Hourly News 每日新闻 2013-11-29

 China rejects criticism on ADIZ

China's foreign and defense¹ ministries² have released a new set of statements, rebuffing international criticism of China's new maritime³ Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea.

This comes as the Chinese airforce has confirmed it plans to conduct regular patrols of the new zone.

The Air Force says the patrols are defensive⁴ only, and comply with international norms.

The Chinese defense ministry⁵ released details of the new Air Defense Identification Zone this past weekend.

The new zone covers areas in the East China Sea, including the Diaoyu Islands.

 

Chinese President stresses reform confidence

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for confidence in realizing further reform and determination to overcome difficulties.

The President made the remark during an inspection⁶ tour of east China's Shandong Province.

A key reform plan, listing more than 300 measures, has been adopted at a key Party session earlier this month. 

Xi Jinping notes it will be a tough and complicated road for the Communist Party of China to deepen reform. 

He cautions local governments against blindly pushing forward the reform, and asks officials to be flexible and consider local conditions.

The President calls on the whole CPC and Chinese society to unite together under the consensus⁷ of pushing forward reform, as well as to understand, support and take part in reform efforts.

 

Chinese premier⁸ calls for deeper ties with Uzbekistan

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with Uzbekistan's President as part of the final leg of his latest international trip.

Li Keqiang has told Islam Karimov his government is ready to look for new areas of cooperation with Uzbekistan.

Neither the Chinese Premier or the Uzbek President have elaborated on what areas that cooperation could entail⁹.

Uzbekistan is the last stop on Li Keqiang's current trip, which also saw him take part in a summit involving China and countries in central and eastern Europe.

That portion of the trip in Romania saw the Chinese side ink a number of deals connected to trade and infrastructure¹⁰ construction.

 

UN inspectors¹¹ to visit Arak heavy-water plant in Iran: IAEA

The IAEA has agreed to a deal with Iran which will allow inspectors to visit the Arak heavy-water production plant.

The tour by international nuclear inspectors will take place in just over a week's time.

The agreement to allow inspections¹² of the Arak facility comes following the deal reached among Iran and the P5+1 earlier this month.

That agreement will see Iran stop enrichment of uranium above 5-percent and neutralize¹³ its stockpiles of 20-percent enriched uranium in exchange for the loosening of international sanctions.

Uranium enriched to 20-percent levels can be used to produce nuclear weapons.

The Arak facility produces so-called heavy water which is used to cool a nearby nuclear plant still under construction, which Iran says it wants to use to create medical-grade isotopes¹⁴.

Israel has long-held the facility is being built to create weapons-grade plutonium.

Tehran has consistently denied this.

 

DPRK nuclear reactor¹⁵ may be in use again, warns IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency is warning North Korea's nuclear complex may be operational again.

IAEA chief Yukio Amano has told a Board of Governors meeting satellite imagry has detected suspicious activity at the Yongbyon facility north of Pyongyang.

However, Amano has admitted the IAEA's experts can't confirm this, given they don't have access to the site.

North Korean authorities haven't allowed IAEA inspectors access to Yongbyon since 2009.

Yongbyon generates the nuclear materials North Korea has used to create its nuclear weapons.

Yukio Amano says the IAEA is "seriously concerned" about the possible restart of the Yongbyon facility.

The North Korean government is on-record this week saying that while it wants a negotiated solution to create a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, it will continue to develop its "nuclear deterrent¹⁶."

 

8 killed in Iran's earthquake

At least 8-people are dead following a moderate earthquake in southern Iran.

The 5.7-magnitude quake hit shortly after 5pm local time on Thursday about 60-kilometers northeast of the country's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

While moderate, the quake hit at a shallow depth of just 5-kilometers, intensifying¹⁷ the shaking.

At least 45 others have been hurt in the earthquake, which was epicentered under the city of Borazjan.

It's unclear at this point whether the quake has caused any damage to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which is the first nuclear power generation facility in the Middle East.

It's been reported the plant was damaged by a pair of stronger earthquakes which hit the region in April and May.

However, Iranian officials have never confirmed these reports.

The Bushehr nuclear facility, built with help from Russia, was designed to withstand an earthquake of magnitude-8 or higher.

 

10 killed in ammunition¹⁸ depot¹⁹ blast in Libya

At least 10 people are dead following an explosion at an ammo dump in Libya.

The blast took place in a relatively²⁰ remote area in southern Libya, about 500-kilometers south of the capital, Tripoli.

At least 15 others have been hurt in the blast.

Authorities say an unknown group tried to break into the weapons storage facility, setting off the blast.

Southern Libya remains²¹ relatively unsecured.

Libya's wide-ranging borders in the south with Chad, Niger and Sudan are frequently used as crossing points for militants²² and drug smugglers.

The Libyan authorities have rolled out a wide-ranging plan to try to secure the country's borders with the help of the European Union.

Libya and Italy on Thursday signed an agreement to use Italian drones to monitor Libya's vast southern expanse in the Sahara region of north Africa.

 

1 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。

2 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

3 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 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。

6 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

7 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

8 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。

9 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。

14 isotopes   

n.同位素；同位素( isotope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the many isotopes of carbon 碳的诸多同位素
• Tritium is one of the mildest radioactive isotopes. 氚是最和缓的放射性同位素之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

16 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

17 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

18 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

19 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

20 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

21 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

22 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。