NPR 2012-04-27

 Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity by providing arms and ammunition¹ to rebels during neighbor Sierra Leone’s ten-year civil war. However, the judges ruled that the prosecution² failed to prove that Taylor was in direct command and control of the rebel forces. NPR’s Susana George reports that the reaction in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown is mixed.

 

Civil war victims, government ministers and tribal³ leaders gathered within the walls of the Special Court here in Freetown to watch the verdict to broadcast live from The Hague. 

 

“Count 1: acts of terrorism; Count 2: murder.” 

 

Alhaji Jusu Jarka had both his arms amputated at the elbow, so-called "short sleeves." By the rebels, Taylor is guilty of supporting. 

 

“I’m feeling that justice has been done. So I’m happy over that.”

 

But just outside the court walls, some Sierra Leoneans say the trial has been an unnecessary expense; that with national elections just months away, it’s time to start looking towards the future instead of the past. Susana George, NPR News, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

 

Another suicide bomber⁴ reportedly has struck again in Iraq. Reuters news service reports ten people were killed, 18 others were wounded.

 

Congressman⁵ Paul Ryan is answering Roman Catholic critics who accused the budget committee chair of promoting a budget that supports the rich, neglects the poor. In a speech at Georgetown University, Ryan said his approach is in line with Catholic teaching and that includes helping⁶ the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. He says failed economic policies falls squarely on President Obama, whom he accuses of unfairly lifting up one group at the expense of another.

 

"He doesn't seem to understand that he can’t promote the common good by setting class against class or group against group.”

 

Republicans in pursuit of deficit⁷ reductions remain opposed to ending certain tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.

 

For the third straight week, the Labor⁸ Department is reporting higher than expected claims for jobless benefits for last week. Seasonally⁹ adjusted claims decreased slightly from the previous week to 388,000. NPR’s Yuki Noguchi reports that’s still thousands more than the market was expecting.

 

Claims have been on an upward trend for the past several weeks. These indicators¹⁰ come at a crucial time for the economy. Strong employment gains in the earlier part of the year appear to be losing steam. And because jobs growth drives so many other parts of the economy, including housing and consumer spending, some worry this could signal the overall economy is stalling out. In March, the unemployment rate fell in part because some people gave up looking for work. Analysts¹¹ are looking to April numbers due out next Friday for more hints about the direction the economy is headed. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

 

Dow was up 122 points. 

 

This is NPR News.

 

The owner of a construction crane connected to a deadly 2008 collapse¹² in New York City is being cleared of all charges. James Lomma reportedly sat frozen as a judge announces his acquittal today. Lomma owned the 200-foot-tall rig that snapped apart and killed two workers. The accident occurred within two months of a similar incident that killed several people, and both cases renewed calls for more crane safety measures in several US cities.

 

Natural gas driller Chesapeake Energy says it will terminate a controversial financial arrangement with its CEO. NPR’s Jeff Brady reports the company’s stock price dropped significantly in recent weeks as news of the deal emerged.

 

Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon was given a stake in natural gas wells the company drilled. In recent years, as prices declined, he borrowed money against those stakes to pay for drilling costs. Now Chesapeake says it will end the deal, giving McClendon stakes and its wells early. It was set to expire in 2015. The company’s board of directors also will review McClendon’s financial arrangements. In announcing the change, the company reversed an earlier statement that said the board was “fully aware of McClendon’s financial arrangements.” Now the company says the board did not review, approve or have knowledge of the specific transactions. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

 

US stocks have been gaining ground today, with Dow Jones Industrial Average up 121 points at last check, nearly 1%, at 13,212; NASDAQ Composite Index up 25 points, nearly 1%, at 3,054; and the S&P 500 up ten points at 1,401.

 

This is NPR News.

1 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

2 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 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。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

10 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

11 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。

12 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。