澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-10-24

 Up to 1,000 people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey. The 7.3 quake struck 19 kilometres north-east of the city of Van, which is close to the border with Iran. Forty-five people have been confirmed dead in just one town alone and around 50 buildings are believed to have collapsed¹.

 

Libya's transitional government has announced the country's formal liberation before a jubilant crowd in Benghazi. Tens of thousands of people packed Freedom Square to hear that announcement. A new government is expected to be formed within a month and elections will be held within eight months.

 

Voting has started in Tunisia in the first free elections of the Arab Spring. Tunisians are electing a constituent² assembly which will draft a new constitution and then appoint an interim³ president who will choose a new government. The Islamist party Ennahda is expected to win most of the votes. The uprisings that have swept the Arab world began in Tunisia 10 months ago.

 

The Queen and Prince Philip are heading to Brisbane this morning for a whirlwind four-hour tour of the city. The royal couple will start their visit with a cruise along the Brisbane River. They’ll then meet emergency personnel and victims of Queensland’s cyclone⁴ and floods.

 

And the first-class action to arise from Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires has now been settled. Electricity distributor Powercor has agreed to pay Horsham residents and businesses up to $40 million. Faulty power lines owned by the company were found to have caused the fire.

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 constituent   

n.选民；成分，组分；adj.组成的，构成的

参考例句：

• Sugar is the main constituent of candy.食糖是糖果的主要成分。
• Fibre is a natural constituent of a healthy diet.纤维是健康饮食的天然组成部分。

3 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

4 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。