The United Nations and human rights groups haveaccused the European Union of endangering thelives of thousands of people seeking to reach Europefrom Africa by sea. The E.U. says it wants to determigrants and has cut its rescue operations. In the latest incident, up to four hundred peopleare feared to have drowned, when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean. QuentinSommerville is in Libya.

　　“The Coast Guard here warns that with clear skies expected in the next few days, hundredsmore will attempt the crossing. In Misrata, the morgues are already full of corpses of drownedmen and women, who were washed up on nearby beaches. Detention centres, too, are full.Libya,with two rival governments and facing a threat from hundreds of fighters from theIslamic State, is in turmoil. It's unable to secure its own borders, much less stop those alreadyhere from heading to Europe.”

　　The Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, has lifted the suspension of airstrikes on Farcrebels, after at least 10 soldiers were killed in an attack in western Choco Province. The Armysays the rebels used explosives, grenades and firearms. Wyre Davies has more.

　　“Traveling to the scene, Colombia's President, Juan Manuel Santos, said he was ordering theArmy to resume airstrikes against Farc guerrillas, strikes that had been suspended for amonth. While the President also said via social media that the incident showed exactly why hewants to end Colombia's long-running war with left-wing insurgents. His political opponents saidhe should suspend peace talks immediately. The talks, which have been taking place in Cuba forthe last two and a half years, have made significant progress, but have also been punctuated byattacks and clashes on the ground in Colombia.”

　　Police in Brazil have arrested the Treasurer of the governing Worker's Party as part of theirinvestigation into a huge corruption scandal at the state-run oil giant, Petrobras. JoaoVaccari, who was indicted a month ago, is to stand trial for alleged money laundering.

　　The International Red Cross says it's been denied access to the central Yemeni town of Marib,the scene of fierce fighting. A Saudi-led coalition has been mounting airstrikes against both therebels and forces loyal to the former President, Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Red Cross says thehumanitarian situation is deteriorating. Here's Imogen Foulkes.

　　Marib has been the scene of fierce fighting on the ground between forces loyal to Yemen'sgovernment and Houthis rebels, as well as sustained air attacks by the Saudi-led coalition. OnWednesday alone, the Red Cross received reports of at least 60 people seriously injured and indesperate need of medical treatment. But an ICRC team, carrying supplies for Marib'shospitals, were stopped by Houthis rebel forces. It's a serious blow to attempts by aidagencies to bring some help to Yemen's people.

　　BBC News.

　　Palestinian fighters have retaken more grounds from Islamic State militants in the vast YarmoukPalestinian Refugee Camp in the suburbs of Damascus. A spokesman told the BBC that thejihadists have been forced to retreat. 2 weeks ago, IS overran much of Yarmouk, whereeighteen thousand people had been under siege by the Syrian Army for the last 2 years.

　　Turkey has launched a formal complaint with the Danish Foreign Ministry about plans to install astatue to remember the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during the First WorldWar. From Copenhagen, here's Malcolm Brabant.

　　The 9-metre-high sculpture, called the Dream, will spend 10 days in one of Copenhagen'sbusiest squares in May to remind people of the one and a half million Armenians killed by theOttoman Empire one hundred years ago in what the Pope recently labeled genocide. The TurkishAmbassador to Denmark, Mehmet Donmez.“Having this sculpture in Copenhagen, where morethan sixty thousand Turkish people live, is also very much insulting to us and to ourpeople.”“But 1.5 million people were killed. If that's not genocide, what is?”“It's their warsufferings.”But politicians on Copenhagen's City Council have told Turkey not to interfere inDenmark's affairs.

　　The Egyptian authorities have ordered the Army's Engineering Corp to demolish theheadquarters of deposed President, Hosni Mubarak's, now defunct National Democratic Party.The towering structure on the Nile was torched by protesters during the revolution 4 yearsago. The Antiquities Ministry says the land belongs to the adjacent Egyptian Museum.

　　A man's been arrested in Washington D.C. after he landed a small helicopter near the U.S.Congress. The area was placed under security lockdown while police moved in. In a video placedonline earlier, the man identified himself as a postman from Florida, who wanted to protestabout government corruption.

　　1.endanger vt.危及，使遭受危险

　　It is illegal and could endanger other people's lives.

　　这是非法的，可能会危及他人的生命。

　　2.deter vt.阻止，制止

　　Arming the police doesn't deter crime.

　　仅仅靠给警察配备武器是无法制止犯罪的。

　　3.drown vt.淹死;浸没

　　He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.

　　他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。

　　4.capsize vt.& vi.使(船或车)翻;倾覆

　　The boat will capsize if you don't sit down.

　　你要是不坐下,船就要翻了。

　　5.significant adj.重要的;有意义的

　　A small but significant number of 11-year-olds are illiterate.

　　数量不多但仍有相当一部分 11 岁孩子是文盲。

　　6.punctuate vt.不时打断

　　The silence of the night was punctuated by the distant rumble of traffic.

　　夜晚的宁静不时被远处车辆的隆隆声打断。

　　7.retreat vi.撤退，后退

　　The French, suddenly outnumbered, were forced to retreat...

　　人数突然处于劣势的法军被迫撤退。

　　8.lockdown n. <美>(对囚犯的)一级防范禁闭

　　And so this southern port city is truly in lockdown.

　　现在这座南部的港口城市确实已经进入在高度戒备状态了。