NPR 2008-03-01

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Paul Brown.

 It appears the death sentence of the man known as Chemical Ali will be carried out after a lengthy¹ delay. Iraqi officials say the presidential council has approved the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid. The cousin of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was convicted of ordering the slaughter² of large numbers of Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Baghdad.

 Majid was convicted along with 2 other senior officials of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in the infamous³ Anfal campaign, murderous retribution that killed nearly 200,000 Kurds. Those convictions came last year, but legal dispute over the procedure for approving death sentences held up the decision until last week, officials say. No date for the execution was announced, although in general it should come within 30 days of the endorsement⁵ by the presidency⁶ council. The council is made up of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Iraq's 2 vice⁷ presidents, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, and Sunni Tariq al-Hashemi. No decision has been made on the remaining 2 defendants⁸ from that case, former Defense⁹ Minister Sultan Hashim, and former army commander Hussein Muhammad. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Baghdad.

 Britain's Ministry¹⁰ of Defence says that it's pulling Prince Harry¹¹ out of Afghanistan, now that a news embargo¹² on his presence there as a combat soldier has been broken. The BBC's Peter Hunt reports.

 With his cover blown and the world aware of his presence in Afghanistan, it was inevitable¹³ Prince Harry would have to leave. The risks of the Taliban increasing their attacks on the British because a royal was in their midst were too great. All along, senior officers have been considering the safety of the third in line to the throne and the security of those around the so-called bullet magnet. That's the BBC's Peter Hunt.

 British and selected international media had made a rare agreement not to report Harry's presence in Afghanistan in exchange for pictures, video and text later. But the story was posted yesterday on several internet sites.

 A new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health finds that most Americans support key elements of health plans proposed by the 2 Democratic candidates for president. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

 Nine out of ten people say the problem of uninsured Americans is serious. 3 quarters say it's very serious. Robert Blendon of Harvard has been tracking this issue for many years. "That's a very high level of concern for any problem, to unlikely to have been much higher than any other time." Almost 60% of poll respondents favor a plan like Hillary Clinton's. That would require individuals to purchase health insurance, and mandate¹⁴ employers to offer coverage¹⁵ and government to subsidize low income families. Slightly more, 65% like a more limited proposal that would require parents to buy coverage for their children. Barack Obama includes that requirement as part of his proposal. Richard Knox, NPR News.

 This is NPR News.

 Kenyans are reflecting on the power-sharing deal between their feuding¹⁶ political leaders which has offered some hope after a deadly crisis that cost more than a thousand lives. More than half a million people remain displaced in Kenya after December's disputed presidential vote. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports.

 Weeks of bloodshed in the frenzy¹⁷ of political and ethnic¹⁸ violence in Kenya left East Africa's regional giant reeling. President Mwai Kibaki pledged to heal the rifts¹⁹. "It is important that in particular we deal with the problem of negative ethnicity, national cohesion²⁰ and unity²¹." Opposition²² leader Raila Odinga is likely to be named Kenya's new prime minister. "We will open a new chapter in our country's history, from the era of confrontation²³ to the beginning of cooperation. We, on our side, are completely committed to ensuring that this agreement will succeed." Weary Kenyans are urging the politicians to honor their word and work together for peace. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Johannesburg.

 Cuba has signed two international human rights treaties that the UN had and former leader Fidel Castro had refused to endorse⁴ for 30 years. Castro stepped down to be replaced by his younger brother, Raul Castro, four days ago. Cuba has said a political rights pact²⁴ could be used against Cuba by forces Fidel Castro has called imperialist. And Fidel Castro has claimed the right of workers to independent trade unions are fit only for capitalist countries, while an education provision would open the door to privatization of schools which he opposes.

 Oil prices briefly²⁵ hit a new record of 103 dollars per barrel in Asian trading today.

I'm Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

1 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

2 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

3 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

4 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

5 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

9 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。

10 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。

11 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

12 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。

13 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

14 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

15 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

16 feuding   

vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句
• The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

17 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

18 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

19 rifts   

n.裂缝( rift的名词复数 )；裂隙；分裂；不和

参考例句：

• After that, through the rifts in the inky clouds sparkled redder and yet more luminous particles. 然后在几条墨蓝色云霞的隙缝里闪出几个更红更亮的小片。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• The Destinies mend rifts in time as man etches fate. 当人类想要再次亵渎命运的时候，命运及时修正了这些裂痕。 来自互联网

20 cohesion   

n.团结，凝结力

参考例句：

• I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
• The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量，深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。

21 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

22 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。

23 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

24 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

25 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。