VOA标准英语2008年-Italy Grateful for Hostage Rescue

The Italian government confirmed the release of a group of 19 Europeans and Egyptians who were kidnapped more than a week ago during a desert safari¹ in Egypt. Among them were five Italians. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.
　
European tourists, who were taken hostage by bandits in the Egyptian desert 10 days ago and rescued by the Egyptian army, hold flowers on the tarmac of the Army's east Cairo base, 29 Sep 2008

All 19 hostages were rescued in a morning operation. Speaking from Belgrade, Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that the 11 Europeans and eight Egyptians were in the hands of Egyptian authorities and their conditions were being checked.

Frattini said the operation was carried out with great professionalism. He thanked Germany, as well as Egypt and Sudan, for their efforts at securing the release of the hostages. He said the operation was carried out with the intervention² of Italian intelligence and special forces experts from Germany and Italy.

German officials had been negotiating with the kidnappers³, who were demanding millions of dollars in ransom⁴. Frattini said no ransom was paid.

The hostages, which include five Italians, five Germans a Romanian and eight Egyptians, were kidnapped September 19 in a remote corner of southwestern Egypt and were taken by their abductors to Sudan and later Libya.

On Sunday, Sudan's military said eight of the kidnappers led soldiers on a high-speed desert chase, ending in a firefight that left all but two of the gunmen dead. Five soldiers were also injured in the chase, which started when a vehicle carrying the gunmen refused to halt.

 

1 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

2 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。

3 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。