BBC在线收听下载:哈雷摩托110周年庆祝活动在罗马举行

BBC news 2013-06-17

BBC News with Nick Kelly.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a blunt warning against arming the Syrian rebels, saying that the behaviour went against the humanitarian values Europe wanted to represent. The British Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would continue to work with the opposition forces which wanted a democratic Syria. The two men were speaking after talks at Downing Street in London. As James Robbins reports.

President Putin and David Cameron exchanged thin smiles and a handshake at the door of number 10. Their differences over Syria could hardly be more profound, backing, opposing sides with Russia arming President Assad's government, and now Britain, France and United States edging towards arming the opposition rebels. After almost an hour and a half of talks, David Cameron stressed the need to search for some common ground and launch peace negotiations. But President Putin recalled video pictures apparently showing the rebel atrocity and asked if it would be right to support people who ate the organs of their victims.

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that it was his duty to order a crackdown on protesters in Gezi Park. They were evicted on Saturday night. Addressing tens of thousands of supporters in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan dismissed allegations he was behaving like a dictator. Riot police used water cannon and tear gas throughout the day to disperse protesters in other districts of Istanbul and in the capital Ankara. Chris Morris is in Istanbul.

In the last couple of hours, I've seen tear gas deployed by the police, presided in different locations around the city. All of them in areas within the vicinity of an immediately act on Taksim Square because what seem to happen is, the police is regaining total control of Taksim Square and neighbouring Gezi Park. But it means the demonstrations had been pushed into various locations in the surrounding areas. These protesters had said they want to re-occupy Taksim Square, I don't think they are going to able to do that because the police have already taken that over from them again. Two Turkish main trade unions have called for one day nationwide strike.

For the third day running, thousands of people have protested on the streets of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, despite the government reversing a controversial decision to appoint a media tycoon as the country's new Scurity Chief. Shouting mafia and resign, the protesters increase their pressure on the Prime Minister just months after the previous government was swept away by popular protests. These protesters said the government was out of touch with the people. A great part of Bulgarian Society is not represented in this parliament, why are you surprised that the people are out into the streets? In our opinion, reform should be made in the country so that the voice of the people, of the common people can be better heard and better represented in the parliament. Those voices (are) from the streets of Sofia.

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Reports from Syria say there has been a biggest explosion at a military airport in the west of the capital, Damascus. State television called it a terrorist act. The airport at Mezzeh, is one of the main hubs for the distribution of government's military supplies.

A senior member of the Obama administration has called the election of the new Iranian president an opportunity to mend bilateral relations. Speaking on American Television, the White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said if Iran was, as he called it, prepare to come clean on its nuclear program, it would find a partner in the United States. I think we should all be quite proud of the way that Iranians turned out to vote and to express their democratic views and aspirations. So, you see this as a hopeful sign? I see it as a potentially hopeful sign. I think the question for us now is, if he is interested in - as he has said in his campaign events, mending his relations, Iran's relations with the rest of the world, there's an opportunity to do that.

The White House has said it's open to negotiations with North Korea on its nuclear program but that Pyongyang must comply with the UN Security Council resolutions. The Untied States was responding to a proposal from North Korea for high-level talks to defuse tensions. North Korea said the talks should take place without preconditions, but should include American nuclear weapons.

And Rome has been resounding to the roar of thousands of motorcycles as bikers from around the world join Roman Catholic pilgrims for mass and blessing by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square. Leather-clad motorcyclists sat alongside nuns and other members of the large congregation, turning the roads near the famous square into a giant and noisy parking lot. They applauded and riffed their engines when the Pope pacifically welcomed them. The riders have congregated in Rome to celebrate the 110th anniversary of their motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson.

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