英语听力精选进阶版 8172

The President of South Sudan Salva Kiir and therebel leader Riek Machar have signed a deal in theEthiopian capital Addis Ababa to cease hostilitieswithin 24 hours. The talks were the first time the 2men had met since fighting broke out in South Sudan in December. Emmanuel Igunza has thedetails.

This is a really huge step in such aim finding a solution to the political crisis and the bloodyconflict that has engulfed 1 South Sudan for the past 5 months. And this has been so importantbecause they say there would be a next talk, both teams have been agreed to a ceasefire. Theyhave also undertaken to issue orders to the military commanders on the ground in SouthSudan to stop all combat and to allow humanitarian 2 aid to get to those people, 3 million peoplein need of emergency food aid in South Sudan. So allowing that, food should get to them.

The United States has sharply criticized President Putin's visit to Crimea, his first since Russiaannexed the territory from Ukraine. The US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, saidthe trip would worsen the situation in Ukraine.

Our view is that this trip is provocative 3 and unnecessary. Crimea belongs to Ukraine, and wedon't recognize, of course, the illegal and illegitimate steps by Russia in that regard.

The European Union and Nato have also condemned 4 Mr. Putin's visit. Ukraine's foreign ministrysaid Russia was deliberately 5 escalating 6 the crisis in the region.

Ukrainian security forces have clashed with pro-Russian protesters in the eastern city ofMariupol. Local officials say 7 people were killed and 39 injured, although Ukraine's interiorminister earlier said more than 20 people had died. The government said a gun battle beganwhen pro-Russian activists 7 tried to storm a police station. Local witnesses have accused thesecurity forces of opening fire on unarmed protesters.

Amnesty International says it has damning evidence that the Nigerian military failed to act onadvanced warnings of the raid in which more than 200 school girls were kidnapped 25 daysago. Here is our security correspondent Frank Gardner.

Amnesty International has had a team on the ground in Nigerian for some time, gatheringtestimony from both government officials and members of the public. Their researcher, MakmidCamara says the military were warned of an impending 8 attack by Boko Haram on the town ofChibok at 7 o'clock in the evening over 4 hours before it took place.

A special request was made for reinforcements when it was becoming evidently clear that theattackers were indeed on the way, but no reinforcement was then sent when the attack tookplace at 11:45.

The Nigerian information minister Labaran Maku told the BBC he doubted the Amnesty report,but would investigate it. Meanwhile, British, US and other international teams of experts havearrived in Nigeria to help in the hunt for the missing girls.

World News from the BBC.

More than 20 years after it was destroyed during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia,Sarajevo's city hall housing the national library has reopened. The iconic building which was firstinaugurated in 1896 was hit by a mortar 9 and burned down during the Bosnian-Serb siege ofcity in 1992, it's been restored to mark the centenary of the World War I.

Yemeni security forces have fought a gun battle with militants 10 outside the President Palace inthe capital Sanaa. Sebastian Usher 11 has this report.

Heavy gunfire resounded 12 through Sanaa for around an hour as presidential security guardsbattled with militants. A security source said the gunmen had tried to force their way throughthe main gate of presidential palace as fighting raged there. An explosion was heard in anotherdistrict of the capital near a building used by the security services. Officials quickly blamed al-Qaeda linked militants for the attacks. The day to night, earlier reports for the defence ministerhad survived an assassination 13 attempt in the south where the army is mounting a newoffensive against al-Qaeda, the group has lost towns it held and personnel but vowedretaliation.

Eleven former employees of Spain's state railway company have been made formal suspects inan investigation 14 into last year's train crash in the city of Santiago that killed 79 people. Theyinclude a former director general of the company and a former head of safety. The train wastraveling at more than twice the speed limit when it derailed on a bend.

Roman Catholic bishops 15 in Argentina say the country is sick with violence and corruptioncomparing it to a cancer, causing injustice 16 and deaths. In a statement released at their annualconference in Buenos Aires, the bishops also said violence in society was getting moreferocious than ever. The government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner responded bysaying this was a deliberate attempt to blame it for rising levels of insecurity.