BBC News:美国指责叙利亚运送化武进度缓慢
In the past few minutes, an appeals court in Italyhas upheld the conviction of an American citizenAmanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriendRaffaele Sollecito. They were found guilty of themurder of a British student Meredith Kercher who was found stabbed to death in Perugia in2007.
United States Attorney General Eric Holder says he will seek the death penalty against thesurviving suspect, accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon attacks if he is convicted.Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with planting bombs at the race finishing line last April, killingthree people and injuring more than 260 others. David Willis reports from Washington.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen was arrested after one of the biggest manhunts in UShistory. The other suspect in the attacks, his brother Tamerlan had been killed during ashootout with police the night before. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces 30 charges in connection withthe bombings which involved two devices made out of pressure cookers, citing what he calledthe nature of the conduct and the resultant harm. Eric Holder said he will be seeking the deathpenalty should Dzhokhar Tsarnaev be found guilty.
The American Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says US is concerned that Syria is behindschedule in handing over its chemical weapons for destruction. US officials say that less than5% of the chemicals have been removed. Anna Holligan reports.
A number of military sources have suggested that President Assad may be deliberatelydragging his feet, using the chemical deal as a way of delaying discussions about more punitiveinternational intervention. Speaking to reporters in Warsaw, Chuck Hagel questions Syria'smotives for failing to stick to the deal. He said he wasn't sure if he would stand toincompetence but that the Syrian government needed to fix it.
Opposition leaders in Ukraine have expressed doubt about whether President ViktorYanukovych is genuinely ill. Mr. Yanukovych has taken sick leave stating that he has acuterespiratory illness and a high fever. From Kiev here's David Stern.
The sickness comes at a crucial point in Ukraine's two-month old political standoff. Theprotests have now become violent with police and demonstrators clashing in recent weeks incentral Kiev. This week, parliament also repealed controversial laws that have restricted publicdemonstrations while passing legislation that would amnesty protesters. Mr. Yanukovych hasnot signed either law into force however and it is unclear if he would be able to do this if he ison sick leave. Opposition leaders have questioned whether Mr. Yanukovych's illness is real or it'sa political maneuver.
United States has criticized China over its decision not to grant a visa to a New York Times-journalist, forcing him to leave the country. The White House said it was concerned about thecurrent restrictions placed on foreign reporters' operating in China.
World News from the BBC.
Panama has released 32 crew members of a North Korean ship seized six months ago in thePanama Canal, with Cuban weapons and fighter jets found under sacks of sugar. The captainand two other crew members will remain in detention as they are facing weapons traffickingcharges. Cuba said the Soviet-era planes and weapons were being taken to North Korea forrepair, but the UN concluded there'd been a breach of international sanctions against NorthKorea.
The US Air Force says 92 nuclear missile launch officers have been investigated over allegationsof cheating in a proficiency exam, a much higher number than previously implicated. PhilipHerd reports.
The latest revelations mean that nearly 20% of the US Air Force's nuclear missle staff are nowimplicated in a cheating scandal. Almost three times as many as first thought. Earlier thismonth, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James disclosed that 32 officers have been suspendedafter cheating or covering up cheating on test as they are required to pass each month toprove they're capable of doing their highly sensitive jobs. Today, Secretary James revealedfurther inquiries now showed 92 officers out of a total force of 500 are believed to have sharedinformation about the answers of the test or to have known that others had done so.
The UN Security Council has renewed sanctions against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Themeasures include an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes. The UN's top official in thecountry said there were credible reports that the M23 rebels appeared to be regrouping twomonths after they were defeated by Congolese troops and UN peacekeepers.
One of the Oscar contenders for the Best Original Song award has been disqualified. Thenomination of Alone Yet Not Alone from a little known Christian film of the same name came asa surprise to many. Then it was discovered that the song writer, Bruce Broughton, had violatedOscar rules by emailing members of the Academy's music branch during the voting period.
BBC News.
