NPR 2011-03-28

Muammar Qaddafi's regime in Tripoli is under heavy bombardment, the biggest attack in the capital since Western operations began last week. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro tells us it comes after several nights of quiet.

There were several large explosions here in Tripoli, with air strikes hitting locations here. We're not exactly certain where, and then anti-aircraft gunfire rattling¹ into the air. This after several nights of relative quiet here, and no air strikes in Tripoli. We're also hearing that there are air strikes now in the town of Sirte. This is Qaddafi's stronghold. It is well reinforced, and it is what keeps the rebels from advancing into the west. So it is a very key location, and we hear the rebels are massing at the edge of Sirte, and the coalition² aircraft are now bombing the city.

NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Tripoli.

NATO says it will take command of all military operations in Libya from the US-led force, including ground operations to protect civilians³. NATO ambassadors reached agreement today on a plan that expands the mission they previously⁴ agreed on to enforce the UN arms embargo⁵ and no-fly zone.

In Yemen, Islamist militants⁶ are clashing with government forces in a southern town as the political stalemate between anti-government activists⁷ and President Ali Abdullah Saleh continues unresolved. Islamist militants seized a weapons factory in the town of Jaar by Abyan province seen as a stronghold of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Western officials are concerned that Yemen's political turmoil⁸ may create a vacuum that al-Qaeda will fill.

Japanese officials are apologizing for reports early today that radioactivity at its damaged Fukushima nuclear plant was ten million times higher than normal. Tokyo Electric Power Company says the reading was inaccurate⁹. Still, it slowed work to cool the overheated reactors¹⁰ when emergency workers left the scene. Meanwhile, NPR's Jason Beaubien is in northeast Japan and says the tsunami's devastation¹¹ has left many Japanese citizens unsure about where they're going to live.

Certainly, people are concerned that they may never be able to return to some of the towns closest to the nuclear plant. Other people are still seemed to be optimistic. Some people even told me that they hope in 10 or 15 days to be able to move to some of the towns that are 20-mile-away zone. It's very much a mixed response on that. One thing that is interesting is that both people themselves and local officials are trying to move people into shelters, keeping them as communities, keeping neighborhoods together, keeping towns together so that all the people from one town are all together in one shelter. So, that is helping¹² people, I think, feel like they still got a sense of community.

NPR's Jason Beaubien in Japan.

This is NPR.

British union leaders are condemning¹³ violence by some protesters during yesterday's rally in London. Tens of thousands of mostly peaceful demonstrators protested deep cuts in government programs. But as Larry Miller¹⁴ reports from the British capital, police fought running skirmishes throughout much of the day and into this morning.

Into the middle of the night, police in riot gear fought with around 500 protesters at Trafalgar Square. Their objective was to contain the violence to prevent it spreading further into London's West End theater and tourist center. Earlier in the day, small groups of protesters attacked stores, banks and the upmarket Ritz Hotel. Paint and smoke bombs were thrown; windows were smashed. Scotland Yard commander Bob Broadhurst told Sky News police were also attacked.

"We have had quite a lot of horrible things on police officers, including lightbulbs with ammonia in them, petrol bombs."

There were more than 200 arrests. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

Potential Republican contenders for the 2012 presidential race are laying some groundwork. At an Iowa forum¹⁵ last night, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour accused the Obama administration of being out of touch with the vast majority of Americans.

"This administration too often thinks that we're too stupid to take care of ourselves, that we're not up to it, that we need somebody in Washington to tell us what kind of health insurance policy that we have, to tell us how to do every thing that we do."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the next presidential election will move the country back to the center-right.

1 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

6 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。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

9 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

10 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

11 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

15 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。