Pregnancy the 'biggest killer' for teenage girls

In many countries it's normal for girls to be married off young. They often quickly become pregnant but their bodies are not developed enough to give birth. In one clinic in a poor region of northern Liberia, a third of all babies are born to girls between 15 and 19. Some are as young as 13.

A Save the Children project manager there, George Kijana, says these young mothers are prone to易於, 傾向於 a lot of medical complications. [For example] a fistula管 causes a lot of pain and incontinence失禁, and girls are frequently then ostracised排擠 from their families. Babies too are more at risk, far more likely to die if their mother's under 18.

For years contraceptive避孕的 programmes have struggled掙扎 for funding and support as the religious right右翼 in the US has pressed Washington to oppose them. But world leaders will be congregating聚集 in London next month for a family planning summit首腦會議 hosted by the British government and the Gates Foundation. They will be urging action to make contraception避孕 not just more available to girls, but to empower授權 them to use it by helping their families understand the health benefits of later pregnancies.

Charities慈善機構 point out that there could be huge cost benefits - with $1 spent on family planning saving at least $4 on treating the complications from unintended意外地 pregnancies.

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Presidential plagiarism

The allegations指控 against President Schmitt began in January when a leading Hungarian weekly magazine, HVG, published what it said was clear proof that a large part of his 1992 doctoral thesis on the history of the Olympic games was a word-for-word translation of a work by a Bulgarian author.

President Schmitt is a well-respected former sportsman, who twice won Olympic medals in the Hungarian fencing team擊劍隊. He is also stalwart忠實的 member of the governing Fidesz party, and was elected in 2010 for a 5-year term. An investigatory調查 committee of the Budapest Semmelweis University confirmed that much of the thesis was copied, but criticised the former先前的 university authorities for failing to enforce執行 sufficiently足夠的 high standards.

Now the rector校長 of the university has said he will begin proceedings訴訟 tostrip the President of his honorary title榮譽稱號 of doctor. President Schmitt said that he had no intention of resigning辭職. What happens next may depend on the degree of support he feels from his own party.

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Ageing populations

While Europe and Japan were among the first places to see their population ageing老齡化, the phenomenon is now occurring fastest in low and middle-income nations and WHO says the most dramatic changes are taking place in countries such as Cuba, Iran and Mongolia.

This means that where in the past infections were considered the greatest challenge, now even in the poorest countries the biggest health burdens負擔 for older people come from conditions such as heart disease, stroke中風, cancer, diabetes, dementia癡呆 and sight and hearing loss.

WHO says present heath systems are poorly designed for the chronic慢性病 care needs arising產生 from this pattern of disease. The campaigning organisation HelpAge International welcomed the new focus on the impact of ageing but said the global community was still worryingly slow to act.

HelpAge cited Ghana where it said nearly sixty per cent of older people suffer from high blood pressure often leading導致 to strokes and heart attacks but only five per cent are able to control it through medication.

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Berlin nightclubs

Ever since the 20s, Berlin's been famous for its nightclubs - louche and throbbing悸動 with music. Today, there's a bigger draw吸引,  in that they bring money into the city in the form of budget airline revellers狂歡 who sometimes land, go clubbing until dawn黎明 and then head for the airport again.

But some have already closed and more - about 15 on one estimate - are under threat. They were set up in disused廢棄 buildings like power stations and warehouses in the poorer areas of East Berlin, but now find developers knocking on the doors.

The clubs are big music venues場地 so more closures關閉 would remove a vibrant充滿活力 part of Berlin's music scene現場. Accordingly因此, the city government has set up a 'Music Board' with a budget of more than a million dollars.

There is a debate辯論 within the Berlin government over whether the money should be used to support music very specifically or the club scene in general.

But there is a wider更廣泛 issue: should vibrant, grungy憋腳 nightclubs be supported by state money - is that not the antithesis of對偶 what these alternative establishments機構 are about?

As one club manager put it: "We're an oasis綠洲 of fringe culture邊緣文化 in Berlin, living with the faint微弱 hope that we will survive.

"But," she said, "We don't want to be an island in the middle of a gentrified town".

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Sporting rich list

So the best paid sportsman over the past year is in prison. Floyd Mayweather Junior, otherwise known as "the money", pocketed賺足 $85 million from his two fights. He's now taking an enforced強迫 break while he serves a three-month sentence徒刑 for domestic battery家庭暴力.

He will return to the ring after his release but not to face the man who was in second place. That's because Manny Pacquiao, who made $62 million, lost his World Welterweight重量級 title last month. The mega bout大型比賽 all boxing fans have craved for渴望 remains only a distant possibility.

The list compiled編製 by Forbes Magazine took into account prize money獎金 and endorsements代言. A drop in sponsorship earnings meant Tiger Woods fell to third place, after his decade-long reign統治 on top. David Beckham, who plays in the unheralded名不經傳的 US league, was the highest ranked footballer. He scooped挖出 $47 million. American football is the most heavily represented代表 sport with 30 NFL players in the top 100. The list featured only two women, both tennis stars - Russia's Maria Sharapova and China's Li Na.

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Should we reward success?

The message that society's top performers表演 are not the most skilled and shouldn't be emulated模擬, appears to be似乎是 counter-intuitive反直覺. Yet this report says that those who appear to have achieved實現 the most in their particular特定 field領域 of expertise專業知識, are often the beneficiaries受益者 of luck, an external, random force力量.

The authors of this study point to the example of Bill Gates, the co-founder聯合創辦人 of the computing giant Microsoft, and one of the world's richest men. They say that although he is undoubtedly無疑地 talented, he achieved his initial初步的 success because his affluent富裕的 family were able to send him to a school where programming was on the curriculum課程 - at a time when most Americans didn't have access to computers. Family connections also helped, according to Professor Chengwei Liu from Warwick University Business School.

That kind of luck is often at work in the lives of the most successful, argues認為 Mr Liu, which means their achievements成就 aren't completely attributable歸屬 to their own skill. Instead, he advocates倡導者 looking at those whom he calls 'the second best'. They aren't relying依託 on lucky chances, so their performances offer an opportunity to measure real success. The study also argues that there are dangers if colleagues同事 try to emulate the achievements of those who've been overly fortunate幸運的.

This could explain the global Banking crisis says Professor Liu, who also believes that studying the lives of people such as Bill Gates for tips on reaching the top is fruitless瞎. Of course, some academics argue that individuals can in fact create their own lucky circumstances情況 through using personal contacts and pursuing追求 all available opportunities. This research though says that because those with the highest salaries haven't completely earned them through skill, they should be taxed more heavily - which would be very bad luck.

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Hanging up on work

When is our time our own and when does it belong to the company?

We all love to keep in touch using the latest最新的 gadgets小玩意. But the stream of phone calls and emails when you've left the office can make out-of-hours time seem like you're still on duty值班.

The German government has decided to tackle解決 the issue. It's laying down奠定 rules on when companies can and can't contact their employees.

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Australia's plan to ban cigarette logos

The colour olive green is the latest weapon in the ongoing battle between the Australian government and big tobacco. Under aggressive積極的 new proposals建議, billed as the toughest in the world, every packet of cigarettes sold in Australia would be packaged in that colour after research showed that olive green was the most off-putting厭惡, 倒胃口 for smokers.

Logos and any form of distinct不同的 branding would be completely banned. Instead, the brand names would appear in a standard size and font, making them as bland乏味的 and anonymous匿名的 as possible. A greater area of the packaging would also be taken up with grotesque古怪的 pictures of cancerous tumours and the health effects of tobacco.

Claiming a global first, the Australian government says it wants to remove any remaining glamour魅力 from cigarettes, but the big tobacco companies have questioned the legality of the legislation立法.

Worried about the possible worldwide knock-on effects of Australia introducing such stringent regulations法規, they've vowed to put up a fight - saying the new measures infringe侵犯 international trademark and intellectual property laws智慧財產權.

Nick Bryant, BBC News

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Record refugee numbers

Ivory Coast, Libya, Somalia, Sudan – in 2011 4.3 million people were forced to flee逃跑 their homes; the highest number, the UN refugee難民 agency says, in over a decade. Of them 800,000 fled逃離 across borders, seeking尋求 protection in neighbouring countries. By the end of the year the total number of refugees and internally國內 displaced流離失所 worldwide全球 stood站 at forty-two and a half million people – without their homes, possessions財產 or livelihoods, often dependant on support from communities in developing countries, with themselves few resources.

The UN refugee agency says this latest report on global displacement shows worrying trends – forced displacement is affecting increased numbers of people, and among the displaced, more and more are having to wait years, even decades, to return home. Overall, Afghanistan accounts for the largest number of refugees, followed by Iraq, Somalia and Sudan. The UN refugee agency says it is grateful that, by and large, the international system of protection is being respected; countries are keeping their borders open to those in need.

Nevertheless雖然, 還是, the UN knows that as the global economic crisis continues, help for refugees is unlikely to be a top political priority – and the refugee agency says testing times lie ahead.

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Dallas comeback

It was the soap opera that gripped us with the feuding爭鬥 and love-lives of the Ewing family, oil millionaires from Texas, who despite their vast wealth財富, all chose to live side by side in a vast ranch牧場. Dallas became so popular that it was sold to TV networks around the world and the 1980 cliff hanger of 'who shot JR', the show's resident villain, was watched by 80 million people.

JR of course, survived the shooting, and now his character, played by Larry Hagman, is swaggering大搖大擺 through Texas once more, alongside his saintly聖潔的 brother Bobby, and alcoholic ex-wife Sue-Ellen. The original series became synonymous代名詞 with a free-market 'greed貪婪 is good' view of the world, where it was acceptable, and even expected, that the rich would flaunt炫耀 their wealth.

So making money will still be the main motivator for most of the Ewings. Yet in the middle of a global downturn, with real Americans struggling奮鬥,掙扎的 to find jobs and pay their bills, will anyone want to watch it again? Larry Hagman is optimistic. He says the original series became popular during a US recession不景氣, as people chose to stay at home to save money, and watched TV instead. Of course, what viewers will really want to see, is JR getting away with double-crossing his own family... again... and again... and again...

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Fly by the seat of your pants

Chris: Hi, I’m Chris and I’m here today with Li.

Li: Hello.

Chris: Did you see that Superman film on television last night? I love Clark Kent. By day, he’s just a regular guy, but he also has the power to fly! It’s a classic movie.

Li: No, I didn’t see it. The aerial天線 on my roof is broken and I don’t really know how to fix it, so I can’t watch anything at the moment.

Chris: That’s a shame？？？. If you want, I could have a look to see if I can fix it for you? I’d be flying by the seat of my pants, but it’s worth a try.

Li: You can fly? Like Superman? Do you have to wear your pants on the outside like him, too?

Chris: No, I don’t mean I can actually fly – and I’m certainly not putting my underwear on over my trousers長褲, 褲子! The phrase ‘to fly by the seat of your pants’ means to do something difficult without being trained to do it or really knowing how.

Li: So I don’t have to worry about actually seeing your pants?

Chris: No, Li, you don’t have to see my pants – it’s just a phrase慣用語.

Li: I see – so you’ll have a go at fixing my TV aerial, even though you aren’t quite sure what you’re doing.

Chris: Exactly. Let’s hear some more examples of the phrase in action.

Examples:

This report has to be finished today but no one is here to show me how to do it. I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants, but I’d better try.

John is trying to put new tiles磁磚 in the bathroom, as he won’t pay for a decorator to do it. He really is flying by the seat of his pants.


Li: So this is a phrase that we can use when you know very little about something, but you’re going to do your best to complete the job.

Chris: People often use this phrase when they have to do a job quickly, but don’t know how.

Li: So, do you think you can fix my aerial?

Chris: Well, I’ll certainly give it a try – have you got a ladder, then…?

Later…

Chris: Well, there you go. I really did fly by the seat of my pants, but it looks like it’s fixed.

Li: Let me turn on the TV… It works! Great picture. You know Chris, even though you don’t have your pants like Superman, you really are my hero.

Chris: Erm… thanks.

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Japanese garbage island moves towards US

Entire houses, bodies, car parts, tractors拖拉機 and many upturned上翹 boats have amassed累積 off the east coast of Japan on an epic scale令人印象深刻的規模,史詩規模.

The floating objects飄流物 have been declared宣佈 a maritime海上 hazard危險 by the American Navy海軍, which warned they could pierce刺穿 the body of a boat, or destroy銷毀 engines in the Pacific's shipping lanes航道.

The island of debris of most concern, 110 kilometres long, is being closely monitored by the US Navy's seventh fleet第七艦隊, as experts predict it could hit Hawaii's shores海岸 in two years and the American west coast a year later.

Hawaiian scientists put it bluntly直言說. They warned that a vast巨大的 mess that originated in a few moments of destruction in Japan, could eventually foul弄髒 beaches and reefs珊瑚礁 off the Eastern North Pacific and kill marine life.

The American Navy's working with civilian construction companies民間的建築公司 from the earthquake-hit country, as huge cranes起重機 and boats are deployed部署 to clear the seas of this vast bobbing掠奪 mass of wreckage殘骸 of household furniture家用傢俱, wood, tyres輪胎, fishing equipment and other garbage, sweeping掃 eastwards向東.

Mark Lobel, BBC News

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Jordan launches largest online antiquities catalogue

Lying趴在 at the crossroads十字路口 of three continents, Jordan hosts a number of World Heritage sites世界遺產. The most famous is the spectacular 2,000 year-old rose rock city of Petra, which draws吸引 some one million tourists every year. But the country also is chock full of充滿 other historic sites歷史遺跡 dating from the Neolithic Age新石器時代, through Biblical times聖經時代 to the Crusades十字軍東征 and Ottoman times奧斯曼帝國時代.

The online system will define the boundaries界線 of each Jordanian site, which is key to preventing防止 urban encroachment侵佔 on antiquities zones古城區. Government authorities can use the system to plan strategies for research and tourism development. Meanwhile, field inspectors現場監督 can quickly report theft竊盜 or damage by those visiting the sites.

Mega is expected to be used elsewhere, particularly in neighbouring Iraq, which has witnessed目睹 wide-scale大規模 damage and theft of its extensive廣泛 archaeological考古 treasures.

Dale Gavlak, BBC News, Amman

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Gulf oil leak recovery continues

When President Obama stood on the beaches of Louisiana and Florida last year, he was as powerless as just about everyone else. The fate of命運 the Deepwater深水 Horizon rig鑽孔 was in the hands of BP engineers and for almost three months, it gushed湧出的 crude oil原油 out into the Gulf of Mexico墨西哥灣 in almost unimaginable不可想像的 volumes.

By the time the pipeline管道 was capped封頂, BP's reputation was in ruins. Tourism across three states had ground to a halt陷於停頓 and the livelihood生活 of countless fishermen was threatened.

Twelve months later, the healing process癒合過程 has been slow; tourists are beginning to return. But for many still seeking要求 compensation賠償, there's continued frustration and a loss of faith in both BP and the Obama administration. Almost $4 billion has been paid out to those who lost business, but many view the process as confusing, unfair and far too slow.

Many questions also remain about the environmental damage. Most scientists agree it wasn't as severe嚴重 as first thought, but the long-term effects of such a huge catastrophe will take years to unfold展開. The last of the fishing waters that were closed last year have finally been re-opened, but for the people of the Gulf states, the scars have far from healed離癒合還很遠.

Andy Gallacher, BBC News

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Goodbye to typewriters

India is well known眾所皆知 for its legions of軍團 computer programmers, but the country also has another face as the last bastion最後堡壘 of the typewriter. Manual手工 typewriters stayed popular in India long after developed nations had entirely switched to the keyboard and mouse.

As recently as the 1990s, the Mumbai plant of a company named Godrej and Boyce was turning out 50,000 typewriters a year. They were popular in a nation where reliable可靠的 electricity supplies - essential for computers - are still by no means guaranteed.

But even in India, typewriter sales have slumped暴跌 in the last ten years. Gradually, every manufacturer stopped making them, leaving only Godrej's Mumbai plant - and that switched to making fridges two years ago. And now the firm says it only has 500 typewriters left in stock.

It's a far cry from相去甚遠 the heyday鼎盛時期 of the 1950s, when India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru held up the humble typewriter as a symbol of the nation's independence and industrialisation.

The first commercial typewriters were produced in the United States in the 1860s. The typewriter was the dominant office technology for more than a century until the computer came along.

Mark Gregory, BBC News

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Obama visits 'home' in Ireland

If the residents of Moneygall need any advice on how best to welcome an American president, they might turn to their counterparts同行 in another small Irish village, Ballyporeen, which, in 1984 played host to the great grandson of a local man who emigrated to the US, President Ronald Reagan.

President Obama is following in the footsteps步上腳程, not just of President Reagan, but also of a wave of浪潮 presidents dating back追朔 to John F Kennedy. President Kennedy paid the first visit of a serving US president to Ireland in 1963, a four day trip which saw huge crowds turning out to greet him as he toured the country and visited his ancestral home祖籍. He was followed in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, whose family history was traced to 被曝 County Kildare.

President Bill Clinton made three visits to the island of Ireland during his two terms in office. His Irish legacy遺產 though resides in the crucial part he played in the Northern Ireland peace process, although he too can trace ancestry here, to County Fermanagh.

President George W Bush is thought to have Irish roots as well, in County Down. Like President Clinton, his visits were aimed at consolidating鞏固 the Northern Ireland peace process.

And now the people of Moneygall prepare to welcome their US president; all thanks to a son of the village who left for New York in 1850, at the tender age of nineteen.

The links between Ireland and America are forged on偽造 countless such stories, there are thirty six million Americans who claim Irish ancestry血統, according to US Census figures人口普查. Every year, thousands of Americans travel here to reconnect with their family heritage遺產.

Later on, in Moneygall, their president will do exactly the same.

Ruth McDonald, BBC News

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Poll finds India worst for women

The survey assesses評估 nineteen of the world's developed and emerging countries - including Mexico, Indonesia and Brazil. India's neighbours, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, were not included.

India scored poorly largely because of such practices as under-age marriage, dowry-abuse濫用嫁妝, domestic violence家庭暴力 and female foeticide女性墮胎. The country's Domestic Violence Act法, passed seven years ago, was described as progressive進步. But gender violence, fuelled by social prejudice against girls does persist堅持, especially in low income families.

Some people may be surprised that India ranks lower than Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to drive and have not yet had the chance to exercise the right to vote. In India, the status of women is closely linked to wealth and class. There are plenty of well-educated良好教育, professional women who enjoy personal freedoms and a Western lifestyle. India first had a female prime minister in the nineteen sixties and currently has its first female President. But their experience stands in marked contrast形成鮮明對比 to the lives of rural women in the least developed states.

Canada was described as the best country for women, followed by Germany and then the United Kingdom. The United States ranked sixth.

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Olympic ceremony plans

At 55, the director Danny Boyle already has a 30-year career behind him marked by audacity大膽 and imagination想像力. He started out in the theatre and TV then moved with success into the cinema: Trainspotting, Sunshine and the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire are all his: it's notable顯著 that each is totally different. So when the London Olympics took on Danny Boyle to create this year's opening ceremony儀式 they knew to expect the unexpected驚喜的.

The traditional walk-through步行 of competing athletes will still happen but it'll be preceded 之前發生 by an hour's pageant盛會 called 'Green and Pleasant愉快地' which will be unlike anything seen at any Olympics. The set will transform the huge Olympic stadium into a recreation of the British countryside, with rolling meadows and a bucolic鄉村 village green. There'll be horses, cows, geese鵝 and three sheepdogs.

Danny Boyle says it will be the starting point of a definition of what modern Britain is, not just London. Danny Boyle says that four years ago Beijing was the highpoint of a certain type of ceremonial spectacle奇觀. What we see next month will be more inclusive廣泛 and warmer. As a director Danny Boyle has always shown a talent for avoiding the obvious so we can expect further更多 surprises to come.

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Opec holds first summit after Arab Spring

Oil is expensive again. The price is more than three times the lows it hit in the wake of the financial crisis, driven higher by robust growth強勁增長 in emerging economies新興經濟體 and by the political unrest政治動盪 in the Middle East and North Africa.

It is increasingly日益 an economic problem for oil importers, especially in the developed countries, where recovery is not very convincing使人信服. The oil price is adding to inflationary通貨膨脹 pressures壓力 and it's hitting consumers who have less to spend on other goods and services.

Saudi Arabia, along with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are willing to respond by boosting提高 supplies which should bring prices down. But others aren't so keen敏銳, 靈敏, including Iran and Venezuela who don't have a great deal of spare capacity備用容量 and have poor diplomatic relations with the rich world.

Saudi Arabia, however, does have room to increase production and might well choose to do so whatever Opec decides.

Andrew Walker, BBC News

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Psychic fish

First there was Paul the Octopus predicting預測 World Cup results two years ago...

Now a psychic魚 fish in Singapore is being used to forecast預測 the scores of matches at Euro 2012.

The dragonfish龍魚, known as Big Huat, was spot on with one-all for the football tournament's opener between Poland and Greece.

Its younger nephew, though, was wide of the mark suggesting the Poles would win.

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'Thief' hides inside luggage in Spain

For weeks police were puzzled by困惑 repeated thefts竊盜 from suitcases firmly locked牢牢鎖緊 inside the luggage compartment房 of a coach travelling between Girona Airport and Barcelona.

After one journey when bags had again been broken into, one of the passengers pointed out a large, suspicious suitcase手提箱. Police opened it and to their amazement驚愕 found a man curled up捲曲 inside. With the help of an accomplice幫兇, 同伙人, who was also arrested, the six-foot contortionist柔術 had crammed擠 himself inside.

His friend bought a bus ticket and put the case into the luggage hold. Once the bus set off the man in the case clambered out爬出來, opened other suitcases in the hold looking for valuables貴重物品. Before the bus pulled into the stop in Barcelona he had zipped himself back into his hiding place. Police are reported to have described the crime as an 'open and shut case'.

Adam Mynott, BBC News

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India's eco-friendly innovations

In her small mud hut小土屋 in a village a few hours from Mumbai, Bali Bhalla is cooking rice on an open stove爐灶. As flames火焰 dance from the fire, acrid刺鼻 smoke circles around the room. More than two-thirds of Indians live in rural鄉村 areas and cook like this. But there are environmental concerns about the stoves - one study estimated they're responsible for four per cent of the country's greenhouse gas溫室氣體 emissions排放.

And that's something Neha Juneja wants to change. She's started a company which produces eco-friendly cooking stoves - she says they emit發射 80% less smoke and use less wood. For her, green technology isn't just about saving the planet, but also about making money.

Neha Juneja: "I and my co-founder創始人, we quit good paying jobs to start this, but we did not start this with a purely純粹 social or charitable慈善 mission任務. We saw it as a business and we still see it as a very good opportunity for us to fulfil履行 our dream of bringing a good product to the market and also being financially comfortable."

In a factory on the outskirts郊區 of Mumbai, Nitin Bhodale shows me his innovation革新 - a machine which can turn plastic into petrol汽油. At one end of a five metre high cylinder汽缸 workers drop bags of rubbish; an hour later, crude oil原油 starts to drip out at the other end.

And there is big money to be made - more than $10 billion of funds was pumped into green energy last year, making India the country with the fastest rate of growth. With a rising population, the need for more power in the country is increasing. The belief is that green tech won't just help improve the environment but also the business climate too.

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A laundry for Somalia

When Mohamed Mahamoud Sheik returned to his hometown of Mogadishu after years of living abroad he noticed a problem. His father, his uncles, politicians, businessmen and others had to go to extreme ends to clean their suits. They had to take them abroad, to neighbouring鄰近 Kenya.

Mohamed - who is 24 years old - quickly spotted發現 an opportunity. He decided to open a laundry, which would not only dry clean people's clothes, but pick them up and deliver交付 them too. He bought the equipment from Dubai, the US and Italy, and spent time at a friend's dry cleaning business in the Gulf to pick up skills. He says it was a struggle奮鬥 to find premises房地 because so many people are rushing to start up businesses in Mogadishu that there's hot competition競爭激烈 for space.

Finding staff was a challenge, but Mohamed eventually found one man who worked in a Mogadishu dry cleaners more than 20 years ago. The local authorities have provided security – the city is still affected by受到 suicide bombs and other attacks.

Mohamed is not the only Somali to come home after years as a refugee難民. People young and old are returning to the safer parts of the country. But much of Somalia remains dangerous. It’s by no means clear that the relative peace in Mogadishu will last, but ventures企業 like Mohamed's offer some kind of hope after years of difficulty.

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Libyan rebels get weapons through Tunisia

Members of the Libyan diaspora散居 are funding the purchase of small arms to smuggle走私 into Western Libya, according to one Libyan smuggler who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity匿名狀態.

He told the BBC that AK-47s and grenade launchers are being taken across the border by individuals, in small but frequent consignments托運.

A rebel叛軍 commander指揮官 in western Libya said his forces kept a record of each fighter and the serial串行, 依次的 number of their weapons, so they could be collected when the war was over.

Commander Ahbeel Dody appealed for NATO countries to send more and heavier weapons through Tunisia officially. He said a shortage in the Nafusa mountains, where towns have gained ground抬頭 in frequent clashes衝突 with Colonel Gaddafi's forces, was prolonging延長 the war.

But the fledgling雛鳥 Tunisian government is fearful可怕,嚇人的 of giving overt公開 support to the rebels. Colonel Gaddafi's forces are on the border, and shelling砲擊 often spills over溢出以上.

Tunisian border guards are under orders to search each car going in to Libya. But the Libyan smuggler speaking to the BBC says that many Tunisians are sympathetic有同情心的 and help get arms in to the rebels.

Pascale Harter, BBC News, Tunisia

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Rio favelas crime clampdown取締

Authorities in Rio launched a fresh attack on organised crime有組織的犯罪 by taking over the Mangueira slum close to the city's famous Maracana Stadium.

Around 800 police and Special Forces軍隊 occupied佔領 the slum without firing發射 any shots. The vast廣闊 majority of residents co-operated fully with the authorities; they want their community pacified評定 and free of drug dealers.

The police had pre-announced the raid, a strategy that gives criminals the chance to leave the area rather than being confronted面對 in densely populated areas. Rio's authorities are making an effort to win the trust of贏得信任 those living in the slums who after decades of abuse have got used to seeing the police as their enemy.

The Mangueira is the 18th slum in Rio to be reclaimed糾正 by the authorities. But there is still a lot to be done. With hundreds of slums known as "favelas" still in the hands of organised criminals, drug dealers have vast areas in which to hide and thrive興旺.

Paulo Cabral, BBC News, Sao Paulo

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Shakespeare’s ‘The Curtain’ uncovered

‘The Curtain’ theatre opened in 1577, a year after 'The Theatre' nearby. Most experts reckon估計 that was the first dedicated專用的 theatre-building in England – earlier performances演出 had been in tavern-yards酒館 or at court重要的地方.

The approximate location of The Curtain was already known, but now experts at the Museum of London say they've identified remarkably顯著 intact完整 elements of walling and the yard院子 where poorer theatre-goers觀眾 stood. The developers who own the site say they plan to incorporate合併 the theatre's remains into their project.

The best-known Shakespearean theatre in London is the Globe - although that's a modern reconstruction重建, a short distance from the original site.

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Thatcher handbag sold for US$ 40,000

She may have styled herself as the Iron Lady, but in fact it was this shiny black leather accessory that became her most iconic trademark. A member of her cabinet once said that she used the handbag not as a shield擋箭牌 but as a weapon.

Thanks to Margaret Thatcher, the word 'handbagging' has entered the English language to describe the former prime minister's abrasive粗糲 style in dismissing駁回 those she disagreed with or who incurred招致 her displeasure不滿.

This particular特別 bag, made by the firm Asprey of Bond Street in London, was used by Margaret Thatcher for over 30 years. It was large enough to hold state papers when required.

Partly because of this, the handbag was expected to fetch up to彌補 US$ 160,000. In the event it went for only a quarter of that sum. Forty grand盛大的, 豪華的 is still quite a lot of money for a purse錢包, but could it be that the Iron Lady's handbag is finally losing some of its power?

Gabriel Gatehouse, BBC News

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Strauss-Kahn presidential comeback 'unlikely'

It is extraordinary非凡, 特殊 to think he is even being mooted醞釀, 建議 as a potential candidate. But such was the outpouring流露 of relief in Socialist circles on Friday that speculation推測 was rife猖獗, 這指流言滿天飛 over the weekend that Mr Strauss-Kahn may return as a surprise candidate for next year's presidential election.

The snap polls投票 that followed Friday's dramatic events in court revealed發現 49% of French voters favour his return, against 45% opposed反對. And on the left 60% of people suggest they would support him.

Today while not ruling out排除 a political future for the former IMF chief, the party spokesman, Benoit Hamon, said the idea that Mr Strauss-Kahn could now run for the presidency was "the weakest" of all possible scenarios場景.

But he also made it clear that the leadership would not necessarily block a late entry to the party ballot選票.

The list for the Socialist candidates closes on the 13th and in theory Mr Strauss-Kahn can put his name forward, even if he is not released by the deadline.

Mr Strauss-Kahn would certainly be a gamble, but the current crop of front runners人民期待的最有希望的候選人 do not unite團結 or inspire啟發, 鼓舞 the party as Mr Strauss-Kahn did before his arrest. The direction of the polls in the next few weeks, and the events in court, could yet prove crucial關鍵.

Christian Fraser, BBC News, Paris

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Disney bans junk food adverts

It has become commonplace平凡 to report that America is in the midst of在...之中 an epidemic疫情 of obesity. Recent studies have shown that almost a third of the country's children are overweight or obese.

Part of the problem is advertising廣告. Manufacturers製造商 of junk food and sugary drinks spend around a billion dollars a year on commercials廣告 directed at children under twelve years old. The Walt Disney Company says it will no longer be a part of this. Under new rules, its TV and radio channels, as well as its websites, will have to abide by遵守 new standards.

Inevitably不可避免的, there is scepticism about Disney's move. The new rules won't come into effect for another three years and much will depend on how Disney actually defines junk food.

But it's all part of a growing campaign to fight obesity. Last week, in the first move of its kind by an American city, the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, proposed a ban on the sale of sugary drinks over 480 millilitres in size at restaurants, food trucks, cinemas and sports arenas. It's a controversial爭議的 step - one poll over the weekend found that 53% of New Yorkers think it's a bad idea.

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Aung San Suu Kyi meets new government

The meeting comes a month after the government warned Aung San Suu Kyi to stop all political activities and cautioned against告誡 her travelling outside Rangoon. But Miss Suu Kyi recently went ahead with a trip to the town of Bagan and has continued to conduct進行 interviews with international media and maintain close contact with foreign diplomats.

No agenda議程 for the talks was made public. In fact the entire meeting was shrouded籠罩 in secrecy until the very last minute. So it's not clear if this invitation邀請 to talks is a form of private reprimand懲罰 or a recognition承認 that the pro-democracy leader is still a force to be reckoned with一個不可忽視的力量.

But the mere只 fact事實 that the government has renewed direct contact using a minister who performed the same role under the previous military leadership has raised hopes that perhaps the door to negotiation has been reopened.

It may also be relevant that the meeting is taking place immediately after a regional forum during which the American Secretary of State國務卿, Hillary Clinton, called for concrete具體 and measurable可衡量的 steps towards reform in Burma.

The true test of Aung San Suu Kyi's talks with the new government will be to see if anything substantive實質性的 emerges出現 from them. Or will this meeting turn out to be another carefully choreographed編排 piece of window dressing門面, much in the manner of the Burma of old.

Rachel Harvey, BBC

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It's a joke

Helen: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, I'm Helen. With me today is quite a frustrated-looking Neil. Neil, what are you doing to that mobile phone?

Neil: Argh, I can't get it to make a phone call. It does everything else: it takes photos, it connects to the internet, it even irons my shirts but it won't make a call!

Helen: Your mobile phone irons your shirts?

Neil: No, not really, but honestly it does everything apart from the one thing I want it to do – make a phone call. It's a joke!

Helen: A joke? But you're not laughing. It can't be a very funny joke.

Neil: Well if you say something is a joke in English it can also mean that it's not very good or not worthy of respect.

Helen: Yes, 'joke' has a second meaning.

Example:

• The investigation into police corruption was a complete joke. Everyone knows the officers were taking money but they were let off.

• The weather forecast預測 was a total joke. It said it would be warm and sunny but it's freezing and raining.

Helen: As you heard there in the example, the person described an investigation into police corruption腐敗 as a joke. This doesn't mean it was funny. It means it wasn't serious. Also the weather forecast was so bad it was described as a joke.

Neil: Notice that you can add words before 'joke' to make the meaning even stronger. It's a complete joke.

Helen: A complete joke.

Neil: It's a total joke.

Helen: A total joke.

Neil: It's an absolute joke.

Helen: Anyway Neil, why don't you just read the instructions for your new mobile phone? Then you'll probably be able to work out how to make a call.

Neil: I looked at the instructions but they're an absolute joke.

Helen: Oh really?

Neil: Well for a start they are in about 17 languages apart from English.

Helen: What a joke!

Neil: Yeah I know.

Helen: Well we've heard lots of jokes in today's programme but there hasn't been much laughing.

Neil: Argh, what a useless piece of …

Helen: Let's hope Neil finally works out how to use his phone.

Neil: Argh, this is beyond以外, 在…以外 a joke, it really is…

Helen: Join us again for The English We Speak.

Neil: Argh, mobiles…

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Air France crash. Who's to blame?

This is not the final report into the causes of the crash, but with the new evidence from the flight recorders, it's the most substantial大量地 analysis分析 to date - and what's new is a clear signal from the investigators that pilot error飛行員失誤 may have been partly to blame.

The initial problem it's now certain was the failure失敗 of outside speed monitors速度監測器, which froze over結冰了. But in response to that, the bureau辦公室 says, the three man crew班組 failed to take the correct steps.

The 32 year-old co-pilot who was at the controls kept the plane on an upward升 trajectory勢, which caused the plane to stall失速. But even though即使 a warning then sounded for nearly a minute, at no point, says the report, did the crew formally identify a stall situation.

No announcement公告 was made to the passengers as the plane then plunged for three and a half minutes before hitting the sea.

The shifting轉移 of blame towards對 the pilots - and by implication暗示 away from the machinery of the plane - is a highly sensitive matter, and Air France has already reacted表示 angrily憤怒.

It says there's no cause to question the professionalism of its crew, and pointing the finger at the manufacturer製造商, Airbus, it says that confusing signals from the stall alarm system in the cockpit駕駛艙 hindered阻礙 the pilots in their task of analysing the crisis.

Hugh Schofield, BBC News

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Can you spell?

Mencap designed the site because they believe that standards of spelling are falling in Britain, with serious consequences後果 for people's ability to weather經受 the global downturn全球經濟衰退. A survey commissioned委託 for the charity revealed that 65% of people were unable to spell the word 'necessary' correctly, and only one-in-five people successfully completed a short spelling test.

Despite the results, three-quarters of those questioned thought they were good spellers, and agreed that it was an important skill to have.

Grant Morgan is the Creative Director創意總監 for the Mencap Spellathon. He says the 'autocorrect自動校正' function on computer software is the main culprit罪魁禍首 for the decline下降 in standards.

Mr Morgan says those who can't spell are at an immediate即時 disadvantage in the workplace, and could lose out to competitors競爭對手 if, for example, they misspell拼錯 words on their CV. In an increasingly日益 tough international market, the problem could damage Britain as a whole. Mencap is holding an online spellathon championship, where age may well trump王牌 youth.

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Riots continue in London

For a second night running some areas of London have seen sporadic零星 rioting, burnt-out cars; smashed被砸的, 喝酒醉的 windows a

nd looters掠奪者 on what would otherwise be normal shopping streets.

Over a hundred people were arrested on Sunday evening and three police officers are in hospital. Most attention is still focused on Tottenham where the worst rioting took place on Saturday night.

The trouble in this part of north London started after a young black man was shot dead by police last week. There's now an Independent Police Complaints投訴 Commission inquiry查詢 into that incident. But Tottenham is also one of the poorest areas of London with a history of racial tension種族緊張. Today some members of the black community are pointing to other factors - including the worry that there aren't enough opportunities for the young.

But others feel there can be no attempts嘗試 to explain away去解釋 what happened. Kit Malthouse is London's Deputy代表 Mayor with responsibility for policing:

"We have to be careful in the media and in politics not to create this atmosphere of excuse for what has happened. This is awful, disgusting討厭的 criminality and it needs to be driven out被趕出 by communities, by the police. Those perpetrators肇事者 need to be brought to justice and they will be over the weeks to come."

It is, of course, just a year to go before the Olympics come to London. As the countdown倒數計時 begins all eyes are on the capital. But incidents like this couldn't be more different from the images of a confident信心, harmonious和諧 city in the promotional videos宣傳片.

Naomi Grimley, BBC News

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Social fightback after English riots

The prime minister will say the riots騷亂 are the results of social problems which have "festered潰爛 for decades and which have now exploded in our face."

He'll add that in parts of the country there has been a slow motion moral collapse道德淪喪 and he'll blame the state and its agencies for sometimes encouraging the worst aspects of human nature.

Mr Cameron will point to the riots as a reason to renew his campaign to fix what he's referred簡稱 to before as "Britain's broken society" so there is to be a review of a whole range of policy areas, including schools, parenting and welfare福利 in order to find solutions.

The Labour leader, however, will warn against what he says are knee-jerk gimmicks噱頭 which haven't been properly正確 thought through.

He'll accuse指控 the prime minister of taking a simplistic簡單化, 過分單純化 view of the riots, by seeing them as a problem of culture alone without considering the impact of lack of opportunity and deprivation剝奪.

Ben Geoghegan, BBC News

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Wallis ‘was not keen on royal wedding’

The popular image is that of a rather cold, scheming鬼計多端 woman who wormed蠕蟲 her way into the affections情感 of Britain's future king. But previously先前 unseen未見 letters suggest that Wallis Simpson was an insecure不安全 woman who felt trapped by her relationship with Edward. The letters have been uncovered by Anne Sebba. She says they show that Wallis Simpson might still have been in love with her second husband Ernest Simpson.

Additional額外 extracts提取物 reveal曝露 the extent程度 of Mrs Simpson's continued love for her former前 husband, even writing to him while on her honeymoon with Edward. Anne Sebba says that as an American, Mrs Simpson loved the access訪問 to the highest levels of English society, to be showered with expensive jewellery, to be the mistress of the future king. But she expected the eventual最終的 fate命運 of most mistresses情婦, which is to be dumped傾倒.

But he didn't dump her, causing the biggest constitutional crisis憲政危機 for centuries. Despite the widespread廣泛 criticism評論 of his relationship with the American divorcee, Edward VIII renounced放棄 his throne王位 in December 1936. Edward and Mrs Simpson married in June 1937 following her divorce from Ernest.

Farhana Haider, BBC News

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