Hourly News 每日新闻 2013-11-26

 UN, Russia, U.S. to meet again in December to prepare for Geneva II talks: Brahimi

Officials from Russia, the United States and the United Nations have scheduled another meeting connected to the forthcoming Geneva II summit on Syria for December.

The tripartite meeting on December 20th is a preparation meeting ahead of the actual Geneva II conference, which has been officially scheduled for January 22nd.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva after the breakthrough, UN-Arab League Syrian envoy¹ Lakhdar Brahimi says the list of participants for the January session is still being worked out.

He does say the Syrian opposition² in exile, the Syrian National Coalition³, will play a "very important role" in forming the opposition delegation⁴.

At the same time, Brahimi says the opposition delegation will have to be "credible⁵ and representative."

The forthcoming Geneva II talks have been held up amid deep divisions within the SNC about whether or not it should attend.

Hard-liners within the group have been demanding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power before any negotiations⁶ can take place.

Lakhdar Brahimi also says the list of those countries involved in the Geneva talks may also include Iran and Saudi Arabia.

 

China, Hungary, Serbia reach agreement on railway project

Chinese Premier⁷ Li Keqiang has annnounced a deal in eastern Europe for China to construct a rail line linking Hungary and Serbia.

Speaking to journalists in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Li Keqiang is hailing the agreement as a landmark⁸ for cooperation between China and Eastern Europe.

As part of the agreement, working groups are being set up immediately.

Li Keqiang has also met with his Romanian counterpart Victor Ponta.

The two leaders have overseen⁹ the signing of several cooperation deals including a high-speed railway project in Romania.

Eastern European countries have been looking outside sources for high tech development as they strive to try to keep up with the rest of Europe.

Li Keqiang is in Bucharest for an official visit to Romania and a summit with leaders of Central and Eastern European countries.

 

U.S. concerned about rising tension in Thailand

The US government is adding its voice to those expressing concern about the increasing political tensions in Thailand.

A spokesperson for the US State Department says officials are monitoring the unrest in Thailand "very closely."

The US government is also calling on restraint from all sides.

Political tensions in Thailand have reached a point not seen since the wide-spread unrest in the country in 2010.

Thousands of demonstrators have been forcing their way into government buildings in Bangkok, demanding the resignation of the current government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

The protests began a month ago amid the original plan to try to have a controversial amnesty bill passed, which would have paved the way for the safe return of ousted¹⁰ former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

While the government eventually backed off from the plan, the protests have been continuing.

 

Oil slick controlled after deadly pipeline¹¹ blast

Provincial¹² officials in Shandong say they've managed to contain the oil slick off the coast of Qingdao created following the massive pipeline explosion there on Friday.

The slick is being contained in a 3-kilometer large ocean baracade.

Crews are now spraying dispursant on the slick and have begun the process of collecting the tonnes of oil and water.

A major oil leak in an underground pipeline operated by Sinopec eventually began making its way into the storm-sewars in Qingdao on Friday morning.

The oil eventually caught fire and exploded underneath¹³ parts of residential¹⁴ and commerical areas of Huangdao District in Qingdao, leaving 55 dead.

9 others are still officially listed as missing.

The massive explosions also hospitalized over 140 others.

 

9 dead after blizzard¹⁵ collapses¹⁷ factory roof

9 people have been killed after a roof collapse¹⁶ in northeastern China.

Weight from the snow brought on by a recent blizard led to the collapse of a factory buildings roof in the city of Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang.

Local officials are fanning out to do safety checks across the city in the wake of the roof collapse.

Heavy snow has been hammering parts of Heilongjiang and Jilin since Sunday, closing highways, cancelling flights and shutting down schools.

 

NDRC: local government to have more say in government approval

China's top economic planner says the central government is planning to delegate more power to local governments when it comes to administrative¹⁸ approval for projects. 

Reform of the government approval system is part of the central government's broader plan to make the world's second largest economy more market-oriented. 

Meanwhile, the NDRC has also announced plans to crack down on excessively high prices in six different industries.

Targeted industries include aviation, consumer goods, automobiles¹⁹, telecommunications, pharmaceutical²⁰ companies and home appliances.

The NDRC is in charge of overseeing price regulation and looking out for monopolistic practices. 

In August, it imposed fines totaling 670-million yuan against six foreign baby formula companies following an anti-trust probe.

 

Wal-Mart CEO steps down; McMillon successor

Walmart's board of directors has elected Doug McMillon to succeed Mike Duke as president and CEO.

McMillon, who currently serves as the chief of the company's international division, has also been elected to Walmart's board of directors.

The 47-year-old McMillon will take the reigns²¹ of Walmart effective February 1st.

Current CEO and President Mike Duke is stepping down.

However, the 63-year-old Duke will stay on as Walmart chair.

The announcement comes just days before the kickoff of the holiday shopping season.

1 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。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 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。

5 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 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。

8 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

9 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

12 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

13 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

14 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

15 blizzard   

n.暴风雪

参考例句：

• The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
• You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。

16 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

17 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

18 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

19 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

21 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句