CRI Hourly News 2012 08 12

 180 killed in strong quake in northwest Iran: official

Two strong earthquakes struck villages in northwest Iran on Saturday killing¹ some 180 people and injuring hundreds of others. 

Six villages near the city of Tabriz were completely destroyed and other neighbouring cities were facing damages and power outages.

The first quake at 6.4 magnitudes was followed by another one magnitude 6.3 after 11 minutes at a similar location and depth.

There is said to be at least 10 aftershocks.

China FM calls for further cooperation with Malaysia

China says it is willing to push forward cooperation with Malaysia and working together towards a peaceful and prosperous East Asia region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said this in his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Sabah state of East Malaysia Saturday. 

Yang Jiechi told Najib that China highly values the importance to develop strategic cooperation with Malaysia, which is an important partner to China in the region. 

He said China is willing to work with Malaysia for further bilateral² cooperation and a closer China-ASEAN strategic partnership³, as well as a peaceful, developed and prosperous East Asia region.

 

China launches emergency response to typhoon-hit Jiangxi 

China's central authorities have initiated⁴ a level-four emergency plan in response to torrential rains and flooding caused by typhoon Haikui in east China's Jiangxi province.

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry⁵ of Civil Affairs have dispatched teams to help with the relief work. 

Over one million people have been affected⁶ by the disasters, while some 145,000 have been evacuated⁷.

Following east China's Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui, Jiangxi was the fourth provincial⁸ region covered by such level-four emergency plans in response to the latest typhoon since Wednesday.

 

4 dead, 1 missing in NW China flash flood 

A flash flood in northwest China's Qinghai province has killed four railway workers and left another missing.

Local authorities say the four workers were washed away by the flood Saturday in Datong Hui and Tu autonomous¹⁰ county in the city of Xining, capital of Qinghai, following a rainstorm.

One of the landslides¹¹ also damaged a local highway. Rescuers have been sent to repair the road and search for the missing worker.

 

Some 1,000 HK students meet Shenzhou-9 astronauts 

More than 2,000 people attended a variety show to welcome the Tiangong-1/Shenzhou-9 space mission delegation¹² at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on Saturday, the second day of the group's visit to Hong Kong.

During the show, Tangong-1/Shenzhou-9 astronauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang described their 13-day experience in space with the audience and sang the song Descendants of the Dragon with a children's choir¹³. Liu recited the poem Song of the Yangtze River with a student. 

Participants of the Young Astronaut Training Camp had the opportunity to ask the delegation questions about space and technology. 

The three astronauts who had fulfilled China's first manned space docking mission this June are now in Hong Kong for a 4-day visit.

 

Traffic accidents crippled Chinese insurers last year 

Chinese insurance companies were in the red last year due to road accident-related insurance, as they had to compensate¹⁴ a large number of victims of traffic accidents according to data from the industry association. 

The Insurance Association of China says insurance companies posted a combined loss of 9.2 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) in managing the compulsory¹⁵ auto⁹ traffic accident liability insurance.

The country's insurance companies have lost over 17 billion yuan in compulsory insurance over the past five years, according to the IAC.

 

Report predicts rapid chronic¹⁶ disease growth in China 

Chronic diseases will experience rapid development in China, as the number of patients is expected to triple or even quadruple in the coming two decades.

 

A report released by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases says with an increasingly aging population and various factors that lead to cardiovascular threats, chronic diseases in China will rapidly increase. 

The report estimats an average of 3.5 million people die of cardiovascular diseases in China every year, equivalent to one person dying of such illnesses every ten seconds.

 

New agreement to simplify customs procedures in NE China 

Provincial government officials have inked an agreement in Heilongjiang province to simplify customs and quarantine procedures in the northeast China region.

The agreement, signed by officials from the provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is intended to allow for more efficient processing of goods and personnel in China's industrial heartland.

 

Zou defends Olympic gold medal in men's boxing 

Defending Olympic champion Zou Shiming of China outscored Kaeo Pongprayoon from Thailand 13-10 to defend his Olympic gold at London Olympics on Saturday.

Chinese Qiu Bo claimed the Olympic men's platform silver medal.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

8 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

9 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

10 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

11 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

12 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

13 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

14 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

15 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

16 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。