NPR 2008-08-23

There are confusing reports about Russian actions in the former Soviet¹ Republic of Georgia today. While journalists on the ground there reported seeing tanks and military convoys² leaving key positions and heading back toward Moscow, US officials including White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said today that Russia is failing to live up to the terms of the cease-fire. "They've not completely withdrawn³ from areas considered undisputed territory and they need to do that. " The mayor of a Georgian port city where troops are permitted under the cease-fire says there are still two Russian roadblocks there. Under terms of the French-brokered cease-fire agreement, both Russian and Georgian forces were to pull back to positions they held before fighting began August 7th over the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Still no word on who will be Barack Obama's running mate. Meanwhile the Obama campaign is filling news vacuum by taking shots at Republican rival John McCain. More from NPR's Ina Jaffe.

Here's what we know about Barack Obama today, not much. He's gone to the gym and he's working on the speech he'll deliver at the Democratic Convention. He did say yesterday he's already decided⁴ on the running mate. The mystery name will be revealed first by text message and email to supporters who have signed up on his website. At the top of the speculation⁵ list have been Senators Joe Biden and Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Meanwhile the Obama campaign is staging more than a dozen events in battleground states and putting a second commercial on the air, slamming John McCain for not being able to remember how many houses he owns with his wife Cindy. The Obama campaign says that shows he's out of touch with the struggles of ordinary Americans. Cindy McCain is an heiress reportedly worth about 100 million dollars. The McCains own at least eight homes. Ina Jaffe, NPR News, Chicago.

Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continued to face questions about their financial position. Today a top credit rating agency downgraded shares of the companies, saying they've limited access to capital. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Moody's Investors⁷ Service said the companies are having trouble getting capital on economically attractive terms. And it said there's an increased likelihood they'll have to turn to the government for financial assistance. That could expose the companies to greater restrictions⁸ on their business activities. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play a critical role in the US housing market, but they've suffered big losses in the housing downturn. Their stock prices (have) fallen sharply. Last month, Congress approved a rescue plan that would provide the companies with capital if they need it. A government bailout could end up diluting¹⁰ shares of the companies. And investor⁶ Warren Buffett says there's a good chance that people who own them would see their holdings wiped out. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 197 points today to end the session at 11, 628. That was a gain of 1. 75 percent. The NASDAQ was up 34 points. The S&P rose 14 points today.

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Airplane builder Boeing is now threatening to possibly bail⁹ out of the bidding for a politically charged 35-billion-dollar air refueling tanker¹¹ project. Boeing said today it needs more time from the Pentagon to put together a competitive offer. The latest development comes after Boeing lost the initial contract for the project to Northrop Grumman and its partner Airbus back in February. However, the bidding process was reopened after significant errors were found in the Air Forces' handling of the contract. Pentagon hopes to replace 179 Eisenhower-era refueling tankers¹². The first of three contracts eventually involving 600 of the aircraft.

A Russian court 6, 000 miles from Moscow has rejected a parole bid by a jailed oil tycoon¹³. He was arrested in 2003 on what many believed were politically motivated charges. NPR's Anne Garrels has the story.

Vladimir Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man is serving his sentence in a remote Siberian prison. Now stripped of his wealth, Khodorkovsky told the parole hearing if freed he would devote his life to humanitarian¹⁴ work and his family. He did not mention politics. In refusing to grant him parole, the local judge said Khodorkovsky had failed to take part in a prison re-education program. Many believed the Kremlin targeted Khodorkovsky because it wanted to control his oil business and because he posed a political threat. His conviction sent a chill through business circles, which say then-President Vladimir Putin made it clear any business which wants to survive can not confront the Kremlin. Anne Garrels, NPR News, Moscow.

Russian steelmaker OAO Severstal announced today it will buy a Pennsylvania coal company for 1. 3 billion dollars. The Russian company says its purchase of PBS Coals will give it more control of the raw materials it needs to make steel.

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

3 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

6 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

10 diluting   

稀释，冲淡( dilute的现在分词 )； 削弱，使降低效果

参考例句：

• A companion would have been a distraction, diluting the pathos of the moment. 要是有一个伴侣在旁就会分散我的注意，冲淡此时此刻的哀婉之情。
• Diluting agent has certain transparency for ink multi-color overprint. 冲淡剂具有必定的透明量，适分油不朱的众色叠印。

11 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

12 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

13 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

14 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。