BBC News with Jonathan Wheatley
A record ransom has been paid to Somali pirates in exchange for a South Korean tanker. About $9m was paid for the Samho Dream, which was seized in April while carrying oil from Iraq to the United States. In a separate move, nearly $3m was paid for the Golden Blessing, a Chinese-owned chemical tanker registered in Singapore. Somali pirates are holding at least 25 other ships. Kevin Mwachiro reports.
The Chinese tanker has already been released and is reported to be under Chinese naval escort to safer waters. It had been in pirate hands since April, anchored off the coastal town of Hobyo in central Somalia. The ship's 23 crew members are said to be in good health. It's reported that the South Korean tanker with its cargo of oil and 24 crew will be released later in the day.
Pope Benedict has criticised what he called the return of anti-church attitudes in Spain during his first day of a visit to the country. He said Spain was experiencing a drive towards secularisation like that seen in the 1930s.
"This clash between faith and modernity, both very lively, is happening again today in Spain. For the future of the faith, it is this meeting, not a confrontation, but a meeting between faith and secularism, which has a central point in Spanish culture. In this regard, I am thinking of all the main Western countries, but especially about Spain."
The comments are a reference to the civil war era, during which Republican forces killed thousands of priests and nuns and burnt churches.
Several airlines have suspended flights to the Indonesian capital Jakarta because of fears that volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi could damage aircraft engines. Some international flights have been diverted to other airports, although domestic flights appear largely unaffected.
The government of Haiti says more than 500 people are now known to have died in the current cholera epidemic. Serious flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas has raised fears that the disease will spread. Our correspondent Laura Trevelyan is in Haiti's second biggest city, Leogane, where flooding remains a serious problem.
We've just arrived in Leogane. Now this town was 90% destroyed by the earthquake in January, and now the main roads are flooded. It's flooded almost to my knee. And what's happened is that people living in the camps that were set up for the earthquake survivors, those camps are now flooded, and so for the second time in a year, people have been made homeless. Not only is Haiti trying to recover from the earthquake, deal with the cholera outbreak, and now the aftermath of the hurricane.
A strike by BBC journalists is in its second day. Members of the National Union of Journalists are protesting at changes to their pensions. The BBC says it won't be improving its final offer to staff.
World News from the BBC
The 2,000-year-old House of the Gladiators in the ruins of ancient Pompeii in southern Italy has collapsed. Pompeii, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius back in 79 AD. David Willey now reports.
No one was injured in the collapse which occurred at dawn and was discovered by guards when they arrived for work. The area was closed to tourists. The building excavated from the volcanic ash, which destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD, was damaged by Allied bombs during the Second World War. Part of it was covered by a heavy modern concrete roof built in the 1950s, which was weakened by water infiltration.
President Barack Obama on a 10-day tour of Asia has announced $10bn worth of trade deals with India. The White House says the deals will help support more than 50,000 jobs in the United States.
Burma is holding its first general election for 20 years on Sunday. The military, which has ruled Burma for almost 50 years, has called the elections. But the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, led by the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, is boycotting them. And candidates supporting the military are expected to win most of the seats. The British ambassador in Burma, Andrew Heyn, told the BBC he didn't think the elections were a sign of real change.
"There's nothing in these elections themselves that could give us grounds for optimism. That doesn't mean we turn our backs and walk away. We continue to press for progress after the elections, and if that progress happens, we will of course welcome it. But in and of themselves, these elections don't mark a step for progress."
Sports news now: Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg took pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The four main championship hopefuls will line up right behind Hulkenberg in this season's penultimate race. In football, Manchester United secured a late win over Wolves in the Premier League.
BBC News
一艘韩国油轮支付了创纪录的巨额赎金之后,索马里海盗才将他们释放。四月份,“三湖梦幻”号油轮从伊拉克向美国运输石油时被劫持,共支付了接近900万美元的赎金。在另外一次单独的行动中,在新加坡注册的一艘中国化学轮船Golden Blessing支付了接近300万美元的赎金。索马里海盗目前还劫持着至少25艘其他船只。Kevin Mwachiro报道。
这艘中国轮船已经获释,据报道,已经由中国海军护送到安全区域。自四月份以来,这艘化学品轮船一直被海盗手劫持在索马里中部海岸城镇霍比亚。据称船上23名船员健康状况良好。据报道,当天晚些时候,韩国油轮及24名船员也会获释。
教皇本笃访问西班牙的第一天就批评了西班牙的反教堂态度。他说,西班牙正在向类似于30年代的世俗主义前进。
“信仰和现代化之间的冲突在西班牙已经凸显出来,双方都非常剧烈。为了宗教的未来,才出现了这次碰撞,而不是冲突,这是信仰和世俗之间的碰撞,中心点就是西班牙文化。关于这一点,我想到了所有主要的西方国家,但是以西班牙最为严重。”
教皇的评论指的是内战期间,共和党军队杀害了数千名神父和羞怒,并纵火烧掉教堂。
由于担心默拉皮火山喷发的火山灰破坏飞机引擎,几家航空公司已经暂停了飞往印尼首都雅加达的航班。几个国际航班已经转向其他机场,不过国内航班总体来说似乎没有受到影响。
海地政府表示,目前的霍乱流行已经造成500多人死亡。飓风托马斯造成的严重洪水增加了人们对疫情进一步传播的担忧。我们的记者Laura Trevelyan正在海地第二大城市利奧甘尼,这里的洪水依然是非常严重的问题。
我们刚刚抵达利奧甘尼。这个城镇的90%已经被1月份的洪水摧毁,现在,主要的道路已经被洪水淹没。现在,洪水已经淹没了我的膝盖。现在的状况是,为地震幸存者搭建的帐篷也被洪水淹没,居住在这里的人们一年中第二次无家可归。海地不仅要努力从地震中恢复,应对霍乱疫情,现在还要处理飓风带来的破坏。
BBC记者的罢工已经进入第二天。国家记者联盟的成员抗议对他们的养老金进行改革。BBC表示,他们不会改变为员工提供的最后版本的计划。
BBC世界新闻。
意大利南部庞贝古城废墟上屹立了2000年的“战士之家”崩塌。庞贝古城是联合国教科文组织世界遗址,公元79年维苏威火山喷发时被摧毁。David Willey报道。
战士之家在黎明时崩塌,前往这里工作的卫兵发现了这一点,所幸无人受伤。该地区对游客已经关闭。公元79年的火山喷发摧毁了庞贝古城,在火山灰中发掘出的这个建筑在第二次世界大战期间受到损坏。五十年代,该建筑的一部分由重型现代化混凝土屋顶覆盖,但是由于水的渗透,已经不再那么坚固。
奥巴马总统正在对亚洲进行为期十天的访问。在此期间,他宣布与印度签署数百亿美元的贸易协议。白宫方面表示,这些协议在美国将创造超过50,000个工作岗位。
周日,缅甸举行20年来首次大选。统治了缅甸接近50年代军方呼吁进行这次选举。但是诺贝尔奖得主昂山素季领导的主要反对派政党全国民主联盟(NLD)却抵制大选。预期支持军方的候选人将赢得大部分席位。英国驻缅甸大使Andrew Heyn告诉BBC,他认为这次选举不会带来真正的变革。
“这些选举没有任何因素可以使我们对形势更加乐观。这并不意味着我们拂袖而去。选举之后,我们将继续要求取得进展,一旦取得进展,我们当然热烈欢迎。但是从选举本身来看,没有任何可以取得进展的迹象。”
现在来看一下体育新闻:威廉姆斯车手Nico Hulkenberg夺下巴西国际汽车大奖赛的杆位。在本赛季倒数第二场比赛中,四个最个希望获胜的选手将排在Hulkenberg后面。足球方面,在超级联赛中,曼联战胜了狼队。
1.register vt.vi.记录; 登记; 注册
例句:An increasing number of students are registering for degree courses each year.
每年, 越来越多的学生注册学习学位课程。
2.escort vt.护送; 护卫
例句:Who will escort this young lady home?
谁护送这位小姐回家?
The Queen's yacht was escorted by destroyers.
女王的游艇由驱逐舰护航。
3.reference n.说到(或写到)的事;提到;谈及;涉及
例句:The play is full of references to the political events of those days.
剧本涉及当时的许多政治事件。
4.divert vt.使转移[向],使转向;使绕道;转移
例句:The cartoon diverted the children.
那部卡通片转移了孩子们的注意力。
5.excavate vt.挖掘, 开凿
例句:They plan to excavate a large hole.
他们计划挖个大洞。
6.infiltration n.渗入,渗透,渗透物
7.laureate n.资金〔荣誉〕获得者
例句:He was a Nobel laureate in physics.
他是一位诺贝尔物理学奖获得者。
8.boycott vt.拒绝购买(或使用、参加);抵制
例句:They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike.
他们抵制那家商店, 因为那里的店员在罢工。
9.penultimate adj.倒数第二的
例句:Y is the penultimate letter of the alphabet.
Y是字母表中倒数第二个字母。
1.A record ransom has been paid to Somali pirates in exchange for a South Korean tanker.
in exchange for交换
例句:Tom gave Helen an apple in exchange for a piece of cake.
汤姆用一个苹果与海伦换一块蛋糕。
2.And what's happened is that people living in the camps that were set up for the earthquake survivors, those camps are now flooded, and so for the second time in a year, people have been made homeless.
what's happened是what引导的名词性从句做主语。that people living……是that引导的表语从句。that were set up是定语从句,修饰camps。后面是和前面并列的句子,详细说明目前的形势。
3.Not only is Haiti trying to recover from the earthquake, deal with the cholera outbreak, and now the aftermath of the hurricane.
Not only倒装
not only…but also…前后连接两个句子时,not only后的句子要用部分倒装,但but also后的分句不用倒装。如:
Not only did he come, but he saw her. 他不仅来了,而且还见到了她。
Not only does she speak Spanish, (but) she also knows how to type. 她不但会说西班牙语,还会打字呢。
Not only is he a teacher, but he is also a poet. 他不仅是一位教师,而且是一位诗人。
Not only did he speak more correctly, but he spoke more easily. 不仅他讲得更正确,也讲得更不费劲了。
Not only did they present a musical performance, but they also gave a brief introduction to the history of Western brass instruments. 他们不但做了音乐表演,而且简短地介绍了西方铜管乐器的历史。
4.The four main championship hopefuls will line up right behind Hulkenberg in this season's penultimate race.
line up排成一行
例句:Line up these men and see if the witness can recognize the criminal.
让这些人站成一排看看见证人能否从中把罪犯认出来。