BBC在线收听下载:物理学家霍金去世 享年76岁

Hello, I'm Debby Russ with the BBC News.

The world renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking who tried to explain the mysteries of the universe to millions of people has died at the age of 76. His family said he died peacefully at his home in Cambridge. Professor Hawking used wheelchair and was able to speak only through a computer synthesizer, having been diagnosed with a rare form of motor neuron disease as a young man. Despite being given only a few years to live, he wrote popular science books for several decades. A film about his life The Theory of Everything won an Oscar for the actor Eddie Redmayne who portrayed him.

Stephen's daughter Lucy spoke about her father's love of the limelight in 2012. Another fancy of my father people don't very really highlight is what a showman he is. He's a bit of an impresario at heart, and he loves a big show, a big stage, bright light, whether it's him on stage or whether it's watching the spectacle.

Stephen Hawking's death was announced in the statement by his children who said they will miss him forever. They said his courage and brilliance inspired people across the world. Among politicians to pay tribute was the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said Professor Hawking had made the world a better place.

The President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has withdrawn his country from the International Criminal Court just a month after he began looking into his war on drugs. Several thousands of people have been killed either by the police or unidentified attackers since Mr. Duterte took office two years ago. Harvey Johnson reports from Manila.

In a written statement handed to the media, Mr. Duterte said he was withdrawing from the court, because what he called a concerted effort by the United Nations to paint him as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights. Mr. Duterte said the act is alleged to have committed war crimes against humanity because the police killing during drugs operations were carried out in self-defense. He added that he believed the ICC's inquiry was in violation of due process. Human rights group say many of the killings were premeditated.

You are listening to the world news from the BBC.