BBC News with Marion Marshall
A wave of bomb explosions across Baghdad have killed at least 63 people and injured up to 300 others. The blasts took place on Tuesday evening, hours after Christians held a funeral service for more than 50 people killed in Sunday's church hostage siege in the city. From Baghdad, Jim Muir reports.
Many of the victims from the Sunday outrage had just been laid to rest after a big funeral in central Baghdad when the bombs started going off in what appeared to be a coordinated campaign. Most of them were car bombs, but there was at least one roadside bomb and later a salvo of four mortars hit an area in southwest Baghdad. Police cars toured some parts of the city, announcing that a curfew had been imposed. Security officials said most of the bombs went off in areas with no particular target, but they were all in busy districts, near shops, markets or cafes.
The prime minister of Lebanon says the Middle East is heading for disaster as it's been impossible to negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement between the Arabs and Israel. In an interview with the BBC, Saad Hariri said the situation was deteriorating despite attempts at peace.
"Everybody wants to talk about Iran and their nuclear programme, but at the same time what is the international community doing for the peace process? We have been faced every day with a bulldozer on TV, and hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims are seeing that, bulldozing a house where a family of Palestinians living in that historical house for the..."
"You're saying Israeli actions are inflaming the region."
"I'm saying Israeli actions are not only inflaming the region, but affecting the whole world."
Americans are voting in mid-term elections that could alter the balance of power in the United States Congress. Opinion polls suggest President Obama's Democrats will lose control of the House of Representatives, and the race for the Senate is also expected to be close. From Washington, Bethany Bell reports.
The Republican Party needs to gain 39 seats to win control of the House and 10 to take over the Senate. The Republicans and the populist Tea Party movement are hoping to benefit from the deep discontent about the weak economy and high unemployment. If they succeed, they'll have a significant impact on President Obama's ability to pass legislation. But while this election is being seen as a referendum on his government, it's not necessarily a ringing endorsement of the Republicans either.
The German interior minister says a parcel bomb sent to Chancellor Angela Merkel had come from Greece and was similar to a number of small bombs found in foreign embassies in Athens over the past few days. The bomb was safely defused at Mrs Merkel's office in Berlin, and no one was hurt. It's not known who sent them, but suspicion has fallen on Greek far left-wing groups. Two other parcel bombs exploded earlier in the day in the Russian and Swiss embassies in Athens.
World News from the BBC
After weeks of political turmoil, Kosovo's government has lost a parliamentary vote of confidence. It triggers early elections next month, the first since Kosovo self-declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Correspondents say the Prime Minister Hashim Thaci would hope to strengthen his position by blaming the crisis on the government's former allies, who withdrew from the Kosovo cabinet in September. Here is Mark Lowen.
Less than three years since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, its government has collapsed, and this tiny fragile corner of Europe now faces yet more instability. The no-confidence motion was brought by the opposition and was passed with 66 votes out of 120-strong parliament. All of this comes at a crucial moment for Kosovo. Serbia, which rejects the unilateral secession by its southern province, has recently agreed to the first face-to-face talks with the Kosovan government to resolve one of Europe's most intractable conflicts.
Results from a referendum in Niger show more than 90% of voters have backed a new constitution designed to return the country to civilian rule. It was put forward by the country's military leaders, who came to power in a coup in February. It provides for elections next January and a handover of power in April.
The New York-based campaign group Human Rights Watch has called for the release of a number of Sudanese activists in Darfur who, it says, have been arrested over the past few days. It said at least eight human rights activists had been detained without charge. There has been no word from the Sudanese authorities.
The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been accused by gay rights groups of fuelling homophobia. The allegations came after Mr Berlusconi said it was better to like beautiful girls than to be gay. He was referring to allegations that he pressured the police into dropping an investigation into an 18-year-old belly dancer. Mr Berlusconi rejected calls for his resignation.
BBC News
巴格达一系列炸弹爆炸造成至少63人死亡,300人受伤。爆炸发生在周二晚上,基督徒为在周日的教堂劫持事件中遇难的50多人举行葬礼几个小时之后。巴格达,Jim Muir报道。
巴格达中部举行了一场隆重的葬礼,周日劫持事件的许多受害者被安葬,随后炸弹开始爆炸,这似乎是一场有计划的行动。许多都是汽车炸弹,但是至少有一枚路边炸弹,随后,四门迫击炮袭击了巴格达西南部地区。警车巡查了巴格达部分地区,宣布实施宵禁。安全官员表示,大部分炸弹在没有特别目标的地区爆炸,但是全部是在人流拥挤的商店,市场和咖啡馆附近。
黎巴嫩总理称,中东地区正在走向灾难,因为阿拉伯和以色列之间不可能达成全面的和平协议。在BBC的采访中,萨阿德·哈里里(Saad Hariri)表示,尽管各方努力追求和平,形势仍然在恶化。
“每个人都想讨论伊朗和他们的核项目,但是同时,国际社会又为和平进程采取了什么措施?我们每天在电视上看到的都是推土机,数百万阿拉伯人和穆斯林看到的也是,巴勒斯坦家庭居住的历史性的房屋被推土机铲平。”
“你是说以色列的行为激怒了这个地区?”
“我要说的是,以色列的行为不仅激怒了这个地区,也影响了整个世界。”
美国人正在针对中期选举进行投票,这次选举将改变美国国会的权利平衡。民意测验表明,奥巴马的民主党将失去对众议院的控制权,参议院的竞争也会非常激烈。华盛顿,Bethany Bell报道。
共和党需要赢得众议院39个席位才能控制众议院,而要控制参议院则要赢得10个席位。共和党和茶党希望在人们对经济衰弱和高失业率的不满中受益。如果他们成功,他们将对奥巴马总统通过立法的能力产生重大影响。但是尽管这次选举被视为对奥巴马政府的全民公决,并不一定意味着对共和党的赞同。
德国内政部长表示,寄送给总理默克尔的炸弹包裹来自希腊,与过去几天雅典的外国大使馆收到的几个小型炸弹类似。这枚炸弹已经在柏林默克尔的办公室排爆,无人受伤。目前还不知道这枚炸弹是何人寄送,但是嫌疑最大的是希腊极左派组织。当天早些时候,雅典俄罗斯和瑞士大使馆两个炸弹包裹爆炸。
BBC世界新闻。
经过数周的政治混乱之后,科索沃政府议会信心投票失败。这引发了这月的提前选举,这是自2008年科索沃自己宣布从塞尔维亚独立以来的首次选举。通讯员表示,总理哈新姆·塔西(Hashim Thaci) 希望将这场政治危机归咎于九月份退出科索沃内阁的前盟友,从而增强自己的地位。Mark Lowen报道。
科索沃宣布从塞尔维亚独立不到三年的时间,政府崩溃,欧洲这个脆弱的角落现在面临更多动乱。这个无信心的形势是由反对跑造成,议会120个席位中66人通过。这一切发生的时间对科索沃来说是一个关键的时刻。塞尔维亚反对这个南方省份的单边决定。他们最近同意与科索沃政府进行首次面对面的对话,解决欧洲最难以解决的冲突。
尼日尔全民公投的结果显示,超过90%的投票者支持新的宪法,恢复平民对国家的统治。这部宪法由尼日尔军事领袖提出,他在二月份的军事政变中掌握政权。宪法规定明年一月份进行选举,四月份移交权力。
纽约组织人权观察呼吁释放过去几天在达尔富尔北部的苏丹积极分子。该组织称,至少八名人权积极分子在无控告的情况下被拘留。苏丹当局没有给出任何回应。
意大利总理贝卢斯科尼被同性恋权益组织指控煽动对同性恋的憎恶。贝卢斯科尼声称喜欢漂亮姑娘比当同性恋更好之后,人们提出了该指控。人们指的是他说服警察放弃对18岁的芭蕾舞蹈演员的调查一事。他拒绝了人们要求他辞职的呼声。
1.salvo n.(炮火)齐射,(礼炮)齐鸣
例句:a salvo of guns
礼炮齐鸣
2.particular adj.特定的, 某一的
例句:This is his particular problems.
这是他个人的问题。
特殊的, 特别的, 特有的
例句:This is a particular case.
这是一种特殊情况。
3.inflame vt.vi.(使)变红, 发怒, 过热
例句:to inflame violent feelings
激起强烈的情绪
Her question seemed to inflame him all the more.
她的问题似乎更加激怒了他。
4.alter vt.vi.改变, 更改
例句:As times alter, men's affections change.
时过境迁。
She is trying to alter the coat.
她正设法改那件衣服。
5.significant adj.重要的, 重大的, 可观的
例句:This is a significant contribution to knowledge.
这是对知识的重大贡献。
Your success today may be significant for your whole future.
你今天的成功对你的整个未来可能是重要的。
6.endorsement n.(公开的)赞同,支持,认可
例句:endorsement for the plan
对计划的支持
endorsement of the product by the Consumer Council
消费者协会作出的对本产品的认可
7.unilateral adj.单方面做出的;仅影响一方的;单方面的;单边的
例句:a unilateral decision
单方面的决定
Let’s put it to the question.How many people here are in favour of unilateral disarmament?让我们畅所欲言,这儿有多少人赞成单方面裁军?
1.A wave of bomb explosions across Baghdad have killed at least 63 people and injured up to 300 others.
up to多达
例句:I can take up to four people in my car.
我的汽车最多能坐四个人。
2.The Republicans and the populist Tea Party movement are hoping to benefit from the deep discontent about the weak economy and high unemployment.
benefit from通过…获益
例句:He thought he would benefit from going to school.
他认为上学对他有好处。
3.Correspondents say the Prime Minister Hashim Thaci would hope to strengthen his position by blaming the crisis on the government's former allies, who withdrew from the Kosovo cabinet in September.
blame on把责任推给…
例句:They blamed the failure on John.
他们把失败的责任推给约翰。
You can't blame the rise in prices on the government.
你不能把物价上涨归咎于政府。
4.It was put forward by the country's military leaders, who came to power in a coup in February.
put forward提出
例句:He put forward a plan for the committee to consider.
他提出一项计划交由全体委员审议。
A suitable answer has already been put forward by the chairman.
一个合适的解决办法已由主席提出。