英国新闻听力 BP公司与美国司法部达成赔偿协议(在线收听) |
In the worst wave of violence in Northeastern Nigeria in weeks, Boko Haram militants have killed around 150 civilians. The group has mounted attacks on three separate villages over the past two days. Will Ross in this report from Lagos. "Eyewitnesses fleeing the area close to Lake Chad say dozens of gunmen stormed three villages where they killed men, women and children. Some reports say they were shot, others described how the Jihadis slit their victims' throats and set fire to buildings. Further south, just outside Monguno Town, a group of Boko Haram gunmen arrived as people were praying in the evening. They waited until the prayers were over, and then separated the men from the women before opening fire on all the men." The British oil company BP has announced a huge settlement with the US Department of Justice following the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Under the deal, the oil company will pay up to 18.7 billion dollars in stages to the federal government and five southern states. Nick Bryant reports. "One of the worst environmental disasters in American history has produced the largest settlement ever paid by a single company. It follows lengthy legal battles in the American courts. The Justice Department says it will repair the damage done to the economy of the states along the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the region's fisheries, wetlands and wildlife. BP described it as 'a realistic outcome' that provided clarity and certainty for all parties." The United Nations report says the area used for the cultivation of coco leaves in Columbia increased by 44% last year. The country is the second largest producer of coco leaves after Peru. Our America's editor Leonardo Rocha has more. "The UN described the findings of its annual survey as 'an important warning signal' that probably underestimates the rising production. Most of the increase was in the south of Columbia, in areas controlled by the FARC rebel group. The report says farmers had probably boosted their production to cover potential losses in the events that the FARC reached an agreement with the government to conclude two years of peace talks." Malaysia has told the United Nations Security Council it wants to set up an international criminal tribunal to prosecute those suspected of having shot down a passenger jet over Ukraine last year. Nearly 300 people were killed last July when Malaysia Airline's flight MH370 crashed in Ukrainian territory held by pro-Russian separatists. Reports say at least nine people have been killed and more than 70 others injured after a new alliance of Syrian insurgents launched an offensive to seize full control of the northern city of Aleppo. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a number of Islamist groups had issued a statement, expressing their intent to take the city. Hundreds of mortar bombs have been fired at positions held by government forces. Aleppo has become the key battleground in the civil war. Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are investigating a possible outbreak of Ebola after four men died of symptoms typical of the disease. The health ministers said they fellowed with symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting after killing and eating an antelope that may have been infected. The French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says there is still work to be done to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. On leaving Vienna, where he had been meeting foreign ministers from the other five major powers, negotiating with Iran, Mr Fabius said he would return on Sunday, when he hoped progress in the talks would have been made. UN observers have criticised the parliamentary and local elections in Burundi on Monday. They say the environment was not conducive for free, credible and inclusive polls. The election, boycotted by the opposition, took place in what the UN called "a climate of widespread fear and intimidation" in parts of the country. F H, a UN spokesman, said the UN secretary general urged Burundian leaders to put peace before politics. "The overall environment was not conducive for free, credible and inclusive elections. Maximum chance should be given to dialogue among the political actors and civil society in order to create conditions for peaceful and credible elections. The secretary general reiterates his urgent call to Burundian leaders, from across the political spectrum, to put peace and national reconciliation above partisan interests." The United States health officials have announced the first death from measles in the country for 12 years, A post-mortem on a woman from Washington State confirmed her fatal pneumonia had been caused by measles. A new report claims that life in the seas will be irreversibly changed unless carbon dioxide emissions are drastically cut. Writing in the journal, Science, a team of experts warned that time is running out to prevent lasting damage to marine ecosystems caused by a rise in temperatures in our oceans, a loss of oxygen and an increase in acidity. 几周来尼日利亚东北部发生最严重暴力事件,博科圣地武装分子杀死了大约150名平民,该组织在过去两天内对三个村庄发动了袭击。威尔·罗斯在拉各斯报道。 “逃到乍得湖附近地区的目击者称,有数十名武装分子袭击了三个村庄,他们杀死男女老少。有的报道称他们遭到枪杀,也有人描述称圣战分子切断遇难者喉咙并放火烧房屋。在南边的蒙古诺镇外,一群博科圣地武装分子抵达时,人们正在做晚祷,他们等到祈祷仪式结束后,就将男人和女人分开,然后对所有男人开枪。” 英国石油公司BP宣布与美国司法部达成重大协议,2010年该公司在墨西哥湾发生漏油事故。根据该协议,这家石油公司将逐步向联邦政府和五个南部州支付187亿美元。尼克·布莱恩特报道。 “这是美国历史上经历的最严重环境灾难,该协议是单一公司支付的最大笔赔偿,为此各方在美国法院打了旷日持久的官司。司法部称将修复对墨西哥湾沿岸一代经济、该地区渔业、湿地和野生物造成的破坏。BP称这是个‘现实的结果’,让各方都清楚明白。” 联合国报告称去年哥伦比亚用于种植可可叶的土地增加了44%,该国是第二大可可叶生产国,仅次于秘鲁。美洲编辑莱纳德·罗恰报道。 “联合国称其年度调查的发现结果是‘重大的警告信号’,可能低估了可可叶产量的增加。大多数增加的土地是在哥伦比亚南部被Farc叛军组织控制的地区,Farc与政府达成协议以结束两年的和谈,报告称农民们之所以增加生产面积,可能是为了弥补这些事件中遭受的潜在损失。” 马来西亚告知联合国安理会,希望成立国际刑事法庭来起诉涉嫌去年在乌克兰击落客机者,去年马航MH370飞机在乌克兰被亲俄分裂分子控制地区坠毁,导致近300人丧生。 叙利亚叛军新联盟为全面控制北部城市阿勒颇而发起进攻,报道称至少9人丧生,另外70多人受伤。总部在英国的叙利亚人权观察组织称多个伊斯兰组织发布声明,表示希望夺得该市。政府军控制的据点遭到数百个追击炮的袭击,阿勒颇在内战中成为关键的战场。 刚果民主共和国卫生当局正在调查可能发生的埃博拉疫情,原因是有四名男子死于类似埃博拉的症状。卫生部长称这些人杀死并食用一只可能感染埃博拉的羚羊,然后出现腹泻和呕吐的症状。 法国外长洛朗·法比尤斯称要就伊朗核项目达成协议仍需努力,他和另外五大国的外长们在维也纳和伊朗举行会谈,在离开维也纳时他说自己周日还会回来,希望那时能在会谈中取得进展。 联合国观察员批评了布隆迪周一举行的议会和地方选举,称该国的环境不适合进行自由、可信和有包容度的投票。这次选举遭到反对派的抵制,在该国部分地区举行,联合国称选举是在“普遍的恐惧和恐吓气氛”下进行的。联合国发言人称联合国秘书长敦促布隆迪领袖将和平置于政治之上。 “整个环境不适合进行自由、可信和有包容度的投票,政客们和民间社会之间应该有机会进行对话,从而创造和平和可信的选举环境。秘书长向布隆迪各个政治派别的领导人再次迫切呼吁,要求他们将和平和国家和解置于党派利益之上。” 美国卫生官员宣布该国出现12年来首个麻疹死亡案例,对华盛顿州一名妇女的尸检表明她的致命肺炎是由麻疹引起的。 一份最新报告称,除非二氧化碳排放量得到大幅度降低,否则海洋中的生命将会发现不可逆转的改变。一组专家在《科学》杂志上撰文,称要阻止海洋气温上升、氧气损失和酸度增加对海洋生态造成的持久破坏,我们所剩余的时间已经不多了。 |
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