BBC News:美國參議院授權對敘利亞動武
An influential US senate committee has authorized military action over the use of chemicalweapons in Syria. A similar motion is been discussed by a committee of the House ofrepresentatives. Jane O'Brien reports.
The Obama administration expected military action to be a tough sell. And today's initial voteby members of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee was close, passing by 10 votes to 7.This is only the first hurdle though. The resolution granting the president’s 60 days to useforce against Syria with a guarantee that American troops won't be used in ground combatnow goes to the full senate.
A possible military intervention has also been debated in the French national assembly. TheSecretary of State John Kerry told the Senate Committee that inaction involved much greaterrisks than intervening against the government of President Assad.
“We know that Assad will read our silence, our unwillingness to act, as a signal that he canuse his weapons with impunity.”
And President Obama has said the credibility of the international community and the USCongress is on the line over the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Speaking during a visit toSweden, Mr. Obama said, not just he, but the entire world had drawn a red line by banningsuch weapons and warned that inaction would erode international norms.
The world set a red line when governments represent 98% of the world's population said theuse of chemical weapons are abhorrent and passed a treaty forbidding their use, even whencountries are engaged in war. He said that he would continue to engage with Russia andsaying it could still change its approach over Syria and the crisis would be ended more quickly ifRussia was on board.
Four of Syria's neighbors have expressed their frustration and dismay of the lack of the helpthey’re receiving for the two million Syrian refugees who've fled to their countries. After ameeting at the UN and Geneva, government ministers from Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkeysaid they would determine to put pressure on the international community to do more totackle the refugee crisis, which they said was destabilizing the entire region. Cecilia Malmstrom,the European commissioner for Home Affairs called on European countries to take in more thanthe 50,000 Syrian refugees who have arrived so far.
Austria have just offered 500 places, and Germany offered 5,000 just before the summer, well,but many countries do not take one single, and I think this is an European responsibility to ourneighborhood and we could give shelter to allow extended than today.
The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to the Dominican Republic and launched aninvestigation after local media reports accused him of pedophilia. Archbishop Jozef Wesolowskihas served as Papal Nuncio in Santo Domingo for more than five years. He had not commentedon the matter. Pope Francis has said he wants the Catholic Church to act decisively to rule outchild abuse by priests and ensure the perpetrators are punished.
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The German President Joachim Gauck has paid the first visit by a German leader to the site ofone of the worst massacres in Nazi occupied France during the Second World War. In June, 1944, more than 640 people died in the southwestern town of Oradour-sur-Glane whenmembers of a SS division drove the population into buildings before setting them alight.Standing alongside the President Francois Hollande, Mr. Gauck said it was an emotionalexperience.
The crime here that was committed was perpetrated by soldiers under German command.Consequently it is for every German a tough task to come here, regardless of how much timehas passed.
A coroner in the American state of Ohio has confirmed that Ariel Castro, the man whokidnapped three women and held them as sex slaves for nearly a decade has committedsuicide. He hanged himself with a bedsheet in his prison cell after just one month of his lifesentence. Castro had been in protective custody and was checked every half hour. His lawyersaid the prison authorities had denied him access to a psychologist.
Researchers in the US say they’ve found a way to reverse down syndrome in newborn mice.Writing in the Journal Science Translation Medicine, the scientist said that by injecting anexperimental compound into genetically engineered mice, they were able to prompt thebrain to develop normally. Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an additionalchromosome and is associated with intellectual disabilities, growth delays and distinctivefacial features. The team at Johns Hopkins University said this might lead to new treatments forhumans.
Japanese delegates at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee have been making thecase for Tokyo to host the 2020 summer Olympic Games. Madrid and Istanbul are the othercandidates. Japan has had to address concerns about a leak of radioactive water from thestricken Fukushima nuclear plant. The leader of Japan's bids said the water and food in Tokyowere safer than New York, Paris or London and there was no need to worry.
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