BBC在线收听下载:加泰罗尼亚脱离西班牙独立公投将进行

BBC news 2017-10-08

BBC news with Jonathon Izard.

President Trump accepts the resignation of his health secretary Tom Price who had come under pressure after it emerged he had been using expensive private jets while travelling on government business. Mr. Trump has said he was disappointed with Mr. Price.

Syrian activists say that dozens of people have been killed in airstrikes on a town in the mainly rebel held northwestern province of Idlib. Reports and videos from the town of Amanaz appear to show the aftermath of heavy air raids by Syria or Russian planes.

Preparation is underway for the start of an agreed ceasefire in Columbia between government forces and the National Liberation Army or ELN. The commander of the rebel group known as Gabino has issued order to his fighters which will trigger the ceasefire on Sunday to run until mid-January.

Cuba says Washington acted hastily by deciding to pull out most its staff from its embassy in Havana, following mysterious sonic attacks on its diplomats. The Cuban Foreign Ministry said the measure will affect bilateral relations. Havana strongly denies involvement in the incidents and Washington hasn't directly accused it.

The US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has said Washington does not recognize the result of the independence referendum in Iraqi-Kurdistan but Mr. Tillerson called for calm saying no one would benefit from threats and recriminations. Iraq, Iran and Turkey have all said they will take punitive actions against the regional authority in Iraqi-Kurdistan.

Thousands of Catalan separatists have held a final rally ahead of Sunday's plan referendum on independence in Spain. The head of the regional government Carles Puigdemont told the crowd that on Monday he believe Catalonia would be taking its first step as a sovereign nation. Spain's central government has tried to block the vote.

And a Welsh regby player had to miss an international club match in South Africa after his hand was bitten by a lion. Scott Baldwin had been trying to pat the animal through the fence in a game park. His team manager for his Ospreys Club said Baldwin had been pretty stupid.