Ruby Von的博客

A British think tank has issued a report saying that fear of Muslims and not the attitudes of Muslim themselves is responsible for holding back integration across Europe. The Institute of Race Relations says there’s been a rising institutionalised anti-Muslim bias in Europe since the September 11th attacks. Frances Harrison has read the study.
 
It said what emerged consistently from discussions was the confusion between integration and dissimilation and the racial superiority and Islamophobia, inherent in many initiatives. “Post-911”, the report said the media often identified Muslims and Islam as a threat, reinforcing stereotypes with bias reporting and scare-mongering.It said this fastened to the arguments of those who call for a return to a mono-cultural homogenous society. As a result, the researchers say the social economic causes of Muslim exclusion and marginalisation are often ignored.

 
Notes:
dissimilation 异化，异化作用
phobia 恐怖症
scaremongering 夸大其词散布恐怖消息欺骗民众，扰乱社会民心

Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva, a staunch defender of the Amazon rainforest, has resigned from the government. The respected environmental campaigner was known to have been at odds with some of the government’s own infrastructure projects for the Amazon. From the Amazonian state of Para, our Brazil correspondent Gary Duffy reports. 

Marina Silva is a highly regarded figure among environmental campaigners across the world, and her resignation is undoubtedly a significant blow to the governmental president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The former rubber tapper and activist, had often seen to sit uncomfortably within the tightly controlled world of government ministry. But the reasons for her resignation were not immediately(admittedly) clear. In recent months she had appear to differ with others within the government, including the president, over what lay behind the problems of the Amazon region. 

Notes:
Marina Silva 巴西环境部长
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 巴西总统
rubber tapper: A rubber tapper is a rubber forest worker who taps rubber trees.

BBC News with Neil Nunes.

A powerful earthquake in China is feared to have killed thousands of people in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The official news agency Xinhua says nearly ten thousand people may have died, with many more buried and injured. In one county, most of the buildings are reported to have collapsed. Michael Bristow sent this report from western China.

This is the biggest earthquake to hit China in more than thirty years. Thousands are already confirmed dead. Chinese state media are reporting that nine hundred middle school children were buried when their schools collapsed, at least fifty are known to have died. Eighty per cent of the buildings in one county alone have collapsed, and up to five thousand people there are feared dead.

The earthquake struck just before two 2:30 this afternoon. The epicentrum/epicenter was in the mountainous Wenchuan county in Sichuan province.

The governing party in Sri Lanka and its allies have been declared winners of an important regional election in the east of the island. The election was the first province-wide vote since Tamil Tiger rebels were driven from the area by the army last year. Roland Buerk reports from Colombo.

"The government's Defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said it was a victory for the people of the east. He said the military operation to drive the Tamil Tigers from the area which ended last July would be followed with major economic development. But the opposition and monitors said there was widespread intimidation and fraudduring voting which took place on Saturday. The government accused them of making the allegations to cover up their defeat."

There are fears offurther violence in the southern Philippines after international observers monitoring a ceasefire between the army and a Muslim rebel group began pulling out. 28 Malaysian monitors were flown outon Saturday from the island of Mindanao, after Malaysia complained that the peace talks it's brokeringwere not making enough progress. The talks hit a snagin December when the government said it would conduct a legal review of agreements reached with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front(MILF) over the previous three years.

Sport and in Formula One(F1) motor racing, the Brazilian driver Felipe Massa has won a comfortable victory in the Turkish Grand Prix for the 3rd year in a row. The Ferrari driver beat off a challenge from the McLaren car driven by Britain’s Lewis Hamilton. Massa's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was third.

BBC news.

Notes:

人名：
Roland Buerk
Keheliya Rambukwella
Felipe Massa
Lewis Hamilton
Kimi Raikkonen

其他：
Sri Lanka 斯里兰卡
Tamil Tiger 泰米尔猛虎组织，斯里兰卡叛军
Colombo 科伦坡，斯里兰卡首都

the Philippines 菲律宾（首都马尼拉）
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front(MILF) 摩洛伊斯兰解放战线（简称摩伊，是菲律宾南部的叛军组织）
Mindanao 菲律宾南部，棉兰老岛

Malaysia 马来西亚（首都吉隆坡）

Formula One 世界赛车锦标赛
Grand Prix 法语，大奖赛

Ferrari 法拉利
McLaren 迈凯轮

The Sudanese government says its troops have defeated an attempt by rebels from Darfur to capture the capital Khartoum. The Sudanese presidential adviser (advisors) said a rebel assault in the city of Omdurman near Khartoum has been fended off. This was denied by the rebel group –the Justice and Equality Movement or JEM. From Khartoum XX reports. 

"One rebel commander Suleiman Sando told the BBC earlier on Sunday that they wanted to send a clear message to the government and the international community, that there was no security in Darfur and from now on there would be no security in Khartoum. The Sudanese government has accused Chad of backing the attack by JEM. Experts say Chad and Sudan are fighting a proxy war using each other's rebels to achieve their military objectives. Schools in the capital are closed and residents remain under curfew. " 

Notes:
a proxy war 代理人战争
curfew 宵禁令（时间） 

Backgroud：

苏丹与乍得互为邻国，苏丹西部达尔富尔地区与乍得东部地区接壤。两国曾长期保持友好关系，但苏丹达尔富尔问题出现后，两国关系出现波折。

５月１０日，苏丹达尔富尔反政府组织“公正与平等运动”的一伙成员潜入苏丹首都喀土穆西北部恩图曼地区，并与政府军发生冲突。这是２００３年２月在达尔富尔地区发生流血冲突以来，当地反政府武装分子首次潜入首都并在那里与政府军发生冲突。经过大约５个小时的交火之后，苏丹 政府宣布粉碎了反政府武装组织的图谋，击毙并俘虏多名武装分子，目前该地区局势已基本恢复平静。随后，苏丹政府指责乍得政府应为该组织潜入喀土穆并从事破 坏活动承担责任，并宣布与乍得断交。

The Burmese authorities said many were killed in the massive wave triggered by the storm. Ten thousand people are thought to have died in one town alone. Elsewhere, eyewitnesses descried rice fields strewn with bodies, and desperate survivors without food or shelter. Aid agencies are now beginning a major relief operation to help the hundreds and thousands of people left homeless. But Burma, isolated and impoverished, has long been wary of the international community. Doubts remain about how much access the regime will give to aid workers. And there are also concerns about the logistics of reaching remote areas that have been cut off from the outside world.
 

Notes:
Dan Griffith
strew 散播，点缀，撒满
be wary of 提防
impoverished 贫困的

A constitutional referendum is underway in Burma despite appeals from the United Nations for a postponement because of the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis a week ago. The polls has been delayed for two weeks in the worst affected areas. Earlier, the UN warned that hundreds of thousands of lifes could be at risk unless Burma removed restrictions on foreign aid. The military government said it was not ready to allowing overseas aid experts. But the UN's head of Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told the BBC he believed there could be more flexibility after the referendum.

"The pressure on them, from, from everyone, from us of course, but also from many states around the world, including their friends in ASEAN and China and India, they are all saying please be more open because there is no time to lose to get the aid in and and I, I hope they will begin to listen."
 
Mr Holmes described as naive suggestions that the UN and the aid organizations could impose help on Burma without the agreement of the government. He said air-dropping supplies will be very much a last resort.

有些人认为联合国和援助机构可以不理会缅甸政府而实施援助行动。Holmes形容这些想法过于天真。他说，最后可能采取空投物资这一不得已之举。

Notes:
John Holmes
Cyclone Nargis 纳尔吉斯热带风暴
postponement 延期，延缓

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has denied accepting bribes of hundreds of thousands of dollars from an American businessman. Mr. Olmert has admitted receiving financial contributions for election campaigns from the businessman before he became Prime Minister, but denied breaking the law.

I was investigated in this matter on suspicion of receiving funds illegally. I look into the eyes of each and everyone of you, and tell you, I never took bribes, never took a dime. I was elected by you, the citizens of Israel, to be Prime Minister, and I do not intend to shake off this responsibility.

North Korea has handed the United States thousands of secret documents relating to its nuclear program. They were given to a visiting team of US negotiators, who will now take them to Washington for examination. The move is seen as potentially a key step towards a deal that would see North Korea fully disclose its nuclear bomb-making past.

Notes:
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert 以色列总理埃胡德·奥尔默特
on suspicion of 有嫌疑 adv.
negotiator 谈判代表

The American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has insisted that she'll keep fighting for the Democratic Party's nomination, despite disappointing results in the latest primaries. Senator Clinton was speaking at a campaign rally in West Virginia.

"I'm staying in this race until there's a nominee. And I, obviously, am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee. That is what I have done, that is what I am continuing to do. I believe that I am the stronger candidate against Senator McCain, and I believe I would be the best president among the three of us running. So we will continue to contest these elections and move forward."

But a shortage of donations has forced Mrs. Clinton to lend her own campaign millions of dollars. And many leading analysts say her attempt to beat Barack Obama to the nomination has run out of time and money.

Notes:

US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
希拉里克林顿

Barack Obama 奥巴马

presumptive Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain
共和党提名人的麦凯恩参议员

A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry has told the BBC that British football fans with valid tickets for the Champions League Final being held in Moscow in just over two weeks will not need visas if they only come for one day. The move aims to allay fears that Russian embassy staff in London won't be able to cope with tens of thousands of visa applications expected from fans of Chelsea and Manchester United, the two finalists. Our Moscow correspondent Richard Galpin reports.

The Russian authorities have finally agreed to set aside the normal visa requirements to enter the country, in what officials are calling “an unprecedented decision”. Anyone with a valid ticket for the match between Chelsea and Manchester United and a valid passport will be ought to fly to Moscow for the game. The only other requirements will be to fill in a migration card at the airport. But there is one important condition, the visa-free travel will only apply to fans who arrive on the day of the final and who fly out immediately afterwards.

Notes:
Richard Galpin
Chelsea
Manchester United
allay 减轻，减少