NPR 2009-6-22

Iranian police made a show of force on the streets of the capital Tehran today and opposition¹ supporters largely stayed away after more than a week of protests over June 12th disputed presidential election. Reuters News Service reports the opposition's leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is urging his supporters through his website to continue to demonstrate against alleged² vote rigging, but to show restraint.

A Paris-based media watchdog says Iranian authorities have arrested 23 journalists and bloggers since post-election protests began more than a week ago. Eleanor Beardsley has details.

Reporters Without Borders which defends journalists' rights throughout the world said reporters are a priority target for Iran's leadership. Among those arrested was a head of the Association of Iranian Journalists. Reporters Without Borders released a list of 23 Iranian journalists, editors and bloggers arrested since June 14th and says it has lost contact with several others believed detained or in hiding. A spokesman for the group said each arrest has been verified by its network of reporters and activists³ in Iran. No foreign journalists were on the list. However, authorities have banned foreign media from reporting from the streets of Tehran and allowed only phone interviews and information from official sources such as state TV. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

President Obama met with his foreign policy advisors⁴ today to review the situation in Iran and his administration's reaction to it. Mr. Obama has denounced Iran's crackdown on the protesters. Republican senator Richard Lugar told CNN the president's measured response is helping⁵ the US build allegiances with other countries.

"The Iranian leadership, at least, and this is a mistake again on their part. By blaming all of these countries, it has added allies to the United States in our diplomatic effort."

But other Republicans are calling on the administration to take a more forceful stand against Iran's crackdown. Senator John McCain said today Mr. Obama should strengthen his rhetoric⁶ and called Iran's election a corrupt⁷, flawed sham⁸.

Thousands of people in Michigan are dealing⁹ with power outages and flooding waters in the aftermath of severe weather conditions this weekend. From member station WDET in Detroit, Quinn Klinefelter reports.

Strong thunderstorms and several tornadoes¹⁰ tore through the western part of Michigan. At least three tornadoes touched down in that area late Friday, blowing the roof off one home, severely¹¹ damaging several others. Meteorologist Mark Waltson with the National Weather Service says flooding waters forced a thousand people attending a concert at the Ionia County fairgrounds to abandon their cars and seek shelter.

The fairgrounds are under water by anywhere from over a couple of feet or less. Kansas also faced high winds and possible tornadoes that left a string of downed power lines and trees. For NPR News, I'm Quinn Klinefelter in Detroit.

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Two American troops at the main US military base in Afghanistan were killed today in a rocket attack. Six other Americans including two civilians¹² were injured. US military officials say four rockets were fired at the enormous Bagram Airbase early this morning and three landed within the compound.

The governments of Australia and New Zealand have announced their first ever joint¹³ whale research expedition in the Antarctic. The project is part of an effort to pressure Japan to give up its whale research program which kills hundreds of whales in the region each year. From Sydney, Stuart Cohen has more.

Japan's whale research program has been a sore spot for Australia for years. Japan uses a loophole in the international ban on commercial whaling to conduct its research. But environmentalists say it's just a cover-up since most of the whales killed end upon the dinner table in Japan. Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says the expedition will show the same research can be done without killing¹⁴ whales.

"It does make the point that you don't actually have to engage in the killing of whales to engage in serious and sensible scientific research about whales. And we continue to argue very strongly to Japan that they should cease their whaling in the Great Southern Oceans."

Smith says Australia may bring legal action against Japan to force them to stop their hunts. This comes just ahead of a meeting of the International Whaling Commission set to start on Monday in Portugal. For NPR News, I'm Stuart Cohen in Sydney.

NASA engineers say they may have uncovered the source of the fuel leak in space shuttle Endeavor that forced the space agency to scrub two launch attempts last week. Technicians think a misaligned fuel pipe connecting the external tank is causing the leak.

I'm Barbara Klein, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 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》

4 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

11 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

12 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。

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。