[英语学习]4月BBC News.doc

1BBC News with Jonathan WheatleyPresident Obama has said he does not rule out supplying American weapons to opposition figures in Libya. In a series of television interviews, he says hes looking at all options in the current crisis. He said that Colonel Gaddafi was greatly weakened. Steve Kingstone reports from Washington. Barack Obama was repeatedly pressed on whether he would supply the Libyan rebels with US military hardware. “Im not ruling it out, but Im also not ruling it in.” he replied, stressing that all options were being examined. The president confirmed that America would supply what he called “non-lethal assistance” to the opposition-humanitarian aid, medical supplies and communications equipments. He said coalition military action had left Colonel Gaddafi on his heels and greatly weakened and added that it was his expectation that the Libyan leader would ultimately step down. Earlier, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the coalition forces might allow equipments to be sent to people in Libya to defend themselves. He was speaking after an international conference on Libya in London. While as the talks took place in London, forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi launched a new offensive in eastern Libya, driving out rebels from towns they had recently captured. The BBCs Ben Brown in the eastern town of Ajdabiya says the rebels have had a very bad day. Colonel Gaddafis forces hit back very hard indeed. Around the town of Bin Jawad, theres been ferocious fighting there. The rebels, hundreds of them up at the front line, fired Katyusha rockets among other things at the Gaddafi forces. The Gaddafi fighters hitting back with heavy weapons. But the upshot is that the rebels have had to retreat from Bin Jawad and also where here in from Ras Lanuf as well, an important oil town with a large oil refinery. Other news now. And Laurent Gbago, the leader of Ivory Coast who refused to step down following elections last year, has appealed for an immediate ceasefire in the face of advances by opposition forces. His spokesman called for talks mediated by the African Union. John James reports from Bouake.As the pro-Ouattara fighters move south, they meeting very little resistance from the official state forces publicly at least remain loyal to President Gbagbo. In the major western town of Daloa in the heart of the countrys cocoa-producing region, pro-Ouattara forces captured a major army barracks without much of a fight. On further south, the town of Issia was abandoned by the security forces before the pro-Ouattara fighters arrived. From there, only the town of Soubre remains before fighters reach the coast and the key port of San Pedro. In the east, on the border with Ghana, progress has been even faster. Iraqi officials have said they believe Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda were responsible for a bloody siege on Tuesday, in which more than 50 people were killed. The violence took place at a local government building in Tikrit. A fierce gun battle ended when the attackers, numbering about eight, blew themselves up. World News from the BBC.The United States Supreme Court has been hearing evidence on whether a major sex discrimination case can go ahead against the retail giant Wal-Mart. A group of former Wal-Mart employees want to bring a class action lawsuit on behalf of more than a million women who work for the company. Rajini Vaidyanathan now reports from Washington. In one corner, its the worlds largest retailer; in the other, a group of its own employees. Six women who worked for the company Wal-Mart alleged they were unfairly overlooked for pay rises and promotion in favour of less experienced male colleagues. If the Supreme Court decides it should go ahead, it would mean more than a million women whove worked for the retail store since 1998 would be eligible for a pay-out. Wal-Mart denies any claims of sexism, saying its won awards for its female-friendly policies and it has many senior women employees. An American university says it will appeal against the decision to fine it over a campus rampage in 2007 by a gunman, who killed 32 people. The US Department of Education levied the maximum $55,000 fine, accusing the authorities at Virginia Tech of waiting too long to notify students that a gunman was on the loose. A major investigation is underway in Britain into how a fake bomb was transported on the UPS cargo plane from Britain to Turkey without being detected. The package was placed inside a wedding cake box. A British government spokesman said that the incident was being treated very seriously and there would be an examination of carriage procedures. The former United States President Jimmy Carter has held talks in Havana with the Cuban leader Raul Castro. Details of the meeting have not been made public. Mr Carter said hed earlier had talks with officials about an imprisoned American communications contractor Alan Gross, but stressed hed not come to secure his release. The case has raised tensions between Havana and Washington. 2BBC News with Neil NunesForces loyal to the internationally recognised President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, have captured the administrative capital Yamoussoukro. The main city Abidjan remains largely in the hands of Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to step down as head of state since elections last November. From the central city of Bouake, heres John James.Yamoussoukro is the capital in name only and doesnt actually have any embassies or state institutions. But nevertheless its capture is important for the pro-Ouattara forces, whove been moving south in a major offensive over the past three days. Its by far the most important town seized so far and was judged to have been the best defended, though in fact the pro-Ouattara forces met with little resistance. The way is now open for the forces to continue south to Abidjan, less than three hours away, along the countrys only major highway.Rebels in Libya are continuing to retreat rapidly in the face of an advance by government forces. Hundreds of opposition fighters have fled the oil town of Brega. Colonel Gaddafis troops have adopted rebel tactics as John Simpson in Tripoli explains.The pro-Gaddafi army is starting to make much more use of ordinary flat bed trucks with heavy machine guns or anti-aircraft guns mounted on them, exactly the weapons the rebels have been using. Some of the pro-Gaddafi soldiers have even ditched their uniforms and are fighting in civilian clothes. The big difference between the two sides is their command structure. The morale of Colonel Gaddafis army has often been a lot lower than that of the rebels, but at least they have an officer corps, and that means they can regroup much more effectively than the rebels can.The Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa has arrived in London unexpectedly and is having talks with British officials. The Foreign Office said he had come of his own free will and had told officials he was resigning his post.The Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has failed to announce any clear concessions in his first public address since anti-government demonstrations broke out two weeks ago. Jeremy Bowen has this report.President Assad is facing the biggest internal challenge to his rule since he took over from his father in 2000. At least 60 people have been killed in protests in the last fortnight or so. The protesters will most likely be disappointed with his speech to the Syrian parliament. His staff had said hed announce major reforms, notably the abolition of the emergency law thats powered Syrias tightly controlled police state since 1963. He talked a lot about the importance of reform, but he didnt announce any specific plans or dates for change.Shortly after President Assad spoke, anti-government protesters took to the streets in the port city of Latakia.World News from the BBCThere have been more large anti-government demonstrations in several major cities in Yemen. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis turned out to demand the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Many hold his government responsible for an explosion at an ammunitions factory that left 150 people dead.The commander of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan has said he is worried about the increased militarisation of the disputed border region of Abyei. The commander General Moses Obi said patrols from the north and south of the country were more heavily armed than necessary. He said there were also many other armed groups in the region who were not supposed to be there.The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for changes, which are being seen as a possible blow to the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Mr Medvedev wants government ministers to give up their seats on company boards of directors. That could affect an ally of Mr Putin, the Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin. From Moscow, heres Steve Rosenberg.Igor Sechin, like Mr Putin, is a former KGB officer, who is considered to be one of the most powerful men in Russia. Today, hes chairman of the board of the oil company Rosneft. Hes also deputy prime minister, responsible for regulating the oil and gas industry, positions which give him enormous influence. But President Medvedev has announced that by the middle of the year, all government ministers should vacate their seats on boards of directors and be replaced by independent figures.The former United States President Jimmy Carter on a visit to Cuba has strongly criticised American policy towards the island. Mr Carter said the decades-long US trade embargo and travel ban damaged the Cuban people and hindered rather than helped reform. He also urged the Cuban government to move towards democracy and allow complete freedom of speech.BBC News.3BBC News with Jonathan Wheatley Libyan rebels who have been advancing west along the coast towards Colonel Gaddafis strongholds have been stopped by gunfire from government forces. Ben Brown sent this report from the oil town of Ras Lanuf which some of the rebels have fallen back to. Its been a bad day for the rebels. It began with them claiming that they had taken Sirte, Colonel Gaddafis birthplace and hometown. That claim turned out to be wildly premature. In fact, the rebels have been stopped just beyond the town of Bin Jawad, many miles from Sirte. Rebels told us they have been ambushed by Gaddafi loyalists from the desert and from the beach. The great rebel advance of the weekend appears to have been halted in its track, for now at least.A senior American military official has denied that the United States is directly supporting Libyan rebels. Speaking at a news conference in the Pentagon, Vice Admiral William Goldoni gave this assessment of the conflict. Opposition forces are in control of Ajdabiya and have pushed west to within eighty miles of Sirte. We believe the regime is preparing to dig in at Sirte, setting up a number of check points and placing tanks throughout the city. Likewise for Zintan, where we assessed the regime is preparing to reinforce existing positions. Reporting from Misrata indicates heavy fighting, particularly near the city centre.Earlier the leaders of France and Britain called on Libyans to begin preparing for a new era without Colonel Gaddafi. In a joint statement, Nicola Sarkozy and David Cameron said Colonel Gaddafi must go immediately. They urged his supporters to drop him before it was too late. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the international air strikes against Libyan government forces had gone beyond protecting civilians and amounted to interference in a civil war. Forces loyal to the internationally recognised President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, have taken the western town of Duekoue after heavy fighting there. The strategically important town is the fifth Mr Ouattaras forces have taken in their fight against forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to give up the presidency. John James reports. Officials in the pro-Ouattara forces say their fighters have started moving south over a former ceasefire line after being attacked by militia groups and mercenaries loyal to President Gbagbo. These claims are difficult to verify, but what is clear is that the formal rebels are themselves on the offensive on two additional fronts. In public at least, the state army has remained loyal to President Gbagbo, but the majority of the army voted for his rival Alassane Ouattara and are outside if keep retaliations like the Republican Guard, there is little enthusiasm for a fight.John James reporting. Russian officials say the air force has bombed an Islamist training base in the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, killing 17 rebels. They said the base was used to train suicide bombers. You are listening to the World News from the BBC. A massive explosion at an ammunition factory in Yemen has killed at least 78 people. The blast near the southern town of Jaar injured dozens of others and could be heard up to 15 kilometres away. The explosion occurred as local people looted the factory a day after it had briefly been taken over in a raid by a group of armed men. The President of footballs governing body, FIFA, has criticised Brasil, saying it needs to accelerate preparations for the next World Cup Finals in 2014. Sepp Blatter said Brasil was behind where the previous hosts South Africa were at a similar stage. Work on many of the stadiums is behind schedule and political squabbles have delayed the decision about which Brasilian city will host the draw for the qualify rounds. The former American President Jimmy Carter has arrived in Cuba at the start of a three-day private visit. He is expected to meet the Cuban President Raul Castro and discuss the case of an imprisoned US contractor that strained relations between the two countries. Michael Voss reports from Havana.Jimmy Carter flew into Havana aboard a private executive jet. Its widely expected that he will try to use his influence to help secure the release of the imprisoned American contractor, Alan Gross. Earlier this month, Mr. Gross was sentenced to 15 years in jail for supplying illegal satellite and other communications equipment to the islands small Jewish community. The Obama administration has made it clear that there can be no further major US initiatives to ease relations as long as he remains behind the bars. The European Commission has proposed that petrol and diesel cars be banned from European city centres by 2050. The Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said there needs to be a profound shift in travel patterns to reduce emissions and reliance on oil. He said travel was a basic right and the European Union must not curb peoples mobility but should instead pursue cleaner technologies. BBC News4BBC News with Mike CooperForces loyal to the internationally recognised President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, are surrounding the main city Abidjan, where Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to give up power. A BBC reporter in Abidjan said there had been fierce clashes around the national TV station, near the presidential palace. Mr Ouattara says hes ordered the closure of land, air and sea borders. Earlier, he imposed an immediate overnight curfew on Abidjan. Mr Gbagbos London spokesman Abdon Bayeto told the BBC that the presidents forces would fight on against Mr Ouattara.Laurent Gbagbo is going nowhere. Hes the president-elect of Cote dIvoire, and he is going to be, you know, a such president until the five years to come. Thats what our constitution recognised.The US Defence Department says the air campaign against Colonel Gaddafis forces has knocked out much of his military capabilities, but rebel forces are still heavily outnumbered. They also insisted it was now up to countries other than America to train or support the rebels. Nick Childs reports.The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen suggested that the coalition air campaign had reduced the Libyan governments overall military capabilities by up to a quarter, but he also acknowledged that they still had up to a 10-1 advantage over the rebels in some areas. Both he and the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates suggested that the rebels needed help in terms of, for example, training. President Obama says he hasnt ruled that out, but the Pentagons two top leaders both made it clear that they think that should be a job for other countries.Earlier, the head of Nato, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said he was strongly opposed to any supplying of weapons to rebel forces in Libya.Reports from Tunisia say a number of close advisers to the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi have left Libya and are awaiting flights out of Tunisia. It follows the arrival in Britain on Wednesday of the Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa. Earlier, the British government said Colonel Gaddafis regime was crumbling from within.The Italian authorities have launched a massive operation to move thousands of migrants fleeing the turmoil in Tunisia and Libya from the island of Lampedusa. Duncan Kennedy is in Rome.More than 2,000 migrants have already been taken off Lampedusa, which has been overwhelmed by the relentless stream of arrivals. Aid agencies say sanitary and sleeping conditions have become appalling. Many migrants were living in the open, and there were few toilets. At least six naval and chartered ships are being used by the government to take the migrants to transit camps on the mainland.The Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva has dissolved parliament and announced a snap election for 5 June. The move was widely expected. Last week, the opposition rejected the governments austerity plans for tackling Portugals debt crisis. That move plunged the country into further financial uncertainty, raising the prospect of needing a bailout like Greece and Ireland. President Silva sai