BBC News:豐田同意就與美國刑事爭端支付12億美元賠償

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Ukraine’s new government says it’s makingcontingency plans to withdraw its troops and theirfamilies from Crimea following Russian moves toannex the peninsula. The country’s Foreign MinisterAndrii Deshchytsya told the BBC the government was very concerned about the safety of iscitizens. The Ukrainian Security Chief Andriy Parubiy said they wanted to be able to move peoplequickly and efficiently to mainland Ukraine.

“The cabinet of ministers has been ordered to demand without further delay that the UNproclaim Crimea a demilitarised zone and the withdrawal of Russian troops from theautonomous Republic of Crimea and to ensure the relocation of Ukrainian troops to continentalUkraine as well as facilitate evacuation of all civilians who are unwilling to remain on theoccupied territory.”

Ukraine has warned the pro-Russian authorities in Crimea that they’ll face a response unlessthey release the head of its navy, who was led away as armed activists took over Ukraine’snavy headquarters in Sevastopol. Ukraine’s acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said thatwhat he called all military and civilian hostages held by Crimean leaders had to be freed. Ourcorrespondent in Sevastopol Mark Lowen says just a few servicemen are holding out insidethe headquarters.

I have just spoken to one of the few Ukrainian sailors who remain barricaded inside the navalheadquarters here in Sevastopol. He told me earlier in the day that there were about 100Ukrainian sailors who were holding out inside the building, but now there were just a handfulleft; most of the others have departed, and just a few remaining had been ordered to stay,ordered to protect Ukrainian equipment. But, he said, he fully expects that there will be anorder that will come through tomorrow morning for them to withdraw.

Syrian opposition activists say rebel fighters have taken control of a prison outside the city ofGharaz. The UK based Syrian observatory for human rights says the rebels seized the prisonafter a long battle with government forces. Dozens of inmates are reported to have beenreleased.

The Japanese car giant Toyota has agreed to pay $1.2bn to resolve a criminal dispute withthe United States over safety problems that led to the recall of millions of vehicles. In astatement, Toyota said it took full responsibility for any concerns the company’s actions mighthave caused its customers. The US Attorney-General Eric Holder described Toyota’s behaviouras shameful.

“When car owners get behind the wheel, they have the right to expect that their vehicle issafe. If part of the automobile turns out to have safety issues, the car company has a dutyupfront to tell customers about them, to fix them quickly and to immediately tell the truthabout the problem. Toyota violated this basic compact.”

World News from the BBC

A man once considered to be one of Sweden’s most prolific sea-whale killers has beenreleased after the authorities found that his eight murder convictions were based on falseconfessions. Sture Bergwall, who suffers from a personality disorder, had been held inpsychiatric detention for more than 20 years. He retracted his confessions six years ago sayingthat when he made them he was heavily medicated and seeking attention.

The Zimbabwe government has slashed the wages of the heads of state-run companiesfollowing a public outcry. Some of the bosses of the government-owned corporations werereported to be earning more than $0.5m a month. They’ve now been kept at just $6,000 amonth. But these people in Harare accuse the government of being slow to act.

“It was their long offered duty. It was supposed to be done a long way better, because peopleare suffering, worse, some other people are gaining at the expense of us.”

“I feel it’s like another way of cheating us. You might let all people see 6,000, yet we don’t knowabout their benefits. What are they getting behind these state salaries?”

Chile’s new government is to review plans for a big hydroelectric project that will dam rivers ina remote part of Patagonia. The future of the HidroAysen scheme will be decided within thenext two months. Environmentalists say it will ruin an area renowned for its wild beauty.

In the latest blow to his reputation, the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hasrelinquished an honorific title, which had become his nickname. Mr Berlusconi was made a Knightof Labour, an order of merit for entrepreneurs in the 1970s and had become known as theKnight in the Italian press. But some members of the order had called for his expulsion afterItaly’s highest court upheld his conviction for tax fraud.

BBC World News