澳洲新闻 ABC新闻快递 2012-12-30

 The US President Barack Obama is meeting with congressional leaders in a bid to prevent the country from going over the so-called "fiscal¹ cliff". Republicans and Democrats² have just four days to reach an agreement in a bid to prevent massive tax rises and spending cuts. The country's House of Representatives will reconvene at an urgent session on Sunday night. Analysts³ say there is little chance the parties will resolve their differences ahead of the New Year.

 

 

 

Businessman John Singleton has announced he's bought a stake in FairFax Media and formed an alliance with another shareholder⁴ mining magnate Gina Rinehart. Mr Singleton has issued a statement about the purchase through a company called Gutenberg Investments. Mr Singleton says he's a longtime friend of Ms Rinehart and they will consult each other on key matters affecting FairFax. There are reports his stake in FairFax is less than one percent.

 

 

 

Shares in the bailed-out Spanish bank Bankia SA have taken another hammering on the country's stockmarket. Bankia shares traded down more than 30 per cent at one stage overnight. The shares have plummeted⁵ since news emerged that Bankia has a debt of around five billion dollars. Bankia is in line for a 23-billion-dollar bailout. 

 

 

 

When the markets in Europe closed a couple of hours ago, London's FTSE 100 was down. So were the Dax and Euro. In the US, trading comes to a close shortly and the Dow Jones is down. So is the S&P 500.

 

 

 

The Australian dollar is worth 103 US cents this morning. It'll also buy you 64 British pence and one dollar 26 New Zealand.

1 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

5 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》