Hourly News updated 17:00 2011/10/28

 Chinese president to visit Austria, attend G20 summit

Chinese President Hu Jintao will leave China on Sunday as he prepares to pay a state visit to Austria before attending the upcoming G20 summit in France.

Earlier this week, President Hu spoke¹ with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, by phone to discuss the European Union's new debt crisis relief plan and the G20 summit.

The Chinese president hopes the G20 will be able to convey an unmistakable signal of growth and stability to the international community.

 

 

UN ends no-fly zone authorization² in Libya; Nato chief promises to end operations by 31st

The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to end its 7 month long no-fly zone over Libya, as well the mandate³ authorizing⁴ NATO operations.

It comes despite a request from Libya's interim⁵ government for the Security Council to hold off on a final decision.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has confirmed that NATO will conclude its operations in Libya by the end of this month.

 

 

Queen opens commonwealth⁶ summit in Perth

Queen Elizabeth II has opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia. 

"And I wish heads of government well in agreeing further reforms that respond boldly to the aspirations⁷ of today and that keep the Commonwealth fresh and fit for tomorrow."

The queen joined Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Commonwealth leaders at the opening ceremony, and vowed⁸ to bring needed relevancy to the Commonwealth in a time of global uncertainty⁹ and insecurity.

The leadup to the summit has been dominated by pressure to get tougher on human rights abuses by members or risk losing its purpose as a group.

 

 

World rushes to send aid to Turkey

More than 30 countries are now in the process of sending tents, prefabricated housing and containers to quake-stricken Turkey.

Israel has sent its first plane carrying pre-built housing to Ankara, with another three expected in the coming days.

So far over 530 people have been confirmed dead from the disaster, with over 23-hundred others listed as injured.

Thousands more have been left homeless.

 

 

China's special envoy¹⁰ calls for halting violence in Syria

China's special envoy to the Middle East is throwing his support behind the Arab League's attempt to bring the months-long crisis in Syria to a close. 

Wu Sike, who is in Damascus for a three-day visit, says the Syrian people's legitimate¹¹ demands should be respected.

Wu has been meeting with Syria's Vice¹² President and Foreign Minister.

The envoy's meetings come amid the latest push by the Arab League to bring the fighting in Syria to an end, which is expected to include another ministerial meeting this coming weekend.

 

 

27 rebels killed, 60 wounded in battle in S. Philippines

At least 27 Islamic militants¹³ have been killed in the southern Philippines and more than 60 others wounded as they engage in days of gun battle against government security forces.

Officials in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay say government troops saw 27 bodies after they captured a rebel camp on Thursday.

Soldiers have resumed operations against renegade leader Waning¹⁴ Abdulsalam of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who was wanted for a series of kidnapping and extortion.

 

 

Residents flee Bangkok

In Thailand's capital of Bangkok, people are still desperately¹⁵ trying to escape the fatal flooding.

Floodwaters are now moving toward the inner parts of the city.

With a 5-day national holiday now taking place in Thailand, officials are urging people in Bangkok to travel to other places in the country to avoid the flooding.

However, despite the rising floodwaters, some are choosing to stay to protect their homes and businesses.

So far, Thailand's worst flooding in over half a century has killed more than 370 people and forced the evacuation of over 100-thousand from their homes.

 

 

Saudi interior minister named new crown prince: royal court

Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister has been appointed as the new Crown Prince.

Nayef bin¹⁶ Abdulaziz Al Saud has been tapped as new the heir-apparent by King Abdullah.

This follows the death of the previous crown prince last week in New York.

Nayef has served as Saudi Arabia's second deputy premier¹⁷ and interior minister since 1975.

 

 

Japan's industrial production falls 4 pct. in Sept.

Japan's factory production fell for the first time in six months in September as the export-reliant country grappled with a strong yen¹⁸ and global economic turmoil¹⁹.

The government says factory output fell 4 percent from August as manufacturers produced fewer cars, chip-related machines and cellphones. 

The result was worse than market expectations for a mild decline.

The government projects industrial production to rebound²⁰ in the fourth quarter.

 

 

Inaugural²¹ flight of bio-fuelled plane in China

China's first airplane to use biofuel has made its inaugural flight, jetting off from Beijing International Airport.

According to Air China, the Boeing 747 used a biofuel developed from algae²² and jatropha, a tree grown in south China that produces an oily nut.

Its launch comes as airlines struggle to find ways to keep costs down and reduce carbon emissions²³.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

3 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

4 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

7 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

10 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

11 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

12 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

13 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。

14 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

16 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。

17 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

18 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

19 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

20 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

21 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

22 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

23 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。