VOA新聞聽(tīng)力教程N(yùn)ews No.12

[00:00.00] News No. 12 [00:15.80]I'm Bill Hesser. VOA news. [00:19.51]12.1 The UN Security Council has extended sanctions against Iraq for 60 days. [00:18.51]It took action after hearing Chief Arms Inspector Rithard Butler say he has proof [00:23.24]that Iraq put deadly nerve gas into missile warheads. [00:26.69]I distributed to the Council the full findings of the laboratory examination of the missile [00:32.33]warhead remnants in which the degraded remnants of the chemical VX has been detected. [00:40.82]Mr. Butler says this means Iraq lied when it said it was never able to produce a form of VX stable amount to use as a weapon. [00:47.82]Iraq denies the charge and is threatening actions against UN arms inspectors unless the sanctions are lifted. [00:53.15]Former UN ambassador Bill Ritchardson voices concern in light of the report. [00:57.38]"This is very serious. [00:58.61]This is extremely serious because it shows that our insistence that UN inspection teams have full access [01:05.74]and full authority in Iraq has paid off and hopefully today in the Security Council the entire UN Security Council [01:13.71]will know the extent of these violations by the Iraqi government." [01:18.02]12.2 President Clinton has again defended his trip to China saying engagement with Beijing is the right course of action. [01:25.28]"I'm going to China at a time when we are appreciative of the [01:30.79]discipline with which the Chinese have managed their economy [01:32.99]and the fact they haven't yet felt the need to devalue their currency." [01:55.58]12.3 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has sent a special envoy to South Asia to help ease tension [02:00.50]created by last month's nuclear tests in Pakistan and India. [02:04.05]Pakistan has welcomed assistance in mediating its dispute with India over Kashmir. [02:08.85]But New Delhi says diplomatic relations with Islamabad should be handled on bilateral basis. [02:14.08]UN delegation's first stop is Bangladesh. [02:17.68]12.4 Indonesia and the International Monetary Fund have signed a new agreement to resume a multibillion-dollar bill out loan to Jakarta. [02:24.76]VOA correspondent Gary Thomas has the story. [02:27.51]The IMF-Indonesia agreement says Indonesia will require an additional four to six million dollars of international aid [02:33.70]in addition to an already agreed upon 41.2 billion-dollar rescue package. [02:38.43]The agreement was signed Wednesday and made public Thursday [02:41.19]following a meeting between IMF Asia Pacific Director Mubid Hise and President B. J. Habibie. [02:46.44]The agreement predicts the gross domestic product will shrink by more than 10% this year and that inflation will top 80%. [02:52.43]The battered currency,the rupiah, is projected to stabilize at around 10,000 to the dollar by the end of the year. [02:58.12]In the area of structural reform, the agreement allows for more subsidies for basic commodities,such as food and fuel. [03:04.39]Gary Thomas,VOA news, Jakarta. [03:06.98]12.5 Voters in Northern Ireland will begin casting ballots today for a new Assembly giving them more say in running their own affairs. [03:13.25]VOA Andry Annunzio reports from London. [03:15.83]The 108-member Assembly will in effect be Northern Ireland's government [03:19.41]taking care of such issues as health,education and agriculture as well as establishing cross border institutions with the Irish Republic. [03:26.18]The leader of Northern Ireland's non-sectarian AllianceParty John Albright [03:29.91]says many people see the Assembly as offering hope for a peaceful future. [03:33.44]But he says many are also wary. [03:35.45]"Don't forget there have been many initiatives in the last 30 years, which have come to grief. [03:39.08]And people are cautious about hoping too much for fear of being disappointed again even at this stage." [03:43.91]Meanwhile,there was a stark reminder that violence is still very much part of life in Northern Ireland. [03:48.28]Several people were injured as a bomb exploded in the town of Newton Halton,near the border with Ireland. [03:53.08]The explosion followed a coded warning from the Irish Republican Army' s splinter group. [03:56.98]Andry Annunzio,VOA news,London. [03:59.35]12.6 Campaigning for Cambodia's general election officially kicks off today with 39 parties trying to retract votes. [04:04.92]More than 90 % of Cambodia's eligible votes have registered for the July 26th poll [04:09.67]despite complaints of intimidation against opposition supporters. [04:12.96]UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urges the Cambodian government to ensure the election is free and fair. [04:19.21]12.7 The US House of Representatives has passed a 250 billion-dollar defense-spending bill, [04:25.32]but without the money President Clinton wanted to continue funding the US military operation in Bosnia. [04:30.41]The bill awaits action in the Senate and a possible presidential veto. [04:33.96]That is because the House measure included a provision that it would require advanced Congressional approval [04:39.89]before Mr.Clinton could deploy troops in times of conflict. [04:43.34]I'm Bill Hesser, VOA news. [04:46.14]I'm Francis Alanzo, VOA news. [05:13.88]12.8 Russian lawmakers are moving slowly on several major tax reforms [05:18.40]raising doubt about whether Moscow will be able to begin drawing a crucial international rescue fund. [05:23.94]In the second of the two-day special session,Russian deputies only passed the general part of a tax code. [05:29.92]Debate on the top aspects on the austerity package was expected to go late into the evening. [05:35.01]International lenders want to be sure Moscow is serious about repairing its ailing economy before releasing billions of rescue funds. [05:42.72]12.9 A Sri Lankan Tamil lawmaker along with four others was killed in a mine explosion in northern Sri Lanka. [05:49.41]Benders Chobera has details from Colombo. [05:52.10]The parliament member for northern Barbulia District,a member of People's Liberation Organization of Tabuzealan [05:57.79]was killed returning home late Wednesday. [06:00.27]Police officials say lawmaker Ashankamaila Tenbaker was caught in a claymore mine explosion. [06:05.52]He,his son,brother's son and two police constables were killed while his wife and three police constables were injured. [06:12.13]Mr.Ashankamaila was the third city lawmaker to be assassinated in the past year. [06:16.97]In an interview to state radio,party leader Distarben blamed Tamil Tiger guerrilla for the killing. [06:22.32]Other Tamil political parties have condemned the brutal murder. [06:25.72]Officials say more shops remain closed and the town had a deserted look after the killing. [06:30.31]Barbunia borders jungle region of Wanni,a rebel's stronghold [06:33.76]Tamil rebels have been fighting for autonomy in Sri Lanka's North and East since 1983. [06:39.07]This is Bendera Chobera for VOA news Colombo. [06:41.99]12.10 An Israeli court has sentenced an Israeli businessman to 16 years in prison for selling chemical weapons materials to Iran. [06:49.44]The court in Tel Aviv convicted Nomon Nonbier of aiding an enemy State. [06:53.93]He denied the charges and will appeal. [06:56.33]The case triggered a political and judicial scandal in Israel [06:59.57]with defense allegation sharply denied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to influence one of the judges. [07:05.66]12.11 Sudanese rebels and the Khartoum government have agreed to a one-month cease-fire to allow food aid [07:10.60]to reach Sudan' s famine-stricken South. [07:12.71]Sudan's official news agency said the ceasefire is effective immediately. [07:16.11]It comes less than one day after rebels announced a 3-month truce in the Bahr el Ghazal and Blue Nile provinces, [07:22.48]where as many as two million people face starvation. [07:25.15]12.12 President Clinton and R0manian President Imil Consten Reskue meet at the White House today [07:29.93]for talks on security and economic issues. [07:32.49]VOA's David Scollas has details. [07:34.81]Romania was left out of the first phase of NATO expansion last year. [07:38.49]But Mr. Consten Reskue has been campaigning in Washington for Romania's early admission when the western alliance expands again, [07:45.21]saying his country's democratization and the role as a stabilizing force in southeastern Europe [07:50.35]needs to be acknowledged and supported by the United States and its allies. [07:54.04]White House spokesman Mike Mekiry said as the meeting began [07:57.38]Mr.Clinton would reaffirm the United States open-door policy with regard to further enlargement of NATO [08:03.81]and talk about ways Romania can make strongest possible case for membership. [08:08.14]He also said Mr. Clinton would encourage Romania to stay on the path of economic reform, [08:13.58]a process Mr.Consten Reskue concedes has not advanced as rapidly as Rom nians have hoped after the fall of the communism there in 1989. [08:22.12]David Scollars,VOA news,the White House. [08:24.63]12.13 A US appeals court has ordered a stay blocking testimony [08:28.65]by President Clinton Secret Service bodyguards about an alleged affair and covered up by the President. [08:33.56]The appeal court's decision came shortly after head of the President security detail appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington to testify. [08:41.00]The court blocked the testimony while consider legal battle [08:43.93]over the agents should have to answer the questions for the grand jury. [08:47.33]12.14 And the remains of Russia's last Tsar has arrived inSt.Petersburg, [08:51.51]where they will be buried in a special ceremony on Friday,the 80th anniversary of his murder.

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