BBC News with Gaenor Howells
Air-raid sirens have sounded in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv as rockets were fired towards the city by Palestinian militants for the first time in more than two decades. There were no casualties. The Israeli government has given the go ahead for the army to call-up 30,000 reservists, and Defense Minister, Ehud Barak said the militants would be made to pay the price for their actions. Our defense and diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus reports.
This is the first time that Israel largest population centre has been threatened by rocket fire since the 1991 Gulf War. The radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad says that it fired a Fajr-5 missile at Tel Aviv. This Iranian supplied missile is the only weapon in the Palestinians arsenal with a sufficient range of around 75km. Israel had claimed to destroy the bulk of Palestinians Fajr-5 missiles in their hiding places. Targeting Tel Aviv could be a significant red line in this conflict, potentially opening the way to a much deeper Israeli military involvement on the ground.
The Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil is to visit Gaza on Friday. The BBC understands that Cairo is actively trying to mediate between Israel and Hamas over the fighting. Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi has condemned the Israel's actions and said they'd affect stability in the region.
The British energy company BP has agreed to pay $4bn to the US authorities in connection with a huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill two years ago. The US Attorney General, Eric Holder said three BP employees had been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the disaster. Jonny Dymond reports from Washington.
It is the largest single criminal fine in US history, $1.25bn just part of the $4bn criminal settlement that BP has made with the American Department of Justice. BP will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges taking responsibility for the deaths of 11 men killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and for the environmental disaster that followed. Two of BP's workers from the rig will be charged with manslaughter, and the former vice-president of exploration will be charged with obstruction of Congress. This is not the end of the BP's troubles. There is still a civil suit outstanding with the Federal Government, one that could cost the BP billions more.
The BBC has agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in damages to a former senior British political figure, Lord McAlpine, after broadcasting a report which resulted in him being wrongly identified as a child abuser. A BBC statement said the settlement reflected the gravity of the false allegations. The BBC television report had not directly named Lord McAlpine, but it resulted in him being identified. Lord McAlpine's lawyers have said the legal action will be taken against those who used social networking sites to name him.
World News from the BBC
Fresh fighting has broken out in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo between government troops and rebels. A BBC correspondent at the scene says the army has deployed tanks and helicopter gunships. He says the clashes about 30km north of the provincial capital Goma are the most serious in months. Nearly half a million people have been displaced since soldiers mutinied in April to set up the rebel group - the M23. The United Nations accuses Rwanda and Uganda of backing the rebels, allegations they both deny.
Nigeria says that it expects to deploy troops to northern Mali within the weeks to fight the Islamist militant there. The head of the Nigeria's armed forces Admiral Ola Ibrahim said it was necessary to defeat the Islamists to ensure that instability didn't spread to other parts of West Africa. Will Ross reports.
Ola Ibrahim said once the United Nations Security Council has given the green light for the mission, Nigerian troops would be on the ground in Mali within one or two weeks. West African leaders are still hoping peace talks can be held with the Islamist militants who control northern Mali, but dialogue seems unlikely to succeed, and there are plans for more 3,000 West African soldiers to be deployed to oust the militants.
The Colombian security forces have arrested three men they suspected of shooting dead ten farm workers last week. The killing was one of the worst targeted attacks in Colombia in years. Police say the suspects belong to a criminal gang whose leader ordered the attack from behind bars.
President Obama has visited several areas in New York city devastated by a huge storm Sandy which hit the east coast of the US two and a half weeks ago. Mr Obama promised ongoing Federal's support for the victims and said the hardest areas would need a long term recovery plan. In the states of New York and New Jersey, there are still people without electricity 17 days after the storm.
BBC News
參考譯文
Nick Kelly為你播報BBC新聞。
BBC在聯(lián)合國網(wǎng)上看到一篇報告,報告稱聯(lián)合國對三年半前斯里蘭卡內(nèi)戰(zhàn)最后階段未能保護平民的事件負責。這篇草擬報告稱聯(lián)合國駐科倫坡官員不認為阻止平民被殺是自己的責任。但時任聯(lián)合國人權(quán)事務(wù)秘書長的約翰·侯爾姆斯稱指控不實。
“我 認為每個人都在盡自己所能來保護平民,尤其是被困在猛虎組織手中的泰米爾人。事實是這樣的,政府堅決不惜一切代價要結(jié)束這場戰(zhàn)爭,甚至不惜犧牲平民,這一 點是很明確的。我不準備聽聯(lián)合國或任何強國所說的話,也不會作出回答,事實是,這篇匆忙作出的報告并沒提到這一點。沒有一個大國準備阻止殺戮。”
在西方國家中,法國第一個正式承認周日成立的新的敘利亞反對派集團。法國總統(tǒng)弗朗索瓦·奧朗德稱法國認為該聯(lián)盟是代表敘利亞人民的合法代表。Sebastian Usher報道。
奧 朗德的聲明清楚表明,西方現(xiàn)在將希望放在敘利亞反對派身上,希望他們能作為統(tǒng)一并有效的組織代替總統(tǒng)阿薩德。奧朗德說最重要的是,一旦反對派成立合適的流 亡政府,就會考慮對其提供武裝的問題。新的反對派領(lǐng)導人稱這是當務(wù)之急。美國和英國都談到聯(lián)盟的合法性問題,但并未完全認可,兩國都希望該聯(lián)盟能先證明其 合法性。
敘利亞最重要的援助機構(gòu)稱目前敘利亞境內(nèi)已有至少250萬
人流離失所,來自敘利亞阿拉伯紅新月組織的數(shù)字比之前預(yù)測的兩倍還要多。聯(lián)合國難民機構(gòu)稱這個數(shù)字表明人們在到處尋找避難地。
總統(tǒng)奧巴馬暫停提名美國駐阿富汗高級軍事官員約翰·艾倫為北約最高指揮。美國國防部正在調(diào)查有關(guān)對艾倫將軍的指控,一名官員稱艾倫與一名女性調(diào)情并保持通信,此女還與上周圍繞中情局局長大衛(wèi)·彼得雷烏斯辭職的丑聞有關(guān)。約翰尼·戴蒙德報道。
國 防部正在審查將軍與吉爾·凱利多達數(shù)萬頁的通訊記錄,吉爾·凱利是他和前將軍大衛(wèi)·彼得雷烏斯共同的朋友,彼得雷烏斯在緋聞曝光后已于周五辭去中情局局長 一職。到目前為止,國防部一直認為這些郵件可能有不當信息,但尚不清楚是否違反安全的問題。白宮發(fā)言人杰伊·卡尼說總統(tǒng)信任艾倫將軍,認為他在阿富汗表現(xiàn) 不錯。
美國財政部稱聯(lián)邦預(yù)算赤字急劇上升,與去年同期相比,稱10月份政府收入和開支之間的差距增加了22%。12月底將實施增稅和削減開支的措施,這將大幅度降低赤字,但分析家警告說,這可能會美國再度帶回衰退。
德國研究機構(gòu)稱去年全球二氧化碳排放量達到歷史最高點,二氧化碳被普遍認為是導致氣溫變暖的元兇。去年二氧化碳的排放量比2010年高出2.5%。麥特·麥格瓦斯報道。
中 國在全球名列最前,二氧化碳排放量比美國多大約50%,而美國由于發(fā)電用天然氣替代煤炭,二氧化碳排放量有所減少。印度排名第三,其次是俄羅斯和日本。報 告在很大程度上與年初國際能源機構(gòu)的分析相吻合,該機構(gòu)稱二氧化碳排放量的增加主要來自發(fā)展中國家,而發(fā)達國家已經(jīng)減少了很多排放量。
聯(lián)合國駐海地機構(gòu)稱,由于颶風桑迪帶來的破壞,以及過去6個月來這個貧困國家遭受的系列自然災(zāi)害,2013年該國將有150人可能缺少食物。聯(lián)合國世界糧食署稱許多地區(qū)仍然與世隔絕,而嚴重干旱令情況更糟。
肯尼亞總統(tǒng)Mwai Kibaki下令部署軍隊到本國北部偏遠地區(qū),周末武裝分子發(fā)動突襲,殺死42名警察??偨y(tǒng)聲明稱軍隊將協(xié)助警方逮捕襲擊者,追回被盜的牛和武器。警察是在追捕一群盜牛者的過程中遇襲的,這些盜牛者有殺死13人的嫌疑。