BBC在线收听下载:斯里兰卡大选开始

BBC News. Hello, I'm Jerry Smit.
Brisk voting has been reported across Sri Lanka where millions of people have lined up to cast their ballots in a presidential election. In a tight race between the former defense secretary and a housing minister, the turnout of ethnic and religious minorities could be key. From Colombo, Jill McGivering. So far, the elections have been largely peaceful, although police in the mostly Tamil north accused the army of setting up illegal road blocks. And in the northwest, a convoy of buses taking Muslims to vote came under attack. The concern in both cases is that Sri Lanka's minorities may be deterred from voting and their role in this election could prove crucial. The contest between the two front-runners Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sajith Premadasa is too close to call. If either failed at first to secure more than half the vote, second preferences could come into play.
据报道，斯里兰卡各地进行了积极的投票，数百万人排队投票选出新的总统。前国防部长和建设部长展开了激烈的竞争，少数族裔和宗教少数派的投票可能成为关键。以下是吉尔•麦吉弗林在科伦坡的报道。到目前为止，选举基本上是和平的，尽管在北部泰米尔人占多数的地区，警方指责军队搭建非法路障。在西北部，一辆载着穆斯林参加投票的大巴遭到袭击。在这两个案例中，人们担心的是斯里兰卡的少数民族可能会被阻止参加投票，而他们在这次选举中的作用可能是至关重要的。两位最有希望当选的候选人戈塔巴雅•拉贾帕克萨和萨吉特•普利马达萨目前势均力敌。如果其中一方在第一轮投票中未能获得半数以上的选票，那么将会迎来第二轮投票。

The Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth's second son has admitted he let the side down by continuing to associate with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. In an interview with the BBC, the Prince was also asked about an American woman who alleges she was forced to have sex with him. Here's Jonny Dymond. In 2001, Prince Andrew was photographed with his arm around the bare midriff of a young woman, Virginia Roberts. She would later allege that she had sex with Prince Andrew that night aged seventeen and on two subsequent occasions. In the interview, the Prince says he has no recollection of ever meeting with Roberts. This year, video emerged of Prince Andrew inside the house of Jeffrey Epstein in 2010, two years after Epstein had been convicted and imprisoned for child sex offenses.
英国女王伊丽莎白二世的次子约克公爵承认，他与已被定罪的性罪犯、已故的杰弗里•爱泼斯坦有交往，辱没了皇室。在接受英国广播公司采访时，王子还被问及一名声称被迫与他发生性关系的美国女子。请听约翰尼•戴蒙德的报道。2001年，有人拍到安德鲁王子搂着年轻女子弗吉尼亚•罗伯茨裸露的腹部。她后来声称，她在17岁那年的晚上和安德鲁王子发生了性关系，之后又发生了两次。在采访中，王子说他不记得曾经见过罗伯茨。2010年，视频拍到安德鲁王子出现在杰弗里•爱泼斯坦家中，两年之前，爱泼斯坦因儿童性侵犯被定罪并入狱。

Police in France are on alert as supporters of the Yellow Vest Movement begin further protests on the first anniversary of their weekly anti-government demonstrations. A number of metro rail stations have been closed as a precaution in Paris, where a march is planned. The city saw serious rioting and clashes with police during some of the early Yellow Vest protests. The movement grew amid anger over fuel prices and the cost of living.
在“黄马甲”反政府每周游行一周年之际，他们的支持者又开始举行抗议活动，法国警方正保持警戒。他们计划在巴黎举行游行，作为预防措施，一些地铁站已经关闭。在一些早期的“黄马甲”抗议活动中，巴黎发生了严重的骚乱和与警方的冲突。人们对燃料价格和生活成本增加的愤怒引发了“黄马甲”抗议活动。

A planned prisoner exchange between the Afghan government and the Taliban has failed to materialize. Three influential Taliban members were expected to be released as part of a deal to free two Western university professors. Here's Secunder Kermani. On Tuesday, President Ashraf Ghani addressed the nation saying his government would be releasing three Taliban members, including Anas Haqqani, the brother of the deputy leader of the militant group. It was expected that the men would be sent to Qatar, where the Taliban's political office is based. However, a Taliban spokesman said the men had been returned to prison. No timeline on the expected release of the American and Australian professors Kevin King and Timothy Weeks had ever been made public. It's not clear why the planned exchange has so far failed to materialize.
阿富汗政府和塔利班之间交换囚犯的计划未能实现。按照计划，三名有影响力的塔利班成员将被释放，作为交换两名西方大学教授也将被释放。请听赛康德•科芒尼的报道。星期二，阿富汗总统加尼发表全国讲话称，阿富汗政府将释放三名塔利班成员，其中包括塔利班副领导人的兄弟阿纳斯•哈卡尼。预计这些人将被送往塔利班政治办公室所在地卡塔尔。然而，塔利班发言人称这些人已经被送回监狱。美国和澳大利亚教授凯文•金和提摩西•威克斯的释放日期从来没有公布过。目前还不清楚为什么囚犯计划至今未能实现。