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听力文稿 ( Transcript )
The top American military commander in Iraq General George Casey has made the most detailed allegations by the US so far about Iranian support for violent extremists in Iraq. Speaking in Washington, General Casey accused Iranian covert special forces, the Al Quds, of supplying Shiite militants with weapons, training and bomb-making equipment. Jonathan Bill reports from Washington.
“General George Casey said Iran's interference in Iraq was one of the four major elements adding to a complex security situation. Briefing reporters with the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, he said that there'd been a marked increase in Iranian activity since January. He accused Iran of providing weapons, training and equipment to Shiite extremists. General Casey said that he was confident that that help was coming from covert Iranian special forces known as the ' Al Quds Force'. He had no evidence that there were Iranians inside Iraq directing the attacks against US military. But he assumed that there were some central direction of what he called “surrogates” from somebody in Tehran.
Two resolutions calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq have been soundly defeated in the United States Senate. Both were sponsored by Democratic Senators but were strongly opposed by President Bush's Republican Party. The first proposal called for troops to be withdrawn by the mid of next year, the second provided for a more open-ended phased pullout.
The transitional government trying to take control of Somalia and the Islamist faction that two weeks ago seized the capital Mogadishu have held face-to-face talks and agreed on what they called a basis for negotiation. The interim government, which has international support but controls only a tiny part of the country, recognized what it called the reality of the Islamist movement. Our Africa editor David Bamford reports.
“The militia of the Union of Islamic Courts has never attacked the headquarters town of the transitional government Baidoa though it has been fighting and beating the clan warlords in Mogadishu and as part of this agreement the Islamic Courts Union has pledged to take no further action that might lead to new conflict. That implies no attack on Baidoa would take place. For its part, the transitional government agreed together with the Islamic Courts Union that they should recognize each other and acknowledge what they called the new political realities in Somalia”.
You are listening to the World News from the BBC.
Environmentalists have warned that the Russian Republic of Chechnya is now facing an ecological disaster. Russia's Environmental Protection Agency says recent unregulated development as well as years of separatist warfare have destroyed Chechnya's rich natural habitat. Steven Eke reports.
“Chechnya is located deep inside the North Caucasus. It has densely forested mountain highlands as well as low-lying valleys, through which two of the North Caucasus major rivers run. Their condition, according to Oleg Mitvol the deputy director of Russia's Environmental Protection Agency, is close to catastrophic. Speaking in Moscow on Thursday, Mr. Mitvol said there were many oil spills, the result of leaks from Chechnya's thriving but largely makeshift and unregulated oil industry. Meanwhile Chechen doctors are charting a growing number of babies being born with genetic abnormalities as well as unexplained outbreaks of mystery illness among schoolchildren. Some specialists are now suggesting the region's environment is to blame”.
Trade officials in Geneva say there are still many areas of disagreement before progress can be made on liberalizing global commerce. Trade ministers from the most influential countries in the World Trade Organization are due to meet in Geneva next week to try to agree the main outlines of a deal. But drafts circulated by officials show several hundred points still to be resolved in agriculture alone.
United Nations' special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian Territories John Dugard has said the humanitarian situation has deteriorated substantially since an international funding boycott was imposed after the Hamas election victory in January. Mr. Dugard said food and medical services were in short supply and the policy has caused ordinary Palestinians to lose faith in the outside world.
Football! Ghana have become the first African team through to the knockout stages of the World Cup finals in Germany. They qualified by beating the United States by two goals to one in Nuremberg. The result led to jubilancy into the Ghanaian capital Accra. The Ghanaian president John Kufuor told the BBC he was very proud.
“I am overwhelmed with happiness. It seems that mighty are falling before us. And naturally we are all elated in Ghana. We are all for celebration now.”
In the other match in Group E, Italy claimed the top spot with a 2-nil victory over the Czech Republic, who are eliminated. The World Cup holders Brazil showed impressive form in a 4-1 defeat of Japan to top Group F.
And that's the latest BBC World News.
words and expressions:
habitat: The area or type of environment in which an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs: jubilancy:欢呼, 喜气洋洋 rapporteur: One who is designated to give a report, as at a meeting. surrogate: A person or an animal that functions as a substitute for another, as in a social or family role.
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