NPR 2011-02-06

There's apparently¹ been a change at the top of Egypt's ruling political party. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports some party leaders have stepped down, including Gamal Mubarak, son of the president.

The state-controlled news outlet² says embattled President Hosni Mubarak is retaining his post as head of the ruling National Democratic Party, but other top party officials have been replaced. An erroneous report said earlier that the president had left the party. The resignation of his son Gamal Mubarak apparently dashes any final hopes he may have had about inheriting his father's post, because it means he can no longer run as a party candidate. Other key figures who resigned include Safwat el-Sharif, the party secretary-general and a powerful figure in the regime for decades. Analysts³ say the move indicates that the ruling party is trying to show that it's serious about reform. But protesters in Cairo's central Tahrir Square say that nothing will satisfy them until Hosni Mubarak leaves office. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Cairo.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says change is a strategic necessity in the Middle East. Speaking at an international security conference in Germany, she said Mideast leaders should support democratic reforms despite possible short-term instability in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. And she urged Europe to also press for political and economic reform in the Mideast.

Iraq's prime minister is calling it quits. Nouri al-Maliki says he will not run for a third term. And NPR's Kelly McEvers reports he's also taking a 50% pay cut.

Analysts say Maliki's announcement that he won't run again in 2014 is a move to forestall⁴ public anger. Small and sporadic⁵ protests have broken out around Iraq in recent days, mainly over shortages in electricity, water and food. Religious leaders have warned that if poor people's demands are not addressed, Iraq could see mass protests like those in Egypt. But so far, there've been no big demonstrations⁶ here. Maliki says he'll take 15,000 dollars a month in salary rather than 30,000. He's calling on Iraq's president and vice⁷ presidents to do the same. Maliki narrowly secured a second term late last year after forming a coalition⁸ with his political rivals. He says all of Iraq's prime ministers should be limited to two terms. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Baghdad.

Football fans are struggling to get to Dallas for tomorrow's Super Bowl after a snowstorm caused a lot of flight cancellations yesterday. National Weather Service forecaster Matt Moshurabore says more unpleasant but not disruptive weather is on the way.

"We do actually see the potential of a light rain/snow mix during the day on Sunday. Doesn't look like there'll be significant accumulations and everybody should be able to get to the game and get home."

Five inches of snow fell in Friday's storm which also caused ice to fall from Cowboys Stadium, injuring six people, not too seriously.

This is NPR.

It's long been used for bank robbers and other criminals, but now the federal government has turned to a most-wanted list to help catch those responsible for about 60 billion dollars in Medicare and Medicaid fraud each year. A new website asks for the public's help in finding more than 170 alleged⁹ scammerists, including one woman accused of billing California's Medicaid program for 17 million dollars in nursing care performed by unlicensed staffers.

The new US-Russia arms control treaty formally went into effect today. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart made it official during a conference in Germany.

On the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Secretary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took the last step to put the new START Treaty into effect. They exchanged ratification¹⁰ papers and Clinton says that set in motion new cutbacks and checks.

"With the exchange of these instruments, we commit ourselves to a course of action that builds trust, lessens¹¹ risks, and improves predictability, stability, and security."

Sixty days from now, she says, the US and Russia can resume inspections¹² that will allow each side to, as President Reagan once put it, trust but verify. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Munich.

Rachel the Pig is in need of some repairs and it could be a while before the giant piggy bank in Seattle is ready to accept donations again. The 550-pound bank, a feature of Seattle's Pike Place Market, was knocked off its pedestal by a cabby. KING-TV says the taxi driver hit the gas when he was rear-ended this morning. The piggy bank collects a lot of money for social services.

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

3 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。

4 forestall   

vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止

参考例句：

• I left the room to forestall involvements.我抢先离开了这房间以免受牵累。
• He followed this rule in order to forestall rumors.他遵守这条规矩是为了杜绝流言蜚语。

5 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

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 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 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

10 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

11 lessens   

变少( lessen的第三人称单数 )； 减少（某事物）

参考例句：

• Eating a good diet significantly lessens the risk of heart disease. 良好的饮食习惯能大大减少患心脏病的机率。
• Alcohol lessens resistance to diseases. 含有酒精的饮料会减弱对疾病的抵抗力。

12 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》