VOA新闻.docx

VOA新闻.docx

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VOA新闻

1.IndianCommerceMinisterAnandSharmaandhiscounterpartsfromtheAssociationofSoutheastAsianNationssealedtheagreementinBangkokThursday.TheymetonthesidelinesoftheannualASEANEconomicMinistersMeeting.TheagreementcreatesoneofAsia'sbiggesttradingareasandintegratesIndia'sfastgrowingeconomywith10ofitsneighbors.TradebetweenIndiaandASEANamountsto$40billioneachyear.Underthepact,IndiaandASEANwilleliminatetariffsonvariousgoodsby2016.

2.Britain'spoliticallifehasbeendominatedforthepastthreedecadesbytwoparties-theConservatives,nowledbyDavidCameron,andLaborheadedbycurrentPrimeMinisterGordonBrown.Butathirdparty,theLiberalDemocrats,areturningthiselectionintoathree-horserace.TheircampaignwasgivenamajorboostbyBritain'sfirsteverteleviseddebatelastweek;LiberalDemocratleaderNickCleggemergedastheclearwinner.Viewerpollstakenafterthisseconddebate,whichfocusedonforeignpolicy,showedtherewasnorunawayvictor.ThelasttimeBritainhadahungparliamentwasin1974.AfinalteleviseddebateistotakeplacenextThursday,followedbytheelectiononMay6.

3.OntheseconddayofdebateallsignscontinuedtopointtowardaneasyconfirmationwinforSotomayor,the55-year-oldfederalcourtjudgenominatedbyPresidentBarackObamaearlierthisyear.Althoughmostofthe40SenateRepublicansarelikelytovoteagainsther,thedecisionWednesdayofMissouriSenatorKitBondaddedtothenumberofRepublicanswhohavecommittedtovotingforher.SenatorBond,whoisoneofseveralRepublicansretiringfromtheSenatenextyear,saidwhileherespectsandagreeswiththelegalreasoningothersinhispartyusedtoopposeSotomayor,lawmakershaveanobligationtoshowdeferencetoapresident'schoiceofanominee.

4.ForeignministersoftheSouthernAfricanDevelopmentCommunitymetinMaputotoprepareareportontheregion'spoliticalcrises.ItistobepresentedtoAfricanleadersattheirupcomingsummitinEthiopia.SADC'sPoliticalandDiplomaticCommitteehasbeenmediatingthreemajorcrisesintheregion.SADCofficialssaidtheministersarepleasedthevariouspartiestotheunitygovernmentinZimbabweresumednegotiationsonimplementingtheirpower-sharingagreement.TheysaidtheybelievedZimbabwewasontherightpath.TheofficialssaidtheministersalsobelievethatprogressisbeingmadetowardeasingtheconflictineasternDemocraticRepublicofCongoandthatreconciliationeffortsbetweenthegovernmentandvariousrebelgroupswereontherighttrack.ButtheofficialssaidtheywerelessoptimisticaboutthepoliticalcrisisinMadagascar.IteruptedinMarchafterAndryRajoelina,backedbythemilitary,seizedpowerfollowingtheousterofthen-PresidentMarcRavalomanana.SADCandtheAfricanUniondonotrecognizetheRajoelinagovernmentandhavesuspendedMadagascarfromtheirorganizations.

5.SecurityhasbeentightenedaroundIsraeliDefenseMinisterEhudBarakafterhereceiveddozensofdeaththreats.SecuritysourcessaythethreatsweremadebyJewishmilitantswhoopposethegovernment'spartialfreezeonsettlementconstructionintheWestBank.ThefreezewasimposedinNovemberunderpressurefromtheUnitedStates,whichseesthesettlementsasanobstacletopeace.Thedeaththreatsarebeingtakenseriously.In1995,IsraeliPrimeMinisterYitzhakRabinwasassassinatedbyanOrthodoxJewopposedtohispolicyoftradinglandforpeacewiththePalestinians.

6.Governmentofficialssaytheywillinvestigatejusthowthreeleadersoftheanti-governmentprotestsmanagedtoescapewhenpolicetriedtosurroundtheirhotelFriday.Oneoftheleadersclimbeddownthreefloorsusingarope,andwasrushedawaybysupportersthrongingthebuilding.OfficialsearlierFridaysaidthegovernmentispreparingtoarrestpeoplelinkedtoclasheswithsecurityforceslastSaturdaythatleft24soldiersandprotestersdead.Thegovernmentsaysarmedmeninfiltratedprotesterranksandfiredontroopstryingtodispersearally.Theanti-governmentmovement,ledbytheUnitedDemocraticFrontagainstDictatorshiporUDD,demandsthattheGovernmentcallfreshelections.UDDsupportershaveheldprotestsinBangkokformorethanamonth.Thailandisfacingitsmostseverepoliticalcrisisinalmost20years.Somepartiesinthegoverningcoalitionwanttosetacleartimeframeforelectionstoeasetensions.Butthegovernmentsaysitwillonlycallelectionsoncethepoliticalsituationhascooled.

7.Kyrgyzstan'sfive-day-oldprovisionalgovernmentisvowingtousethecountry'smilitarytolaunchaspecialoperationtoneutralizePresidentKurmanbekBakiyevifhedoesnotresign.InterimKyrgyzleaderRozaOtunbayevasayshergovernmentiswillingtonegotiatehisdeparturefromthecountryandwantstoresolvethestandoffwithoutanymoreharmtoinnocentcivilians.ThepresidentwaseffectivelyoustedafterlastWednesday'sclashesbetweengovernmentforcesandprotesters.Authoritiessayabout80peoplehavediedandmorethan1,600werewounded.

8.OntheeveofIsrael's62ndIndependenceDay,PrimeMinisterBenjaminNetanyahusaidthenationmustnotrelyonthehelpofforeigners.CommentatorssayitisaclearreferencetoIsraelitieswiththeUnitedStates,whichhaveplummetedoverJewishconstructionindisputedinEastJerusalem.TheU.S.backsPalestiniandemandsthatEastJerusalemshouldbethecapitalofafuturePalestinianstate.ButIsraelseesallofJerusalemasitseternalcapital,andMr.Netanyahu,whoheadsaright-winggovernment,hasrejectedU.S.demandstostopbuildingthere.Asaresult,thePalestinianshaverefusedtoreturntoU.S.-sponsoredpeacetalks,andthediplomaticprocesshasbeendeadlockedfor15months.DefenseMinisterEhudBaraktookasofterapproach.BaraksaidIsraelwouldnotmakeanycompromiseswhenitcomestothesecurityofthestate.ButhesaiditwouldshowcourageinthestruggleforpeacewiththePalestiniansbasedonthetwo-statesolution.

9.Nearly5,000farmersinBurkinaFaso,Cameroon,Ghana,Senegal,andSierraLeoneareexportingorganically-grownproducetoEurope,aftergainingorganicandfair-tradecertificationwithhelpfromtheU.N.FoodandAgricultureOrganization（FAO）.Theprogramfocusesonallstagesofproductionfromplantingandharvestingtopackagingandpromotion,increasingtheprofitabilityoffarmerswhopreviouslystruggledtoaffordcostlychemicalfertilizers.30small-scalepineapplefarmersinGhanasawsalesgrowfrom26tonstomorethan115tonsaftergainingtheirorganiccertification.PascalLiuisaneconomistwiththeFAO'stradeandmarketsdivision.LiusaystheUnitedNationsexpectsdemandfororganicfoodswillgrowbybetweenfiveand15percentduringthenextfiveyears.AndAfricanfarmersarewellpositionedtobenefitfrommorepeopleeatinghealthierfood.

10.TheheadsoftheInternationalMonetaryFundandtheEuropeanCentralBankwereinBerlinWednesdayfortalkswithChancellorAngelaMerkelandotherseniorofficials.Theaim:

togetagreementonabailoutpackageforGreece.GreecehasbeeninnegotiationswithEUmembercountriesandtheIMFtosecureabailout-moneythatwouldallowittopaydebtscomingdueintimetoavoidhavingtodefault.InreturnGreeceisunderpressuretorestructureitseconomyandimplementausteritymeasures.Disgruntledpublic-sectorworkerswentonstrikeinGreeceWednesdaytoprotestagainstthecutbacks.Adaylonggeneralstrikehasbeencalledfornextweek.OpinionpollsshowthemajorityofGreeksareagainstanIMF-EUbailout,seeingitasforeigninterference.WorriesabouttheGreekeconomy'spotentialmeltdownhavesentjittersthroughworldmarkets.AndhelpisimperativebecausetheGreekcrisiscouldspread.AjointEU-IMFpackageforGreeceisputat$60billion,butsomeEuropeanofficialssaidWednesdaythefullcostcouldbemuchhigher,reachingabout$160billionoverthreeyears.

11.Aiminghisappealdirectlyatthefinancialindustryandskepticswithinit,andatRepublicancriticsinCongress,thepresidentwarnedofthedangerofarepeatofeconomiccollapse.CallingthefinancialcrisistheoutcomeofafailureofresponsibilityfromWallStreettoWashington,hesaidthetimehascometoseizethemomenttomakefundamentalchangesintherulesofthefinancialroad.Withmany,butnotall,ofthemostprominentexecutivesofWallStreetfirmspresent,thepresidentoutlinedkeyaspectsoflegislationtheU.S.Senatewilldebateincomingdays.Theseincludestepstoimposenewoversightandcontrolsonhedgefundsandcomplexfinancialinstrumentsknownasderivatives,andprotectionsforconsumersoffinancialproducts.Ofparticularimportancewouldbeasystemtoensurethattroubledfinancialcompaniescouldbedismantledinanorderlywaywithoutposingthekindofsystemicrisktheydidin2008.CallingtheSenatebillandonetheHouseofRepresentativesapprovedlastyearasignificantimprovementoverflawedrulesnowinplace,hesaidchangeswouldbeadvantageousfortheindustryandthecountry.

12.TheInternationalAirTransportAssociationsaysglobalcarriersarelosinganestimated$200millionadayinrevenueasaresultofairlinegroundingsrelatedtotheIcelandvolcano.AlbertTjoeng,aSingapore-basedspokesmanfortheassociation,saysthatisjustpartoftheproblem.Travelerswaitingaroundherearemissingoutonincomebecausetheycannotreturntowork.TheflightcancellationsareexpectedtohaveadditionalrepercussionsforsmallerSoutheastAsiacountries,wheretravelandtourismisamajorshareoftheeconomy.

13.TheWorldFoodProgramisnowexpectingtofeedmorethan1.5millionpeopleinnextm