NPR 2009-09-29

In a move the White House says is an effort to provoke the West -- Iran capped off several days of missile exercises with the launch of a medium-range missile today. Analysts¹ say it could reach Israel as well as US military bases in the Mideast. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact the test launch comes just days before a meeting between the country and other world leaders on Iran's disputed nuclear program. Mark Fitzpatrick is a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He says all of this is of great concern to the international community.

"Iran, on one hand, is developing the capabilities² to produce nuclear weapons even if they haven't made a decision to actually do so. And they are also developing missiles that could potentially carry these weapons should they decide to do so. And that is a dangerous combination."

Iran's foreign minister said the testing has nothing to do with recent revelations about an Iranian nuclear enrichment site, saying it's part of a long-planned military exercises.

Another Al-Qaeda audio message has surfaced on the Internet, this time calling President Obama a fraud because he failed to bring about a freeze in Israeli settlement building. Dale Gavlak reports.

Al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri accused President Obama of pretending to be affected³ by Palestinians' suffering only to allow Jewish settlements to flourish in the West Bank and Jerusalem and to press Arab leaders for more concessions⁴. Zawahiri then scornfully asked on the tape whether more crimes in Kabul, Baghdad, Mogadishu and Gaza were needed to ensure what he called “the president's criminal nature”. Many experts believe that Al-Qaeda is struggling in the face of President Obama's general popularity in the Muslim world. This latest recording⁵ follows several al-Qaeda tapes, threatening attacks against Germany and its troops in Afghanistan if German election results did not please the terror network. For NPR News, I'm Dale Gavlak in Amman.

At least 140 people have died in the Philippines after a weekend storm caused flash floods in the capital and surrounding provinces. Doualy Xaykaothao has more.

Two days after tropical storm Ketsana poured down 16 inches of rain in and around Manila, rescue workers and civilian⁶ volunteers are still trying to access villages that have been blocked by floating cars, furniture and other debris⁷. Officials say about 8,000 people have been rescued, but many are still stranded⁸ on the rooftops of their homes while others are walking in chesty brown waters trying to get to safety. Nearly half a million people have been affected by the storm and disaster officials say 150,000 Filipinos are crowding evacuation centers, at schools, churches and open air gyms. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said in a statement that rescue efforts will continue until everyone in danger is accounted for. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaothao.

In Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 124 points to close at 9,789. The NASDAQ was up 39 points today.

This is NPR.

Chicago officials say three teenagers are facing first-degree murder charges in connection with the beating death of another Chicago teen. Witnesses say 16-year-old Derrion Albert was killed after he was hit repeatedly with two-by-fours. Family members believe the honor student was killed for refusing to join a gang, though others at the scene say it appears he simply became swept up in the violence. Police have been using a video taken at the scene to identify those involved and say three teens were charged today as adults in Albert's killing⁹.

Roman Polanski's lawyer says he will fight his extradition¹⁰ request from Switzerland to the US to face justice in a three-decade-old sex case. Eleanor Beardsley sends this report.

French lawyer Herve Temime spoke¹¹ with reporters after meeting with Polanski Monday. He said his client was holding up after his first 24 hours in a Zurich prison.

"He says he is shocked by what has happened, but he's not in bad shape because he's a man with dignity and force, he said to me." The lawyer said Polanski was combative¹² and ready to fight. He also said his client was touched and surprised by the outpouring of support for him across the world. The 76-year-old filmmaker was arrested Saturday as he arrived in Zurich to accept an award from a film festival. The US is seeking him for pleading guilty to having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl and fleeing to France a year later. Polanski's victim, now in her 40s, has said she wishes to put the incident behind her. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

Health care products maker¹³ Johnson & Johnson has purchased an 18% stake in a Dutch biotechnology company. Johnson & Johnson is taking a 440 million-dollar stake in Netherlands-based Crucell, hoping the company can develop a universal flu vaccine¹⁴.

I'm Jack¹⁵ Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

8 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

9 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。

10 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

13 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

14 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

15 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。