英国新闻听力 高盛投资银行收益高涨（在线收听）

Profits by the leading American investment bank Goldman Sachs have gone up by a third for the three months to June, far exceeding expectations. Details of the bank's performance were keenly awaited as a sign of whether massive bailouts for the financial sector have put it on course for recovering. Rober Pasten reports.

This investment bank has consistently performed better than most of its rivals. But when that cataclysmic storm broke over the financial system last autumn, Goldman, like the rest, had to turn to taxpayers for a crutch in the form of guarantees for its debt, access to central bank liquidity and capital. It has recently declared it can stand on its own two feet again without taxpayers to lean on. But some may well ask whether taxpayers shouldn’t have demanded a bit more for their support, given that Goldman is once again the world's preeminent money-making machine.

Officials in Mexico say 12 people who were tortured, then killed and dumped along a mountain highway have been identified as federal agents. The bodies were found tied and blindfolded on Monday near the town of La Huacana in Michoacán State. Initial reports suggest the agents were killed in retaliation for the arrest of an alleged senior drug trafficker. Dona Everha reports.

Arnoldo Rueda Medina, nicknamed La Minsa, has been accused by the authorities of organizing the distribution of cocaine, marijuana and synthetic drugs for the La Familia cartel. His arrest sparked off a wave of violence in Michoacán neighboring states in which another six police officers and two soldiers were killed. The authorities have blamed the cartel for a number of what they said were reprisal attacks on police stations and also a hotel where federal police were staying, using guns and grenades.

Two Israeli warships have sailed through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea in what Israeli newspapers have said is a message to Iran. It's believed to be rare for Israeli naval ships to use the canal, although the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit says it's entirely legal.

"Passage through the Suez Canal is governed by the Treaty of Constantinople of 1888. This treaty grants warships the right of innocent passage through the canal, provided that they have no aggressive intent towards the state that owns the canal. That is Egypt. “

Several weeks ago, an Israeli submarine reportedly also used the canal. Israel has said repeatedly that it won't rule out military action against Iran because of Teheran's nuclear program.

The French Foreign Ministry has confirmed that two French security advisers who were working for the Somali government have been abducted in the capital Mogadishu. Eyewitnesses said a group of armed men stormed the hotel where the men were staying and took them away at gunpoint.

A court in Switzerland has ruled that assets of the former Congolese leader Mobutu Sese Seko, who died in 1997, be returned to his family. The court rejected an appeal to extend a freeze on assets worth more than 6 million dollars held in Swiss bank accounts. Marry Harbo reports.

The man who brought the appeal, Mark Pieth, described the decision to release Mr. Mobutu's money to his heirs as a black day for Congo, and all of those who had fought against the release of the funds. The move will also disappoint the Congolese government which has been trying for some years to get the money returned to Congo. It says Swiss Banks are holding at least 1 billion dollars worth of Mobutu's assets, far more than the 6. 7 million that's now due to go to his heirs. Mobutu, who governed Congo for 32 years, lived a life of excess while most people struggled to survive.

The Kenyan authorities say they have seized more than 300 kilograms of smuggled ivory and rhinoceros horn in a raid on a cargo plane bound for Asia. The spokesman for the Kenyan Wildlife Service said 16 elephant tusks and two rhino horns were confiscated. The contraband was reported to be hidden in wooden boxes shaped like coffins.

A bishop in Britain has advised churches not to use holy water in order to prevent the spread of swine flu. The bishop of Chelmsford said all receptacles for water, including those used by people making the sign of the cross should be removed until the flu pandemic is over. The bishop has also urged special caution when taking Holy Communion on pastoral visits. He said if priests came across anyone with flu-like symptoms, only they should drink from the chalice.

Six volunteers have emerged from a Russian capsule where they spent 105 days cut off from the outside world simulating a voyage to Mars. The experiment included a mock Martian landing and unplanned emergency drills.

美国处于领先地位的投资银行高盛投资公司第二季度收益上涨三分之一，远远超出预期。相关部门急切等待该银行收益细节，以判断政府对金融机构的大规模救援是否已使其走上复苏的轨道。 Rober Pasten报道。

高盛投资银行的表现向来比大多数竞争对少要好。但是，自从去年秋天整个金融行业发生危机以来，高盛也像其他公司一样，必须向纳税人寻求帮助以解决债务担保，以及中央银行流动资产问题。最近，高盛投资公司宣布其可以再次自力更生而不再需要依赖纳税人。但是一些人会问，既然高盛再次成为世界上卓越的赚钱机器，纳税人是否应该为他们的支持做出更多的要求。

墨西哥官员称，已确认12名被虐待并杀害，随后被弃尸在高速公路旁的受害者是联邦警察。周一，尸体在米却肯州华卡纳镇公路旁被发现，尸体被半埋在地里。最初的报告显示，这12名警察是在拘捕贩毒分子时被杀害。Dona Everha报道。

Arnoldo Rueda Medina，外号La Minsa，被官方指控为贩毒集团“米却肯家族”(La Familia)组织分销可卡因，大麻和人工合成药物。La Minsa的被捕引发了米却肯州隔壁州的暴力事件，造成另外6名警察和2名士兵被杀。官方指责该贩毒团伙对警察所和联邦警察驻扎的宾馆发动一系列袭击。

两艘以色列军舰由地中海通过苏伊士运河驶向红海。以色列报纸称，这是向伊朗发出信号。据称，尽管埃及外交部长Ahmed Aboul Gheit称这是完全合法的，但是通常以色列海军舰船很少使用苏伊士运河。

“苏伊士运河通道由1888年的君士坦丁堡条约管理。该条约规定，只要战舰对运河所有国埃及没有恶意目标，可以合法通过运河。”

据报道，几周前，一艘以色列潜艇也使用了苏伊士运河。以色列方面反复强调，由于德黑兰的核项目，他们不排除对伊朗采取军事行动的可能性。

法国外交部长证实，为索马里政府工作的两名法国安全顾问在首都摩加迪沙被绑架。目击者称，一群武装人员冲入他们入住的宾馆，用枪指着把他们带走。

瑞士法庭判决，于1997年去世的前刚果领袖蒙博托·塞塞·塞科的财产可以归还给其家人。该法庭拒绝了解除冻结瑞士银行账户被价值600多万美元的财产的要求。Marry Harbo报道。

提起上诉的Mark Pieth称，将财产返还给蒙博托·塞塞·塞科继承人的决定对刚果和所有反对归还财产的人来说都是黑暗的一天。此举也会使刚果政府非常失望。过去的几年，刚果政府一直努力企图将这些资产归还给刚果。它说，瑞士银行持有蒙博托至少10亿美元的资产，远远超过现在判给其继承人的670万美元。蒙博托统治刚果长达32年，过着相当奢华的生活，而大多数人都在生存线上挣扎。

肯尼亚官方称，在搜捕一架准备开往亚洲的货运飞机时缴获300多千克走私象牙和犀牛角。肯尼亚野生动物服务部门发言人称，16只象牙和2只犀牛角全部没收。据报道，这些走私品被藏在形状像棺材的木箱里。

英国一名主教建议，为了防止猪流感的传播，教堂不要使用圣水。切姆斯福德主教称，所有装水的容器，包括用来画十字形的水都会被移走，知道猪流感大流行结束。这位主教还建议在进行圣餐礼时要特别注意，他说，当神父遇到有猪流感症状的人时，只有他们可以在圣餐杯中饮水。

参加“登火星”模拟试验的6名志愿者当天结束了3个多月的“火星生活”，重新“返回”地面。他们花费105天的时间模拟登陆火星。该实验包括模仿火星登陆和非计划的紧急训练。