BBC在线收听下载:美国对委内瑞拉施加新制裁

BBC news 2017-08-28

BBC News with Jim Lee.

A powerful hurricane expected to wreak a major destruction in Texas is beginning to move onshore. As it neared the state, Hurricane Harvey developed into a category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 215 km/h. Thousands of residents have boarded up their homes and fled. President Trump has declared the hurricane a disaster which will free up federal aid for the worst affected areas.

Donald Trump has issued the first criminal pardon of his Presidency erasing the conviction given to Joe Arpaio, a controversial former Sheriff in Arizona. Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt for defying a court order. The 85-year old faced up to 6 months in prison for ignoring a judge's instruction to discontinue traffic patrols at targeted immigrants.

In a separate move, Mr. Trump has directed the Pentagon to instate a ban on openly transgender people serving in the military. He had signaled the decision in a tweet last month.

US media reports say one of President Trump's closest advisors has a party company with the White House. Sebastian Gorka was Mr. Trump's deputy assistant and an expert on counter-terrorism.

North Korea's latest missile test appears to have been unsuccessful. The US military said Pyongyang had fired 3 short-range ballistic missiles but two failed in flight and one blew up soon after launch.

The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said he will respond to new US financial sanctions by stopping oil exports to the US. On Fraidy, President Trump signed an executive order targeting Venezuela's sate-owned oil company.

A man has been shot and killed by security forces in Brussels after attacking solders with a knife. Prosecutors say they were treating the incident as a tempted terrorist murder.

Prosecutors in Guatemala have requested authorization to open an investigation against President Jimmy Morales over alleged campaign funding irregularities. Anti-corruption officials said there was evidence that Mr. Morales had broken the law when he was head of his party.

BBC News.