IN THE NEWS - Top News Stories of Two-Thousand-Four

IN THE NEWS - Top News Stories of Two-Thousand-Four
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, January 01, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with In the News in VOA Special English.

This week we tell about some of the biggest news stories of two thousand four. We start in Asia, with what is being described as one of the worst natural disasters ever.

Last Sunday, huge waves moved across the Indian Ocean and flooded coastal¹ areas across southern and southeast Asia to East Africa. The waves were caused by one of the most powerful earthquakes every recorded, measuring nine on the Richter Scale.

 
AP Photo
The countries hardest hit were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. More than one hundred thousand people are reported dead. Millions of people have been left homeless.

Two thousand four was also filled with news about the war in Iraq and daily reports of violence in the country. Militants² increased their attacks against American soldiers, Iraqi police officers and civilians³ working with the United States. American-led forces battled militants in the cities of Fallujah and Najaf. In May, news organizations around the world reported about the mistreatment of Iraqis by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.

More than one thousand American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the war began almost two years ago. And the number of Iraqis killed is reportedly many times higher.

Terrorism was a top story in other parts of the world. In March, suspected Islamic militants exploded bombs on crowded passenger trains in Madrid, Spain. About two hundred people were killed. Days later, Spanish voters defeated the country's conservative government, which had supported the American-led war in Iraq.

In September, armed Chechen militants seized more than one thousand children, parents and teachers in a school in Beslan, Russia. The seizure⁴ ended in gunfire and explosions after days of negotiations⁵. More than three hundred people were killed, most of them children.

 
Displaced women, children in Darfur camp
The African nation of Sudan was in the news because of a major humanitarian⁶ crisis in the Darfur area. Reports said government-supported Arab militants killed more than seventy thousand people in a two-year campaign of violence against black tribal⁷ farmers. More than one million people have been displaced from their homes.

Two thousand four was also a year of historic political elections. In Afghanistan, voters elected Hamid Karzai in the country's first presidential election. Voters in the United States re-elected George W. Bush after a hard fought presidential campaign against the Democratic party candidate, John Kerry.

And a political crisis eased in Ukraine after the Supreme⁸ Court cancelled the election victory of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. The court decided⁹ there had been widespread cheating and ordered a new presidential election. Opposition¹⁰ candidate Viktor Yushchenko won that election on Sunday and has promised democratic changes in Ukraine.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 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。

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 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 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。