VOA慢速英语2009年-IN THE NEWS - Public Urged to Ignore Afgha

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission has a message: Pay no attention to competing claims of victory in the presidential election. The first ballot¹ counts are not expected until Tuesday.
　
Women line up to vote in Kabul

A candidate needs more than fifty percent of the vote to avoid a run-off election. The campaigns of President Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah both claimed a majority.

In all, there were more than thirty candidates in the election Thursday. It was the second presidential election in Afghan history. Opposing campaigns are accusing each other cheating.

Observers from the International Republican Institute, financed by the American government, say the voting process was well organized. But they called for investigation² of a large number of reports of voter registration³ cards being sold.

President Obama on Friday praised the millions of Afghans who took part in their country's presidential and provincial⁴ elections. He called the vote an "important step forward" as the Afghan people seek to control their future.

At least twenty-six people died in election day violence. The Taliban had threatened to attack voters. Afghanistan's chief elections officer, Daoud Ali Najafi, says turnout may have been low in provinces under a high security threat. But he says there were many provinces were turnout was high. He says the turnout will be announced as soon as officials get final numbers from the provinces. Voter turnout was seventy percent in the two thousand four election.

Afghanistan, with help from one hundred thousand foreign troops, is battling an insurgency⁵ led by the Taliban. July was the deadliest month yet for American and NATO forces in eight years of war in Afghanistan. Seventy-six coalition⁶ service members were killed, forty-five of them American.

President Obama aims to defeat the Taliban by sending more troops and development aid to Afghanistan while reducing troop strength in Iraq.
　
A truck bomb exploded outside Iraq's Foreign Ministry⁷

In Iraq, a series of bombings Wednesday killed more than one hundred people in Baghdad. The main targets were government buildings. It was the deadliest day in the capital since American combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities on June thirtieth. They withdrew under a security agreement that calls for American combat forces to leave Iraq by the end of two thousand eleven.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed the violence on Sunnis linked to al-Qaida. He said his government must re-examine security measures. But Steven Biddle at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington says there is a bigger problem.

He says the Sunni community feels it is not fairly represented in the Shiite-led government. He says it will be difficult for Iraqi security forces to stop Sunni attacks, unless Sunnis themselves decide to stop them like they did in two thousand seven.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake with Steve Herman and Deborah Block. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

4 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

5 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。