Hourly News updated 08:00 2011/10/19

 Released Palestinian prisoners arrive home

Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier that has been held by Hamas since 2006, has arrived at his home in the northern Israeli village of Mitzpe Hila.

He has been reunited with his family after first meeting with Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu at an airbase in central Israel.

The Israeli military says a medical examination has found Shalit in good condition.

Shalit says he is "very excited" to be back home.

 

 

CPC seeks to enhance China's cultural soft power

The central committee of the Communist Party of China has wrapped up its four day plenary session.

the central committee has put out a new guideline to improve China's soft power and advocate Chinese culture.

Issues connected to cultural development have been high on the party's priority list since the Reform and Opening Up movement began in the early 1980's.

But this year's plenary session is the first time the CPC has raised the issue to the top of the agenda in some 15-years.

This is also the first time the CPC Central Committee has put out a clear objective toward turning China into a major cultural power on the international stage.

 

 

Thai, Chinese officials inspect Mekong River after attack on Chinese sailors

The Chinese working team has been conducting joint¹ investigations³ on the attacked ships with the Thai police in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai Province. At least 12 Chinese sailors were killed on the Mekong River earlier this month.

Gao Zhen-ting, Counselor⁴ and Consul-General of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, says the Chinese side is greatly concerned over the investigation² of the attack, and hopes to bring the killers⁵ to justice soon.

Deputy police chief Prapa-wat says 5 unidentified armed people hijacked⁶ the ships, and details of the killing⁷ are still sketchy⁸.

He also calls for neighboring countries, namely Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and China to participate in making specific measures to ensure the security on the Mekong River basin.

 

 

NATO reduces strikes in Libya

NATO says most of the population in Sirte and Bani Walid, the last pockets of pro-Muammar Gaddafi resistance in Libya, are no longer under threat.

NATO spokesperson Roland Lavoie says that NATO is now maintaining a more observatory⁹ position rather than military strikes.

However, the fighting in Sirte still remains¹⁰ heavy, where pro-Gaddafi forces have launched a new offensive.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made an unannounced visit to Tripoli to meet Libya's new leaders and offer new aid to Libya.

The fresh US aid is expected to include medical care for wounded fighters and additional help in securing weaponry in Libya, which many fear could fall into the hands of extremists.

 

 

Cross-Strait peace should be treasured: SEF chairman

A delegation¹¹ from Taiwan is now set to arrive later today in Tianjin ahead of the next round of cross-strait negotiations¹².

Speaking head of the coming round of talks, Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation head, Chiang Pin-kung, says that the cross-Strait peace is hard-earned and should be treasured.

Chiang and Chen Yunlin, president of the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, are set to sit down for their seventh round of talks since the two organizations resumed discussions in June 2008.

The two sides are expected to sign agreements connected to cross-strait nuclear power cooperation, as well as an investment protection deal.

They're also expected to talk about industrial cooperation.

 

 

PKK rebels kill 7 people in southeast Turkey

Seven people are dead in the latest attack by Kurdish rebels in Turkey.

The dead include 5 police officers and a 2-year-old girl.

Militants¹³ set off a remote controlled bomb in the restive¹⁴ southeast of Turkey, killing the 7, and sending 4 others to hospital.

This is the latest in a recent escalation¹⁵ of violence by Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey.

The ethnic¹⁶ Kurds in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq have been battling for their own independent homeland over the last 25-years, at a cost of over 40-thousand lives.

 

 

Berlusconi cleared of tax fraud, embezzlement¹⁷ charges

A court in Milan has cleared Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and embezzlement charges.

Berlusconi was facing the allegation in connection to his private broadcast company Mediaset.

The presiding Judge has ruled there is not sufficient information to convict the prime minister of being directly related to the company's wrongdoings.

The investigation centers on whether the company illegally juggled¹⁸ its books to avoid paying 35 million euros in taxes and fees to the government.

Berlusconi still faces a string of other charges, including bribery¹⁹, corruption²⁰ and paying for sex with an underage girl.

1 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。

2 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。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

5 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

6 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。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

9 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

10 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。

11 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

12 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。

13 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。

14 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

15 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

16 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

17 embezzlement   

n.盗用，贪污

参考例句：

• He was accused of graft and embezzlement and was chained and thrown into prison.他因被指控贪污盗窃而锒铛入狱。
• The judge sent him to prison for embezzlement of funds.法官因他盗用公款将其送入监牢。

18 juggled   

v.歪曲( juggle的过去式和过去分词 )；耍弄；有效地组织；尽力同时应付（两个或两个以上的重要工作或活动）

参考例句：

• He juggled the company's accounts to show a profit. 为了表明公司赢利，他篡改了公司的账目。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The juggler juggled three bottles. 这个玩杂耍的人可同时抛接3个瓶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

20 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。