Hourly News updated 17:00 2011/10/06

 Apple customers, employees react to Steve Jobs death

 

Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has died aged¹ 56.

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple and has since been the main visionary in launching the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Computers. 

Apple announced his death without giving a specific cause.

Jobs had been battling cancer since 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009. 

He resigned as CEO six weeks ago. 

Apple fans have already began gathering² to pay their respects to Jobs.

From Cupertino, California, to Washington, DC and New York, customers at Apple stores expressed their sadness at Jobs' death.

"I think it's very sad, and I think from a technology standpoint, a business standpoint, and a personal standpoint, we've definitely lost a visionary."

"He was an incredible businessman, an incredible entrepreneur, an incredible personality."

President Barack Obama also commented on the death of Jobs, calling him a "visionary leader" and "one of the greatest U.S. innovators". 

Whilst Business rival, Microsoft's CEO, Bill Gates, said in a statement that Jobs' "profound impact" on the world of technology would be "felt for many generations to come".

A memo³ sent by CEO Tim Cook to Apple employees has cited that Apple is planning a celebration of Jobs' life for it's employees that will take place in the near future.

 

 

Hourly News: UNESCO Palentine Update

 

UNESCO's executive committee has voted in favor to allow its 193 member states decide whether to grant the Palestinian Authority full membership in the organization.

40 of the 58-member states voted in favor. Four voted against and there were 14 abstentions.

The result of the first ballot⁴ is the first hurdle⁵ that Palestine needed to clear in order to become a full member of UNESCO. 

Two-thirds of the states must vote in favor to grant Palestine full membership when the ballot takes place at UNESCO's General Conference which begins on October 25 and runs to November 10.

The Palestinian delegation⁶ has had an observer status at UNESCO since 1974.

 

 

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 authorize⁷ the US government to impose duties on those countries -- it feels -- undervalue their currency.

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 obstruct⁸ China-US trade ties.

 

 

Melted iron overflow⁹ kills 11 in Jiangsu

 

12 workers are dead after a molten iron spill in Jiangsu Province.

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 Assassination¹⁰ plot thwarted¹¹ in Afghanistan

 

Afghanistan's intelligence service says it's thwarted a plot to assassinate¹² President Hamid Karzai.

Afghan authorities have arrested one of Karzai's bodyguards¹³ 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 allied¹⁴ with the Libyan National Transitional Council are now making, what is being described, as their final push against Gadhafi loyalists entrenched¹⁵ in the ousted¹⁶ 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 civilian¹⁷ 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 defense¹⁸

 

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 Mediterranean¹⁹.

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.

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

4 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。

5 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

6 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

7 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。

8 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。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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

14 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。

15 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。

16 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。

17 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。

18 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。

19 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。