Hourly News updated 09:00 2011/10/06

 Steve Jobs passed away: Apple Board

 

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is dead.

The Board of Directors has announced Jobs' death, releasing a statement saying that that his brilliance¹, passion and energy have been the source of countless² innovations that enrich and improve all our lives.

It's unclear at this point what Jobs' succumbed³ to.

However, he had been battling pancreatic cancer for the last two years.

Jobs struggled with health issues for years, undergoing a liver transplant at one point.

He resigned at the end of August as the CEO of Apple.

Steve Jobs was 56-years old.

 

 

White House voices concern over yuan legislation

 

The White House is now expressing concern about proposed bill in the US Senate connected to China's currency.

The Democratically-controlled Senate is expected to vote the proposed legislation later on this Thursday.

The bill, which would then have to be sent to both the House of Representatives and the US President before becoming law, could authorize⁴ the US government to impose duties on those countries -- it feels -- undervalue their currency.

White House spokesperson Jay Carney.

"We have, from the beginning as an administration, worked on the issue of the undervalued Chinese currency. And it has appreciated to some degree as a result, we think, of those efforts. More needs to be done.　We certainly also have concerns about this particular legislation, and whether or not it would create consistency⁵ issues with our international obligations." 

Republican House Majority leader John Boehner has already labeled the proposed legislation a "dangerous" overreach by lawmakers.

The Chinese government says the proposed bill would violate the rules of the World Trade Organization and obstruct⁶ China-US trade ties.

 

 

Melted iron overflow⁷ kills 11 in Jiangsu

 

11 workers are dead, one one other is missing, after a molten iron spill in Jiangsu.

The accident happened when the molten iron spilled out of a refining furnace at a factory in Nanjing yesterday morning.

One other worker is in hospital in stable condition.

The accident happened as the workers were shutting down one of the furnaces at the steel mill.

 

 

President Assassination⁸ plot thwarted⁹ in Afghanistan

 

Afghanistan's intelligence service says it's thwarted a plot to assassinate¹⁰ President Hamid Karzai.

Afghan authorities have arrested one of Karzai's bodyguards¹¹ and 5 others, all said to have links with both the Haqqani network and al-Qaeda.

The intelligence agency says the plotters include university students and a medical professor.

Agency spokesperson Lutfullah Mashal says the group recruited one of Karzai's bodyguards to kill the president after he left Kabul.

 

 

NTC forces completes siege of Sirte

 

Fighters allied¹² with the Libyan National Transitional Council are now making, what is being described, as their final push against Gadhafi loyalists entrenched¹³ in the ousted¹⁴ leader's hometown of Sirte. 

NTC forces have completely encircled Sirte, after some 3-weeks of heavy fighting. 

NTC commanders claim they've been holding back on a final assault because of concerns about civilian¹⁵ casualties. 

Pro-Gaddafi forces in the center of Sirte have been heavily entrenched, pushing back several earlier attempts by NTC fighters to take the city.

 

 

NATO hints more countries to join missile defense¹⁶

 

The head of NATO is hinting that more countries in Europe may be preparing to join the alliance's controversial missile shield program.

Romania, Poland and Turkey have all agreed to allow the anti-missile defense systems on their territory.

Spain has also agreed to play host to 4 US anti-missile ships in the southern port city of Cadiz, which will allow NATO to expand its missile defense program into the Mediterranean¹⁷.

Speaking to reporters following a NATO Defense Ministers meeting, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he wouldn't be surprised more announcements coming in the weeks and months ahead.

 

 

U.S. says ambassador to stay in Syria despite sanction attempt

 

The US State Department is rebuffing suggestions of duplicity when it comes to Syria, saying that Ambassador Robert Ford¹⁸ will remain in the country.

The State Department says Ford is playing "an essential role" in helping¹⁹ the United States understand the situation on the ground in the embattled country.

The statement comes following comments by the Syrian-American community, which is questioning why the US -- on the one hand -- is trying to level sanctions on Syria, while -- on the other hand -- is maintaining a diplomatic presence in the country.

 

 

Pakistani Commission interrogates²⁰ Osama family

 

The Pakistani commission set up to investigate the killing²¹ of Osama Bin²² Laden²³ has questioned the family of the dead al-Qaeda chief.

The US authorities turned the surviving members of bin Laden's family over to the Pakistani authorities following the raid in early May which killed the terror mastermind.

The Pakistani commission is looking into how bin Laden managed to live in Pakistan for years.

It's also tasked with investigating the US raid itself, which the Pakistani government has condemned²⁴, noting that it was a violation²⁵ of Pakistan's territorial²⁶ sovereignty.

1 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

2 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

3 succumbed   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• The town succumbed after a short siege. 该城被围困不久即告失守。
• After an artillery bombardment lasting several days the town finally succumbed. 在持续炮轰数日后，该城终于屈服了。

4 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

5 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

6 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

7 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

8 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

9 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

10 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

11 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

12 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

13 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

14 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

15 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

16 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。

17 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

18 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

19 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。

20 interrogates   

n.询问( interrogate的名词复数 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询v.询问( interrogate的第三人称单数 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• Blade interrogates Danny then kills him after he directs him to Boone. 刀锋审问了Danny然后在Danny带他去找Boone之后杀了他。 来自互联网
• The cop who made the drug arrest at Rick's place interrogates Kimberly. 在里克的屋子里将他们逮捕的警察对金伯利进行审讯。 来自互联网

21 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

22 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

23 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

24 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

25 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

26 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。