US$130,000 left in toilet for quake victims災民

The money was found in a plastic shopping bag, in a public toilet of the City Hall in Sakado, part of the commuter通勤 sprawl蔓延 that surrounds Tokyo.

There was 10 million yen, wrapped up包裹 in neat整齊的 bundles of notes一綑紙幣, the equivalent相當於 of more than US$130,000.

A handwritten message had been left with the cash and read: "I am all alone. Please let the people of Tohoku use it."

Tohoku is the northern region of Japan hit by the earthquake and tsunami in March.

City officials said the anonymous donor匿名捐贈者 has slipped in and out unnoticed. If the money is not reclaimed糾正 within three months, they're planning to give it to the Japanese Red Cross.

Japan's great disaster災難 brought out striking引人注目 generosity慷慨 and honesty in its people.

The equivalent of US$50 million in cash picked up in the disaster zone has been turned in to the police. Another US$30 million dollars was recovered from safes保險櫃 found amid在…之中 the rubble廢墟.

Roland Buerk, BBC News

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Denmark’s fat tax

When you think of Denmark, you think of pastries糕點, butter and bacon. So perhaps a fat tax isn’t a bad idea, a levy稅 that will be added to any foods that are high in saturated fat飽和脂肪; milk, cheese and meat, for instance.

Make it more expensive, reduce consumption消耗, improve health. Well, that is the theory.

Some shops have reported increased sales, people hoarding囤積 food to beat the price rise打擊價格上揚. The Danish Food and Drink Federation says some might just cross the border to do their shopping.

There is certainly當然, 一定 some scepticism懷疑. Scientists insist that saturated fat is not the right target. Salt and sugar cause more health problems. But one study claims close to 4% of premature deaths過早死亡 in Denmark are caused by people consuming too much saturated fat. So hit shoppers in the pocket, not the waistband腰帶.

Tim Allman, BBC News

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African child adoptions

The African Child Policy Forum says more than 41,000 African children have been sent overseas海外 for adoption in the past eight years. Most go to the United States, others to Western Europe and Canada. The situation is especially dramatic戲劇性 in Ethiopia which, the report says, now sends more children abroad國外 for adoption than any other country, apart from除了 China.

One reason for the increase in adoption from Africa is that it is more difficult to adopt children from countries in South America and Eastern Europe because many have limited or shut down overseas adoption programmes. As a result, the report says, countries such as the United States have turned en masse集體 to Africa to find children to adopt.

The African Child Policy Forum insists every child has the right to be reared飼養 in the country in which it was born, an opinion shared by Mr Bekele of the Abebech Gobena orphanage孤兒院 [in Ethiopia]: "We prefer local adoption to international adoption because the children will not be uprooted連根拔起 from their culture, from their people, and they will not forget their country or their language."

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Jobs mourned被哀悼 in China

At Beijing's flagship旗艦 Apple Store they switched off the company's famous icon at midday中午. It was a tribute禮物, 感謝辭 to Steve Jobs the visionary夢想家 who had created a truly global brand. Flowers were laid奠定 at the entrance of the store. Some came to shop but others are gathered to pay tribute致敬.

Speaker 1
"I just found out this morning from the news that Mr Jobs has passed away, so this is why I came here. I wanted to buy some flowers myself but I couldn't find where."

Speaker 2
"I'm kind of a diehard忠實 fan of Apple. It's really really sad to see that Steve Jobs passed away. This man I think really influenced the way I think, the way I observe觀察 the world. I really can't say how grateful I am to him."

Many Apple products are made in China. But unlike other western brands Apple is a household name家喻戶曉 here. Its iPhones and iPads are snapped up by搶購 the growing middle class. More than 35 million Chinese internet users also tweeted about his death.

Steve Jobs was a man who was idolised偶像 around the globe and many here say his vision helped connect the world.

Martin Patience, BBC, Beijing

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Britain to ask UN for Olympic Truce

The Olympic Truce gave those participating in the ancient Greek games safe passage安全通道, and a peaceful environment in which to compete.

The tradition was revived復興 in the early 1990s through UN resolutions. In practice this has had limited impact影響有限: you may recall記得 that the Georgia war erupted爆發 on the eve of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Nevertheless然而, 雖然, 還是 British diplomats want at least a show of world peace. They're trying to get all UN member states to co-sponsor共同提案國 their resolution.

They've been soliciting拉客 support by fax and email from countries that don't have a UN mission代表團, and on the spot立即 from some ambassadors大使 at diplomatic外交 parties.

But they're still short仍然缺乏 two signatures: Syria and Iran.

As for peace during the Games, it seems unlikely that war in Afghanistan will stop. And when it comes to Libya, diplomats say they hope that conflict will have ended by the time the Olympics begin.

Barbara Plett, BBC News

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Hotel in the air

It looks like something out of a sci-fi科幻 movie.

But these hanging pods艙 are in fact a temporary hotel. Staff lead guests through bizarre奇異的 rituals儀式 designed旨在 to put them in tune with nature.

They receive just the bare裸, 赤裸裸 essentials必要的=最基本的 but spend the night in comfort.

This interactive互動 theatre performance演出 was dreamt up by the Belgian group Time Circus and is taking part in a festival in Norfolk, England.

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What's the damage?

Jen: Hello, I'm Jen – and with me in the studio today is Helen!

Helen: Hi!

Jen: Helen, just before we get started – did you get the chance to go to the farmers' market for me? I didn't have time to go myself.

Helen: I did, I chose some things I thought you'd like… Here we are… I bought some fresh apples, some crunchy脆 carrots, a load of onions, a loaf塊 of fresh bread and a jar罐 of delicious honey.

Jen: Brilliant漂亮的, 輝煌的 – thanks so much for doing that for me, I can't wait to try it. So what's the damage?

Helen: Damage? I don't think there's any damage really. Although I suppose one of the apples is a little bit bruised傷痕累累 and I nibbled偷吃 the end of one of the carrots but it'll be fine if you just cut it a little bit.

Jen: I don't mean damage to the food. The phrase "what's the damage?" can be used to ask how much money you owe someone for something.

Helen: So you wanted to find out how much you owe me for the food?

Jen: That's right – let's hear a couple of examples of the phrase in use. 

• What a lovely meal – I think we should split分開 the bill two ways though, so what's the damage?

• Thanks so much for fixing the brakes on my car. What's the damage for the work you've done?

Helen: So you could say "what's the damage?" in a restaurant or a cafe?

Jen: That's right; you might use the phrase短語 amongst在…之間 friends when you get a bill, or you might hear it if you are paying a workman to do something. Generally we use it when we don't know how much something is going to cost or if the price has been estimated beforehand事前.

Helen: Like when I went to the market for you today!

Jen: Yeah, I didn't know how much it would cost so I asked you "what's the damage?" So how much do I owe you?

Helen: £12.50.

Jen: £12.50?! That's pretty expensive.

Helen: It's worth it when you look at the quality of the food – it's very good.

Jen: Alright then, here you are – £12.50.

Helen: And here YOU are.

Jen: Let's have a look then… Apples, yum… Well, they do look a little more bruised than you mentioned…

Helen: Yes, sorry, I dropped the bag…

Jen: Look at the carrots! You said you'd nibbled them, but there are only the tops of them left! I can't cook with those!

Helen: I was peckish氣餒, sorry.

Jen: At least this jar of honey looks good… it's empty!

Helen: Sorry, sorry! It looked so delicious that I couldn't help it!

Jen: Well, I think you should give me my money back. I'm not paying for food that's already been eaten!

Helen: OK, what if we go out for a meal and I pay?

Jen: Hmm… OK…

Later on…

Jen: I'm stuffed! The apple and honey pie was really delicious.

Helen: Here's the waiter with the bill. Now don't forget, this is my treat after eating all of your food. Ooh, er… This is embarrassing.

Jen: Is it expensive? What's the damage?

Helen: It's £40 for the meal but I've just remembered…

Jen: What?

Helen: I left my purse錢包 at the farmers' market! Can you pay for us?

Jen: Argh!

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Black Widow ‘won't work for freedom’

Patrizia Reggiani once said she'd rather cry in a Rolls勞斯萊斯 than be happy on a bicycle. She doesn't seem to have changed her mind.

Dubbed戲稱 the Black Widow黑寡婦 after she was jailed for ordering the murder of her ex-husband, the heir to the Gucci family fortune, Ms Reggiani has spent most of the past 13 years at San Vittore prison in Milan.

Judges had offered her the chance of day release, if she agreed to take a job outside the prison walls. But Ms Reggiani, who's 63, was having none of it. She'd never worked in her life, she told the judges, and she didn't intend打算 to start now.

Her trial in 1998 attracted worldwide interest. It had everything: a woman betrayed by the man she'd loved and the low-life murder of the heir to a multi-million dollar fashion fortune.

For now, though, Patrizia Reggiani, who once complained that her allowance津貼,補助 of more than US$630,000 a year wasn't enough to live on, will return to the comfort of her pet ferret鼬 and her plants in her cell at San Vittore.

Mark Duff, BBC News, Milan

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'Stay away' from Euro 2012 claim

Poland and Ukraine won the bid to host Euro 2012 over five years ago. But with the tournament now just days away, questions are being raised被提出 about both player and fan safety.

Footage影片 of matches in both host nations in recent months shows Nazi salutes from the terraces, black players being taunted嘲弄 with monkey chants聖歌 and in Ukraine, a vicious惡毒, 邪惡 assault突擊, 進攻 on a group of Asian students.

The attack happened in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city and a Euro 2012 host. While we filmed a series系列 of scuffles混戰 between rival對手 fans, suddenly the hooligans流氓 spot發現 a new target - a small group of Asian students there to support the home team.

We showed former England captain Sol Campbell our footage of the group being set upon在…之上. He questioned the decision to award Euro 2012 to the host nations.

The Euro 2012 final is in Kiev, Ukraine's capital. British Government advice for fans is for those of Afro Caribbean or Asian descent to take extra care in Ukraine because of racially motivated種族動機 attacks. Sol Campbell's advice is more direct:

"Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it... because you could end up coming back in a coffin."

Uefa said the matches filmed by the BBC were domestic國內 and are a matter for national football authorities. It said Euro 2012 is a chance to address and confront面對 issues like racism.

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Olympic challenge for Saudi women

Negotiations between the International Olympic Committee and Saudi Arabia have been long and tricky. Jacques Rogge and other senior members of the IOC are desperate絕望 for the oil-rich kingdom to send an all-gender team to the London Games. So much so they are prepared to waive放棄 the normal qualification criteria標準. But in Saudi it's a sensitive issue. Ultra-conservative forces in the government have been against the idea because women playing sport in public violates違反 Islamic Sharia law. Last month the head of the country's Olympic Committee refused to endorse背書, 擁護 female participation參與, although he said they might be allowed to compete under a neutral flag. Jacques Rogge said that was not an option.

Other nations like Qatar and Brunei have for the first time selected women in their Olympic teams. Noora Al Mennai who was part of Doha's 2020 Olympic bid delegation代表團 has urged督促 Saudi Arabia to follow suit效仿.

By discriminating歧視 against women Saudi Arabia has broken the IOC's charter. Potential sanctions制裁 include expulsion驅逐 from the Olympic movement - a last resort手段 but perhaps not inconceivable不可思議.

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Countdown to seven billionth baby

Seven days from now the world's seven billionth baby will be born. That's according to the UN's projections預測, and it's using the milestone to take stock of trends in population growth.

The big question is how long the planet can continue to satisfy滿足 the voracious貪婪的 appetite of its growing number of human inhabitants居民.

In fact, over the past six decades, the global fertility rate生育率 has been cut in half. Statistically from five children per woman to 2.5. But 78 million babies are still being born every year, almost all of them in developing countries.

The UN says women in these countries are having so many babies because of poverty, lack of education, income and access to birth control.

Not only that, they and their children face a high risk of poor health, and early death. So the UN is highlighting強調 the need to boost提高 education and employment opportunities for poor women: in other words, address解決 the poverty, and the demography will look after itself, as it did in Europe.

Barbara Plett, BBC News, New York

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Racism in British schools

At first glance瀏覽 the headline figure is shocking. The numbers obtained獲得 under the Freedom of Information Act included responses from 90 local authorities. It suggests that despite儘管 years of improved racism awareness意識 the problem is far from beaten打破.

14-year-old Khadeja Fahat a Muslim pupil學生 at a school in Cheshire in the north west of England endured忍受 regular bouts較量 of Islamophobic伊斯蘭恐懼症 abuse and her education suffered. She was eventually forced to change schools.

But whilst雖然 expressing their abhorrence增惡 at such stories, some anti-racism campaigners have argued主張 that the statistics may reflect increased增加 awareness意識 of the problem in schools and a preparedness to tackle it rather than a simple increase.

Yet other teachers say the figures may be an underestimate低估 as many verbal口頭 incidents are simply dealt處理 with immediately and never get reported at all. One anti-racism charity says there has been a growth in racist bullying欺凌 towards Muslims students, and those from Roma, Gypsy and travelling communities.

But the Government has now dropped the requirement on all local authorities to report such incidents arguing the exercise is bureaucratic官僚 and that schools are best placed to decide how to tackle racism. But the question remains if the statistics are incomplete how will anyone know if progress is being made or indeed if more radical action激烈行動 is needed?

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US releases film of Russian spies

Much of the material released發佈 by the FBI follows the classic Hollywood formula for espionage.

We see agents exchanging identical相同的 bags as they brush past擦身而過 each other, while another undercover spy retrieves搜索 a package hidden in the Washington undergrowth草叢.

The glamorous Anna Chapman is filmed shopping in a department store, and having coffee with a man who she believed to be a Russian handler but who in fact was an FBI infiltrator滲入. That was the moment Ms Chapman suspected her cover as an estate房地產 agent in New York was blown炸毀.

Soon afterwards事後, the FBI broke up the spy ring. Ten defendants被告 pleaded guilty認罪 to acting as foreign agents, before being exchanged last July for four Russians who'd been jailed in their own country for spying for the West.

Members of the US-based group had gathered public information and networked on behalf of Moscow, while leading suburban郊區 middle-class lives often assuming the identities of假身份 Americans who had recently died.

The FBI case file offers an intriguing glimpse of耐人尋味 21st Century espionage間諜. But it remains to be seen whether the images prove as popular as others of Anna Chapman. Now a successful television presenter, the former spy has appeared with very little cover in men's magazines.

Steve Kingstone, BBC News, Washington

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Beijing cleans up its toilets

Six city departments have put their heads together討論 to come up with the new rules. They cover cleaning, the use of equipment and training for attendants服務員.

No public toilet should have more than two flies buzzing around嗡嗡聲 - although the regulations法規 don't state how that's to be checked. There's also an ordinance條例, 法令 covering what's confusingly混淆 referred簡稱 to as "discarded items". There should be no more than two of these left in any public convenience公共廁所.

The new standards also detail how smelly a lavatory廁所 should be. Most people who've paid a visit拜訪 to a Beijing public toilet, know at the moment they're very pungent刺鼻 indeed.的確

Of course, there is a serious side to these new regulations. Many people who live in the city's old neighbourhoods still don't have their own toilet and have no choice but to use public conveniences. For them, these rules might make an unavoidable不可回避 daily necessity, a touch more palatable接受,可口.

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Protecting shipwrecks沈船

Polish authorities recently banned divers潛水員 from coming within 500 metres of the Wilhelm Gustloff. The German ship was sunk by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea in 1945. More than 9,000 lives are thought to have been lost - the single largest death toll死亡人數 at sea.

Last month, seven European naval associations condemned譴責 Dutch salvage打撈 firms which they said were desecrating侮辱 sailors'水手的 graves墳墓. They'd been searching for scrap metal廢舊金屬 aboard three British warships torpedoed魚雷擊中 and sunk off the Netherlands in 1914.

UNESCO's Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage遺產, which was adopted ten years ago, does not apply in these cases, because it only protects shipwrecks沈船 more than 100 years old.

Whether ships and their dead should be left to rest in peace, or are sites of legitimate合法 archaeological考古的 interest, can be a vexed煩惱 and often emotional question.

Archaeologists say their job is the recovery and meticulous細緻, 細密的 preservation保存 of priceless價值連城 artefacts文物. Many of them reject the label "treasure hunters".

But, with deep-sea exploration equipment設備 costing tens of thousands of dollars a day, they need to cover their costs somehow不知何故. It's no surprise, then, that a ship laden with gold, silver and other valuables is seen as the greatest prize獎.

Sam Wilson, BBC News

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Ai Weiwei's tax bill

Nearly 20,000 people have donated. They've used bank transfers, sent postal orders匯票 or simply handed over cash in person. Some have folded money into paper planes紙飛機 and flown them over the wall of the artist's Beijing compound軟禁的地方.

Ai Weiwei says the campaign to help him isn't just about the money. He says it's an expression of people's feelings about the way he's been treated.

The authorities accuse him of tax evasion逃稅 and want him to pay $2.4 million. But many believe this is just a cover to punish a fierce激烈 government critic.

Officials, they say, don't like his dogged頑強的 pursuit追求 of controversial爭議 issues.

Ai Weiwei says he hasn't decided whether to pay the tax bill. If he does, and uses this donated money, there could still be problems. One newspaper suggested it amounted to illegal fundraising集資.

More evidence, his supporters might say, that the authorities are simply trying to get at the artist any way they can.

Michael Bristow, BBC News

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Cashing in on the Olympics?

It's not quite相當 in the Olympic spirit精神. Before day one of the torch火炬 relay接力 was completed, one of the golden symbols appeared for sale online. A torch used on day one is currently attracting bids出價 on the internet auction site, eBay, in excess過剩的 of $79,000. According to the seller the money will go to regional charities. But what's to stop participants cashing in and pocketing扒竊 the money themselves? Julia Immonen was awarded her relay place after rowing across the Atlantic with a team of women. She says she can't understand why anyone would want to sell such a prestigious著名的 item.

One torch is thought to have sold for more than $237,000. Given that the participants參與者 were asked to pay just $314 to keep the torches that is quite a profit利潤. A spokesperson for LOCOG - the Olympic organising committee - said the torches were the personal property動產 of the individual runners and it was their choice to do with them as they wanted. She said she only hoped they went to a good home.

Compared to the controversies爭議 over the scale規模 of commercial商業 sponsorship贊助 for London 2012, and the control of the brand牌, this may be of minor未成年的 concern. The torch relay is the moment when the magic and mystique神祕 of the Games touches local communities. It is a-once-in-a-lifetime experience and for most people seeing it pass by is enrichment豐富 enough.

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Brazilians who won't play ball

They are the descendants後裔 of the first Brazilians.

Members of different indigenous土著 groups have been living as squatters寮屋 on the doorstep門階 of the famous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

But they're not looking forward to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The stadium's renovation works might put them at risk of eviction趕出.

The derelict被拋棄的 building used to house the first museum dedicated專用 to their culture.

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Why the long face?

Jen: Hi I'm Jennifer and I'm waiting for Helen. I did see her in the corridor走廊 earlier, and she was looking a bit unhappy. Wait, here she is. Hi Helen!

Helen: Hi Jen.

Jen: What's the matter, Helen? Why the long face?

Helen: What's wrong with my face?

Jen: Nothing's wrong with your face, except that it looks a bit upset.

Helen: But you just said I've got a long face.

Jen: No – what I said was…

Helen: You think I've got a strange face. I KNEW I shouldn't have worn my hair like this today.

Jen: No, I asked you: "Why the long face?"

Helen: Is it my nose? Is it too big? Or maybe my chin下巴 is the wrong shape形狀. Maybe I should just wear a bag over my head!

Jen: No, no, no – that's not what I meant! First of all, you look LOVELY today.

Helen: OK… So what did you mean?

Jen: In English, the expression "why the long face?" is used as an informal way of asking someone what's wrong if they look upset.

Helen: So there's nothing wrong with my face?

Jen: No, there isn't. Let's hear some examples of the phrase in use.

• You've just got a new job, a new house and a new man – you should be happy! Why the long face?

• Hey there, don't look so sad! Why the long face?

Helen: So "why the long face?" is just another way of asking "what's the matter?"

Jen: Exactly. You could also say "what's up?"

Helen: That's very simple – you could say "what's wrong?" too.

Jen: So what IS wrong? Why do you look so miserable?

Helen: I've just had a really bad day – everything has gone wrong. First I lost my car keys, then I was late for a meeting and I fell over and tripped and landed in a puddle on my way. It was a horrible day.

Jen: It sounds awful. I know, how about I tell you a joke to cheer you up – you'll like this one.

Helen: OK, why not. Let's hear it.

Jen: A horse walks into a bar. The barman says: "why the long face?"

Helen: So the horse was unhappy? What's funny about that?

Jen: The barman says to the horse "Why the long face?"

Helen: Why would a horse be in a bar?

Jen: It doesn't matter – it's a joke. It's a horse so the barman says "Why the long face?"

Helen: I don't understand.

Jen: Well, the horse has a long face.

Helen: So it's unhappy?

Jen: No, well, yes, but that's the joke. Horses have long faces.

Helen: So why did it go into the bar again…?

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America's changing identity身份

The US census bureau人口普查局 recorded that just over two million babies were born to ethnic民族 and racial種族 minorities少數 in the year to July 2011, making up just over half of new arrivals. In 1990, just 37% of births were from racial minorities. It means for the first time non-Hispanic西班牙裔 white babies being born in the US are in the minority.

Analysts have pointed to several factors which could account for the shift轉移, 改變. The overall birth-rate in the US is declining下降, but that drop下降 is steepest陡的 among其中 white people, thought to be the fault of the weaker economy. The economic slow-down could also account for fewer Hispanics entering the United States from abroad.

Sociologists have suggested the data is evidence of a sweeping change巨大改變 underway正在進行 in the racial make-up種族構成 of the United States. The older generation is dominated by white people, but the younger demographic is increasingly日益 diverse多樣的. Racial minorities make up just over a third of America's population. Trends such as the one identified here suggest that is likely to change over time.

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Palestinian groups meet

Fatah in power in the West Bank and Hamas who govern in Gaza have been at loggerheads相持不下, sometimes violently劇烈地, for almost five years.

Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshaal met for the first time in six months to try and re-ignite重新點燃了 a unity deal統一的協議 that never got off the ground不遵守承諾, 說好的沒實現 when it was proposed back in May.

There was a lot of positive talk. President Abbas said there were no longer any differences between the two sides. Mr Meshaal said a new page in partnership had been turned.

But many will perceive察覺,感覺 these talks as having ended in failure. The substance實質內容 Palestinians will have been looking for was not there. There was no news on the possible makeup構成 of a new interim臨時 unity government to work towards elections next year.

That issue seems to remain a major sticking point主要癥結. They did agree to hold more talks in a month's time but many Palestinians, who've been waiting for political unity for years, will not be holding their breath發生期待中的事情.

Jon Donnison, BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/11/111125_witn_palestine.shtml

Egypt holds first elections post-Mubarak

For Egypt's military rulers the decision to press ahead with these elections was a gamble, taken in the anxious緊張焦慮 days last week when demonstrators were dying in hails of buckshot強烈攻擊 under clouds of tear gas on the streets of Cairo.

The early indications指示 from polling stations in and around the Egyptian capital is that that gamble has a real chance of paying off贏得勝利. Long, orderly queues有秩序地排隊 began to form two hours before the official start of voting, an indication of the appetite for democracy民主的渴望 here, pent-up壓抑 under decades of autocratic獨裁的 government.

At one polling station投票站 the queue was more than eight hundred metres long.

The new parliament is likely to have a strong Islamist block led by the Muslim Brotherhood, Liberal groupings and some reconditioned翻新 relics文物 of Hosni Mubarak's old party.

The system is so complicated and protracted持久 that there'll be no results until March, but these elections can be seen as a result in themselves, an outcome of the protests that made the Arab Spring阿拉伯之春.

Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Cairo

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/11/111128_witn_egypt_elections.shtml

Space shuttle's final mission

The US space shuttle Atlantis will blast off for the last time on Friday 8 July ending NASA's 30-year programme.

Four crew members will be dropping off a year's worth of supplies at the International Space Station. They'll be in orbit軌道 for 12-days and travel 6.5 million kilometres during the sortie出擊任務.

In total, 355 astronauts太空人 will have flown on the shuttle since the inaugural就職 mission任務 in 1981.

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First child of an infant嬰兒 nation

First the birth of a nation and then the arrival of its first citizen.

The weekend saw South Sudan usher in迎來 independence after decades of civil war.

As revellers狂歡 were marking the newborn country's secession分裂國家 from the north, Josephine Alphanes gave birth to her son, who she named Independence.

Nurses and midwives助產士 joined in the celebrations.

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HIV home testing

If the panel's recommendation is taken up by the Food and Drug Administration, OraQuick would become the first instant HIV test available over the counter不需要計算 in America. Using a mouth swab口腔棒 to detect檢測 the presence存在 of antibodies抗體, it delivers提供 a result in just twenty minutes. In home trials試驗, the product proved 93 percent accurate準確, compared with 99 per cent accuracy準確性 when similar tests are conducted進行 by medical professionals.

Supporters say the kit would advance the fight against HIV Aids by encouraging more people to test for the virus in the privacy of their own homes. Currently, almost a quarter of a million Americans are believed to be HIV positive without realising it - that's roughly a fifth of all infections.

Researchers estimate that, each year, the new test would identify an additional 45,000 carriers of the virus and avert避免 four thousand new transmissions. But the panel also advised that the packaging should carry warnings about the variable accuracy of home-testing, and a toll-free phone number offering counselling輔導 to those testing positive.

There are already other home tests on the US market. But they require需要 a blood test which must be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Last week, another FDA panel recommended for the first time a drug to protect healthy people from contracting感染 HIV.

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Hong Kong's hive of business

It may be a concrete jungle水泥城市森林 but Hong Kong has more similarities with the great outdoors than you might think.

14 storeys樓 up a skyscraper摩天大樓, you can find one of the 11 urban beehives around the city.

Like many conurbations大都市, Hong Kong has enough flora for bees to pollinate授粉 and harvest收獲 nectar花蜜 from.

Following Chinese tradition beekeepers in Hong Kong don't wear any protective gear裝備.

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Global obesity on the rise

More fat, more sugar, more salt, less exercise – more and more people around the world are suffering the consequences後果. Since 1980, the WHO's report reveals揭示 levels of obesity have doubled in every region of the world. Half a billion people, or 12 per cent of the global population, are now considered obese. One in three adults suffer from high blood pressure – a condition that causes half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease. And blood sugar levels are rising too – 10 per cent of the world's population is diabetic.

The WHO's report is not all bad news though: the statistics show that maternal產婦 mortality rates have fallen dramatically in the last 20 years, from over half a million in 1990 to less than 300,000 in 2010. And vaccination疫苗接種 campaigns have significantly顯著 reduced deaths from childhood diseases such as measles痲疹.

But the global rise in deaths from heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and the rise in the conditions which lead to those deaths, is causing alarm. The WHO wants all its member states to tackle risk factors such as poor diet, and smoking, and set targets for reducing deaths.

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South Korea's internet addicts

Internet addiction成癮 in South Korea's got so bad the government's banned teens from going online after midnight.

Web junkies隱君子 have been going without food, drink and sleep for days because they're hooked on computer games.

The authorities have been hedging their bets by putting money into a variety of solutions.

One scheme monitors people's brainwaves, while another tries to get youngsters involved in more traditional forms of entertainment娛樂.

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Indonesian track treatment

People suffering from various ailments疾病 in Indonesia's capital Jakarta have been using an unusual and potentially deadly therapy.

They claim聲稱 lying on train tracks allows an electric current to pass through their bodies curing治療 a variety多種 of illnesses.

The trains are in fact powered by overhead lines.

Despite this, and the obvious dangers, some people believe it is the best and most affordable實惠地 remedy藥品, 補救.

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Underwater volcano

Shimmering微光 hot water seen coming out of an undersea海底 volcano off the coast of Oregon.

During a routine visit例行訪問 to the area last month, researchers found lava岩漿 coming out of a vent that was formed on the seafloor海底.

Scientists who have been studying it for over a decade predicted預測 that it would erupt爆發 before the year 2014.

According to them it's the first successful forecast預測, 預報 of an underwater eruption.

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Cat café

Dogs are forbidden禁止的 here.

But feline貓 visitors are more than welcome in this new coffee house in Vienna.

Cafe Neko is home to five cats which customers can cuddle摟抱 whilst enjoying a hot drink.

Cat cafes are a popular phenomenon in Japan, but this is a first for Austria.

Officials were initially worried it would be unhygienic不衛生, but the establishment編製？ is already proving popular.

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Swiss cable guy

A Swiss daredevil's膽大妄為 climbed the highest mountain in Germany in an unusual way...

He scaled攀爬 the 3000-metre peak頂峰 using a cable car wire as a tightrope走鋼絲.

Freddy Nock gained nearly 350 metres in altitude海拔, 高度 as he walked the kilometre-long route without a balancing pole平衡桿 or a safety harness安全帶.

The stuntman's替身演員 trying to break seven world records in a week, raising籌備 money for charity慈善基金 in the process.

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Destination目的地 Afghanistan

The turquoise綠松石 waters of Afghanistan's very first national park.

The authorities here are trying to attract tourists to Bamian, the same place where the Taliban blew up炸毀 a giant Buddha佛 ten years ago.

It's hoped once security concerns are addressed tourism can form the backbone of the Afghan economy.

Last year even saw ski slopes滑雪場 open for business and the country's first international skiing competition.

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9/11: Ten Years On

The defining moment決定性時刻 of a new century...

Preparations籌備 are being made to mark the tenth anniversary週年 of the September 11th attacks which resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 people.

US president George W. Bush addressed發言 the nation promising to punish those behind the attacks and any country which harboured窩藏 terrorists.

This precipitated沈澱 the bombing of Afghanistan and the pursuit of追 the Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

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Giraffe on the High Seas公海

Travelling long distances can be a pain in the neck惱人…

But Jelani the giraffe didn't seem to mind as he took to the seas行駛在海洋上 inside a custom-made訂製, 4.2 metre-high shipping crate.包裝箱

It took five days to transport him from Auckland Zoo in New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia.

After a few days in quarantine檢疫, Jelani will take part in a breeding programme育種計劃.

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Palestinians in UN bid

The site of the most intractable棘手的 conflict in the modern era時代…

This land, occupied佔領 by Israel since 1967, has been fought over in two Palestinian uprisings起義.

Now their officials have launched發起 a campaign to join the United Nations as a full member state.

The idea's strongly opposed反對 by Israel and its close ally盟友, the United States, who say they'll veto否決 the move.

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Laughter Yoga

"A good laugh is equal to 10 prescriptions處方" or so the Vietnamese say.

These fitness fans in Hanoi are hoping there is some truth to the saying as they take part in an early-morning 'laughter yoga' session.

The combination of a good guffaw哄笑 and exercise is said to stretch伸展 muscles and trigger endorphins內啡肽 - the chemical in the brain known for its feel-good effect.

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Search for the stars

A new image of two galaxies星系 colliding碰撞.

At a facility設施 in the Atacama desert 沙漠 the world's most powerful radio telescope begins the quest探索 to view the origins of the universe.

The telescope consists of an array of giant巨型 antennae天線 on top of one of the highest plateaus高原 in Chile.

It's able to detect檢測 light which emanated from出自 stars created hundreds of millions of years ago.

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London's booming Theatreland

Last year 8 million people were off to see the Wizard of Oz and other musicals音樂劇. 6 million went to the opera, to the ballet or to see a play.

London's West End is not cheap - tickets to see a play can cost $75 - so there's been surprise here in the UK that when the country is going through one of the worst economic downturns經濟衰退 for decades, people can still afford to go.

Mark Rubinstein at the society of London theatre says it's really not that hard to understand why people are spending the money.

It's not just in London that Britain's plays are proving證明 a sell out - they're transferring to New York where they're drawing big audiences and winning awards.

But will audiences keep coming when the Olympics arrive in London this summer? Theatre owner and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber says there's going to be a bloodbath大屠殺 and theatres will close. But not everyone in Theatreland's so gloomy陰沈, 慘淡, 憂鬱. Adam Spiegel the producer of Midnight Tango thinks the Olympics could help draw people in.

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Why zebras have stripes

There have been many theories to explain the zebra's unmistakable無誤, 不會錯的 stripes. Scientists have suggested that each zebra has a unique獨特的 pattern模式 that lets other animals recognise it. Or that the mass of black and white in a vast廣大的 herd群 provides confusing camouflage偽裝 that puts off predators肉食動物.

But this team set out to test exactly what effect the stripes had on a zebra's most irritating惱人的, 刺激性 and ubiquitous普遍的 enemy - the blood-sucking horsefly吸血虻.

As part of their experiment the team put sticky horse models - one white, one black and one zebra-striped - into a fly-infested field. When they collected the flies that had landed and stuck to each of the models, they found that the model zebra attracted by far the fewest最少的 flies.

The researchers think that zebras had a black-coated ancestor祖先, which evolved進化 its white stripes in an evolutionary進化的 arms race, with an insect that's become the biting, disease-carrying scourge災難 of most horse herds.

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Mutilations動刑 in Mexico

In what was one of the most violent incidents in Mexico for many months, dozens of dismembered肢解 and decapitated斬首 bodies were dumped傾倒 in plastic bags on one of the main roads out of the city of Monterrey.

The victims had been brutally粗暴地 murdered and the authorities later said the killers had cut the hands off the bodies, making identifying the remains仍然 even harder. The state authorities in Nuevo Leon said the victims had been murdered as long as two days ago, based on the state of decomposition分解 of some of the bodies.

An investigation is underway進行中, but the murders have all the hallmarks特點 of being carried out by指向 one of the country's powerful drug gangs. Monterrey is experiencing some of the worst violence in Mexico's spiralling不斷增加, 螺旋 drug conflict, and large criminal organisations such as Los Zetas are very prominent顯而易見 in the northern region of the country.

Many Mexicans are angry that, despite six years of the government's military offensive against the drug gangs, the cartels犯罪組織的名字 are still able to carry out massacres大屠殺 on this kind of a scale規模. With the presidential election just weeks away, the incident only goes to underline the huge scale of the security task facing the next administration.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/05/120515_witn_mexico_murders.shtml

To murder something

Rob: Hi Helen. I thought I would pop round to talk to you about today's Authentic Real English but …err … it looks like you're busy … what are all these police cars doing here?

Helen: Quick, come in, shut the door….
….now this is very serious. There has been a murder.

Rob: What?

Helen: A murder! I know it's not very nice….but to be honest the police can't find any blood or a body. It's like a murder mystery.

Rob: Hmm, we need to do our own investigation. So what exactly happened?

Helen: Well, my friend came to see me this morning.

Rob: I see.

Helen: And we were having a nice chat when she said I could murder a coffee and then she disappeared and I haven't heard from her since.

Rob: Right. Well Helen, relax, I think she's still alive and everything is ok.

Helen: There's no murder?

Rob: No murder. When people say they could murder something it's an informal way of saying they are starving or thirsty and are desperate to have something to eat or drink.

Helen: But murder is a strong word.

Rob: Yes. It stresses how desperate someone is for something. A direct translation would mean you are so desperate for something you would kill it! But in reality, we don't go that far.

Helen: Thank goodness!

Rob: Here are some more examples:

• It's been a really tough day at work, I could murder a beer or two – anyone want to join me at the pub?

• I'm starving, I could murder a curry.

Helen: It's amazing what people will commit murder for!! But in reality when we would murder for something, we just have a desperate need for something.

Rob: People also describe a situation or a feeling as murder – but again there is no killing involved參與 – they are just trying to explain that something is bad or uncomfortable.

Helen: So the word murder is also used to emphasize強調 a bad situation or uncomfortable feeling. Such as Rob?

Rob: Such as in these examples:

• Running a marathon is murder on my knees.

• I've been decorating裝潢 all day and my back is murder.

• Don't go on the London underground地鐵 during the rush hour上下班高峰期, it's murder!

Rob: So by saying 'it's murder' he means it's awful; it's terrible. Anyway Helen, now we know there's not been a real murder, I think we should tell these policemen to go home now.

Helen: Good idea. Excuse me…there's been a terrible misunderstanding. There's not been a murder so you can all go home.

Policeman: Oh right. So we've been wasting our time then? But hold on…I think there might be another murder soon.

Helen: Oh, why's that?

Policeman: Well, I could murder a cup of tea!

Helen: Of course.

Rob: I'll put the kettle on.

Helen & Rob: Bye.

Policeman: Milk, two sugars please!

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