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听力材料：
BBC News with Stewart Macintosh
With fighting intensifying in the Syrian capitalDamascus, the latest
diplomatic effort tostrengthen United Nations sanctions againstPresident Assad's
government has failed. Russia andChina again vetoed a UN Security Council
resolution proposing further sanctions as LauraTrevelyan reports from New
York.
The British-drafted resolution would have renewed the mandate of the UN
monitoring missionin Syria and sought to impose sanctions against President
Assad's government if it continuedto use heavy weapons. All Western countries
said this was the best way to increase pressureon Syria's rulers; Russia and
China disagreed. Russia, a key ally of Damascus, said aresolution under Chapter
7 of the United Nations Charter could ultimately lead to militaryintervention in
Syria.
The American ambassador at the UN, Susan Rice, said the US would now work
outside the UNSecurity Council to bring pressure on the Syrian government. In
Damascus, Syriangovernment troops launched sustained assaults on rebels as
President Assad appeared ontelevision for the first time since the bombing
killed three of his inner circle on Wednesday.Syrian state television showed Mr
Assad swearing in a new defense minister while his forcesused tanks, heavy
artillery and helicopter gunships against opposition fighters. Rebel
sourcesreported many casualties.
Syrian opposition fighters have seized border crossings with Iraq and
Turkey as Jim Muirreports from neighboring Lebanon.
Perhaps sensing that the regime was too preoccupied with the battle at the
center, rebelfighters stormed all the border posts along the eastern frontier
with Iraq. Iraqi officials said 22Syrian border guards were summarily executed
after their post was overrun. At least twoother posts on the northern Turkish
border were also reported to have been seized. Thedevelopments on the borders
are likely to make it easier for the rebels to bring in more armsand fighters
although Iraq's government, which is dominated by the Shiite majority and
issympathetic to President Assad, has threatened to close it.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed the Islamist group
Hezbollah for thesuicide bombing of a bus full of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria
on Wednesday. Mr Netanyahu saidthe group based in Lebanon was being sponsored by
Iran.
"Yesterday's attack in Bulgaria was perpetrated by Hezbollah, Iran's
leading terrorist proxy.This attack was part of a global campaign of terror
carried out by Iran and Hezbollah. Iranmust be exposed by the international
community as the premier terrorist-supporting statethat it is."
Iran has denied any involvement in the attack. The Bulgarian authorities
say a white man withlong hair seen on video footage may have carried out the
attack. Seven people died and morethan 30 were injured in the attack in the
Black Sea resort of Burgas.
You're listening to the World News from the BBC.
The political parties who came second and third in Mexico's presidential
election earlier thismonth are demanding an investigation into allegations that
the winning party, PRI, usedlaundered money in its campaign. The PRI has
rejected the accusation as 'flagrantdefamation'. The second placed candidate,
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has already filed alegal challenge to the election
result.
The President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar, says there will be an
investigation into the deaths ofat least three people during clashes on
Wednesday. Demonstrators protesting against risingelectricity prices in the town
of Linden said police had fired bullets and tear gas into the crowd.Protesters
burnt down a local electricity plant and the offices of the governing party.
They sayrampant poverty and high unemployment make it impossible for them to pay
more for theirelectricity.
British immigration and passport control staff are to go on strike on the
eve of the LondonOlympics in a dispute about pay and job cuts. The action is
expected to cause particulardisruption to people flying into London for the
games. Their day-long stoppage will be followedby a three-week overtime ban. The
Home Secretary Theresa May condemned the strike.
"I think that is shameful, frankly. They are holding a strike on what is
one of the key days forpeople coming into this country for the Olympic Games. I
believe it's not right for them to holda strike. They will risk damaging
people's enjoyment of coming through into the UK. We will ofcourse put
contingency arrangements in place to ensure that we can deal with people
comingthrough the border as smoothly as possible."
The Olympic tennis champion, Rafael Nadal, has pulled out of the London
Games, saying he'snot in condition to compete in the tournament. He also said he
would not attend the Gameswhen he was due to be the flag-bearer for Spain during
the opening ceremony. Rafael Nadalhasn't played since he was eliminated in the
second round of Wimbledon to the 100th rankedLukas Rosol.
And that's the latest BBC News.
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发表于 2016-7-11 17:31:45