BBC在线收听下载:欧盟迎来首位女主席

Hello, this is David Austin with the BBC news.

The incoming head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has announced her team of commissioners, a mix of the old guard and new faces. The Dutchman Frans Timmermans retains his place as vice president with overall responsibility for action on climate change. Margrethe Vestager of Denmark will be a vice president steering Europe into the digital age. Mrs. von der Leyen outlined their goals ahead.

This is the team that will shape the European way; build our partnership with the United States of America—although we have issues, but they are our closest allies; define our relation with a more self-assertive China; be a reliable neighbor, for example to Africa; stand up for our values and world-class standards.

Ursula von der Leyen's pick as trade commissioner is Phil Hogan of Ireland, who lead negotiations with Britain when it leaves the European Union. From Brussels, here's Kevin Connolly.

No previous European Commission has ever taken office in such challenging political circumstances. The UK is currently due to leave the EU the night before Ursula von der Leyen and her team take office. Mrs. von der Leyen spoke of what would happen if Brexit came to pass rather than when. But she stressed, in any case, she saw it not as an end, but as the beginning of a new relationship. In a sign though, that relationship won't be easy to negotiate, she's appointed Phil Hogan, an Irish veteran of Brussels' life as trade commissioner. He's a robust critic of Brexit and will play a central role in future talks.

A Japanese government minister says the country could be forced to release radioactive water into the sea from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which was destroyed in a tsunami eight years ago. The contaminated water, more than a million tons has been used to cool the melted reactors. It's currently being kept on site in giant tanks.

The Kremlin has confirmed that an alleged high level US spy named as Oleg Smolenkov did indeed work in the Russian presidential administration. From Moscow, Sarah Rainsfood has this report.

When US media began reporting that the CIA had extracted an agent from Russia who had been providing intelligence from inside the Kremlin, the media here quickly came up with a name Oleg Smolenkov. The Kremlin has now dismissed talk of a spy rescue as pulp fiction, but it's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Oleg Smolenkov did previously work in the presidential administration. He said that he'd been sacked several years ago, though he wouldn't say why and underline that he had not occupied a senior Kremlin post. Reports in the United States have cited intelligence sources calling the supposed mole one of the CIA's most valuable assets.

World news from the BBC.