The Swiss have rejected proposals for more
annual leave
. The plans were
turned down
in a referendum. Two thirds of voters said no to bringing the annual
entitlement
from four to six weeks, the standard in most of Western Europe.
BBC News
第二页:中英双语听力稿
President Obama has called the Afghan President Hamid Karzai to express his shock and sadness at the killing of 16 Afghan civilians by a rogue American soldier, but he stressed the soldier didn't represent the US military or America's respect for the Afghan people. Quentin Sommerville reports from Kabul.
对于16名阿富汗平民被一名美国无赖士兵杀死一事,奥巴马总统致电阿富汗总统卡尔扎伊,表达自己的震惊和悲伤,但他同时也强调,这名士兵并不能代表整个美军,也不能代表美国人对阿富汗人民的态度。Quentin Sommerville在喀布尔报道。
The gunman, a serving US soldier, left his base at 3:00am. He travelled to a nearby village and entered three Afghan homes. In one, he awoke all 11 family members, gathered them together and shot them dead. Then he burnt the bodies. In nearby homes, he killed five others. Locals are calling it a massacre. The soldier was careful and precise. Most were killed by a single shot to the head, including the children. The soldier, believed to be a staff sergeant, gave himself up and is now in US custody.