Hourly News updated 10:00 2011/10/18

 The South China Sea issue should be resolved bilaterally¹: China

China says multi-national talks will not help resolve disputes in the South China Sea, but may make the issue even more complicated.

The comments come after Japan proposed a multi-lateral framework to settle maritime² disputes in the South China Sea last week.

China's Foreign Ministry³ spokesman Liu Wei-min says the South China Sea disputes should be addressed through negotiations⁴.

It is reported that the Philippines opposed the China-Vietnam joint⁵ statement signed two days ago and called for a multi-lateral approach to resolve the South China Sea disputes.

China and Vietnam have reaffirmed their political will and determination to settle maritime issues through negotiations and friendly consultations⁶.

 

 

Prison swap⁷ begins today

Israel's Supreme⁸ Court has now backed a prisoner swap with Hamas, rejecting petitions against freeing more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captured soldier Gilad Shalit.

The victims of militant⁹ attacks had requested a 48-hour delay of the swap, which is due to begin in just a few hours.

Israelis and Palestinians are making final arrangements ahead of the swap.

Today's swap is scheduled to take place at the gate of the Rafah crossing, which is the gateway¹⁰ between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

 

 

Jordan names new prime minister

Jordan's King Abdullah has named a renowned¹¹ international judge as the country's new prime minister. The appointment follows the resignation of Marouf al-Bakhit earlier on Tuesday.

The new prime minister has been instructed to open talks with opposition¹² figures in order to push forward political reforms in the country.

Marouf al-Bakhit resigned amid criticism of his government's performance.

Jordan is so far one of the few countries in the Arab world that has not seen any major unrest in the wake of the middle-eastern protests.

 

 

NTC forces control over 90% of Bani Walid

Libya's interim¹³ government says its forces are close to winning full control of Bani Walid.

The suggestion contradicts earlier reports that National Transitional Council Forces had taken full control of the pro-Gaddafi stronghold.

NTC military spokesperson Ahmed Bani.

"We are controlling more than 90 per cent of Bani Walid city. Our forces now are in the centre of Bani Walid. In a couple of days we will liberate¹⁴ it completely. There is a difference between Bani Walid and Sirte."

Bani Walid has been under siege for weeks, with hundreds of pro-Gaddafi forces hiding in its valleys and hills.

The interim government is on record as saying it will declare national liberation once Sirte falls, even if Gaddafi himself remains¹⁵ at large.

 

 

Syrians taking shelter in Turkey reaches 7,660

The authorities in Turkey now say that over 75-hundred people are still taking shelter in the southern part of the country to avoid the violence in Syria.

Turkish authorities say over 19-thousand people, at one point or another, crossed over their southern border to escape the fighting.

Of them, 76-hundred-60 are still taking refuge in southern Turkey.

 

 

U.S., DPRK to hold talks on resuming recovery of soldiers' remains

The US and North Korean sides are now meeting to discuss the possible resumption of recovering the remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War.

The two sides are meeting in Bangkok this Tuesday.

The US Defense¹⁶ Department says the talks are only connected with the potential repatriation¹⁷ of American remains, and has nothing to do with issues connected to nuclear talks or other disputes between the two sides.

There are close to 8-thousand US soldiers unaccounted for from the 1950 to 1953 war in Korea.

Around 55-hundred of those bodies are believed to be buried on the North Korean side of the border.

 

 

Hong Kong rolls out world's first offshore¹⁸ RMB-denominated gold product

The Hong Kong-based Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange has now started trading the Renminbi Kilobar Gold.

It is being touted¹⁹ as the world's first offshore Renminbi-denominated spot gold contract.

Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange president Haywood Cheung says the roll-out of Renminbi Kilobar Gold marks a big step forward by the exchange on the road to internationalization.

The exchange has appointed Wing Hang Bank and Bank of China's Hong Kong division as the settlement banks.

 

 

Muslims in NW China region begin annual pilgrimage to Mecca

Over 300 Chinese Muslims have become the first from Ningxia to begin a trip to Mecca, Saudi Arabia for an annual pilgrimage.

Around 26-hundred Chinese Muslims from Ningxia are expected to fly to Saudi Arabia via eight Air China charter flights.

This would be an increase of roughly 200 over last year.

The pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as the Hajj, is a Muslim tradition that specifies²⁰ that all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to travel to Saudi Arabia must visit Mecca at least once in their lives.

1 bilaterally   

[医]adv.两侧，双向地

参考例句：

• The data in the Performance Test shall be Bilaterally recorded and confirmed. 在生产线考核期间的数据应由双方共同记录并确认。
• Anatomic constraints may preclude the insertion a transarticular screw unilaterally or bilaterally. 解剖制约可能妨碍单边或双边插入关节螺钉。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

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 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

10 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

11 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

12 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。

13 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

14 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

15 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。

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 repatriation   

n.遣送回国，归国

参考例句：

• The Volrep programme is the preferred means of repatriation. 政府认为自愿遣返计划的遣返方法较为可取。 来自互联网
• Arrange the cargo claiming and maritime affairs,crews repatriation,medical treatment,traveling so on. （六）洽办货物理赔，船舶海事处理，办理船员遣返，就医，旅游等。 来自互联网

18 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

19 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

20 specifies   

v.指定( specify的第三人称单数 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• The third clause of the contract specifies steel sashes for the windows. 合同的第三款指定使用钢窗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The contract specifies red tiles, not slates, for the roof. 合同规定屋顶用红瓦，并非石板瓦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》