VOA 新闻 100 篇 VOA News Item 1 经济：印度及东南亚国家签署了自由贸易协定Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his counterparts from the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations sealed the agreement in Bangkok Thursday. They met on the sidelines ofthe annual ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting.The agreement creates one of Asias biggest trading areas and integrates Indias fast growingeconomy with 10 of its neighbors.Trade between India and ASEAN amounts to $40 billion each year. Under the pact, India andASEAN will eliminate tariffs on various goods by 2016. VOA News Item 2 政治：英国政党领袖进行电视辩论第二轮角逐Britains political life has been dominated for the past three decades by two parties theConservatives, now led by David Cameron, and Labor headed by current Prime Minister GordonBrown.But a third party, the Liberal Democrats, are turning this election into a three-horse race.Their campaign was given a major boost by Britains first ever televised debate last week;Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg emerged as the clear winner.Viewer polls taken after this second debate, which focused on foreign policy, showed therewas no runaway victor.The last time Britain had a hung parliament was in 1974. A final televised debate is to takeplace next Thursday, followed by the election on May 6. VOA News Item 3 政治：参议院就索托马约尔就任最高法院大法官进行了讨论On the second day of debate all signs continued to point toward an easy confirmation win forSotomayor, the 55-year-old federal court judge nominated by President Barack Obama earlier thisyear.Although most of the 40 Senate Republicans are likely to vote against her, the decisionWednesday of Missouri Senator Kit Bond added to the number of Republicans who havecommitted to voting for her.Senator Bond, who is one of several Republicans retiring from the Senate next year, saidwhile he respects and agrees with the legal reasoning others in his party used to oppose Sotomayor,lawmakers have an obligation to show deference to a presidents choice of a nominee. VOA News Item 4 政治：南部非洲的部长们准备报告区域危机Foreign ministers of the Southern African Development Community met in Maputo toprepare a report on the regions political crises. It is to be presented to African leaders at theirupcoming summit in Ethiopia.SADCs Political and Diplomatic Committee has been mediating three major crises in theregion.SADC officials said the ministers are pleased the various parties to the unity government in1 Zimbabwe resumed negotiations on implementing their power-sharing agreement. They said theybelieved Zimbabwe was on the right path.The officials said the ministers also believe that progress is being made toward easing theconflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and that reconciliation efforts between thegovernment and various rebel groups were on the right track.But the officials said they were less optimistic about the political crisis in Madagascar. Iterupted in March after Andry Rajoelina, backed by the military, seized power following the ousterof then-President Marc Ravalomanana.SADC and the African Union do not recognize the Rajoelina government and havesuspended Madagascar from their organizations. VOA News Item 5 政治：以色列国防部长遭到恐吓Security has been tightened around Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak after he receiveddozens of death threats. Security sources say the threats were made by Jewish militants whooppose the governments partial freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank. The freezewas imposed in November under pressure from the United States, which sees the settlements as anobstacle to peace.The death threats are being taken seriously. In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabinwas assassinated by an Orthodox Jew opposed to his policy of trading land for peace with thePalestinians. VOA News Item 6 政治：泰国军警围捕红衫军领袖行动失败Government officials say they will investigate just how three leaders of the anti-governmentprotests managed to escape when police tried to surround their hotel Friday.One of the leaders climbed down three floors using a rope, and was rushed away bysupporters thronging the building.Officials earlier Friday said the government is preparing to arrest people linked to clasheswith security forces last Saturday that left 24 soldiers and protesters dead.The government says armed men infiltrated protester ranks and fired on troops trying todisperse a rally.The anti-government movement, led by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship orUDD, demands that the Government call fresh elections. UDD supporters have held protests inBangkok for more than a month.Thailand is facing its most severe political crisis in almost 20 years. Some parties in thegoverning coalition want to set a clear time frame for elections to ease tensions. But thegovernment says it will only call elections once the political situation has cooled. VOA News Item 7 政治：吉尔吉斯斯坦政变威胁美军基地未来Kyrgyzstans five-day-old provisional government is vowing to use the countrys military tolaunch a special operation to neutralize President Kurmanbek Bakiyev if h