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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
A top American official says Somali piracy1 is a far more professionally managed business than previously2 thought and eradicating3 it will be harder than bringing peace to Afghanistan. Martin Plaut has the story.
President Obama's coordinator4 of fighting piracy, Donna Hopkins, said the pirates had taken around $60m in ransoms5 in the past year, but only 15% was going to the pirates themselves. The rest went to a transnational criminal network, not all of whom were Somalis. She said it was quite probable that the pirates were now raising money professionally. Mrs Hopkins said she'd heard stories of an informal stock exchange possibly operating from London or another international financial centre, which sold shares in pirate operations.
A Somali pirate who attacked a US flagship in 2009 has been sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court. Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse6 pleaded guilty to hijacking7 the Maersk Alabama container ship. Three of his accomplices8 died in the rescue operation. Jane O'Brien reports.
The court heard how Muse led a band of armed pirates who commandeered at least three ships and kidnapped dozens of sailors. In 2009, he was the first to board the Maersk Alabama as it transported humanitarian9 supplies, holding its captain at gunpoint until the US Navy came to the rescue. Defence lawyers claimed he was only 15 and a product of the chaos10, hunger and deprivation11 of life in Somalia. But the prosecution12 convinced the judge that he was at least 18 and should stand trial as an adult.
As protests spread across the Arab world, thousands of demonstrators in Bahrain have held a third day of anti-government rallies in the capital Manama. At least two people have been killed in the demonstrations13. This protester says the crowds want political reform.
"We are here because we have a lot of demands. We want to make changes. We want [to] make changes in the government and the parliament. If we keep standing14 here and if we keep together, then we will reach our target."
Anti-government rallies also continued in Yemen for the sixth day. In Libya, violent demonstrations have left at least 40 people injured in the eastern city of Benghazi. The unrest came in advance of planned rallies on Thursday.
The chief prosecutor15 in Iran Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei has said that those behind Monday's anti-government protests should be punished. On Tuesday, Iranian politicians called for two leading opposition16 politicians Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to be tried and executed for calling the protests.
Israel has said that the Iranians are about to send two warships17 through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean18. The Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called it a provocation19 that could not be ignored. He said the warships were heading for Syria.
World News from the BBC
Long queues have formed at banks in Ivory Coast because customers fear of banking20 collapse21 as the confrontation22 continues over last year's presidential election. Standard Chartered has become the fourth bank this week to suspend its operations. Most cash machines in the main city Abidjan are closed, and cheques can't be cashed. The regional central bank warned commercial banks last week that they'd face possible sanctions if they dealt with Laurent Gbagbo's administration. His opponent Alassane Ouattara is widely regarded as the winner of the election.
In Brazil, 19 police officers have been arrested on suspicion of belonging to a death squad23 which has allegedly killed dozens of people. Federal police said the men's aim was as they put it to finish off criminals. Paulo Cabral reports from Sao Paulo.
The group of policemen is accused of forming a death squad which killed more than 45 people over the last 10 years. Among those already in jail are several high-ranking officers, including one colonel, the highest rank in the country's military police. The federal police investigation24 that led to the arrests began more than a year ago when the authorities noticed an increase in the number of deaths in the areas to where these policemen were assigned.
Astronomers25 say the Sun unleashed26 a huge flare27 early on Tuesday, its strongest for four years. They've warned this could create a geomagnetic storm around the Earth, which might interfere28 with electrical power grids29 and communication systems. Reports from southern China already speak of disruption to radio broadcasts. Researchers say the Sun is becoming more active after several relatively30 dormant31 years.
The authorities in Malaysia have cancelled a concert by a singer who's been dubbed32 Iran's Bob Dylan. They say Mohsen Namjoo's work isn't compatible with Islam. Namjoo was convicted in absentia in 2009 by an Iranian court for having used verses from the Koran in a song.
BBC News
1 piracy | |
n.海盗行为,剽窃,著作权侵害 | |
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2 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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3 eradicating | |
摧毁,完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 ) | |
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4 coordinator | |
n.协调人 | |
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5 ransoms | |
付赎金救人,赎金( ransom的名词复数 ) | |
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6 muse | |
n.缪斯(希腊神话中的女神),创作灵感 | |
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7 hijacking | |
n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式 | |
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8 accomplices | |
从犯,帮凶,同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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9 humanitarian | |
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者 | |
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10 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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11 deprivation | |
n.匮乏;丧失;夺去,贫困 | |
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12 prosecution | |
n.起诉,告发,检举,执行,经营 | |
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13 demonstrations | |
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威 | |
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14 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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15 prosecutor | |
n.起诉人;检察官,公诉人 | |
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16 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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17 warships | |
军舰,战舰( warship的名词复数 ); 舰只 | |
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18 Mediterranean | |
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的 | |
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19 provocation | |
n.激怒,刺激,挑拨,挑衅的事物,激怒的原因 | |
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20 banking | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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21 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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22 confrontation | |
n.对抗,对峙,冲突 | |
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23 squad | |
n.班,小队,小团体;vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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24 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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25 astronomers | |
n.天文学者,天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 ) | |
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26 unleashed | |
v.把(感情、力量等)释放出来,发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27 flare | |
v.闪耀,闪烁;n.潮红;突发 | |
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28 interfere | |
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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29 grids | |
n.格子( grid的名词复数 );地图上的坐标方格;(输电线路、天然气管道等的)系统网络;(汽车比赛)赛车起跑线 | |
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30 relatively | |
adv.比较...地,相对地 | |
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31 dormant | |
adj.暂停活动的;休眠的;潜伏的 | |
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32 dubbed | |
v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 );把…称为;配音;复制 | |
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