BBC在线收听下载:南非想洗澡的河马掉进泳池

BBC news 2012-08-24

BBC News with Iain Purdon

The French and German leaders have urged Greece to carry on with its painful reforms. Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande presented a united front as they held talks in advance of their meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Friday and Saturday. Our Berlin correspondent Stephen Evans reports.
The two leaders with a real power in the eurozone presented a united front as they prepared to meet the Greek prime minister who comes to Berlin on Friday and then onto Paris on Saturday. Chancellor Merkel said it was important that everybody stuck to their commitments, and President Hollande said that Greece had to do what was necessary in order to stay in the eurozone. They now wait for the all-important official assessment of Greek progress on reform to be done in September by inspectors from the donor organizations.

The South African President Jacob Zuma has set out the terms of reference of a judicial inquiry into last week's killing of 34 people by police outside a platinum mine. Three judges will examine the conduct of the Marikana mine's owners Lonmin as well as the South African police, the unions and the government. The judge leading the inquiry Ian Farlam told the BBC he was happy with the terms of reference.
"I think the terms of reference are very wide and very fair. They don't appear to be drafted in the way to presuppose a particular answer or to restrict to investigation in any way or any aspect that may be relevant."

The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has told the BBC that there is a simple solution to the diplomatic crisis with Britain over the fate of the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Mr Assange was given political asylum after taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden where he's wanted for questioning about rape and sexual assault allegations. Will Grant reports from Quito.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, President Rafael Correa said the crisis could be over tomorrow if British would simply grant safe passage for Mr Assange to leave London. In the absence of such a guarantee, he said, the situation could go on for months or years. He also said the entire diplomatic standoff had been avoidable from the start. Had the British and Swedish authorities given a guarantee that Mr Assange would not be extradited to a third country, he would not have needed to seek asylum in the first place, the Ecuadorian leader said.

The government of Pakistan says it's summoned a senior American diplomat to protest about airstrikes in the tribal region of North Waziristan near the Afghan border. More than a dozen suspected militants have been killed in the area this week in attacks by unmanned aircraft or drones. In a statement, the foreign ministry said that diplomat, who wasn't named, had been informed that the drone attacks were unlawful and violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.

World News from the BBC

Reports from the Syrian capital Damascus say the military has maintained its assault on opposition held areas on the outskirts of the city. Opposition forces say the Syrian army use heavy artillery to pound the southern suburb of Darayya. Barbara Plett is in neighbouring Lebanon.
"Darayya… Darayya…" A terrified activist stands his ground with shells exploding around him, documenting the bombardment of Darayya. After pounding the suburb for 24 hours, soldiers backed by tanks went door to door searching for rebels. This is the fourth Damascus suburb targeted this week by a fierce government offensive aimed at crushing rebel resistance in the capital. Activists and residents say dozens are killed in a rebel raid, in what appears to be a campaign to sole terror.

The funeral of the former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will be held on Sunday, September 2. The public have now been allowed in to the national palace in Addis Ababa where his body is lying in state during a week of national mourning. Government sources have confirmed that the formal swearing in of his successor will not be held until after the funeral. The government spokesman Bereket Simon said Mr Meles' policies would continue.
"Succession for us is not a matter of replacing this leader by that leader; succession for us had been a blinding gulf. Mr Meles' ideas. He's been working with his ideas and that's in my thought of the people. And that will we have been ensured."

In South Africa, a hippopotamus looking for a new place to bathe has become stuck in a swimming pool. The hippo left its herd in a private game reserve in the north of the country and went for a dip in a pool at the reserve's lodge. But the pool has no steps. And two days on, the animal is still there. Staff hope to winch it out by crane on Friday.
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