NPR 2011-04-11

Backed by NATO air strikes, rebels in Libya say they've regained¹ control of a strategic city just 100 miles from the rebel capital. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Benghazi that rebels welcome the increased NATO effort.

From a vantage point, a few miles east of the embattled city of Ajdabia, heavy thuds and explosions could be heard, and black smoke could be seen rising into the air. NATO released a statement saying that it continues to "dismantle² the fighting ability of the Gaddafi regime" with the particular focus on Ajdabia and the besieged³ western city of Misurata. The statement quoted NATO Lieutenant⁴ General Charles Bouchard as saying NATO strikes destroyed 11 tanks of the pro-government forces as they approached Ajdabia and 14 more that were involved in shelling Misurata. NATO also said a rebel jet was intercepted⁵ and forced to return to Benghazi by NATO jets enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Benghazi.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he's ordered UN peacekeepers in Ivory Coast to use all necessary means to stop the use of heavy weapons by forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo is refusing to step down as president, although the international community determined⁶ that he lost an election four months ago. Today, UN and French helicopters fired on Gbagbo's residence to retaliate⁷ for attacks by Gbagbo's forces against the UN and civilians⁸.

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denies he used his office to become wealthy. In a speech carried by Al Arabiya, Mubarak said he's willing to cooperate in any investigation⁹. Egypt's public prosecutor¹⁰ wants to question him and his sons.

In Syria, there are reports that security forces and pro-government gunmen fired on protesters in the port city of Banias today, killing¹¹ at least three people. Details are sketchy¹² because Internet and phone access is limited in the city.

Voters in Iceland yesterday rejected a referendum that called for Iceland to repay Britain and the Netherlands billions of dollars lost during the financial crisis. Larry Miller¹³ reports from London Britain is now planning legal action to recover the money.

Treasury¹⁴ Minister Danny Alexander describes the result of the Icelandic referendum as "obviously disappointing." He says the British and Dutch tried to reach a negotiated settlement. But since that's failed, the dispute will go to an international court. The UK and Holland reimbursed¹⁵ about 400,000 other citizens who lost $6 billion of savings¹⁶ when the Icelandic Internet bank Icesave collapsed¹⁷ along with the rest of the country's banking¹⁸ system in 2008. Alexander insists Britain has a duty to get the money back and will not let the issue die. Legal action could take years to resolve. The 'no' vote jeopardizes¹⁹ Iceland's hope of joining the EU and may damage its credit rating. For NPR News, I’m Larry Miller in London.

And you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

In Poland, Church bells and sirens marked the one-year anniversary of the plane crash in Russia that killed the Polish president, his wife and 94 other dignitaries. Dave McGuire reports from Warsaw thousands gathered outside the presidential palace this morning.

The ceremony was part religious observance and part protest as mourners with anti-government posters shouted "Gestapo" against the police and tried to storm the barricades²⁰. It's been a year of shock, grief, anger and weariness in Poland as the tragedy has become a political issue. Despite the official finding that the crew attempted to land the plane in heavy fog against the advice of air traffic controllers, some Poles believe the plane was sabotaged²¹ by Russia, and the current Polish government was complicit. The Catholic Church in Poland says that public mourning for those killed in the crash should now come to an end. But the political debate over what happened a year ago today will continue for some time. For NPR News, I'm Dave McGuire in Warsaw.

Now, the Congress and the White House have agreed on a federal budget to cover spending until the end of September. The next major fight over money is likely to be about the debt ceiling. The US will reach the limit of $14.3 trillion in the next few months. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says the GOP won't allow an increase without more spending cuts.

"There is no way that we Republicans are going to support increasing the debt limit without guaranteed steps being put in place to ensure that the spending doesn't get out of control again."

Cantor was a guest on "Fox News Sunday." Presidential Advisor²² David Plouffe made the rounds of other talk shows, saying this week the president will outline a long-term plan to address the deficit²³.

1 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

2 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

3 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 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。

10 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

11 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。

12 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

13 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

14 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

15 reimbursed   

v.偿还，付还( reimburse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the firm's business will be reimbursed. 由公司业务产生的开销都可以报销。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Employees are reimbursed for any legal fees incurred when they relocate. 员工调往异地工作时，他们可以报销由此产生的所有法律服务费用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

17 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

18 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

19 jeopardizes   

危及，损害( jeopardize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• If your reckless behavior jeopardizes this mission, you're out! 如果你不注意你的言行，会危及到这次任务你也会被开除！
• Factionalism now seriously jeopardizes our overall interest. 现在闹派性已经严重地妨害我们的大局。

20 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

21 sabotaged   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The main pipeline supplying water was sabotaged by rebels. 供水主管道被叛乱分子蓄意破坏了。
• They had no competition because competitors found their trucks burned and sabotaged. 他们之所以没有竞争对象，那是因为竞争对象老是发现自己的卡车遭火烧或被破坏。 来自教父部分

22 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

23 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。