BBC News with Iain Purdon
The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been making fresh promises to end violence in his country, talk to the opposition and bring in reforms. He gave the assurances to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Damascus. But opposition groups in Syria accused Mr Assad of making empty promises while the United States said it remained sceptical. Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.
After his talks with President Assad, Mr Lavrov said he believed the message had got through that swift action was necessary. He said the Syrians would soon announce a date for a constitutional referendum - part of a reform process that the opposition have dismissed. He said Mr Assad was also committed to ending the violence from all sources - something the regime has taken so far to cover the crushing of any armed resistance. If Mr Lavrov did get more from Mr Assad behind the scenes, that may become apparent in the coming days, especially in Homs, where the violence and bombardments go on.
The Syrian army has been using mortars and artillery fire in its continuing onslaught against people in Homs. A BBC correspondent who's there said more and more people were struggling to get access to food and other supplies, and anyone trying to flee the city would face sniper fire.
The UN refugee agency says it's sent emergency teams to countries neighbouring Mali to help them deal with an influx of more than 20,000 people who've fled fighting there. Clashes between rebel Tuaregs and government forces in northern Mali broke out last month. A rebel group, the MNLA, is fighting to create an autonomous region. Richard Hamilton reports.
It's a long-running conflict, and next year will be the 50th anniversary of the first uprising. The MNLA and another Tuareg rebels launched a fresh offensive last month, the largest since 2009 by the rebels, whose ranks have been boosted by the recent return of men who fought in Libya for Colonel Gaddafi. Although the Tuaregs are not unified, analysts say they are now much better-equipped, have better military commanders and a much more sophisticated grasp of PR, prompting them to be called the Saharan Facebook generation.
A US appeals court has ruled that a ban on gay marriage in California is unconstitutional. The case is now likely to be referred up to the Supreme Court. Six US states currently allow gay marriage. From Los Angeles, Alastair Leithead reports.
Gay marriage became legal in California in 2008 for just four months. After an aggressive campaign, a motion was passed by a ballot in the state banning same-sex couples from marrying. It was known as Proposition 8. The legal battle over whether it was a breach of rights has been going on for three years now. This latest ruling by a federal appeals court says the ban brought in by Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, supporting a previous court decision that it is a violation of gay and lesbian civil rights.
News from the BBC
There's been another delay in attempts by Greece to strike a deal on a new austerity package with a crucial meeting of coalition party leaders now postponed by a day. But the prime minister's office told the BBC a draft agreement on the reforms had now been finalised and would be formally signed off on Wednesday. Without the deal, international lenders say they won't grant a new bailout.
The authorities in Brazil have filed a lawsuit against the microblogging site Twitter, demanding the removal of accounts which warn about police roadblocks and speed traps. The government is concerned that the messages are undermining efforts to tackle drink-driving and other offences. Paulo Cabral reports from Sao Paulo.
According to the authorities, the roadblocks make the roads safer and help to fight other types of crime, such as drug dealing. One of the largest of these illegal Twitter accounts is based in Rio de Janeiro and has almost 300,000 followers. The lawsuit demands that Twitter must block all these accounts and, if it doesn't, it must pay almost $300,000 for each day of non-compliance.
The education authorities in Los Angeles have temporarily closed a primary school and replaced all its staff following the arrest of two teachers accused of sex abuse. More than 120 staff members at the Miramonte Elementary School are being removed while the local district carries out an investigation although none of them is currently under suspicion.
The former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been told he'll face a new trial next month, meaning that he'll be fighting four different cases at the same time. He's been charged with revealing a secret wiretap, which was then published in a national newspaper belonging to his brother allegedly to damage an opposition leader. Mr Berlusconi denies the charges.
BBC News
第二页:中英双语听力稿
The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been making fresh promises to end violence in his country, talk to the opposition and bring in reforms. He gave the assurances to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Damascus. But opposition groups in Syria accused Mr Assad of making empty promises while the United States said it remained sceptical. Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.
叙利亚总统阿萨德做出新的承诺,要结束国内暴乱,与反对方进行谈话,并实施改革,他是在大马士革向俄罗斯外长谢尔盖•拉夫罗夫这样表态的。但叙利亚反对组织指责阿萨德在开空头支票,且美国也表示怀疑。Jim Muir在叙利亚邻国黎巴嫩报道。
After his talks with President Assad, Mr Lavrov said he believed the message had got through that swift action was necessary. He said the Syrians would soon announce a date for a constitutional referendum - part of a reform process that the opposition have dismissed. He said Mr Assad was also committed to ending the violence from all sources - something the regime has taken so far to cover the crushing of any armed resistance. If Mr Lavrov did get more from Mr Assad behind the scenes, that may become apparent in the coming days, especially in Homs, where the violence and bombardments go on.
在与叙利亚总统阿萨德会谈后,拉夫罗夫先生相信已将需要迅速采取行动的意思传达给了对方。他说叙利亚不久就会宣布宪法全民公投的日期—改革进程的一部分,但被反对方拒绝了。拉夫罗夫还说阿萨德先生承诺采取各种手段结束暴力事件—也就是到目前为止该政权用来掩盖镇压武装反抗所采取的手段。如果拉夫罗夫先生能让暴力的幕后黑手做得更多,那就是未来几天之内尤其是在胡姆斯,暴力冲突和轰炸持续不断。
The Syrian army has been using mortars and artillery fire in its continuing onslaught against people in Homs. A BBC correspondent who's there said more and more people were struggling to get access to food and other supplies, and anyone trying to flee the city would face sniper fire.
叙利亚军队使用迫击炮和炮兵火力在胡姆斯继续屠杀平民的行径。一名驻地BBC记者说,越来越多的人们缺乏食物及其他供给,且任何想逃离这座城市的人都会遭遇狙击手的枪口。
The UN refugee agency says it's sent emergency teams to countries neighbouring Mali to help them deal with an influx of more than 20,000 people who've fled fighting there. Clashes between rebel Tuaregs and government forces in northern Mali broke out last month. A rebel group, the MNLA, is fighting to create an autonomous region. Richard Hamilton reports.
联合国难民署称已向马里的几个邻国派遣急救队,协助安置逃离至这里的2万多民众。在马里北部反叛Tuaregs和政府军队于上月爆发冲突。一个反叛组织MNLA试图通过战争,达到自治。Richard Hamilton报道。
It's a long-running conflict, and next year will be the 50th anniversary of the first uprising. The MNLA and another Tuareg rebels launched a fresh offensive last month, the largest since 2009 by the rebels, whose ranks have been boosted by the recent return of men who fought in Libya for Colonel Gaddafi. Although the Tuaregs are not unified, analysts say they are now much better-equipped, have better military commanders and a much more sophisticated grasp of PR, prompting them to be called the Saharan Facebook generation.
冲突由来已久,明年将是首次起义的第50周年。MNLA和另一支Tuareg反叛组织于上月联合发动了新一轮进攻,因从利比亚为卡扎菲将军战斗返回的士兵们加强了兵力,这是自2009年规模最大的一次攻击。尽管Tuaregs没有联合起来,但是分析家们认为他们现在拥有更加精良的装备,更优秀的军事管理人才,并且更成熟的公关能力,从而被称为“撒哈拉脸谱”一代。
A US appeals court has ruled that a ban on gay marriage in California is unconstitutional. The case is now likely to be referred up to the Supreme Court. Six US states currently allow gay marriage. From Los Angeles, Alastair Leithead reports.
美国一个上诉法庭裁决加利福尼亚同性恋结婚的禁令违宪。这一案件很可能将被提交最高法院。美国目前有六个州同意同性婚姻。Alastair Leithead在洛杉机报道。
Gay marriage became legal in California in 2008 for just four months. After an aggressive campaign, a motion was passed by a ballot in the state banning same-sex couples from marrying. It was known as Proposition 8. The legal battle over whether it was a breach of rights has been going on for three years now. This latest ruling by a federal appeals court says the ban brought in by Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, supporting a previous court decision that it is a violation of gay and lesbian civil rights.
2008加州承认同性婚姻,但期限只有四个月。在一系列抗议活动之后,该州投票通过禁止同性婚姻的动议,即8号提案。自那以后关于它是否侵犯了人权的法律斗争就没有停止过。联邦上述法庭最近的裁决认为8号提案上的禁令是违宪的,因为它支持了侵犯同性恋者公民权利的法庭载定。
There's been another delay in attempts by Greece to strike a deal on a new austerity package with a crucial meeting of coalition party leaders now postponed by a day. But the prime minister's office told the BBC a draft agreement on the reforms had now been finalised and would be formally signed off on Wednesday. Without the deal, international lenders say they won't grant a new bailout.
因政府联合党领导人的重要会议推迟一天,希腊政府达成新的一揽子紧缩政策的计划再次被延期。但是总理办公室告诉BBC,改革草案已起草完毕,周三将正式签署。紧缩政策不确定下来,国际领导人们表示将不会出手救市。
The authorities in Brazil have filed a lawsuit against the microblogging site Twitter, demanding the removal of accounts which warn about police roadblocks and speed traps. The government is concerned that the messages are undermining efforts to tackle drink-driving and other offences. Paulo Cabral reports from Sao Paulo.
巴西当局起诉微博网站Twitter,要求该网站取消提醒人们路障和电子抓拍的消息。政府担心这些信息会防碍醉酒驾驶及其他交通违规的治理。Paulo Cabral从Paulo Cabral报道。
According to the authorities, the roadblocks make the roads safer and help to fight other types of crime, such as drug dealing. One of the largest of these illegal Twitter accounts is based in Rio de Janeiro and has almost 300,000 followers. The lawsuit demands that Twitter must block all these accounts and, if it doesn't, it must pay almost $300,000 for each day of non-compliance.
当局表示,设置路障是为了道路更加安全,并有助于和其他形式的犯罪做斗争,例如毒品交易。Twitter所透露的最详细道路情况是里约热内卢市,有30万跟帖者。起诉要求Twitter立即封锁所有记录,否则,因必须每天支付30万美元作为处罚。
The education authorities in Los Angeles have temporarily closed a primary school and replaced all its staff following the arrest of two teachers accused of sex abuse. More than 120 staff members at the Miramonte Elementary School are being removed while the local district carries out an investigation although none of them is currently under suspicion.
洛杉矶的教育当局临时关闭了一所小学并替换了所有教职人员,在此之前逮捕了两名被指控性骚扰的老师。当地政府展开调查之时,Miramonte小学120多名教职人员被辞退。不过目前这些人并无嫌疑。
The former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been told he'll face a new trial next month, meaning that he'll be fighting four different cases at the same time. He's been charged with revealing a secret wiretap, which was then published in a national newspaper belonging to his brother allegedly to damage an opposition leader. Mr Berlusconi denies the charges.
意大利前总理西尔维奥•贝鲁斯科尼已接到通知,他将于下月接受新的审判。这意味着他同时要应对四起案件的审判。他还被指控泄漏了意图诋毁政敌的秘密监听内容,将其发表在属于其弟的一家全国报纸上。贝鲁斯科尼否认这些指控。
第三页:词汇解析
1. behind the scenes 在幕后,秘密地
(1) The government presents a unified image but I wonder what goes on behind the scenes at cabinet meetings.
政府给人们一个团结的形象,但我不知道在内阁会议幕后发生了些什么。
2. onslaught 突击, 猛攻
(1) Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets.
尽管如此,巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。
(2) The nine native tribes of Taiwan have for a long time been facing the onslaught of modernization.
台湾地区的九个山地族群,长久以来面临了现代化的冲击。
3. sophisticated 富有经验的,复杂的
(1) This process ought to be highly sophisticated.
这个过程应该是非常复杂的。
(2) Its unhurried but sophisticated citizens boast not only high incomes but also high levels of education.
波士顿悠闲但世故的市民不仅以高收入自豪,而且也以教育水准高而自豪。
4. breach 违反, 打破
(1) Breach over 3 days(included) in advance, charge 50% of the total rental rate.
提前3天以上(含3天)解除协议时,支付出租金总额50%的违约金。
(2) This, he argued, amounted to a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence between employer and employee.
他认为,这等于违反了雇主和雇员间的隐含信任条款。
5. austerity 紧缩, 苦行
(1) In the euro area, especially, austerity plans will further sap domestic demand.
特别是在欧元区,紧缩计划将继续减少国内需求。
(2) The wages of such sins are austerity.
这些“罪孽”的报应是禁欲苦行
6. speed traps 测速照相, 电子抓拍
(1) I have to slow down a little bit. I know there are some speed traps in this area.
我得把速度放慢一点。我知道这附近有测速照相。
7. non-compliance 不符合
(1) This is a non-compliance with the lessons of history of society and civilization.
这是一个不遵守社会文明的历史教训。
(2) Report any defects, hazards and non-compliance items to the area supervisor;
及时向主管报告一切不符合项。