20101107BBCBBC听力材料.docVIP

BBC news 2010-11-07 BBC News with Jonathan Wheatley A record ransom has been paid to Somali pirates in exchange for a South Korean tanker. About $9m was paid for the Samho Dream, which was seized in April while carrying oil from Iraq to the United States. In a separate move, nearly $3m was paid for the Golden Blessing, a Chinese-owned chemical tanker registered in Singapore. Somali pirates are holding at least 25 other ships. Kevin Mwachiro reports. The Chinese tanker has already been released and is reported to be under Chinese naval escort to safer waters. It had been in pirate hands since April, anchored off the coastal town of Hobyo in central Somalia. The ships 23 crew members are said to be in good health. Its reported that the South Korean tanker with its cargo of oil and 24 crew will be released later in the day. Pope Benedict has criticised what he called the return of anti-church attitudes in Spain during his first day of a visit to the country. He said Spain was experiencing a drive towards secularisation like that seen in the 1930s. This clash between faith and modernity, both very lively, is happening again today in Spain. For the future of the faith, it is this meeting, not a confrontation, but a meeting between faith and secularism, which has a central point in Spanish culture. In this regard, I am thinking of all the main Western countries, but especially about Spain. The comments are a reference to the civil war era, during which Republican forces killed thousands of priests and nuns and burnt churches. Several airlines have suspended flights to the Indonesian capital Jakarta because of fears that volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi could damage aircraft engines. Some international flights have been diverted to other airports, although domestic flights appear largely unaffected. The government of Haiti says more than 500 people are now known to have died in the current cholera epidemic. Serious flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas h