VOA慢速英语2015 奥巴马与伊拉克总理讨论外国雇佣兵和援助

Obama, Iraqi Prime Minister Discuss Foreign Fighters, Aid 奥巴马与伊拉克总理讨论外国雇佣兵和援助

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi met at the White House Tuesday for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama. It was his first visit to Washington as prime minister.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Abadi discussed the threat of foreign fighters in Iraq and U.S. aid to Baghdad. Mr. Abadi was expected to make his case to President Obama for a "marked increase" in U.S. military aid to fight Islamic State militants².

Following the meeting, President Obama announced $205 million in additional U.S. humanitarian³ aid to Iraq. However, he did not mention providing more weapons and military support.

Obama removes Cuba from terrorism list

The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama is removing Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. The removal is an important step in the president’s efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.

The White House said on Twitter that Mr. Obama has turned in required reports to Congress that explained his plan to take Cuba off the list.

Mr. Obama made the final decision following a State Department review of Cuba's presence on the list.

Al-Shabab attacks Somali ministry⁴

The Somali militant¹ group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bombing and assault on a government complex in the capital, Mogadishu.

Security Ministry spokesman Mohamed Yusuf told VOA’s Somali Service that 18 people were killed and at least 15 others wounded in the attack on the country's Higher Education Ministry.

A witness said militants set off a car bomb outside the ministry walls, allowing the attackers to enter the building and open fire.  

Parents, activists⁵ mark one year since Chibok girls taken

It has been one year since Boko Haram took 296 teenage girls from their school in the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok.

A total of 219 girls are still missing.

School-age girls took part in a march Tuesday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. The girls served as “ambassadors” for the Chibok girls. Participants chanted a now-familiar phrase: “Bring Back our Girls. Now! And Alive!”

Amnesty International says more than 2,000 women and girls have been taken by Boko Haram since the beginning of 2014.

Words in the News 

threat – n. someone or something that could cause trouble, harm, etc.

humanitarian aid – n. help or money given to people, countries, etc., in order to improve living conditions

ambassador – n. (figurative) a representative for someone or  something

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 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。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》