英国新闻听力 南非金矿大火36人死亡（在线收听）

An international search is under way for an Air France jet which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean with more than 220 people on board. Brazilian, French, Spanish and Senegalese aircraft have been searching for the plane. France has asked the United States to use its network of spy satellites. The jet disappeared from radar screens while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. President Sarkozy of France has warned there's now little chance of finding survivors. Gary Duffy reports.

The Air France plane disappeared over the Atlantic somewhere between Brazil and Africa and it appears the lack of certainty about the actual location is hampering the recovery effort. However, an official from the airline says the search area has now been narrowed down to a zone of a few nautical miles. Air France officials believe the plane may have been hit by lightning after passing through a storm and encountering heavy turbulence. The airline says up to a dozen automatic messages were received, reporting that several electrical systems on the Airbus A330 had broken down.

President Obama has defended his decision to use billions of dollars of public money to save General Motors and Chrysler from collapse. He was speaking shortly after General Motors followed Chrysler into bankruptcy. Mr. Obama said their combined failure would have a devastating effect on the US economy. He said the two carmakers would be restructured, turned into smaller, but stronger firms.

I'm confident that the steps I'm announcing today will mark the end of an old GM and beginning of a new GM, a new GM that can produce the high-quality, safe and fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow that can lead America towards an energy-independent future, and that is once more a symbol of America's success.

A prominent Sri Lankan journalist who campaigns for media freedom has been abducted and beaten up in the capital Colombo. Poddala Jayantha suffered severe injuries to his head and legs in the attack, which happened as he was on his way home from work. Media campaign has accused the government of ignoring attacks on journalists and of failing to bring prosecutions. The government says nine journalists have been killed since 2006. Anbarasan Ethirajan reports.

Poddala Jayantha, secretary general of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, was abducted on his way home from work. His colleagues say a group of men bundled him into a white van and severely beat him up. They also cut his beard and hair before leaving the injured journalist in a suburban area. Doctors at Colombo National Hospital said his injuries were not life-threatening. Mr. Jayantha campaigns for media freedom and is seen by government supporters as an opponent of the authorities. Police say no arrests have been made so far.

Oil prices have surged to over 68 dollars per barrel, the highest point since last November. A White House spokesman says that President Obama is likely to discuss oil prices with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia when he visits the kingdom later this week.

World News from the BBC.

Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region has started exporting crude oil for the first time. Companies chosen by the regional government of Kurdistan would transport up to 90, 000 barrels a day from two oil fields along the Iraqi pipelines to Turkey. It's hoped the deal will help resolve internal Iraqi disputes over the country's oil wealth. At a ceremony in the regional capital Irbil, a minister in the Iraqi-Kurdish government Ashti Hawrami hailed the event as historic.

For the first time, in Iraq's history, the people of Kurdistan are making decisions on the national resources of the region. With today's announcement, we shall leave the oil curse of the past behind us. Now, oil shall be, can be a blessing for our people and a source of prosperity and stability.

Dozens of Israeli settlers have held violent protests against government removal of makeshift settle outposts in the West Bank. Hardline settlers attacked Palestinians, set fire to fields, cut down olive trees and scuffled with Israeli security forces. Several Palestinians were injured. The settlers say they'll resist the forcible dismantling of outposts erected without government permission.

A left-wing journalist Mauricio Funes has been sworn in as the new President of El Salvador. President Funes heads a party of former rebels that fought US-backed governments for 12 years. The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was a guest at the swearing-in. She said the peaceful transition to a left-wing government in El Salvador was a testament to the strength of democracy throughout the Americas.

At least 36 miners in South Africa have been killed in an underground fire. The blaze was in a disused gold mine in Free State Province, owned by one of the world's biggest gold producers, the Harmony Company. It's said that those who died had been working in the mine illegally.

世界范围内正在大西洋对载有220多名乘客的失踪法航客机进行搜索。巴西，法国，西班牙和塞内加尔队飞机都在搜索失踪飞机。法国还要求美国使用其侦查卫星网络。该飞机由里约热内卢飞往巴黎途中从雷达显示屏上失踪。法国总统萨克奇警告说，找到生还者的可能性微乎其微。Gary Duffy报道。

该法航飞机在巴西和非洲之间的大西洋上某个地方失踪，对于失踪准确位置的不确定性导致搜索工作受阻。然而，航空公司一名官员透露，搜索范围已经缩小到方圆几海里的区域。航空公司官员相信，该客机在穿越暴风雨时遭遇强湍流，受到雷击。航空公司方面表示收到几十条自动信息，报道空客A330上的电子系统受损。

奥巴马总统为其利用公众数十亿美元的资金拯救通用和克莱斯勒免于倒闭的决定作出辩护。通用继克莱斯勒之后宣布破产之后不久，奥巴马发表讲话。奥巴马说，两大汽车巨头的失败将会为美国经济带来灾难性的影响。他说，两个汽车巨头都将被重组，转变为规模更小，但是更加有实力的公司。

我相信，我今天宣布的措施将标志着老的通用的结束，一个新的通用的开始。新的通用公司将生产高质、安全、省油的汽车，将领导美国进入能源独立的未来，这也是美国成功的一个象征。

一位致力于媒体自由的斯里兰卡杰出记者在首都科伦坡被绑架，遭受暴打。在下班途中，Poddala Jayantha受到袭击，头部和腿部受重伤。媒体运动指控政府忽视记者遭受的袭击，不能有效提起诉讼。政府称，自2006年，已有9名记者被杀害。Anbarasan Ethirajan报道。

Poddala Jayantha是斯里兰卡记者联合会的秘书长，在下班回家的路上被绑架。其一名同事说，一群人把他捆起来带到一辆白色的货车里，对其进行暴打。在把这个受重伤的记者扔到郊区之前，他们还割掉了他的胡子和头发。科伦坡国立医院的医生说，伤势不会造成生命危险。Jayantha一直追求媒体自由，被政府支持者视为官方的敌人。警方称，目前为止还没有抓到任何犯罪嫌疑人。

油价上升到每桶68美元以上，自去年11月份以来的最高点。一名白宫发言人称，奥巴马总统在本周末出访沙特阿拉伯时可能会和其王国探讨油价问题。

BBC世界新闻。

伊拉克库尔德自治区开始首次出口原油。由该地区库尔德政府选择的公司每天将通过伊拉克管道从两个油田运输90,000桶油到土耳其。希望此举能够解决伊拉克内部的石油争端。在该地区首府埃尔比勒举行的仪式上，伊拉克-库尔德政府部长Ashti Hawrami称，这是历史性的大事件。

在伊拉克历史上，库尔德人民第一次有权为该地区的自然资源做决定。随着今天所作的通告，我们将把以前对石油的诅咒抛开。现在，石油将是我们人民的幸福，是繁荣和安定的源泉。

几十名以色列定居者暴力抗议政府从西岸撤走临时定居点警戒不对。强硬派定居者袭击巴勒斯坦人，向他们的农田纵火，砍伐橄榄树，与以色列安全力量混战。几名巴勒斯坦人受伤。定居者称，他们将抵抗警戒部队在没有政府允许的情况下强制性解散。

左翼记者Mauricio Funes就任萨尔瓦多新任总统。Funes总统领导的党派此前是反对派，与美国支持的政府对抗长达12年。美国国务卿希拉里出席就职仪式。她说，萨尔瓦多向左翼政府的和平过渡证明了美国民主的力量。

在地下大火中，南非至少36名矿工丧生。大火发生在自由省一个废弃的金矿内，该金矿由世界最大的金生产商Harmony Company所有。据称，死亡人员在金矿中非法开采。