Hourly News updated 14:00 2011/10/10

 Thai authorities confirm 13 Chinese killed after drug ring hijacked¹ ships

Authorities in Thailand have confirmed that 13 Chinese sailors were killed after a local drug ring attacked and hijacked two Chinese cargo² ships on the Mekong River last week.

Local police in northern Thailand have launched an investigation³ and are hunting for the perpetrators.

The two cargo ships were attacked in the so-called golden triangle area of the Mekong River on Wednesday.

A report in the Bangkok Post says drug traffickers wanted the ships to smuggle⁴ their product into Thailand from Myanmar.

 

 

Church clashes kill 24 in Cairo

At least 24 people have been killed and scores injured in the worst violence since Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted⁵ in February.

Clashes broke out after a protest in Cairo against an attack on a church in Aswan province last week which Coptic Christians⁶ blame on Muslim radicals⁷. 

The Copts - who make up about 10% of the population - accuse Egypt's governing military council of being too lenient⁸ on the perpetrators of a string of anti-Christian attacks.

 

 

Yemen protesters voice skepticism over Saleh's pledge to step down

Protesters in Yemen have taken to the streets, voicing skepticism about President Ali Abdullah Saleh's latest vow⁹ to step down.

In his first major speech since returning to Yemen, Saleh has proclaimed that he is willing to leave power in the coming days.

There is a high level of distrust among the opposition¹⁰ and protesters, given that Saleh has made similar promises three times in the course of this year, only to back away from the deal at the last minute.

"We say yes to this latest pledge but we are now used to his speeches. I think that he said he will step down in days in his speech so he can re-organize himself."

A Gulf¹¹ Cooperation Council-sponsored agreement would see Saleh step down in return for immunity¹² from prosecution¹³.

 

 

NTC fighters say Gaddafi town close to fall

Libya's interim¹⁴ government forces say they have made significant gains in the battle for Muammar Gaddafi' hometown of Sirte.

They have reportedly captured the city's main hospital, the university and a main conference centre.

NTC fighters are struggling to deal with the Gaddafi loyalists, who are hiding in buildings and on rooftops as snipers.

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

 

 

Syrian leaders warn countries not to recognize the opposition

Syria's government is warning of retaliation¹⁶ against any country that recognizes the opposition National Council.

The country's foreign minister made the comments following meetings with Latin American ministers, who have been visiting Syria to show support for President Bashar al-Assad.

The National Council was formed last week by seven Syrian opposition factions¹⁷ in exile.

The US and France have welcomed the move, but do not recognize it diplomatically.

 

 

Sarkozy meets with Merkel over EU's debt crisis

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has held a meeting with German Chancellor¹⁸ Angela Merkel, discussing new measures to deal with the European Union's debt crisis.

The two have talked about ways of strengthening Europe's shaky banking¹⁹ sector²⁰.

Sarkozy says that France and Germany will present proposals on a new comprehensive package for stabilising the euro zone by the end of the month.

The leaders have suggested that their proposals may include a plan for recapitalising European banks, accelerating economic coordination²¹ in the euro zone and dealing²² with Greece's debt problems.

 

 

Thousands face major delays as Australia's Qantas engineers go on strike

Australia's Qantas Airways²³ passengers will face major delays as aircraft engineers walk off the job at three major airports.

Reports say the strike will be staged in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for four hours, as part of a labor²⁴ dispute between aircraft maintenance engineers and Qantas.

Qantas says 80 domestic and international flights will be cancelled, delayed or brought forward.

 

 

China vows²⁵ tougher road safety checks, accident prevention

China's Ministry²⁶ of Public Security has ordered tougher road safety checks, especially for long-distance passenger buses, in a bid to prevent major accidents.

In an emergency meeting, the ministry urged scrutiny²⁷ on overloading²⁸ and drowsy²⁹ driving. 

The meeting was held following several deadly traffic accidents over the past ten days, including a bus crash in Tianjin which killed 35 people on Friday.

 

 

Mass migration³⁰, major problems

China's migrant population now numbers 221 million, or 16.5 percent of all citizens.

A government report says as the numbers grow so do the problems these people face.

According to the 2011 Report on China's Migrant Population Development, most migrants do not enjoy the same rights as local people and therefore face difficulties integrating into urban life.

It says another 300 million rural people are expected to move to urban areas in the next 30 years.

1 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

2 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

3 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。

4 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

7 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

8 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

9 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

10 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。

11 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

12 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 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。

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 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

18 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

19 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。

20 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。

21 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

22 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

23 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

24 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

25 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

26 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。

27 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

28 overloading   

过载，超载，过负载

参考例句：

• Enables multiple users to search the site without overloading the server. 使多个用户搜索网站，而无需超载的服务器上。
• The driver got stripped down again for overloading his trunk. 那位卡车司机因为超载又受到责备。

29 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

30 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。