BBC News with Marion Marshall.
The head of Egypt's Election Committee has said that a planned vote on Saturday by Egyptians living abroad on a controversial draft constitution has been delayed. It comes as tens of thousands of protesters have again gathered near the presidential palace to demand that the referendum for all Egyptians due on Dec.15 be postponed. Sebastian Usher reports.
The news with the referendum vote by Egyptian expatriates won't now start on Saturday leaves some space for the dialogue that President Mursi has urged with the opposition, but it isn't enough itself. His Vice President Mahmud Mekki now appears to suggest that the president might postpone the referendum altogether if it's legally possible to do so. This is the key demand of the protesters who are out in full force again near the presidential palace. Opposition leaders earlier rejected the president's invitation for dialogue on Saturday. They would want more concrete concessions to persuade them that it is worth their while.
Syrian activists say government forces have reinforced their positions in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, raising fears of a ground attack on rebel-held parts of the capital. As the army continued to shell rebel positions, the BBC Middle East editor was taken by Syrian government officials to interview prisoners at, what he described as a notorious military-run jail nearby. He said two admitted to be members of an al-Qaeda-type group.
The exile leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, has described his first visit to Palestinian territory for nearly 40 years as a rebirth. He is there to mark the 25th anniversary of Hamas which governs the territory. Ulan Nell reports.
After being welcomed by Hamas dignitaries, Khaled Meshaal gave a short address, saying that Gaza had always been in his heart. He spent the day on a tour of the Palestinian territory. He visited the home of the assassinated founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and also went to the mourning house of the military commander who was killed by an Israeli airstrike last month leading to an eight-day conflict with Palestinian militants. An Israeli official told the BBC that no guarantees for Mr. Meshaal's safety in Gaza had been given. Israel, like most Western countries, sees Hamas as a terrorist group.
A nurse at a London hospital, who put a hoax call through to the room where Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, was being treated, has been found dead. During the call early this week, two DJs from an Australian radio station posed as members of the royal family, which led to details of the pregnant Duchess's condition being broadcast. The radio station said the DJs had been taken off air until further notice. Peter Hunt reports.
Jacintha Saldanha, who had worked as a nurse at the King Edward VII Hospital for more than four years, was found dead at an address near the Hospital. The BBC understands that her death is not being treated as suspicious and yet not been suspended or disciplined over the hoax call. She's been described by the Edward VII as an excellent nurse who was well respected and popular with colleagues.
World news from the BBC.
Unemployment in the United States has fallen to its lowest level for four years. The economy generated nearly 150,000 new jobs in November, bringing the unemployment rate down by two points from October to 7.7%. The figures surprised analysts, who had predicted that Superstorm Sandy would have had more adverse impact on recruitment.
Voting is continuing in Ghana, where people have been electing a new president and parliament. Polling has been extended in some areas to allow people standing in long queues to cast their ballots. Observers are expecting a tight race between the two main candidates, the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama and the opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo.
Thousands of Brazilians have been paying their final respects to the country's greatest architect, Oscar Niemeyer, who died on Wednesday at the age of 104.
Mr. Niemeyer rose to international fame for his designs in the futurist capital, Brasilia. He was laid to rest in his native Rio de Janeiro, from where Julia [Caniaro] reports.
Brazil's farewell to Oscar Niemeyer extended throughout two days of memorial services and honors paid to the country's most famous architect. Niemeyer's body has just been buried in the Sao Joao Batista Cemetery in Rio. During the day, his coffin lay in the City Hall's palace, attracting hundreds of visitors, family (and) friends and fans to pay their last respects. During his long lifetime, he designed over 600 buildings in Brazil and abroad, among them some are the 20th century's most famous modernist buildings.
Police in Brazil have arrested the former prime minister of Turks and Caicos, Michael Misick, who's accused of masterminding the biggest corruption scheme in the history of the Caribbean islands. Mr. Misick fled from the British territory in 2009 after an official inquiry uncovered evidence of systematic corruption. He denies any wrongdoing.
BBC World Service News.
參考譯文
Marion Marshall為你播報BBC新聞。
埃及選舉委員會主席稱,原計劃周六舉行的有關爭議頗多的海外埃及人憲法草案投票已經(jīng)推遲。原因是數(shù)十萬抗議者再次聚集總統(tǒng)官邸附近,要求推遲定于12月15日的全埃及人投票。Sebastian Usher報道。
海 外埃及人公投不再定為周六,這意味著總統(tǒng)穆爾西就有了與反對派對話的空間,但這還不夠。副總統(tǒng)梅基現(xiàn)在似乎表示,如果法律許可,總統(tǒng)可能會推遲全部公投。 這也是再次傾巢出動聚集總統(tǒng)官邸的抗議者的要求,反對派領袖早時拒絕總統(tǒng)提議周六對話的邀請。他們希望總統(tǒng)做出更多讓步。
敘利亞活動人士稱政府軍在首都大馬士革郊區(qū)加大兵力,讓人擔心可能會對首都被叛軍占領地區(qū)發(fā)動地面襲擊。就在軍隊繼續(xù)炮轟反對派陣地之時,BBC駐中東編輯應敘利亞政府官員之邀去采訪附近“臭名昭著軍事監(jiān)獄”里的囚犯。他說兩名囚犯承認是基地組織性質組織的成員。
哈馬斯流亡領袖哈利德.邁沙阿勒稱自己近40年來首次訪問巴勒斯坦領土的經(jīng)歷為重生。他將在那里參加慶??刂圃摰貐^(qū)的哈馬斯組織成立25周年紀念。Ulan Nell報道。
哈 利德.邁沙阿勒受到哈馬斯高官熱情歡迎后,便發(fā)表簡短演講,他說加沙一直在他心中。這天他訪問了巴勒斯坦領地,看訪了被暗殺的哈馬斯創(chuàng)立者艾哈邁德·亞辛 的家,還走訪了上月命喪以色列空襲的軍官的哀悼屋,那次空襲導致以色列與巴勒斯坦軍隊發(fā)生長達8天的沖突。一名以色列官員告訴BBC,不能保證邁沙阿勒在 加沙的安全。以色列向大多數(shù)西方國家一樣,視哈馬斯為恐怖組織。
倫敦一家醫(yī)院的護士接到惡作劇電話并轉到威廉王子妻子劍橋公爵夫人病房,目前這名護士已經(jīng)死亡。本周早些時候,澳大利亞電臺兩名DJ假扮王室成員,打電話獲取公爵夫人懷孕情況并將之公布于眾。這家電臺稱這兩名DJ已被無限期停職。Peter Hunt報道。
哈辛塔·薩爾達尼亞是國王愛德華七世議員的一名護士,她在那里工作四年多了,如今她被發(fā)現(xiàn)死在醫(yī)院附近。BBC認為她的死亡并無可疑,因為她并未因惡作劇電話而被停職或受處分。這家醫(yī)院稱贊她是位出色的護士,受人尊敬,在同事間口碑不錯。
美國失業(yè)率下降到4年來的最低點,11月經(jīng)濟發(fā)展創(chuàng)造了近15萬個新崗位,失業(yè)率從10月份下降兩個百分點,目前為7.7%。這個數(shù)據(jù)令分析家驚訝,他們原以為颶風桑迪會對招募工作造成更嚴重影響。
加納的投票工作仍在進行,人們要選出新總統(tǒng)和新議會。有的地區(qū)延長了投票時間,以便讓排長隊的選民能夠投票。觀察員稱兩位主要候選人即現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)約翰·德拉馬尼·馬哈馬和反對派領袖納納·阿庫福·阿多之間勢均力敵。
巴西人最偉大的建筑師奧斯卡·尼邁耶周三去世,享年104歲,數(shù)千名巴西人向他表示了最后的敬意。
尼邁耶因設計未來主義之都巴西利亞而贏得國際聲譽。他被安葬在家鄉(xiāng)里約熱內盧,Julia Caniaro報道。
巴 西舉行了兩天的哀悼活動,紀念這位最著名的建筑師。尼邁耶的遺體被安葬在里約的Sao Joao Batista公墓。今天,他的靈柩被放置在市政廳的大堂中,數(shù)百名吊唁者、他的家人朋友前來表達最后的敬意。他一生為巴西和全世界設計了600多座建 筑,其中一些是20世紀最有名的現(xiàn)代主義建筑。
巴西警察逮捕了特克斯和凱科斯群島前總理邁克爾·米西克,他被指控操縱這個加勒比島國有史以來最大規(guī)模腐敗案。米西克2009年從英國屬地逃離,原因是官方調查發(fā)現(xiàn)有組織腐敗的證據(jù)。他否認任何不端行為。