Hourly News 每日新闻 2014-03-31

Search for Malaysia Airlines flight continue
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight continues days before its batteries are set to die.
Ten planes and eight ships scanned the search area in the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday, in the most intensive day of searching so far during the operation.
Australian authorities say several objects were spotted¹ by its aircraft. Some have already been ruled out but there remains² at least four objects of interest.
An Australian vessel³ carrying a sophisticated U.S. black box locator and an underwater drone is expected to join the search in the coming days.
The flight recorder's batteries are expected to run out in about a week's time.
Today's search will resume subject to weather conditions.
Strong gales⁴ are forecast in the next two days with big waves and low visibility in the search site west of Australia.
 
Xi Jinping in Belgium
Chinese President Xi Jinping has observed the opening of a new panda exhibit at a zoo in Belgium.
The president is on the final leg of his four-nation European tour.
The pandas were sent to Belgium from Sichuan province last month, as part of a joint⁵ research project involving scientists from both countries.
The move is seen as a display of friendship between the two countries.
Hao Hao, the female, and Xing Hui, the male, are both four years old. They will stay in the country for the next 15 years.
Pandas are considered envoys⁶ of friendship, and President Xi says their arrival in Belgium has demonstrated the Chinese people's deep feelings for the Belgian people.
Xi Jinping's visit to Belgium is the first by a Chinese head-of-state in 27 years.
 
China insists on bilateral⁷ talks on disputes on South China Sea
China is again urging the Philippines to stick to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and return to the path of bilateral talks in resolving disputes.
The statement comes after the Philippines filed a formal plea to an international tribunal regarding a territorial⁸ dispute over the Nansha Islands.
Chinese Foreign Ministry⁹ spokesman Hong Lei says in a written statement that China will not accept the international arbitration¹⁰ filed by the Philippines.
He says China holds a clear and consistent stance that it has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and adjacent waters.
Hong says China has always adhered to direct bilateral negotiations¹¹ with relevant countries to solve disputes regarding sovereignty over islands and maritime¹² demarcation.
He says the position is in line with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed by China and ASEAN nations as well as the consensus¹³ reached by China and the Philippines in a series of documents.
 
North threatens "new form" of nuclear test
North Korea says it will not rule out a new form of nuclear test to bolster¹⁴ its nuclear deterrence¹⁵.
The statement, released by the Foreign Ministry and read out on state television, says the Korean People's Army will take part in new drills which will involve more diversified¹⁶ nuclear deterrence.
"Now that the US is staging ceaseless nuclear war exercises by mobilising all types of nuclear strike means aimed at 'occupying Pyongyang' while describing the exercises as 'annual ones,' the Korean People's Army drills will involve various forms of exercises in which more diversified nuclear deterrence will be used for hitting various medium and long-range targets with a variety of striking power."
Earlier, the United Nations Security Council said North Korea violated UN resolutions after launching two medium-range ballistic missiles off the east coast of the country.
The missile launch comes as U.S. and South Korean troops start annual military drills.
 
Turkey's ruling party takes lead in local elections
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development party, or AKP, has reportedly taken a strong lead in the country's municipal election.
Voting was held on Sunday.
Turkish media report that with around 35 percent of the votes counted, the AKP stands at nearly 48 percent, while the main opposition¹⁷ Republican People's Party holds 28 percent.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Our people will tell the truth above anything else. And beyond what's talked about in the public squares, what will be decisive, is what the people will say. In my opinion, what the people say goes. The people's decision is respected. Anything outside of this, one way or another, will be recorded only in history, once the results from the polls are in tonight.."
The elections come as the ruling AKP government has faced corruption¹⁸ allegations.
Four ministers have resigned following anti-corruption raids in December targeting businessmen close to Erdogan and sons of ministers.
Erdogan has called the raids as a campaign of espionage¹⁹ to topple him.
Official results are due to be out later today.
 
21 people killed in Tanzania road crash
A road crash in southern Tanzania has claimed 21 lives.
The accident on Saturday night also injured 9 people. Local police say a mini-bus rammed²⁰ into a lorry. It was a head-on collision.
This crash follows the deaths of 12 women less than 24 hours earlier in another accident.
Roads in Tanzania claim thousands of lives every year, and most of the accidents are caused by what police term as reckless driving and bad road conditions.

1 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

2 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。

3 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

4 gales   

龙猫

参考例句：

• I could hear gales of laughter coming from downstairs. 我能听到来自楼下的阵阵笑声。
• This was greeted with gales of laughter from the audience. 观众对此报以阵阵笑声。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

7 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。

8 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

9 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。

10 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

11 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。

12 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

13 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

14 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。

15 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

16 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 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。

18 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。

19 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

20 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》