intercepted
by police who fired tear gas before bundling them into vans.
A strike by thousands of farmers, truck drivers and fishermen has brought the Italian island of Sicily to a virtual standstill. The strike is in protest at high fuel prices and government austerity measures. Ports, roads, and motorways across Sicily have been blockaded, preventing produce from reaching the mainland.
BBC World News
第二页:中英双语听力稿
The governor of Texas Rick Perry has ruled himself out of the race to become the Republican Party's candidate in the US presidential election. At a news conference, Mr Perry said there was no viable path forward for him and he was abandoning his campaign. Here's our Washington correspondent Jonny Dymond.
德州州长Rick Perry退出共和党美国总统候选人竞选,他在新闻发布会上说自己没有合适的路可走,只得放弃竞选。华盛顿记者JonnyDymond报道。
"As a Texan, I've never shied away from a fight," said Governor Perry, "but I know when it's time to make a strategic retreat." The governor of a big booming state was expected to do well in the race for the Republican nomination, but on the national stage, he failed to shine with weak organisation and poor public performances. One moment in a televised debate will go down in campaign history.
Perry州长说,“作为一名德州人,我从未临战后退,但我明白,到了进行战略撤退的时候了。”德州是个经济繁荣的大州,州长Perry原本是众望所归,有望在共和党提名竞选中表现不错,但他未能使薄弱的组织和差劲的公众表现重现光彩。一场电视辩论将回顾竞选的历史。