BBC在线收听下载:法国一政党起诉麦当娜

BBC news 2012-07-16

BBC news with Sue Montgomery.

There have been reports of heavy fightings around the Syrian capital Damascus. According to activists, government forces used tanks and artillery in clashes with rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army. Jim Muir reports from neighboring Lebanon.

The clashes between government forces and rebels from the Free Syrian Army seemed to be creeping ever close to the heart of Damascus and the center of regime's power. According the activists, the latest violence erupted around the southern edge of the city, the areas of like Tadhamon and Midan and around Palestinian refugee camps nearby. Tanks and mortars were reported to be used by government forces and in some areas residents were set to be fleeing.

Meanwhile the International Red Cross says it believes the conflict in Syria can now effectively be classified as a civil war. This means that combatants can be held accountable for any abuses of the Geneva Convention.

The head the Egypt's military council has said the armed forces will not allow anyone to prevent them from fulfilling their role of Egypt's protector. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi made the comment shortly after meeting the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She is reported to have stressed that the army must honor its commitment to a full transition to a civilian rule. Jon Leyne reports from Cairo.

Hillary Clinton met Field Marshal Tantawi for an hour with very much the same massage she had on Saturday for president Mursi. The United States supports and encourages a smooth transition to democracy. Then the meetings with Christian leaders and with women, Mrs. Clinton urged respect for the rights of all Egyptians. A sensitive issue right now as some Egyptians view nervously the rest power of the Muslim Brotherhood. Finally, on the trip to Alexandria to open a new US consulate, the Secretary of State insisted she was not yet to try to pick winners and losers.

Reports from the African Union summit in Addis Ababa say the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed that the international force should patrol their border and neutralize the various rebel militias active in Congo. The two leaders, Paul Kagame and Joseph Kabila early held a rare face to face talk at the summit. Recent rebel advances in eastern Congo have led to thousands of displaced civilians. The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of directly helping the rebels but the government in Kigali denies this.

Meanwhile, the African Union leaders have chosen Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma of South Africa as the new chair of the organization. The former wife of the South African president Jacob Zuma, she is the first woman to hold the post. Ms Dlamini Zuma defeated the incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon.

The authorities in Sri Lanka have arrested 127 people who wanted to travel illegally to Australia. Most were picked up by the Sri Lanka navy off the east coast after apparently being at sea for two days.

World news from the BBC.

At least 30 people, many of them Hindu pilgrims, have been killed in a bus crash in southern Nepal. Jill McGivering reports.

Eyewitnesses say the bus was over crowded carrying as many as 100 people including some perched on the roof. Most were pilgrims from neighboring India, they were traveling to a temple in southwestern Nepal to take part in a religious festival there. The bus swerved off the road and plunged into a canal. It is not clear what caused the accident but the overcrowding and heavy monsoon rain may have played the part. Emergency workers reduced the water level in the canal while they searched for survivors. But so far only ten people have been brought out of life.

***省略2段***

The French far-right party, the National Front says it will sue the Pop singer Madonna over a video shown in one of her concerts in Paris that showed that the party's leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika superimposed on her face. The footage appeared on the huge screen of the concert followed by a name of a man resembling Adolf Hitler.

BBC news.

恒星网友供稿,仅供参考!