Tonga runway cleared for volcano aid flights

Tonga runway cleared for volcano aid flights

Chinese, Belarusian presidents exchange congratulations on 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko have exchanged congratulatory messages to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Belarus diplomatic relations.

President Xi says the two sides share strong political mutual² trust and support each other on major issues.

Lukashenko says the win-win cooperation has benefited the two sides over the past decades.

Xi sends message of sympathy to Tonga's King over volcanic³ eruption⁴

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of sympathy to Tonga's King Tupou VI over the destruction caused by the volcanic eruption and tsunami⁵ in the country.

He says China is willing to provide assistance to help in Tonga's disaster relief and rebuild efforts.

Tonga runway cleared for volcano aid flights

Tonga has finished removing a thick coat of volcanic ash from its international runway, clearing the way for emergency aid to arrive.

New Zealand and Australia say their aircraft carrying aid supplies will depart later today.

Volcanic ash threats local environment: Tongan diplomat¹

Meanwhile, Consul⁶ General Louise Raedler-waterhouse of the Tongan Consulate⁷ General in Sydney says in an exclusive interview with China Media Group that the volcanic ash poses a serious threat to local environment.

Number of casualties still unknown: Chinese ambassador to Tonga

The Chinese ambassador to Tonga has told China Media Group the number of casualties from the undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami largely remains⁸ unknown.

Cao Xiaolin says people are being urged to stay at home.

The government has confirmed three deaths so far.

Li Keqiang extends condolences over passing of former Japanese PM Kaifu

Chinese Premier⁹ Li Keqiang has sent a message of condolence over the passing of former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu.

Li says Kaifu was a veteran Japanese statesman who made important contributions to the improvement and development of China-Japan relations.

Kaifu was prime minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991.

He visited the Nanjing Massacre¹⁰ Memorial Hall in 2000, where he laid a wreath and observed a moment of silence for the dead.

And in 2010, he apologized for Japan's wartime crimes to the people of Nanjing.

Kaifu passed away earlier this month at the age of 91.

Chinese mainland reports 43 COVID-19 cases

The Chinese mainland reported 43 new, locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

Among the cases, 24 were reported in Henan, 14 in Tianjin and 3 in Beijing.

China cuts benchmark lending rate LPR

China has cut the market-based benchmark lending rate to shore up the economy.

The National Interbank Funding Center has cut the one-year loan prime rate to 3.7 percent.

The over-five-year LPR has been lowered by 5 basis points to 4.6 percent.

China's industrial added value up 9.6 pct in 2021

The added value of China's industrial enterprises above the designated size increased 9.6 percent year on year in 2021.

That's according to the latest data from the Ministry¹¹ of Industry and Information Technology.

U.S. Senate Republicans block Democrats¹²' voting rights bill

Republicans in the U.S. Senate have blocked a Democratic bid to push through new voting rights protections.

The move delivers another major blow to President Joe Biden's domestic agenda just months before the congressional elections.

A vote to limit debate and thus end the filibuster¹³ is continuing, but the Democrats' drive to enact¹⁴ an election reform bill appears dead.

Biden says he backs Fed's plan to fight inflation

U.S. President Joe Biden says he supports the Federal Reserve's plan to scale back monetary¹⁵ stimulus¹⁶ and fight inflation.

Biden made the remarks at a press conference in the White House to mark his first year in office.

It comes as the country's inflation has surged to an almost 40-year high.

Iran has "no limitation" for boosting ties with Russia: president

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says Tehran is faced with no limitation for developing relations with Russia.

Raisi made the remarks in a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

He says the two countries' common understanding of regional and international issues prepares the ground for their cooperation.

Raisi is in Moscow for a two-day visit at Putin's invitation.

Lawmaker in UK PM Johnson's party defects to opposition¹⁷

A lawmaker in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party has defected to the opposition.

Leader of the opposition says they welcome Christian¹⁸ Wakeford to the Labor¹⁹ Party.

The British prime minister is facing a growing rebellion in his own ranks and demands for his resignation.

It comes as criticism is growing over Johnson for attending a gathering²⁰ at his official residence during the COVID-19 lockdown.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

3 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

4 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

5 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

6 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

7 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

8 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。

9 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

10 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

11 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。

12 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》

13 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

14 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

15 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

16 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。

17 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。

18 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

19 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。

20 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。