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听力文稿 ( Transcript )
Japan and other countries supporting commercial whaling have won their first victory in two decades. At the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission, delegates passed a resolution calling for a resumption of commercial whaling, which is forbidden under an agreement designed to protect the endangered mammal. The motion was passed by a majority of just one vote. Our environment correspondent Richard Black is at the meeting and has the details.
This is the outcome that Japan and its pro-whaling allies have been working towards since the meeting began. The motion tabled by St Kitts and Nevis called for the Whaling Commission to declare its commitment to normalization, code for moving towards an eventual return to commercial whaling. The meeting endorsed the declaration by a majority of just one. Brazil and New Zealand immediately contested the legality of the vote while Japan declared it a historic day, the first step towards the eventual lifting of the global moratorium which has been in place for 20 years. Japan will have to build its coalition much further to achieve that. It needs three quarters of the Whaling Commission to vote in favor. But there is no doubt that commercial hunting of whales is a step closer.
Voters in the Spanish region of Catalonia have voted in favor of a new charter, which would grant it even greater autonomy and give its people the status of a nation within Spain. Catalonia's regional parliament will now have enhanced powers on tax and judicial issues. Just under three-quarters of those who took part in the referendum approved the plan, but turnout was low with only half of those eligible casting their votes. Those opposed to the referendum have expressed fears that Spain's other regions, including the Basque country, long-scarred by armed separatism, could follow suit. But the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero described the result of Sunday's vote as good for Catalonia and Spain as a whole.
Today the process has been concluded. The people have spoken. The Catalans have spoken clearly the statute is the framework that they have chosen and that they have chosen by a wide margin. Above all, this will be good for Catalonia and good for Spain as a whole.
International concern is growing about the conflicts in Somalia where fighting is spreading and now threatens to draw in neighboring Ethiopia. The United Nation's high commissioner of refugees Antonio Gutarush urged the international community to work for a peaceful settlement or risk worsening humanitarian crises.
But it's not for us to find the adequate political solutions. What we believe is that we only deal with symptoms. And the true disease can only have a political solution. And that political solution is behind, of course, there’s a government and it is to have the support of the international community for that. The international community should be engaged in trying to find ways for a political solution to be found, avoiding a major possession.
The African Union said international support was urgently needed. The Islamist militias have captured the Somali capital Mogadishu and other territory while independent reports say Ethiopia troops have crossed into Somalia.
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The Anglican Church in America, the Episcopal church has elected a woman bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori to be the first female leader in its history. The move comes at a significant time for the church as the Anglican Communion faces a crisis over what the majority regard as its American branches unwarranted liberalism, which was highlighted by the ordination in 2003 of an openly gay bishop. From Columbus, Ohio, our religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggert reports.
The election of Katharine Jefferts Schori were to be remarkable in any circumstances, but it's all the more significant given the crises in the Anglican Communion over what the majority regards as its American branch’s unwarranted liberalism. The traditionalist majority who are currently trying to extract an apology from the Episcopal church for electing a gay bishop and a promise not to repeat it have other reasons for dismay. Bishop Jefferts Schori voted in favor of the election of the openly gay Bishop Jean Robernson, saying at that meeting that she regarded homosexuality as inherent characteristic rather than a chosen life style.
United States and Iraqi troops have set up outposts in southern area of the Iraqi city of Ramaddey, one of the strongholds of the insurgency. A BBC correspondent says he saw their intention is to establish new bases allowing them to carry out patrols and oversee the main entrances to the city.
Football in the last of today's three matches at the World Cup Finals in Germany, South Korea has held France to a 1-1 draw. In the earlier matches, Brazil beat Australia by 2 goals to nil, meaning that Brazil goes through to the next stage of the competition. And the match between Japan and Croatia ended at a goalless draw.
words and expressions
Anglican Church: Of, having to do with, or characteristic of the Church of England or any of the churches related to it in origin and communion, such as the Protestant Episcopal Church. dismay: A sudden or complete loss of courage in the face of trouble or danger endangered:Faced with the danger of extinction: legality:The state or quality of being legal; lawfulness. moratorium: An authorization to a debtor, such as a bank or nation, permitting temporary suspension of payments. ordination: The act of ordaining or the state of being ordained. outpost: A detachment of troops stationed at a distance from a main force to guard against surprise attacks.
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