BBC新闻讲解附字幕:参议院取消同性恋公开服役禁令

BBC News with Jonathan Izard

The United States Senate has voted to scrap the 17-year-long ban on gay men and lesbians openly serving in the military. Senators voted 65-31 to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that's forced gay soldiers to conceal their sexuality. Supporters of the ban claimed that scrapping it during wartime would damage troop morale. From Washington, Iain MacKenzie reports.

"Don't ask, don't tell" had divided Congress along party lines. In the end, a number of moderate Republicans joined the Democrats to end the 17-year-old policy. The decision is a major victory for President Obama, who had made an election promise to repeal "don't ask, don't tell". He welcomed the Senate vote, saying no longer would patriotic Americans be asked to lie to serve their country. The timescale for its phasing out is not immediately clear. However, the Defence Department is expected to be given some time to implement the change.

Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to step down as president of Ivory Coast, has demanded that peacekeeping troops from France and the United Nations leave the country immediately. His spokeswoman accused them of colluding with former rebels. The UN is among several international organisations that say Laurent Gbagbo's rival Alassane Ouattara won the recent election. A spokesman for the UN force in Ivory Coast, Hamadoun Toure, warned that its troops had a mandate to return fire if necessary.

"The situation is very serious. It's not an easy one. But we hope and call on them not to use violence to settle problems. We call on them to show serenity and calm. The will which should prevail is the will of the people of Cote d'Ivoire as expressed on 28 November, 2010. So it's not a showdown between Laurent Gbagbo and United Nations."

Earlier, a UN patrol came under fire as it entered the mission compound in Abidjan.

A militant group fighting Nato forces in Afghanistan has expressed strong support for an ambitious gas pipeline project, saying it's willing to help lay the pipe and provide security for it. The group, Hezb-e-Islami Hekmatyar, called the pipeline a benefit for the Afghan nation.

Iran is cutting the large state subsidies which allow Iranians to buy cheap food and fuel. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran could no longer afford the cost, which amounts to $100bn each year. The government plans to withdraw them completely by 2015. James Reynolds is our Iran correspondent.

For some time, Iran's president has made it clear: ordinary people are going to have to start paying more for food and energy. Now, after several months of delay, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told state TV that cuts to fuel and food subsidies will begin almost immediately. The cut to subsidies may have a significant effect on life in Iran. The government will be watching closely for unrest. In 2007, there were riots when the government decided to begin rationing subsidised petrol.

World News from the BBC

China has said it's deeply concerned about the heightened tension between North and South Korea, which it believes is now extremely precarious. A statement from a senior foreign ministry official said that if a bloody conflict broke out, it would be a national tragedy that would cause suffering to both sides in Korea and in neighbouring countries. Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Prosecutors in Bolivia have charged 39 people over an alleged plot to assassinate President Evo Morales and lead an armed rebellion last year. The accused include prominent opposition politicians from the eastern city of Santa Cruz. Here's James Read.

The alleged plot to kill Evo Morales came to light in April last year when police shot dead three Europeans in a hotel in Santa Cruz, and seized weapons and ammunition. Police said the men were mercenaries, who had been brought to Bolivia to assassinate the president and fight for the independence of Santa Cruz. Investigators went on to accuse local opposition leaders of being behind the conspiracy, and these men have now been formally charged. Some are already under arrest, but the most prominent figures are outside Bolivia, from where they dismissed the charges as political persecution.

One of the United States leading banks, the Bank of America, has become the latest financial institution to say it will no longer process payments for the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks. The bank said the decision was based on a reasonable belief that Wikileaks could be engaged in activities inconsistent with its internal policies. MasterCard, Visa and PayPal have already taken similar action. Wikileaks has condemned the decision and urged supporters to close their accounts at the bank.

The African football champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo have failed in their attempt to win this year's Club World Cup tournament in Abu Dhabi. The team, the first African side to play in the final, were beaten 3-0 by the Italian giants Inter Milan.

That's the latest BBC World Service News.

1.scrap vt.废弃,丢弃; 取消; 抛弃; 报废

例句：In the end, the decision to scrap the project was unanimous.

最后，大家一致决定放弃这一项目。

2.timescale n.时间表[尺度], 时标, 时间量程

3.collude vi.密谋,共谋

例句：She was charged on the supposition that she had colluded with her husband in the murders.

她被指控涉嫌与丈夫合谋杀人。

4.mandate n.命令,指令,要求

5.serenity n.安详;宁静

例句：Her face had an expression of absolute serenity.

她脸上带着极为平静的表情。

6.showdown n.摊牌, 一决胜负

例句：I’d like to avoid a showdown with my boss if I possibly can.

我尽可能地避免同老板摊牌。

7.ration vt.限量供应; 配给供应

例句：We were rationed to two eggs a day.

每天配给我们两个鸡蛋。

8.precarious adj.(情势)不稳的; 不确定的; 不保险的; 危险的

例句：He earned a precarious living as an artist.

作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

9.conspiracy n.阴谋, 密谋，策划

例句：The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。

10.persecution n.迫害或受迫害

例句：It is worthwhile to note that both suffered persecution.

值得注意的是,双方都受到过迫害。

1.He welcomed the Senate vote, saying no longer would patriotic Americans be asked to lie to serve their country.

no longer倒装

no longer 通常位于句中的实意动词之前，动词be、助动词和情态动词之后，有时也可位于句末或句首(用于句首时，其后用倒装语序)：

He no longer loves her. / He loves her no longer. / No longer does he love her. 他再也不爱她了。

2.The timescale for its phasing out is not immediately clear.

phase out逐步淘汰, 逐步结束

例句：The machine has been phased out.

这种机器早已过时了。

The factory has already phased out a batch of production equipment.

这家工厂已经淘汰了一批生产设备。

3.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran could no longer afford the cost, which amounts to $100bn each year.

amount to共计

例句：The bill amounts to $500.

张账单共计500美元。

4.The alleged plot to kill Evo Morales came to light in April last year when police shot dead three Europeans in a hotel in Santa Cruz, and seized weapons and ammunition.

come to light显露, 为大家所周知

例句：It has come to light that he was lying.

大家都知道他在说谎。

5.The bank said the decision was based on a reasonable belief that Wikileaks could be engaged in activities inconsistent with its internal policies.

inconsistent with与...不一致,与...不调和

例句：Such behaviour is inconsistent with her high-minded principles

这样的行为与她情操高尚的原则是格格不入的。