Hourly News 每日新闻 2013-12-30

 UN, EU condemn¹ attack in Volgograd

The UN Security Council is adding its voice to those condemning² a suicide attack in the Russian city of Volgograd.

The Security Council calls the attack a "reprehensible³ act of terrorism".

Meantime, the head of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy says he stands in solidarity⁴ with the government and people of Russia.

A bomber⁵, thought to be a woman, blew herself up at a railway station in the southern Russian city of Sunday, leaving 16 people dead.

The attack is the latest to hit the city of Volgograd, the former Stalingrad, in recent months.

It's believed the Islamist insurgency⁶ in Russia's southern caucuses⁷ is moving to attack major centers in southern Russia ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

 

South Sudan army clashes with White Army

South Sudan's army has been embroiled⁸ in clashes with armed youth believed to be loyal to sacked Vice-President Riek Machar.

The so-called White Army, a group made up largely of ethnic⁹ Nuer youth, have been fighting with government troops near the town of Bor.

This comes 5-days after the rebels were driven out of the town.

The latest clashes comes after the government of South Sudan promised to honor a ceasefire requested by international community.

 

Schumacher in critical condition after ski injury

Retired¹⁰ seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition after suffering a head injury while skiing in Austria.

　　

Schumacher's spokeswperson says the 44-year-old German was wearing a helmet and was conscious during the trip to hospital.

Schumacher is the most successful Formula One driver of all time, with a record 91 victories among his achievements.

　　 

He left the sport last year after a three-year comeback with Mercedes following an earlier retirement¹¹ from Ferrari at the end of 2006.

 

Saudi to grant Lebanese army 3 billion USD in aid

The Saudi government is giving the Lebanese government 3-billion US dollars in aide to buy weapons for the country's army.

In a televised address, Lebanese president Michel Suleiman says the weapons are going to be purchased from France.

He's also calling on the French government to support the Lebanese government's plan.

Suleiman is also suggesting more support for the Lebanese military may be forthcoming at an international meeting scheduled for Italy this coming year.

The Saudi support comes as part of the International Support Group for Lebanon.

This organization was put together in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to help keep the country stable and help it deal with the influx¹² of refugees from neighboring Syria.

 

Yemen jails 9 al-Qaida suspects for plotting to kill president

The courts in Yemen have sentenced 9 al-Qaeda suspects to up to 10-years in jail for plotting to assassinate¹³ the country's president.

The suspects have been convicted of planning to set a roadside bomb off to kill Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The verdict follows a similar sentence handed down to 3 other suspected al-Qaeda militants¹⁴ for planning a similiar assassination¹⁵ in September.

Al-Qaeda's branch is very active in the south and eastern parts of Yemen.

The group actually controlled certian sections of territory in the country before being routed by the Yemeni army last year.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula still has large sections of support in the politically-divided country.

 

Sri Lanka conducts excavation¹⁶ on mass grave

Authorities in Sri Lanka have begun the excavation of a mass grave discovered in the country's northern area.

The grave was first discovered earlier this month.

It's believed to be holding the remains¹⁷ of at least 10 people.

The government says it believes the mass grave was used by the Tamil Tigers to bury their dead soldiers and citizens.

The Tamil Tiger rebel group controlled much of northern Sri Lanka for the better part of 30-years before government forces eventually swept in and took control in 2009.

 

Hunan procuratorate investigates electoral fraud

The authorities in Hunan have launched an investigation¹⁸ into a case of electoral fraud.

Around 500 local lawmakers have already been disqualified, dismissed or have resigned in connection with the electoral fraud.

Initial investigations¹⁹ suggest 56 city lawmakers in the city of Hengyang paid 110 million yuan worth of bribes²⁰.

CPC disciplinary authorities say 430 party members and government employees are under investigation.

 

Chinese officials banned from smoking in public

The central authorities have issued a new directive banning government officials from smoking in public places.

The document issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council is demanding Chinese officials "take the lead" to follow the rules.

The policy also bans government workers from purchasing cigarettes using public money.

This country is the largest producer and consumer of cigarettes.

The government's smoking control drive has been widely criticized for lagging behind its stated committments.

 

Wedding banquet lands 94 diners in hospital

Close to 100 people have been sickened after eating at a wedding banquet in Gansu.

94 people came down with nausea²¹ and diarrhea after eating at the banquet at a hotel in the city of Baiyin.

54 had to be hospitalized.

So far only 3 have been discharged.

The cause of the food poisoning has not been traced yet.

1 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

2 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 reprehensible   

adj.该受责备的

参考例句：

• Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。
• It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。

4 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

5 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

8 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

12 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

13 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

14 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

15 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

16 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

17 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。

18 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。

19 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

20 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

21 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。