BBC在线收听下载:日本政府要求全国中小学校停课

BBC News. Hello, I'm Jerry Smit.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for the temporary closure of all public schools from next Monday until the end of March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Mr. Abe's announcement came as a further 13 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Japan, including two children. Jenny Hill is in Tokyo.

Concern is growing in Japan as the number of cases continues to rise. More than 900 people have been infected and eight have died. Most of the cases were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is moored in the port of Yokohama. But separately, nearly 200 people have tested positive, among them a woman who was treated and discharged from hospital before she tested positive again a few weeks later. Earlier, the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for the temporary closure of all public schools in what will be interpreted as a sign of just how worried the authorities are.

The Court of Appeal in London has ruled against plans to expand Heathrow Airport on the grounds that they didn't take into account Britain's commitment to count greenhouse gas emissions. It's a reverse for the British government, which gave the project the go-ahead two years ago, arguing it would secure jobs and businesses. Charlie Gallaher reports.

This is a huge victory for the environmental groups and local residents who brought this case today. They had argued that plans for a 3rd runway at Heathrow were illegal because they went against the Paris Climate Accord and the government's own plans to drastically reduce carbon emissions. But this fight may not be over. The judges said in future, we could see a 3rd runway at Heathrow, but only if it's compatible with carbon targets. Green campaigners say that just isn't possible, and say the plans need to be permanently grounded.

The Indian government has transferred judge a day after he sharply condemned the Delhi police over their perceived failure to control the sectarian violence that has killed 34 people in the capital. The opposition said the transfer of the judge from the Delhi High Court was to protect leaders at the governing BJP who allegedly made hate speeches. But the government said the late-night transfer was decided long ago.

An international charity says the invasion of locust in East Africa is likely to cause the region's worst humanitarian crisis in recent times. Mercy Corps says a second invasion is due in the next few weeks. Our Africa editor Mary Harper reports.
Mercy Corps said the recent arrival of locusts in south Sudan is especially worrying as more than half the population already relies on humanitarian aid. The insects are ravaging crops and pastures in parts of east Africa, where tensions over grazing land already high. Experts say the numbers of the fast-breeding creatures could grow by 500 times before June, when dry weather sets in, which helps curb their spread. The United Nations food agency says this is the worst locust invasion in east Africa in 25 years.