NPR 2011-01-26

The first Guantanamo detainee to be tried in a US civilian¹ court is being ordered to serve life in prison for the 1998 bombings of two US embassies. During sentencing today, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan said anything Ahmed Ghailani may have suffered at the hands of the CIA and others "pales in comparison to the suffering and the horror" of the al-Qaeda bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Two hundred twenty-four people, including 12 Americans, were killed.

The aftershocks of the events in Tucson will be reflected in the State of the Union tonight and not just in the president's words. NPR's Nathan Rott reports on how it'll be evidence in the gathered audience.

As a show of unity², some Republicans will sit next to Democrats³ and vice⁴ versa at tonight's State of the Union address. But at least one seat will remain empty. The seat, among Arizona lawmakers, will be left open to honor the victims of the January 8th attack, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who remains⁵ in serious condition. It will be one of tonight's many reminders⁶ of the tragic⁷ event that left six dead and 12 others wounded. Giffords' intern⁸ Daniel Hernandez, the parents of nine-year-old victim Christina Taylor Green, and trauma⁹ surgeon Peter Rhee who oversaw¹⁰ medical care after the shooting have all been invited to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during the speech. Nathan Rott, NPR News, Tucson.

Tripoli, Lebanon, site of Sunni protests against Shiite Hezbollah. This as a Hezbollah-backed businessman was named prime minister by Lebanon's president today. He called for a cooperation among the country's rival factions¹¹, as NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

Telecoms billionaire Najib Mikati is known as a centrist, someone who maintains ties with all factions and regional players. No easy feat¹² in such a divided country. After accepting President Michel Suleiman's request that he begin the process of trying to form a government, Mikati said his hand is extended to all factions to take part and end division. Mikati is a Sunni Muslim, as Lebanon's system requires of all of its prime ministers. But most Lebanese Sunnis support the man he's replacing, Saad Hariri. Hariri lost his job after he rejected Hezbollah's demand that he denounce an international tribunal probing the 2005 assassination¹³ of his father. Hezbollah members may be indicted¹⁴ by the international court. Hariri says he won't be part of any government in which Hezbollah has a leading role. Peter Kenyon, NPR News.

Home prices in the country's 20 largest markets are still falling and have apparently¹⁵ fallen at their lowest point in eight of those cities. The Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller Price Index dropped 1.6% from October to November. San Diego was the only city where home prices didn't drop then.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 64 points or 0.5% at 11,916; NASDAQ down 14 at 2,703.

This is NPR.

Diplomatic moves are still playing out in the political standoff in Ivory Coast with the arrival in Abidjan of the current president of the African Union and a continental¹⁶ summit in Ethiopia starting Sunday. From Abidjan, NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports that a West African delegation¹⁷ is heading to the US.

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika is the latest high-level regional envoy¹⁸ to come to Ivory Coast. He's here on behalf of the African Union. Meanwhile, West Africa's power broker¹⁹ in Nigeria, the current head of the regional bloc²⁰ ECOWAS, wants UN backing for a military force and a Security Council resolution on the intractable Ivorian presidential tug-of-war. Nigeria's Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia is part of a West African delegation planning to meet President Obama and the UN secretary general this week. The Nigerian minister wrote a strongly-worded column in a leading local newspaper Monday, backing military intervention²¹ in Ivory Coast to force out the incumbent²² Laurent Gbagbo who he accused of defying Africa and the world. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Abidjan.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling on the Egyptian government and protesters to show restraint after today's demonstrations²³ turned violent. Clinton said she believed the government of Hosny Mubarak is trying to respond to its people's hopes. Thousands flooded the streets of central Cairo today, demanding Mubarak step down.

A day after Moscow's busiest airport was bombed, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is ordering full security checks at all transportation hubs. He says those running Domodedovo airport were also to blame for security failures that allowed a suspected suicide bomber²⁴ to kill at least 35 people and wound more than 100.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 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。

6 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

7 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

8 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

9 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

10 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

11 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

12 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

13 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。

14 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

15 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

16 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

17 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。

18 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

19 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

20 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

21 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

22 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

23 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。

24 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。