extort
bus and taxi drivers for a protection racket.
Russia's presidential human rights council has advised President Dmitry Medvedev that last Sunday's parliamentary elections should be rerun if allegations of widespread
vote-rigging
are confirmed and if the true results cannot be established. The council, which has no power to order a fresh ballot, said that reports of election fraud were of deep concern and that those who carried out violations should be prosecuted.
BBC News
第二页:中英双语听力稿
The European Union has decided to press ahead without Britain with a plan to forge a tighter fiscal union. The plan is to sign a pact by March if national parliaments agree. The British Prime Minister David Cameron was the only one of the 27 EU leaders to refuse to take part. From Brussels, here's Andrew Walker.
欧盟决定在英国不参与的情况下推进建立更严格的财政同盟,如果各国议会通过,计划将于三月份签署一项协议。英国首相戴维德·卡梅隆是唯一拒绝参加的欧盟27国领导人。Andrew Walker在布鲁塞尔报道。
The core of what the summit agreed was a system of tougher discipline over government finances. The deal has been accepted by the 17 countries that use the euro and six others. Three of the remaining leaders will consult their parliaments, so Britain could end up completely isolated. Those who do take part will accept new limits on borrowing and face possible sanctions if they break the rules. They also agreed measures to increase the funds available for bailouts of struggling governments. It'll be done as an agreement between the countries that want to participate. Some, including the German leader Angela Merkel, would have preferred amendments to EU treaties, which require all governments to agree. But David Cameron wanted some guarantees about the regulation of financial services, which he was unable to get.