Palestinian negotiators say their talks with Israeli officials have run their course, failing to achieve any progress. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have met five times in recent weeks in the Jordanian capital of Amman with Jordanian government trying to bring the two sides back together in full-scale peace negotiations.
A Christian priest and a regional head of the Red Crescent have been killed in Syria. Activists say the priest father Bassilius Nassa was shot dead during a military attack on the city of Hama. The Red Crescent official, Doctor Abdulrazak Jbeiro, died in a car on his way from Damascus to the northwestern town of Idlid.
European Union has launched new proposals to give people more control over their personal electronic data. The measures include the right to be forgotten, which would prevent leading Internet sites storing photos and information from users who want their profiles erased completely. The European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says the new rules will give people great control over personal information. Some business groups say the legislations will be too costly and in practice too difficultly to enforce.
BBC News.
第二页:中英双语听力稿
The United States Federal Reserve, the country’s central bank, has said its main interest rate is likely to remain exceptionally low until at least late 2014. The bank’s main policy-making committee said in a statement that growth is likely to be modest with inflation low and unemployment declining only gradually. The statement was read out by the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke.