BBC News:巴拿马运河拓宽工程成本上涨引争议
The Vatican has strongly criticized the UnitedNations report accusing it pursuing policies whichallow priests to rape and molest tens of thousandsof children. The UN Committee said the RomanCatholic Church must immediately remove all known and suspected abusers and refer them tothe civil authorities. Our Rome correspondent Alan Johnston has this report.
The UN Committee could hardly be more scathing. Its report implied a complete failure on thepart of the Vatican to tackle all the sex abuse scandal. It alleged that there were cover-upsince strategies that worsen the problem. But the Vatican has complained that the report cannegative attitude towards its work to address the issue. It argues that it now has asubstantial program in place designed to keep children safe when they come into contact withthe church. And the Vatican has strongly objected to the report's criticism of its attitudetowards matters like abortion, contraception and homosexuality.
The Panama Canal authority says works on a project to widen the important shipping routehas been suspended because of the dispute over rising costs. The head of the Spanishcompany leading the consortium has denied work stopped and said the company is willing tocontinue its negotiations.
The Panama Canal is marking its centenary later this year. But there is little reason forcelebration today. Just over a month ago, the building consortium led by the Spanish companySacyr gave the Panamanian authorities a deadline to pay $1.6b in added cost to the project.Panama refused and blamed the building companies for the increased construction bill.Thousands of jobs are now at risk, and the impact would be felt across the region when manyports have invested heavily expecting greater demand following the widening of the Canal. Andthe report from Leonardo Rucha.
The Israeli authorities have approved the construction of more than 500 new apartments indisputed East Jerusalem. Contractors are expected to start building in three neighborhoods.Palestinian officials said the decision undermined the already fragile US-brokered peacenegotiations.
One of the largest chains of pharmacies in the United States CVS Caremark has said will it stopselling all tobacco products by October. CVS Caremark chief executive Larry Merlo sayscigarettes had no place alongside health care. Here's Rajini Vaidyanathan.
This is all about their positioning as a company, and now CVS is also to expand its health careoffering and offer much more in items of vaccinations and even anti-smoking program, so morethan just picking up new medicines and the CEO of the company said offering that inexpanding the health care service that they provide was incompatible with selling cigarettesand other tobacco products, so that's why they decided to do that because it doesn't reallyfitting their long-term business strategy.
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Security forces in the Russian region of Dagestan have shot dead an Islamist militant during ahouse siege in the town of Izberbash. Thirty-year-old Dzhamaldin Mirzayev is thought to haveorganized suicide bombings in the southwestern city of Vogolgrad in December. He's thoughtto have trained the 2 suicide bombers who killed 34 people.
The former footballer David Beckham has launched a new Major League Soccer team based inMiami. Mr. Beckham's team has been created by a deal involving his investment group and theUS Professional Soccer League. If local officials approve an agreement on the location of astadium in Florida later this year, it's understood the team could start playing in 2016. DavidBeckham says he's very exited about the challenge.
“To be standing here, you know being an owner of a team, it's a dream, you know it's a dreamand it's great. I think it's impersonally a great example for kids. you know I've had the careerlife, I've worked hard, I've done a lot of great things in my career. Now, I'm set here and I'm aowner of a team.”
Hungary has agreed terms with Russia on a loan to finance the expansion of Hungary's onlynuclear power plant. Moscow will lend $13.5bn for the construction of two new reactors morethan doubling the capacity of the plant in the southern city of Paks. Left-wing oppositionparties have promised a referendum on the deal if they win elections in April. On Monday,Greenpeace protesters took over the Liberty Statue in the capital Budapest.
The pips, the hourly markers, as listeners to the BBC world service can hear the top of mosthours are 90 years old today. The 6 pips have changed little since they were first heard in 1924.They were controlled by two mechanical clocks at the Royal Greenwich Observatory insoutheast London. Hence their official name，the Greenwich Time Signal. The only difference isthat back then,all of pips were of reniform length, while now the last one is elongated.
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