BBC在线收听下载:联合国称埃博拉威胁国际和平与安全

BBC news 2014-09-19

BBC News with Jonathan Izard.

In Scotland, voting has just ended in a referendum on independence. There appears to be a high turnout with long queues at polling stations. Voters have had to choose between saying 'Yes' for independence from the rest of Britain or 'No' if they wish to remain within the union. Colin Blane reports.

After the most extraordinary political campaign Scotland has ever seen, canvassers and activists can do no more. The polls have closed. Turnout is expected to be extremely high. And analysts will be watching each local authority counter as it comes in looking for signs of how this cliff-hanger of a contest may be going. Bookmakers have reported a rush of bets for 'Yes,' but they still have 'No' the odds-on favours to win. There has been one hitch on the counting time table - Stornoway Airport has closed by fog. So ballot boxes from Barra will have to come to the count by boat and road. It means the Western Isle's declaration which was expected to be airily will now be one of the last.

The United Nations Security Council has declared Ebola a threat to international peace and security. A resolution passed unanimously by the 50 members calls on all countries to provide urgent assistance to the nations affected by the disease which are all in West Africa. It also calls for travel restrictions to be lifted, warning that they are undermining efforts to tackle the disease. Nick Bryant reports from UN in New York.

Never before has the United Nations Security Council meant to confront a public health crisis. It's only the second time that a public health issue is being addressed than that was HIV/Aids. But the disease is spreading so quickly in West Africa - the number of cases is doubling every two weeks, that it's now being declared a threat to international peace and security - the normal purview of the Security Council. Its members heard that the international response will need to be three times greater than it is now if the outbreak is to be controlled.

President Obama has again condemned what he called Russian aggression in Ukraine, welcoming his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko to the White House. Mr. Obama promised to continue mobilizing the international community to reach a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis. But he stopped short of agreeing to supply weapons to help fight pro-Russia rebels.

Police in Nigeria have reacted strongly to a report by Amnesty International which accused them of routinely torturing men, women and children. A police statement said the report contained blatant falsehoods. Reporting from Lagos, here is Will Ross.

The statement from Nigeria's police headquarters says the torture of suspects is neither systematic nor endemic. It says whenever human rights abuses are uncovered the offending personnel are promptly sanctioned. This was in reaction to a damning report by Amnesty International which says across the country the police and the military use a wide range of torture methods. The report entitled 'Welcome to Hellfire' says many police stations have an officer in charge of torture in order to obtain bribes and confessions.

Will Ross reporting.

World News from the BBC.

A suicide car bombing in the Iraqi capital Baghdad has killed at least 15 people. Iraqi officials said the bomber blew himself up after ramming a vehicle cramped with explosives into a security checkpoint in the Shiite District of Kadhimiya. The blast was followed by a mortar fire. The area in northern Baghdad is the site of a major Shiite shrine. Security sources said a mortar round landed near the shrine. More than 30 people were injured.

A leading human rights activist has been released on bail by the police in Bahrain although she is not allowed to leave the country. Maryam al-Khawaja was detained last month at the airport as she arrived to visit her father Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, also a prominent rights activist. He is on hunger strike in protest to the life sentence for his role in the anti-government protests of 2011.

Football's world governing body FIFA has told its executive committee members and other top officials to return 65 luxury watches they received ahead of the World Cup in Brazil. Here is Alex Capstick.

It's an embarrassing revelation for an organization which has been attempting to repair a reputation stained by a series of corruption scandals. The Parmigiani watches, each of an estimated value of more than 26,000 dollars, were given by the Brazilian Football Federation to delegates of FIFA's Congress in Sao Paolo last June. But the acceptance of such an expensive gift contravenes FIFA's rules. It came to light after several officials complained. Following an investigation, those still holding a watch they received have been told they will avoid further action if they return it by Oct 24th.

One of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in the Scottish town St. Andrews has voted to admit women members for the first time in its 260-year history. According to legends, St. Andrews was the place where golf was invented as far back as the 12th century when shepherds knocked stones into rabbit holes with rudimentary clubs. In a statement, the club said the vote in favour had been overwhelming - 85% were in favor of the change.

BBC News.