The Basque separatist organisation Eta, which aims to gain independence for the Basque region from Spain, has announced what it calls a "definitive

cessation

of armed activity". The announcement comes days after international negotiators called on both Basque separatists and the Spanish government to hold talks about their long-running conflict. James Robbins reports.

Eta's leaders are still fugitives. Their new video message could mark an end to four decades of killings. It is time, the Eta spokesman says, to look to the future with hope; it is also time to act with responsibility and courage. He goes on, Eta has decided on a definitive cessation of its armed activity. And it's those words - definitive cessation of armed activity - which are crucial. International mediators urged their inclusion to signal something much more than a ceasefire, which Eta has promised and broken in the past.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, has said he's free from cancer after returning home from Cuba, where he had a checkup. Mr Chavez said the four rounds of chemotherapy he's had have been successful. Mr Chavez has so far not given any details of his cancer.

BBC News

第二页：中文译文

利比亚总理马哈茂德·贾布里勒宣布前国家领导人穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲死亡。

“作为利比亚人，我们一直在等待这个历史性的时刻，卡扎菲已经被杀。至于为何被杀，是谁杀的，我们的专家正在调查中。一旦有了结果，我们会向大家宣布。”