英国新闻听力 115(在线收听

The United Nations in Sri Lanka says it's concerned by reports that a growing number of people trying to escape Tamil Tiger-held territory in the north have been shot at and sometimes killed by the rebels. The Tigers have been forced into an enclave by the Sri Lankan army during fierce fighting in recent weeks. Sanjoy Majumder reports.

A statement from the United Nations in Sri Lanka says its concern for the safety of civilians caught up in the fighting has been heightened, based on reports that it's received over the past few days, many of them based on testimony from people who've managed to come out of the conflict zone. It says there're credible reports to suggest that the Tamil Tigers are preventing civilians from leaving, and a number of those trying to get away have been shot at and in some cases killed. The U.N. is calling on both sides to refrain from fighting in areas with large civilian concentrations.

A detailed study of anti-terrorism laws and other measures introduced in more than forty countries calls for many of them to be repealed as a matter of urgency saying that it could do lasting harm to human rights principles. The report comes from the International Commission of Jurists or ICJ, an independent body based in Geneva which brings together some of the world's most eminent human rights lawyers, judges and academics. Imogen Foulkes reports.

The ICJ inquiry reviewed counter-terrorism measures in over forty countries. It heard from government officials, victims of terror attacks and from people detained on suspicion of terrorism. Its findings are highly critical. Many states that report claims have used the fear of terrorism to introduce measures which are illegal, such as torture, detention without trial and enforced disappearance.

The highest court in France has officially acknowledged the French state's responsibility for the deportation of thousands of Jews to Nazi German concentration camps during the Second World War. Only 3,000 of the 76,000 deportees survived. But the court, the Council of State, ruled out any further payments to survivors or relatives, saying France had already compensated victims.

An international fast food chain, KFC, or Kentucky Fried Chicken, has announced plans to invest more than 300 million dollars in new restaurants and jobs in Britain over the next five years despite the global economic downturn. Other fast food chains have also recently reported rising global sales as have some supermarkets, as people forgo expensive restaurant meals and buy cheaper food. Maryam Moshiri reports.

The recession may have claimed some notable victims but it's not spelled hard times for everyone. Fast food chain KFC is creating 9,000 jobs off the back of its recent success. The fried chicken chain says business is booming, thanks to an increased appetite for cheaper fast food during these tougher times. KFC says its expansion will lead to 300 new shops opening to cater for our ever-growing taste for value over luxury.

World News from the BBC.

Russia says it's planning to supply helicopters to Bolivia to help combat the drug trade, the latest sign that it's aiming to step up its military and economic influence in Latin America. During talks in Moscow, President Dmitri Medvedev and the Bolivian President Evo Morales also agreed on closer energy cooperation. Russia is reported to be planning major investments in Bolivia's large natural gas reserves.

The Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has replaced four of the country's regional governors in what correspondents say is a sign of the Kremlin's concern that the economic slump could lead to social unrest. President Medvedev has warned at the weekend that he would not tolerate third-raters, slackers or slovenliness. And among those ousted is 71-year-old Yegor Stroyev, the oldest of the governors. The youngest of the replacements, it was 33.

The American swimmer Michael Phelps, who was photographed inhaling from a pipe of a kind often used for smoking marijuana, will not be charged with any offence. The swimmer, who won eight gold medals at last year's Olympic Games, had apologized for what he called "regrettable behaviour", but had not said whether he'd taken drugs. Peter Bowes reports from Los Angeles.

The picture was published in a British tabloid newspaper and prompted the swimmer to issue a statement, saying he'd used bad judgment and that he would learn from his mistake. Now the local sheriff has said that after a full investigation there was not enough evidence to charge anyone that was present at the party. USA Swimming suspended Phelps for three months following the publication of the photograph and a corporate sponsor said it would not renew its endorsement deal with the swimmer.

British Customs officials have arrested 15 crew members of a South African Airways plane after cocaine was found aboard their flight. It's a second incident of this kind in a month. The officials found five kilograms of the drug in a bag on a flight into London from Johannesburg.

越来越多的人试图逃离北部的猛虎组织控制地,这些人遭到枪击,有人甚至死亡,联合国在斯里兰卡的办事机构对此表示担心。最近几周,猛虎组织被斯里兰卡军队击溃退至一处被包围的领地。

一份来自联合国在斯里兰卡的办事机构的声明说,过去几天收到的报告使它更为担心那些此次战斗中被困的平民的安全,这些报告有很多是基于成功逃离冲突地区的难民的口述。联合国的声明说,有联合国的声明说,有可靠消息表明泰米尔猛虎武装力量正设法阻止平民躲避战火,一些正准备逃难的人遭到枪击,有人被打死。联合国呼吁交战双方避免在平民聚集的地区作战。

一份详尽的有关40多个国家的反恐法和其他措施的研究紧急呼吁,这些法律和措施中的许多部分应被撤销,因为它们对人权原则造成了长期的伤害。该报告来自国际法学家委员会(ICJ),该机构将全世界最有名的人权律师、法官和专业学者聚拢在一起来研究。ICJ是一个独立机构,总部在日内瓦。

ICJ将四十多个国家的反恐法进行调查、评论,听取了来自政府官员、恐怖攻击受害者和恐怖嫌疑居留者的意见。其调查出的问题非常严重。根据该报告,许多国家利用了对恐怖行为的害怕,采用了非法手段,比如拷问、不经受审的拘留以及强制消失。

法国最高法院官方承认,法国应为二战期间将成千上万犹太人驱逐至纳粹德国集中营一事承担责任。76,000名被驱逐者中仅有3,000人存活下来。但是法院和国务院不会对幸存者或其家属支付更多赔款,他们说他们已经对受害者做出过赔偿了。

一家国际快餐连锁公司,肯德基,宣称尽管全球经济衰退,未来五年内计划在英国投资至少300百万美元用于建造新餐厅和新岗位。其他的快餐连锁公司和一些超市也声称最近全球营业额递增,这是因为人民不再去昂贵的餐厅吃饭而是购买便宜的食物。

经济危机可能是罪大恶极,但并不是对每个人来说都是艰难时期,快餐连锁公司肯德基最近的成功是创造了9,000个岗位,这家炸鸡连锁公司说自己生意兴隆,这就多亏了经济艰难时期人们对便宜食物的食欲大增。肯德基说自己营业额的上升将导致新建300家分店,以满足日益增加的不再看重奢侈消费的人们。

俄罗斯声称将派直升机去玻利维亚与毒品贸易作战,最近的迹象表明俄罗斯正加紧在拉丁美洲的军事和经济影响。在莫斯科的谈话中,梅德韦杰夫总统和玻利维亚总统埃沃.莫拉莱斯也就进一步的能源合作达成了一致。据报道,俄罗斯将在玻利维亚的大型天然气进行大规模投资。

俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫撤换了四名州级行政长官,记者说,这表明克里姆林宫担心经济危机会导致社会动荡,梅德韦杰夫总统周末警告说,他不能容忍三流货、懒虫和邋遢。被撤换的官员中有71岁的Yegor Stroyev,他是最年老的行政长官,最年轻的替代者是33岁。

被拍到从一个常被用作吸食大麻的管子吸气的美国游泳运动员Michael Phelps,因无罪行而不被起诉。该游泳运动员曾在去年的奥运会上夺得8枚金牌,并为他所称的“懊悔的行为”道过歉,但他并没说过自己是否吸毒。

该图片被刊登在一家英国图片报纸上,这名运动员对此做出声明,他说自己判断力差,将吸取这次错误教训。目前当地郡治安官说,经过全面调查,没有足够的证据来对一起在场的哪个人进行指控。该图片公开后,美国游泳协会决定对Michael Phelps进行三个月的禁赛,一个赞助公司说它将不再与之续签代言。

英国海关官方逮捕了15名南非航空公司乘务员,因为在飞机中发现了海洛因,这是本月发生的第二次此类事件。官方在这架从约翰内斯堡飞往伦敦的飞机上搜出一个装有五千克毒品的袋子。

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