polyglotkazuの外国語を楽しく学ぶ　フランス語　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　多言語の学習は人生を豊かにしてくれる

Brazil finds massive oil field

A newly-tapped oil field off the coast of Brazil could contain up to 15 billion barrels of oil, officials say.

Brazil's national petroleum agency said the Libra field most probably held around 8 billion barrels. That matches the size of the giant Tupi oil field, whose discovery in 2007 drew attention to Brazil's potential as a major oil producer.

If the 15 billion barrel figure were confirmed it would double Brazil's known oil reserves. It would also be the biggest oil field discovered in the Americas since 1976, when Mexico found the giant Cantarell field in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Libra exploratory well is located 183km (114 miles) offshore from Rio de

Janeiro. "The volume of recoverable oil belonging to the nation could vary from 3.7 billion to 15 billion barrels, with the most likely estimate being 7.9 billion barrels," the national petroleum agency (ANP) said in a statement.

Brazil has discovered billions of barrels of oil in the last few years, mostly in deep, pre salt fields off its south-eastern coast.

The discoveries should make Brazil one of the world's top 10 oil producers.

Outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said future oil revenues will be used to eradicate poverty and invest in education and technology.
In September the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, which is partly owned by the state, raised $70bn (£44.7bn) to develop the new fields in the world's largest ever public share offering.

Rallies

Japan and China have been locked in their worst dispute for years over the territorial issue. It began when a Chinese trawler captain was arrested near the islands by Japan's coastguard in early September after colliding with two Japanese patrol boats. The row has sparked nationalist protests in both countries.

On Sunday, about 200 people took part in anti-Japanese protests in Lanzhou in northwest China, a day after a similar protest in Deyang in the southwest.

In Japan, 300 anti-China protesters rallied in Takamatsu city on Saturday.

Meanwhile Japan has urged China to normalise customs inspections of exports of

rare earths, used to make everything from wind turbines to hybrid cars.

Japanese trading houses have complained shipments have been disrupted since the row began.　China, which has a near monopoly on rare earths, has insisted there is no embargo in place.

Japan protests over Chinese boats near disputed islands Japan's government has made a formal protest to Beijing after two Chinese fisheries patrol boats were seen near a disputed island chain.

Relations between Asia's two biggest economies have been tense since a Chinese trawler captain was arrested by Japan's coastguard in the same area in early September.

The Chinese boats were spotted by the coastguard late on Sunday.

Protests over the territorial row took place in both countries at the weekend.

The islands in the East China Sea, known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu, are controlled by Japan, but claimed by China.

They are uninhabited, but surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially significant oil and gas reserves. "Last night around 9pm (1200 GMT) our coastguard sighted them and afterwards the two (Chinese ships) left there and sailed north toward China," top Japanese government spokesman Yoshito Sengoku said.　"After the incident we launched a protest through diplomatic channels."

Ecuadorean super-snorer wins siesta contest in Spain

A jobless security worker has won a competition billed as Spain's inaugural siesta championship, napping for 17 minutes in a busy shopping centre.

Ecuadorean Pedro Soria Lopez took first place and 1,000 euros (£890) for his efforts - or lack of them. Judges praised the 62-year-old not only for the duration of his 40 winks, but also for his volume, notching up snores of 70 decibels - around talking level.

The contest was run by Spain's National Association of Friends of the Siesta.

It was part of a campaign to revive the Spanish power-napping tradition, which is seen as threatened by the fast pace of modern life.

Over the course of nine days, 360 competitors were challenged to sleep for as much of a 20-minute period allotted to them as possible.

Participants stretched out on sofas in the Madrid shopping centre while their pulses were monitored to check they were asleep.

Judges awarded points for the speed with which participants fell asleep, the volume of their snoring, the most original sleeping position and the best-dressed sleeper.

'Preparing for war'

The northern provinces of Cagayan and Isabela are on the highest storm alert. One man in Cagayan was reported missing after he fell into the fast-flowing Buntun river. The man was named as Vicente Decena, a candidate in next week's local elections.

Officials have warned that the heavy rain and high winds could damage buildings, power supplies and agriculture. Emergency services have been stocking up on food and medicines, says the BBC's Kate McGeown in the capital, Manila.

Government forecasters say waves off the east coast could be greater than 14m (46ft). Sea travel has been banned. The coast guard has been instructed to forbid all fishing vessels from setting out to sea in the north, says the AFP news agency.

Thousands of soldiers and officers are on standby to deliver aid and rescue people stranded by the floods. Trucks, rescue boats and food packs have been pre-positioned near vulnerable areas, said Benito Ramos, a senior disaster-response official.

"This is like preparing for war," he told the Associated Press. "We know the past lessons and we're aiming for zero casualties."  Schools in the north were closed on Monday. Farmers were urged to harvest as many of their crops as possible before the typhoon hit, our correspondent says. The area in the storm's path is one of the country's main rice-growing regions.

In July, President Benigno Aquino sacked the head of the weather bureau after he failed to predict a typhoon which unexpectedly changed course and hit Manila, killing more than 100 people. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the US Navy says Megi is expected to weaken to typhoon intensity as it crosses the Cordillera mountain range. However, it will then re-emerge into the South China Sea and re-intensify as it heads for southern China.

Les opérations de secours se poursuivent au Chili

A genoux pour prier ou le poing levé en signe de victoire, les mineurs bloqués depuis plus de deux mois au Chili retrouvaient un à un la lumière mercredi 13 octobre, accueillis en héros par leur famille et le monde entier, fasciné par un sauvetage sans accroc. Les autorités, qui tablaient jusqu'ici sur un délai de trente-six à quarante-huit heures, pensaient pouvoir boucler dans la journée l'opération, commencée peu après minuit, heure locale. Vingt et un des 33 mineurs étaient déjà remontés à la surface à 22 heures, heure de Paris.

La remontée par un puits d'évacuation foré en trente-trois jours prend une quinzaine de minutes mais, avec la préparation de chaque voyage, il faut une heure environ par mineur pour achever l'opération. Les secours ont réduit le cycle de sortie de chaque mineur à environ quarante-cinq minutes au fil de la journée, a précisé René Aguilar, ingénieur en charge des secours. Chacun d'eux est remonté à bord d'une nacelle baptisée Fenix, en référence à la renaissance des mineurs.

Premier à être arrivé à la surface, portant des lunettes aux verres extrêmement sombres pour préserver ses yeux, Florencio Avalos a été enlacé et embrassé par ses proches après avoir parcouru les 622 mètres de la remontée. Il a donné une accolade à la première dame du Chili, Cecilia Morel, et au président Sebastian Pinera, qui a salué une opération "sans comparaison dans l'histoire de l'humanité".

Chile: el taladro llegó hasta los mineros

Rodrigo Bustamante　Mina San José, Chile

Sin fecha para el rescate

El ministro de Salud, Jaime Mañalich, dijo a primera hora del viernes que el próximo martes 12 de octubre era el "Día D" en que empezarían las labores para sacar a los 32 trabajadores chilenos y uno boliviano.

Sin embargo, posteriormente aclaró que lo que había querido decir era que desde la noche del lunes estará todo "completamente preparado" para que el rescate se realice en cualquier momento.

De visita en la mina San José, la primera dama Cecilia Morel aseguró que "las fechas exactas no se saben" y pidió que no se les dé importancia a rumores, porque generan un "ambiente tenso" en las familias.

"El único mensaje del presidente (Sebastián Piñera) es y ha sido siempre que por sobre todo está la seguridad, y que los puedan sacar lo antes posible teniendo como prioridad total la seguridad. Ese es el único plazo y no hay otro", dijo a los micrófonos de BBC Mundo.

Una vez que se concretó el anhelado "rompimiento" en el taller, se estima que el izamiento de los mineros "se iniciaría dentro de 3 a 8 días, dependiendo de las decisiones que se tomen", afirmó el ministro Golborne.

Chile: el taladro llegó hasta los mineros

Rodrigo Bustamante　Mina San José, Chile

A las 08:02 horas (12:02 GMT) de este sábado se produjo la noticia que tanto se esperaba en la mina San José: la máquina T-130 alcanzó con diámetro definitivo el taller desde donde serán rescatados los 33 trabajadores que permanecen enterrados a 700 metros de profundidad desde el 5 de agosto. Una sirena y fuertes ruidos de bocina anunciaron que el llamado "Plan B" había logrado romper las últimas rocas para dar con el lugar ubicado a 678 metros.

De esta forma está completamente perforado el túnel de unos 66 centímetros por el que se deslizará una cápsula que devolverá a los mineros a la superficie. La máquina de la empresa Geotec llegó el 3 de septiembre a la mina ubicada en las cercanías de Copiapó, a unos 800 kilómetros al norte de Santiago, y 14 días después alcanzó el taller con un diámetro inicial de 13 centímetros que debía ser

aumentado.

La algarabía fue total entre los familiares de los mineros, que ahora esperan por una última decisión de las autoridades para saber cuándo empezará el anhelado rescate. Los expertos analizarán el ducto con una cámara y luego de ello determinarán si será necesario reforzarlo con tubos para evitar posibles derrumbes. "Vamos a tomar la decisión cuando tengamos el máximo de información", había explicado con antelación el ministro de Minería, Laurence Golborne.

Breakthrough in Chile mine rescue

Rescuers have drilled through to the underground chamber where 33 Chilean miners have been trapped since August.

The breakthrough at the San Jose mine came shortly after 0800 local time (1200GMT), sparking celebrations.  It means efforts to remove the miners through the tunnel should begin within days. The men were trapped when part of the mine collapsed on 5 August - their 65-day ordeal is the longest suffered by a group of miners caught underground.

They have been living in a shelter 700m (2,300ft) underground. However, the Plan B drill - the second of three which have been working simultaneously - has penetrated 624m to a workshop which can be reached by the miners. Officials say they still need to determine whether the miners can be winched up through the exposed rock, or if they will have to wait for the shaft to be encased with steel piping. Huge cranes have been brought in to lower the metal casing if it is needed.

Chile's Mining Minister Laurence Golborne has warned that it will be three to eight days before the rescue mission can begin. Officials say everything needed for the rescue is now in place.

'Huge relief'

Relatives of the miners, many of whom have been camping near the mine since the collapse, milled around in excitement at the news. Sirens wailed in celebration.　Alicia Campos, the mother of trapped miner Daniel Herrera, said she was "very happy".

"I have a huge sense of relief because I feel I'll see my son soon," she told the BBC.

It has been a long wait for the families, says the BBC's Tim Willcox at the scene.　For weeks they have been anxiously awaiting any snippet of news, and grabbing　short opportunities to speak to their loved ones by phone.　Many families waited up all night in expectation of the break through, our correspondent says.

When the rescue operation begins, a medic will be sent down the shaft initially, in a special capsule, to assess the miners. Then it is expected to take an hour to winch each man to safety.

The men are expected to be split into three groups. Some who are fit and have the most technical know-how will be chosen to go first - in case something goes wrong. Then the weakest are expected to be brought to the surface. A final group, including some of the strongest miners, will wait till last.

FAA cites fire risk in bulk lithium battery shipments

The US airline regulator has warned carriers shipments of lithium batteries may ignite if exposed to high heat in flight, risking a "catastrophic event".

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the batteries, widely used in　consumer products, could ignite in a fire, overwhelming suppression systems.

The FAA said a US cargo flight that crashed last month near Dubai carried a　shipment of lithium batteries.

The warning did not apply to batteries carried by passengers, the FAA said.　"Common metal shipping containers, pails and drums, are not designed to withstand a lithium metal cell fire," the agency warned in a statement, adding no containers have been tested or approved to mitigate the risk.

Bulk shipments of the batteries are already banned from passenger aircraft, the　agency said.　The agency said a United Parcel Service flight that crashed near Dubai last month　was carrying large quantities of lithium batteries.

"Investigation of the crash is still underway, and the cause of the crash has not been determined," the agency said. "We... believe it prudent to advise operators of that　fact."　Dozens of incidents have been recorded in which lithium batteries ignited in flight,

but it remains unknown what caused the fires.

French veil ban clears last legal hurdle

France's constitutional court has approved the law set to ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public.

It approved it almost in its entirety, making one small change: the law will not apply to public places of worship where it may violate religious freedom.　The proposed measure had already been passed by parliament. It is due to come into force next spring.

The ban has strong public support, but critics point out that only a handful of French Muslims wear the full veil.

The law makes it illegal to wear garments such as the niqab or burka, which incorporate a full-face veil, anywhere in public.

Under the ban, persons found wearing a full veil in public will face a fine of 150 euros (£130) and/or a citizenship course.

Those found to force women to wear a full veil will face a 30,000-euro fine and a one-year jail term.

A last challenge is possible at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where decisions are binding.

Under the law, there is a six-month period of "education" to explain to women already wearing a face veil that they face arrest and a fine if they continue to do so in public spaces.  There are estimated to be only about 2,000 women wearing the full veil in France.  President Nicolas Sarkozy has backed the ban as part of a wider debate on French identity, but opponents say the government is pandering to far-right voters.

Spain and Belgium are debating similar legislation.

Taliban contact with Afghan government 'intensifying'

Contact between the Taliban and the government in Afghanistan is intensifying, a senior Afghan official has told the BBC.

Waheed Omar, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, said there was a willingness within some levels of the Taliban to find a way of seeking peace.　But he said the contact did not amount to negotiations to end the conflict.

The Taliban, which has always insisted foreign troops must leave the country, denied such talks were taking place.

Mr Omar said contact had intensified since a "peace jirga" in June, where Afghan tribal leaders endorsed Mr Karzai's plans to offer an amnesty and employment incentives to militants to persuade them to give up arms.

He said there had been "signs and signals" and attempts by the Taliban to contact the Afghan government, sometimes through intermediaries. But he said there were no "comprehensive negotiations, nobody sitting at a negotiating table to discuss anything". The government was also "not in a position to say who is representing who, or how much authority these people are carrying", he said.

Mr Omar said he believed the Taliban were feeling pressure from within Afghanistan to seek peace and that he was hopeful peace could be achieved.

His comments came in response to a report in The Washington Post on Wednesday.It suggested for the first time secret, high level talks had begun between Kabul and representatives of the Taliban authorised to speak on behalf of the so-called Quetta Shura - the Taliban leadership council believed to be based in Pakistan.The report quoted a source close to the talks as saying that despite their resilience in the conflict, the Taliban leadership believe "they are not in a winning position".

The Taliban were "very, very serious about finding a way out", said the unnamed source. A spokesman for the Taliban denied that any such talks were taking place. 　The organisation has previously said it will not enter into any negotiations with the Afghan government unless all foreign troops are withdrawn from the country.