澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-08-09

There have been dramatic scenes in London overnight with riots extending into a third day. The area of Croydon in the city's south was cordoned¹ off as a building there was set alight. The Prime Minister David Cameron is reportedly boarding a plane to return to the UK from his holiday to deal with what apparently² is an escalating³ crisis there.

The United Nations says it's airlifted aid to the Somali capital Mogadishu for the first time in five years. More than 100,000 Somalis have fled to Mogadishu to escape violence in the last two months, and the country is in the grip of a serious famine. The militant⁴ Islamist group al-Shabab has abandoned its posts in the capital. The US will allocate⁵ another $100 million in aid to Somalia.

The Gillard Government's plans to send asylum⁶ seekers to Malaysia are officially on hold this morning, but the first refugees to come to Australia as part of a deal with Malaysia will arrive this week. The High Court yesterday extended an injunction stopping the Government from sending asylum seekers to Malaysia for at least another fortnight. The Government has signalled it will try to bring forward at a High Court hearing.

Australians will be asked about their job, income, religion and family as they fill out census⁷ forms tonight. Same-sex couples who've married overseas will have their unions counted for the first time. People who don't submit the form will be fined, but they'll receive several warnings before the September deadline. Those who haven't received a form can still order one online today.

1 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。

6 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

7 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。