Hourly News 每日新闻 2014-02-04

 H7N9 kills two more, causing new infections in China

Two more deaths from the H7N9 strain of the bird flu have been recorded here in China.

A 59-year-old man has died in Hunan.

He's said to have had close contact with live poultry¹.

The other death has come in Guangdong.

The virus has so far killed 25 people and infected at least 110 others in China so far this year.

Four people have died from the virus since the beginning of the Spring Festival holiday.

 

Swine flu infects 4 in western Mongolia/xinhua

Health officials in Mongolia have confirmed four human cases of H1N1 swine flu.

The infected are among nine people who have shown symptoms.

The confirmed cases involve two women and two infants.

The National Emergency Management Authority has already imposed a week-long quarantine in the provincial² capital, in a remote region in the far west of the country.

Schools will be closed and no public events permitted for the time being.

 

Blast in Beirut

A suicide bombing has left 2 people dead on a mini-bus in southern Beirut. 

The blast took place at a major transit³ hub in the Lebanese capital. 

Several others have been hospitalized in the attack. 

Beirut has been wracked by a series of explosions so far this year, including a pair which hit residential⁴ neighborhoods where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

Lebanon has been caught up in the effects of the civil conflict in neighboring Syria. 

Hezbollah has sent fighters to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has prompted Lebanese and Syrian Sunni militants⁵ who support the opposition⁶ to target Hezbollah areas.

 

20 killed in attacks in Iraq's capital

A series of violent attacks in and around the Iraqi capital Baghdad have left at least 20 people dead.

More than 70 others have been injured in attacks.

The deadliest attack has taken place in the Abu Dsher district of southern Baghdad, where two car bombs exploded, leaving four dead and 16 others wounded.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence since the height of the insurgency⁷ in 2007.

The UN estimates 88-hundred Iraqis were killed last year in sectarian violence.

 

Russia concerned over Ukrainian opposition' attempts to inflame⁸ crisis

Russian authorities are warning Ukrainian opposition leaders not to inflame the current unrest in the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry⁹ is calling on the opposition in Ukraine to "abandon threats and ultimatums¹⁰" and start more active dialogue.

The comments come following meetings among Ukrainian opposition leaders and US and EU officials on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this past week.

Protests in Ukraine began in November to back the country's European integration¹¹.

 

UN's deputy mediator¹² on Syria leaves office

The UN's deputy mediator for the Syrian situation is leaving the position.

Deputy Joint¹³ Special Representative on Syria, Nasser al-Kidwa, has indicated to UN chief Ban Ki-moon his willingness to serve the world organization in other capacities.

Al-Kidwa was appointed as a deputy to former UN chief mediator Kofi Annan in 2012.

He continued in the role under Annan's successor, Lakhdar Brahimi.

 

China's non-manufacturing PMI drops in January

The official purchasing managers' index for China's non-manufacturing sector¹⁴ slipped for a third straight month in January, due to a slowdown in the real estate sector.

Government numbers show the index dropped to 53.4 percent in January, the lowest in a year.

The number was 54.6 percent in December.

 

U.S. manufacturing growth slows further in January

Official figures are suggesting the U.S. manufacturing sector has expanded for 8 consecutive¹⁵ months.

However, the pace of growth has continued to slow.

The US purchasing managers index for January has slowed from December's 56.5 to 51.3 last month.

Any PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion. 

The U.S. economy finished 2013 with a steady bounce-back, but started this year with complexities¹⁶.

Bitterly cold weather which has gripped parts of the US so far this year is believed to have dampened consumer spending, home sales and manufacturing.

 

Janet Yellen sworn in as US Federal Reserve chair

Janet Yellen has been sworn in as chair of the US Federal Reserve, replacing Ben Bernanke in the role.

The 67-year-old is the first woman to hold the post.

Her main task is expected to be managing the winding¹⁷ down of the bank's bond-buying stimulus¹⁸ program without damaging the recovery of the economy.

Her predecessor¹⁹ Bernanke is returning to academia after eight years as Fed chair.

He is joining the Brookings Institution as a resident fellow.

 

US could default on debt by 'end of month': US Treasury²⁰ Secretary

US Treasury Secretary Jack²¹ Lew is warning the US may default on its debt by the end of this month if Congress does not raise its borrowing limit.

Lew says he could rely on emergency measures to pay US debt obligations after the 16.7-trillion borrowing limit hits this coming Friday.

Lew notes the treasury's reserves will be quickly be exhausted²² once income tax refunds²³ become available.

The US Congress begrudgingly²⁴ raised the debt limit in October as part of a deal to reopen the federal government after a shutdown.

 

UN chief to attend opening of Sochi Olympics in Russia

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced plans to attend the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi on Friday.

He's also planning to hold bilateral²⁵ meetings with leaders present at the ceremony.

Ban Ki-moon is also scheduled to address the International Olympic Committee for the first time.

A UN spokesperson says Ban Ki-moon's attendence in Sochi is a sign of the growing relationship between the UN and the International Olympic Committee.

The Winter Olympic's are scheduled to run from February 7th to the 23rd.

1 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

4 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 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。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 inflame   

v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎

参考例句：

• Our lack of response seemed to inflame the colonel.由于我们没有反应,好象惹恼了那个上校。
• Chemical agents manufactured by our immune system inflame our cells and tissues,causing our nose to run and our throat to swell.我们的免疫系统产生的化学物质导致我们的细胞和组织发炎，导致我们流鼻水和我们的喉咙膨胀。

9 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。

10 ultimatums   

最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Environmental groups in Nevada and the Midwest have issued similar ultimatums. 内华达和中西部的环保团体也发布了类似的最后通牒。
• A proactive teacher doesn't deliver ultimatums. [先发制人式]师并不下最后通牒。

11 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

12 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

13 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。

14 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

15 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

16 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

17 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

18 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

19 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

20 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。

21 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

22 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

23 refunds   

n.归还，偿还额，退款( refund的名词复数 )v.归还，退还( refund的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Tomorrow he would return them to the store and claim refunds. 明天他要把它们退还给商店并要求退款。 来自辞典例句
• The new method means that taxpayers get refunds much faster. 这种新办法意味着纳税人可以较快地领到退还款。 来自辞典例句

24 begrudgingly   

小气地，吝啬地

参考例句：

• Then, begrudgingly, I clean up – which doesn't really take that much time. 于是，为了省钱，我打扫干净－－那也不需要花很多时间。
• His terrible directness made me feel peeved, and begrudgingly I conceded that he was right. 他的坦率让我恼火。我承认他是对的，但十分不甘心。

25 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。