Hourly News 每日新闻 2014-03-12

 China's top political advisory¹ body to conclude annual session

China's top political advisory body is scheduled to conclude its annual session later on today.

Several draft documents are set to be submitted for review to the closing session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The documents include a draft resolution on the work report of the Standing² Committee of the CPPCC National Committee.

 

Chinese President vows³ no compromise on national interests

Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling on country's armed forces to "courageously⁴" assume their responsibilities in safeguarding China's national sovereignty and interests.

Xi Jinping has made the comments while sitting in on a meeting of the People's Liberation Army delegation⁵ at the ongoing⁶ legislative⁷ sessions in Beijing.

Xi Jinping, who is also the chair of the Central Military Commission, is also calling on the armed forces to be firm in faith and loyal in mission.

 

Search continues for missing Malaysia Airlines plane

Malaysia's air force chief is denying media reports the missing Malaysia Airlines fight may have turned back and made its way into the Strait of Malacca on the opposite side of Malaysia.

But while the search for the missing flight is still mostly focused in the Gulf⁸ of Thailand, the Strait of Malacca has since been been included in the search grid⁹.

Meanwhile, The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency says they're not yet willing to rule out the possibility of a terror link to the disappearance¹⁰ of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

CIA chief John Brennan's suggestion is running counter to comments made Tuesday by the head of Interpol.

There has still been no sign of the flight, which disappeared off radar¹¹ early Saturday morning while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Of the 239-passangers and crew onboard, 154 are Chinese nationals.

 

Referendum on Crimea "unconstitutional": Ukraine diplomat¹²

The Ukraine's permanent representative to the United Nations has issued a new statement, saying the forthcoming Crimean referendum on joining Russia is "illegitimate under the constitution of Ukraine."

But in making the statement, Yurii Klymenko does say the authorities in Kiev are willing to enter into negotiations¹³ to resolve the political unrest in Crimea.

Klymenko's comments come on the heels of a new declaration by Crimean Parliament on Tuesday which specifies¹⁴ that Crimea will become independent if some 2-million people there vote in favor of joining Russia in Sunday's planned referendum.

 

Turkey faces protests over death of student

A new round of mass demonstrations¹⁵ have been gripping Turkey through Tuesday.

This follows the death of a 15-year old protester who was injured in last summer's demonstrations in Gezi Park in Istanbul.

The young man was hit in the head with a police gas canister during last year's mass demonstrations and fell into an irrerversable coma¹⁶.

He died Tuesday.

The mass demonstrations which gripped Turkey last year began as a local protest in Istanbul, but later expanded into country-wide protests against the administration of Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, who protesters accuse of corruption¹⁷ and trying to install conservative Islamic values on the country's largely secular¹⁸ youth.

 

Lebanon condemns¹⁹ cross-border attack from Syria

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has issued a new call for the warring factions²⁰ in Syria to avoid allowing their dispute to spill over into his country.

The call comes after four rockets fired from Syria hit the outskirts²¹ of a Lebanese village near the border, wounding three Lebanese nationals.

Suleiman has since told the Lebanese army to take all necessary steps to defend frontier villages.

Lebanon has long been divided over the clashes in neighboring Syria. 

Shiite Hezbollah and its allies back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The Sunni-led opposition²² supports the rebels.

This has led to sectarian violence against the different factions erupting within Lebanon itself.

 

Michelle Bachelet sworn in as Chile's president

Michelle Bachelet has been officially sworn in again as Chile's President.

The 62-year old takes over from outgoing President Sebastian Pinera.

Leaders from across South America, including the Presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay, Columbia and Peru have attended the ceremony in Santiago.

This now becomes Bachelet's second stint²³ at the President of Chile.

The head of a center-left coaltion, Bachelet headed the country from 2006 to 2010.

Bachelet took December's run-off Presidental election with 62-percent of the vote.

She has taken office on a three-pronged pledge to create free education in Chile, overhaul²⁴ the country's tax codes to fund the new education strategy and adopt a new national constitution.

 

Former Croatian PM convicted of graft²⁵, sentenced to 9 years in jail

A former Prime Minister of Croatia has been sentenced to 9-years in prison on a corruption conviction.

Ivo Sanader and four other members of his Croatian Democratic Union party have been convicted of siphoning money from state funds and companies to help bolster²⁶ the party and their own personal wealth.

In handing down the sentence, the courts in Zagreb have also ordered Sanader to return some 2-million euros worth ill-gotten gains.

Tuesday's sentencing is the 2nd jail term handed to Sanader, who is already serving 10-years in prison on another corruption conviction.

1 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

4 courageously   

ad.勇敢地，无畏地

参考例句：

• Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the army and civilians in flooded areas fought the floods courageously, reducing the losses to the minimum. 在中共中央、国务院的正确领导下，灾区广大军民奋勇抗洪，把灾害的损失减少到了最低限度。
• He fought death courageously though his life was draining away. 他虽然生命垂危，但仍然勇敢地与死亡作斗争。

5 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。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

8 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。

9 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

10 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

11 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

12 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 specifies   

v.指定( specify的第三人称单数 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• The third clause of the contract specifies steel sashes for the windows. 合同的第三款指定使用钢窗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The contract specifies red tiles, not slates, for the roof. 合同规定屋顶用红瓦，并非石板瓦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

16 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

17 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

18 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

19 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 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

21 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

22 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。

23 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

24 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

25 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

26 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。