NPR 2008-02-24

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

Turkish troops are pressing their offensive into Northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels. At least several hundred Turkish troops crossed the border Thursday night, following artillery¹ and air bombardment of the PKK rebel targets. Turkish officials say the offensive is limited to routing the separatist Kurds. The BBC's Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.

The Turkish offensive is taking place in a remote and almost inaccessible² mountain area with no independent reports to verify information from either side. The top Turkish diplomat³ in Baghdad has been called in to receive a protest note from the Iraqi government which has asked Ankara to respect its sovereignty. With the United States, the European Union and the UN all expressing concern, the Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Erdogan has given assurances that the operation is focused purely⁴ on PKK targets and will be limited in both scope and time. The BBC's Jim Muir reporting from Baghdad.

Several rockets or mortars⁵ were fired on the Green Zone in Baghdad today where US and Iraqi government offices are located. There were no reports of casualties. US officials blamed the attacks on what they called "special groups", rogue⁶ elements of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army . Yesterday, Sadr announced he's renewing a six-month ceasefire that he first called in August to reorganize his militia⁷.

Marine⁸ prosecutors⁹ at Camp Pendleton have lost an attempt to obtain outtakes from a ''60 Minutes'' interview. The network has spoken with a leader of a squad¹⁰ that killed 24 civilians¹¹ in the town of Haditha in 2005. NPR's John McChesney reports.

The prosecutors sought unaired portions of an interview with Sgt. Frank Wuterich. Wuterich faces a court martial¹² on charges of voluntary manslaughter for his alleged¹³ part in the killings¹⁴. Military judge Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks said the subpoena¹⁵ seemed like a fishing expedition since prosecutors had other ways to obtain evidence concerning Wuterich. Prosecutors argued that the outtakes contained Wuterich's admissions of crimes in the attack. CBS argued that the subpoena should be quashed because granting it would discourage potential witnesses from talking to the media. The killings occurred after one of Wuterich's squad was killed by a roadside bomb. The squad then cleared houses using grenades and rifles and unarmed civilians including women and children were killed. Wuterich is scheduled for trial on March 3rd. John McChesney NPR News.

A B-2 Stealth bomber¹⁶ crashed at an airbase on the U.S. territory of Guam today. Authorities say both pilots ejected safely. They are said to be in good condition. Officials say this was the first time a B2 was crashed since it was first flown in 1989. The cause of the crash is under investigation¹⁷. Each bomber costs about 1.2 billion dollars.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

Congressional investigators¹⁸ have issued subpoenas¹⁹ to two of the owners of the Utah coal mine where nine miners and rescuers died last August. From Salt Lake City, NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

One of the subpoenas was sent to Robert Murray, the combative²⁰ CEO of Murray Energy who helped courted news conferences outside the Crandall Canyon²¹ Mine while rescuers searched for six missing coal miners. Murray blamed an earthquake for the mine collapse²². Seismologists say the collapse itself caused the tremor²³ that Murray considered a quake. Reporters and critics raised questions about mining practices at Crandall Canyon. Murray declined invitations to testify at Senate hearings. That reluctance²⁴ produced a subpoena that'll appear before a Senate subcommittee this spring. Now there is a subpoena for the House Labor²⁵ Committee for a hearing next month. The bodies of the six miners have yet to be recovered. Three rescuers died in the effort to reach them. Howard Berkes, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

A winter storm is moving out to sea after dropping snow and ice on much of the northeastern US. Airlines cancelled more than 1,100 flights in the New York City area alone. Two people were killed in weather-related accidents in upstate New York. A motorist also died in Connecticut.

Chinese officials said today at least 129 people have died in winter storms in China so far this year. It's been an unusually harsh winter for parts of central and southern China. Snow has hampered²⁶ travel and interrupted electrical service. Officials estimate all losses at 210 million dollars.

Two earthquakes struck a desert area along the border between the US and Mexico yesterday. There were no reports of injuries or damage but dozens of Mexican schools were evacuated²⁷.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

 

1 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

2 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

5 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

6 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

7 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

8 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

13 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

14 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

15 subpoena   

n.（法律）传票；v.传讯

参考例句：

• He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯，来到法庭上。
• Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。

16 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

18 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 subpoenas   

n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。 来自辞典例句
• Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。 来自互联网

20 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

21 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

22 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。

23 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

24 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

25 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

26 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

27 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。