BBC在线收听下载:意大利议会通过削减议员法案

BBC news.

The military commander of Kurdish forces in Syria says he’s still working with American officers in the region despite President Trump’s order for the withdrawal of American troops. General Mazlum Kobani said it would be a historic mistake if the US left without eradicating the threat posed by IS. He said that if Turkey invaded, his forces would defend themselves.

The White House and Congress are at loggerheads after President Trump blocked a key witness from giving evidence in the impeachment inquiry. Mr. Trump said he didn’t want the ambassador to the European Union appearing before what he called a kangaroo court. But the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff called that an obstruction of a co-equal branch of government.

The quest for a deal in the terms of Britain’s departure from the European Union is continuing in spite of sharp comments from both sides. Downing Street had said the talks were close to collapse after a phone call between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Italy’s parliament is passing a new law, slashing the number of its members by more than a third. Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte hailed it as historic, saying it would reduce the cost of politics and make it more efficient.

Thousands of demonstrators continue to converge in the Ecuadorian capital Quito after a violent protest forced President Lenin Moreno to move government headquarters to the port of Guayaquil. Mr. Moreno declared a state of emergency last week but he’s failed to end demonstrations by indigenous activists.