澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-10-20

 Queen Elizabeth will begin her Australian visit this morning with a private audience - with the Governor General Quentin Bryce. The Queen and Prince Philip arrived in Canberra late yesterday. They were greeted by hundreds of local schoolchildren. The royal couple will also tour Canberra's Floriade flower show this morning.

 

The Commonwealth¹ Ombudsman Allan Asher is set to announce his resignation. He's been under intense pressure since admitting he wrote questions for a Greens senator to ask him at a senate committee back in May. Fairfax newspaper is reporting this morning the Federal Government has made it very clear it has lost confidence in him. Mr Asher apologised on Monday to a senate committee for his behaviour.

 

There have been violent clashes between police and protesters in Athens. Some protesters threw petrol bombs and stones at police, who responded with tear gas. Several youths have been arrested. Greece has been paralysed by a 48-hour general strike against the government's austerity measures.

 

Floodwaters have breached² barriers protecting Bangkok. Residents in seven districts in the outer north and east of the city are being warned to prepare for flooding. People are being told to be prepared to evacuate³. The Thai government is assuring residents that by the weekend that Bangkok would be safe from flooding.

 

And police in the US state of Ohio have shot and killed dozens of wild animals that escaped from a private zoo. The animals included bears, tigers and lions. Police believe the zoo's owner set the animals free before shooting himself dead.

1 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

2 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。