VOA慢速英语2015 也门基地组织宣称为《查理周刊》袭击案负责

 

Al-Qaida in Yemen Claims Charlie Hebdo Attacks 也门基地组织宣称为《查理周刊》袭击案负责

Al-Qaida in Yemen has officially claimed responsibility for attacking the Paris offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

In a video, a man identified as the leader of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said his group planned and paid for the attack. He called the raid an “act of vengeance¹” for the Prophet Muhammed. The video appeared Wednesday on the Internet.

Twelve people were killed in the attack last week. French police killed the attackers, Cherif and Said Kouachi, last Friday. That same day, another gunman, Ahmed Coulibaly, killed four people at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris. He also killed a French policewoman one day earlier.

The al-Qaida leader said Ahmed Coulibaly was not operating as part of the same group.

Copies of the latest Charlie Hebdo sell out quickly

Parisians waited in long lines Wednesday morning to buy the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo. All across the French capital, copies of the magazine were sold out within minutes. Charlie Hebdo often publishes anti-religious pieces and cartoons of famous people. On Wednesday, the magazine had an illustration of the Prophet Mumammed holding a sign that reads, “I am Charlie.” Next to the picture, a sentence says, in French, “All is forgiven.”

The magazine’s publishers planned to produce three million copies of the latest issue. That compares to the normal print run of about 60,000. A spokesman for Charlie Hebdo’s distributor says another two million copies will be ordered because of the high demand.  

Fuselage of AirAsia jet found

Singapore’s defense² minister says a Singaporean navy ship has found the fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501. The official said in a Facebook post that a remotely operated vehicle took images that showed lettering on the fuselage, the main part of the airplane. He said the pictures also showed part of the plane’s wing.

He said Indonesian officials have been informed so they can begin recovery operations.

The plane crashed into the Java Sea on December 28.  Indonesian divers³ found the plane's flight recorders earlier this week. So far, 48 bodies of the 162 people on the plane have been recovered.

Japan greatly increases defense budget

Japan has announced its biggest defense budget ever.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved a $42 billion budget Wednesday. It is Japan’s third defense budget increase in three years. The budget must be approved by Japan’s legislators, but Mr. Abe has majority support in both houses.

Japan is seeking to answer China’s increasing military influence in East Asia, especially in the East China Sea.

The Japanese government is in a territorial⁴ dispute with China’s government over a group of islands called the Diaoyus in China and the Senkakus in Japan.

Japan's military spending is still much less than China’s. China spent $132 billion on its military last year.

Words in the News

vengeance - n. the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you or someone else

illustration - n. a picture or drawing in a book, magazine, etc.

distributor - n. a person or company that supplies stores or businesses with goods

fuselage - n. the main part of an airplane; the part of an airplane that holds the crew, passengers, and cargo⁵

remotely – adv. from a distance

1 vengeance   

n.报复，报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
• For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。