BBC在线收听下载:美国最高法院庭审《婚姻保护法》

BBC news 2013-03-28

BBC News with Charles Carroll

Cyprus has confirmed that its banks will reopen on Thursday. They were closed to prevent a flood of withdrawals while Cyprus negotiated a bailout with its eurozone creditors. Mark Lowen reports from Nicosia.

They’ve been closed for almost two weeks, but now the central bank of Cyprus says the country’s banks will reopen on Thursday at noon local time. Cypriot media are reporting that containers full of cash have been flown in by helicopter. There will be capital controls in place to avoid a run on deposits. The details are yet to be confirmed, but reports suggest they will include a ban on cashing checks, a 3,000-euro limit for money taken abroad and a monthly limit of 5,000 euros for card payments.

A majority of judges on the US Supreme Court have questioned whether a federal law which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman is constitutional. On the second day of hearings into the rights of same-sex couples, one judge warned that the defence of Marriage Act risked intruding upon the role of states in dealing with such matters. On Tuesday the Supreme Court considered an appeal against the ban on gay marriage in California. Jonny Dymond reports.

The court appears to have divided along traditional liberal and conservative lines. And again all eyes are on the swing voter, Justice Anthony Kennedy. Justice Kennedy seems to be unhappy with the way in which the defence of Marriage Act intruded upon what is in the US a state-level power-- the regulation of marriage. He spoke of the risks of the act intervening too much. If he joins the four liberal justices, the act will be struck down.

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague has convicted two senior Bosnian Serbs for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian War in the early 1990s. Mico Stanisic, a former interior minister in the break-away Bosnian Serb Republic, and Stojan Zupljanin, a senior security official, were both sentenced to 22 years in prison. Anna Holligan reports.

Prisoners transported in refrigeration trucks, mass executions and rape as part of the internment camp routine. The judge was in no doubt that these crimes had been committed and he found the suspects guilty of failing to protect the innocent civilians or prosecute the perpetrators. As the 22 years’ sentences were delivered, Stojan Zupljanin made the sign of the cross before looking to the public gallery and shaking his head. The two will remain in custody, pending any possible appeal.

The Russian authorities have raided several non-governmental organisations in Moscow including Human Rights Watch and Transparency International. Officials said they were investigating links to extremism. Critics say the raids are an attack on civil society. But the Kremlin says monitoring such organisations is necessary for national security.

World News from the BBC

The British government says it’s determined to deport the radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada, who faces trial in Jordan on terrorism charges. On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal in London upheld a ruling that he couldn’t be returned there. The judges said Britain couldn’t expose those who faced a real risk that evidence obtained through torture could be used against them.

A major international study of cancer has identified dozens of genetic markers that could help to improve testing for people at risk of developing the disease. Experts say the findings could lead to a simple new predictive test within several years. Here’s our health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys.

This research project by the University of Cambridge and Institute of Cancer Research looked at the DNA, the genetic code of more than 100,000 people with cancer. That was compared with the DNA from a similar number of people from the general population. The scientists were able to identify variations which appeared repeatedly among the cancer patients. The research has significantly increased the overall number of known genetic markers for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.

Colombia’s main rebel group, the Farc, has said that it will not accept any peace agreement that involves its members going to jail. The left-wing rebels branded as naive and cynical government suggestions that the Farc should end its armed activity in exchange for government positions, seats in Congress and prison sentences. The group has been holding peace talks with the government since November to end a conflict which has lasted nearly five decades.

The White House says it’s closely monitoring a hunger strike by a growing number of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. According to military officials, 31 of the camp’s inmates are currently on hunger strike. Human rights groups say the action, which began in early February, reflects growing frustration on the part of the prisoners about their indefinite detention. Some of them are being fed liquid food through tubes.

And that’s the latest BBC News.