美国和古巴恢复外交关系

US, Cuba Restore Diplomatic Relations 美国和古巴恢复外交关系

In the news today…

The United States and Cuba have re-established full diplomatic relations. It is the first time in 54 years that each side officially recognizes the other.

Early Monday morning, the flag of Cuba was raised at the headquarters of the State Department in Washington. The Cuban flag joined the flags of the other countries that have relations with the United States.

The re-establishment of ties is not without its critics. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has said there has not been enough discussion of human rights in Cuba. Mr. Rubio belongs to the Republican Party.

US Secretary of Defense¹ visits Israel

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is in the Middle East. He is talking with American allies about the international nuclear deal with Iran. He is also expected to talk about the fight against the Islamic State militant² group.

Mr. Carter is in Israel, and plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. The prime minister strongly opposes the agreement with Iran. He has called it an “historic mistake.”

Later, the defense secretary is to travel to Saudi Arabia for meetings with King Salman. Mr. Carter says he will talk with the king and his defense chief about limiting what he called “Iranian aggression” in the area. He will also talk with the Saudi leaders about how to stop the Islamic State.

Afghan police: US-led airstrike killed Afghan soldiers

Police in Afghanistan say American helicopters mistakenly attacked an Afghan security position Monday morning. At least eight Afghan soldiers were reported killed and several others wounded.

The attack happened in Logar province, 50 kilometers east of the capital, Kabul.

The provincial³ police chief told reporters that the correct target was about a kilometer away, in the same area as the Afghan security position.

Explosion near Turkey-Syria border kills 27 people

Turkey’s Interior Ministry⁴ says a terrorist attack has killed at least 27 people and wounded nearly 100 in the town of Suruc, near the Syrian border. The ministry said the number of dead could increase.

Suruc is near the Syrian city of Kobani, an area where Kurdish forces are fighting Islamic State militants⁵.

The Syrian Observatory⁶ for Human Rights said the explosion resulted from a car bomb that targeted Kurdish forces. Kurdish officials said the explosion was part of a military operation to remove weapons left by Islamic State fighters.

Former ruler of Chad tried for crimes against humanity

A special court in Senegal began hearing evidence against the former ruler of Chad on Monday. Hissene Habre is charged with crimes against humanity.

The former president and his lawyers say the court does not have the power to judge him. They also said they would not take part in the trial. But officials forced Mr. Habre to attend the hearing on Monday.

The court is expected to hear from 100 witnesses during the trial.  

Rights groups and a Chad government committee accuse the former president of being responsible for more than 40,000 political killings⁷. Mr. Habre led the country between 1982 and 1990. In 1990, he was ousted⁸ by Chad’s current leader, Idriss Deby, and fled to Senegal.

Japanese company apologizes for using US soldiers as slave laborers⁹

Officials from Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation have apologized for the company’s use of American prisoners of war as slave laborers during World War II.

Company official Hikaru Kimura apologized to 94-year-old former prisoner James Murphy during a public ceremony Sunday in Los Angeles, California. Earlier, he apologized to Mr. Murphy privately¹⁰.

James Murphy was one of about 900 prisoners of war who were forced to work in company-owned mines and industrial centers during the war. He said he and others had waited 70 years for the apology.

About 12,000 American prisoners of war were used as slave laborers by the Japanese government and private companies. Thousands of them died. The Japanese government has apologized for using the Americans as forced laborers. The apology by Mitsubishi is the first ever by a Japanese company.

Words in The News

relations – n. understandings or ties between nations

deal – n. an agreement

mistakenly – adj. accidentally; doing something by accident

explosion – n. the violent release of energy after something breaks up

humanity – n. all people

apologize(d) – v. to express regret or sorrow

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

9 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

10 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。