BBC在线收听下载:美国篮球运动员科林斯公开自己是同性恋

BBC news 2013-04-30

BBC News with Fiona MacDonald

The European Commission says it will bring in a two-year ban on some of the world’s most-widely used pesticides over fears they damage honey bees. After member states failed to agree on the issue, the European Union’s executive body said it would impose a moratorium on the chemicals. From Brussels, here’s Chris Morris.

This proposal will ban the use on a variety of crops of three specific pesticides for two years, but several member states including the UK agree with many of the arguments of chemical companies, which argue that the science is inconclusive-- the results in laboratories have not been replicated in the field. No matter in the vote today there was no qualified majority for or against a ban. That means the European Commission has the power to impose a decision and it wants the ban to begin later this year.

The United States has reinforced medical staff at its detention centre at Guantanamo Bay to handle the expanding hunger strike by prisoners. A military spokesman said about 40 nurses and medical staff were sent to the centre in Cuba at the weekend. He said 100 of the 166 detainees were now on hunger strike. Prisoners began the strike nearly three months ago over allegations that staff mishandled the Quran.

Italy’s new coalition government has easily won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament. Earlier the prime minister, Enrico Letta, drew a standing ovation from most deputies after delivering his inaugural address to parliament when he revealed his plans to kick start Italy’s debt-laden economy. Mr Letta said he would go to Berlin and other major European capitals this week to lobby European Union partners to switch to more growth-oriented policies.

Local leaders in northern Ghana have announced the abolition of the ritual killing of babies with physical disabilities. Chiefs in the Upper East Region held a special ceremony to announce the banning of the practice, whereby disabled babies are said to be possessed by evil spirits and then killed. Elders who poisoned the babies have been given new roles, working to promote disabled children’s rights. The announcement was made by one of the village chiefs, Naba Henry Abawine Amenga-Etigo.

"No child should suffer any form of abuse as a result of whatever circumstances he or she is born (with). The God produce life and only God who can take away life. So no child should be killed because they say the spirit child. That is not good.”

The clothing retailer Primark has said it’ll compensate some of the victims of a Bangladesh textile factory which collapsed, killing at least 380 people. Primark said it will help people who worked for its supply in the building. A Bangladeshi minister said his government has turned down offers of international help because it was confident it could handle the rescue operation.

World News from the BBC

An American basketball player, Jason Collins, has come out as gay, the first active male athlete in a major US professional team sport to do so. Writing in a popular sports magazine, Mr Collins said he didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete, but since he was, he was happy to start the conversation. Alex Capstick reports.

Never before has such a revelation come from the macho environment of elite sport in the US. Some have announced their sexual orientation after retirement, but Jason Collins is the first active player from the major basketball, American football, ice hockey and baseball leagues to do it. He’s been at the NBA for 12 seasons and has represented six teams. Among the messages of support, one from the former president Bill Clinton, whose daughter was at college with Jason Collins. He said it was an important moment for professional sports in the US and in the history of the lesbian and gay community.

The $1.3bn orbiting space telescope Herschel has run out of fuel and stopped working. Since its launch in 2009, the European satellite, the most powerful observatory of its kind, has captured thousands of images of galaxies in evolution, great vistas of billowing clouds of star dust. Operators at the European Space Agency always knew the telescope’s working life would be limited. They’ll run some final tests on the spacecraft in the coming weeks before allowing it to drift towards the Sun.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has given an emotional final address to her people a day before she abdicates in favour of her eldest son. Speaking on primetime television, the Queen said hereditary authority of itself did not give substance to a contemporary monarchy; rather, she said, this was earned through willing service to the country. Queen Beatrix praised her son Willem-Alexander, saying he was well-prepared to fulfil that role. Amsterdam has been decked out in orange, the colour of the Dutch monarchy.

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