NPR 2008-11-27

Officials in Mumbai say four armed gunmen that launched a terror attack in the Indian commercial capital have been killed and nine terror suspects have now been arrested. The attacks which occurred at luxury hotels, a train station and other locations are blamed for at least 78 deaths and hundreds of injuries. At one point, flames could be seen coming from the luxury Taj hotel. William Butler was near the hotel when he heard gunfire. "We certainly heard the crack-crack-crack. And we sort of looked out, looked up expecting firework. But then other people said no, you can't go back that way. We can go back to a taxi. Obviously the panic started. And we managed to get in the taxi. But you go down one road it was closed off. You go down another road it was pandemonium¹. I mean we'd already just missed that first attack in the Taj. We were then by the domestic airport on the flier when the taxi-bomb went off, and we were behind it already, we had to then be rerouted to another way, I mean it took us four and half hours to do a one hour journey. It was very, very panic." There're reports a number of westerners were taken hostage. The motive² for the onslaught was not immediately clear. But Mumbai Bay has been frequently being targeted in terrorists attacks blamed on Islamic fundamentalists.

President-elect Barack Obama introduced two more members of his economic team. Mr. Obama said former Fed Chairman Paul Volker will head a panel he's creating to advise him on how to best stabilize⁴ the economy, while University of Chicago Professor Austan Goolsbee will be the top-rank staffer. "Those who serve in Washington don't always have a ground-level sense of which programs and policies are working for people and businesses and which aren't. This board will provide that fresh perspective to me and my administration. " Obama defended himself against some critics who accused him of recycling old Clinton administration officials. He said his administration will be ready on Day One with an economic plan.

European Union is proposing a two-year plan to coordinate⁵ member states’ responses to the global economic crisis. The 260-billion-dollar package suggests policy tools for member states to use. Teri Schultz has details from Brussels.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says there will be an immediate³ improvement in Europe's economy if all EU member states enact⁶ fiscal⁷ stimulus⁸ plans using suggested policies such as tax cuts and expanding social benefits. "They will put money in the pockets of those who need it at home. And they will also stimulate⁹ demand in other Member States, giving a major boost to their own exporters. " Barroso insists the plan is not an attempt to impose a one-size-fits-all approach on the 27 governments, some of which have already announced wide-ranging economic programs while others say they can't afford them. "Everyone is suffering from this crisis, and everyone needs treatment, but not everyone needs the same kind of treatment. " The program outlined today would require EU governments to increase their spending by about 1. 5 percent of the block's GDP. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 247 points. This is NPR.

Iran is showing no signs of ramping¹⁰ down its nuclear program according to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. The country is now running around 5, 000 uranium enrichment centrifuges, a signal that it is expanding work, the West has maintained this is a sign to make nuclear weapons. Latest word from the Iranian official indicates the country has no intention of bowing to western pressure to halt or freeze its nuclear activities. President-elect Barack Obama has called for an international effort to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, calling it unacceptable.

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai is urging former South African President Thabo Mbeki to step down as mediator¹¹ in power-sharing talks, claiming Mbeki is favoring President Robert Mugabe. More from NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton in Johannesburg.

Morgan Tsvangirai called for Thabo Mbeki to retire from the Zimbabwe power-sharing talks, charging him with partisan¹² support for President Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. Tsvangirai concluded that this made it impossible for Mbeki to continue as a mediator. Tsvangirai said the former South African president seemed not to have grasped how desperate the situation was in Zimbabwe. He said the latest round of negotiations¹³ have made no progress on how to divvy up ministries¹⁴ in a national unity¹⁵ government. The talks will call to agree on the wording of a constitutional amendment¹⁶ that would provide the legal framework for the formation of a power-sharing cabinet with Tsvangirai as prime minister. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Johannesburg.

Former first lady Barbara Bush is said to be resting comfortably in the hospital after undergoing surgery for perforated ulcer¹⁷. Family spokesperson says Mrs. Bush will stay in Houston's Methodist Hospital through next week. She was accompanied to the hospital by her husband, the first President Bush.

1 pandemonium   

n.喧嚣，大混乱

参考例句：

• The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。
• I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。

2 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

5 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

6 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

7 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

8 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

9 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

10 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

11 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

12 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

13 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。

14 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。

15 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

16 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

17 ulcer   

n.溃疡，腐坏物

参考例句：

• She had an ulcer in her mouth.她口腔出现溃疡。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。