Hourly News updated 10:00 2011/10/10

 Church clashes kill 23 in Cairo

At least 23 people have been killed and scores injured in the worst violence since Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted¹ in February.

Clashes broke out after a protest in Cairo against an attack on a church in Aswan province last week which Coptic Christians² blame on Muslim radicals³.

Egyptian TV showed protesters clashing with security forces as army vehicles burned outside the state TV building.

The Copts - who make up about 10% of the population - accuse Egypt's governing military council of being too lenient⁴ on the perpetrators of a string of anti-Christian attacks.

 

 

Yemen protesters voice skepticism over Saleh's pledge to step down

Protesters in Yemen have taken to the streets, voicing skepticism about President Ali Abdullah Saleh's latest vow⁵ to step down.

In his first major speech since returning Yemen, Saleh has proclaimed that he is willing to leave power in the coming days.

There is a high level of distrust among the opposition⁶ and protesters, given that Saleh has made similar promises three times in the course of this year, only to back away from the deal at the last minute.

"We say yes to this latest pledge but we are now used to his speeches. I think that he said he will step down in days in his speech so he can re-organize himself."

A Gulf⁷ Cooperation Council-sponsored agreement would see Saleh step down in return for immunity⁸ from prosecution⁹.

 

 

NTC fighters say Gaddafi town close to fall

Libya's interim¹⁰ government forces say they have made significant gains in the battle for Muammar Gaddafi' hometown of Sirte.

They have reportedly captured the city's main hospital, the university and a main conference centre.

Heavy street fighting is still continuing however around Sirte's city centre.

NTC fighters are struggling to deal with the Gaddafi loyalists, who are hiding in buildings and on rooftops as snipers.

The interim government is on record as saying it will declare national liberation once Sirte falls, even if Gaddafi remains¹¹ at large.

 

 

Syrian leaders warn countries not to recognize the opposition

Syria's government is now warning of retaliation¹² against any country that recognizes the opposition National Council.

The foreign minister has made the comments following meetings with Latin American ministers, who have been visiting Syria to show support for President Bashar al-Assad.

Seven Syrian opposition factions¹³ formed the coalition¹⁴ last week in exile.

The US and France have welcomed the move, but do not recognize it diplomatically.

The UN reports that nearly 3,000 people have been killed during the six-month uprising against President Assad.

 

 

China's consulate¹⁵ general in Thailand says investigation¹⁶ under way for raids on Chinese ships

China's consulate general in the Thai city of Chiang Mai says the local police have launched an investigation, and are hunting for people who attacked two Chinese cargo¹⁷ ships on the Mekong River that left 11 dead and 2 missing.

The two cargo ships were attacked in the so-called golden triangle area of the Mekong River on Wednesday.

A report in the Bangkok Post is pointing the finger at drug traffickers, who wanted the ships to smuggle¹⁸ their product into Thailand from Myanmar.

 

 

Over 100 mln farmers will move to urban areas in China next decade: report

A new government report is suggesting that more than 100 million Chinese farmers are expected to migrate into urban areas in the next decade.

The study says the country's urban population is going to exceed 800 million by 2020.

The report says China's economically developed areas, with Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as the centers, are among the most attractive locations for farmers to migrate to.

The urban population here in China is expected to reach 52-percent in the next 4-years, and 65-percent by 2030.

 

 

Sarkozy meets with Merkel over EU's debt crisis

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has held a meeting with German Chancellor¹⁹ Angela Merkel, discussing new measures to deal with the European Union's debt crisis.

The two have been talking about ways of strengthen Europe's shaky banking²⁰ sector²¹.

Sarkozy says that France and Germany will present proposals on a new comprehensive package for stabilising the euro zone by the end of the month.

The leaders are suggesting that their proposals may include a plan for recapitalising European banks, accelerating economic coordination²² in the euro zone and dealing²³ with Greece's debt problems.

 

 

Israeli prison service mulls force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike

Israeli prison officials are now pondering the idea of force-feeding over 200 prisoners who have been on a hunger strike for the last few weeks.

Over 230 Palestinian prisoners have been on a hunger strike in Israeli prisons since late September.

They've been protesting changes to their living conditions.

Restrictions²⁴ on some of the Palestinian prisoners have been cranked-up since June on an order by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is trying to put pressure on Hamas to release an Israeli solider who has been held captive for the last 5-years.

1 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

4 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

5 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

9 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

10 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

15 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

16 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

17 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

18 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

19 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

20 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

21 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

22 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

23 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

24 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制