament is holding a vote shortly which could cast doubt on the future of the government. Members of the Parliament are deciding whether to indict a legislator from the governing New Democracy Party, Aristotelis Pavlidis, on bribery charges. New Democracy governs with the slim majority. And correspondent said it could find it hard to continue if Mr.Pavlidis is indicted.
(文本出处:普特论坛)
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