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听力文稿 ( Transcript )
President Chirac has said France is ready to contribute 2, 000 troops to the expanded United Nations force for southern Lebanon and to continue commanding the mission. B reports from Paris.
The French president said two more battalions of French troops will be deployed in Lebanon. The 1, 600 more troops will bring to 2, 000 the number of French troops on the ground. Mr. Chirac also said that France was ready, if the UN wished it, to assume command. The French have come in for much criticism for agreeing to send initially only another 200 troops. But the president said on television that France had received the necessary clarification about the rules of engagement for the troops and their ability to take action.
Israel described the offer as positive. The UN said it hoped other countries will make similar announcements when the Secretary-General Kofi Annan meets European Union foreign ministers on Friday.
The head of the Israeli Security Service Shin Bet has accused the government of abandoning residents of northern Israel during the conflict with Hezbollah. The Security Chief Yuval Diskin told a close security forum that government systems in northern Israel collapsed completely during the Hezbollah rocket attacks on the area. The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised more than 2 billion dollars to rebuild the worst affected towns in northern Israel.
The British army has pulled out one of its biggest bases in southern Iraq. Officers said the move followed an assessment that Iraqi police were capable of dealing with any continuing security problems in the area in Maysan province. The British army said troops on the base will be redeployed in smaller mobile units along the Iranian border in an attempt to intercept weapons smugglers.
You are listening to the World News from the BBC.
Apple Computer is recalling 1. 8 million laptop batteries after complaints from users. It follows the manufacturer Dell which recalled some of its computers last week, the largest in history. Our North America business correspondent Guto Harri has the details.
Apple took this decision after 9 complaints about certain laptops overheating. US regulators say that caused minor burns in two users. The computers have affected the Apple iBook G4 and the equivalent PowerBooks sold between October 2003 and last month. 1. 1 million of the batteries affected are here in the United States, another 700, 000 are overseas. This is the second largest battery recall ever, second only to the decision by the No. 1 PC maker Dell last week to recall 4. 1 million batteries.
A comprehensive study of research from all over Europe shows that spring really is getting earlier. Scientists from 17 countries collaborated on the project, which shows that the seasons are changing most in countries that have experienced the biggest increases in average temperatures. Our environment correspondent Tom Field reports.
The scientists examined more than 125, 000 records on the leafing, flowering, and fruiting dates of more than 500 European plants going back 30 years, making this the most comprehensive study of the shifting pattern of the seasons ever undertaken. The results show an average advance for spring of between 6 and 8 days across the Continent. And although it may not feel like at the moment, autumn is actually getting later. The researchers argued the results show real evidence that climate change is affecting the seasons.
Professional astronomers have decided to downgrade the status of Pluto which is being regarded as the 9th planet in our solar system since its discovery in 1930. The International Astronomical Union at its general assembly in Prague has approved the definition of a planet which excludes Pluto and puts it in a new category of celestial objects called dwarf planets. Professor M, a professor of astrophysics in space research in the University of Birmingham in England, said it's important to have a clear definition of what makes a planet.
Science needs very precise definitions to make its advances. The problem really is that over the years we build better more sensitive telescopes and they can see more objects in the solar system. And so we need to have a good definition exactly what is a planet, and exactly what is a piece of rubble left over from when the solar system was formed. And unfortunately for poor Pluto, it's falling into the rubble rather than being retained as a planet.
Officials in Ecuador say they are worried about the discovery of foreign species on the Galapagos Islands, a unique animal habitat in the Pacific Ocean. Despite regular inspections of incoming vessels, local residents recently found an iguana and a turtle. Final test is still being conducted, but there are particular concerns about the iguana, which reproduces quickly and could start competing with native species. The British naturalist Charles Darwin developed his Theory of Evolution after visiting the island in 1831.
BBC World News.
Words and Expressions: iguana - An iguana is a type of large lizard found in America.
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