NPR 2011-03-21

The chair of the US Joint¹ Chiefs of Staff says a no-fly zone is now in place over the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi. But as NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports, he admits the US and its allies could be in for a long haul.

Although President Obama has said Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi must step down, his ouster is not the official aim of this weekend's military action. Instead, Adm. Mike Mullen tells CNN he expects Gaddafi to face increasing pressure.

"He is more and more isolated² internationally than he's ever been. There are heavy sanctions which have been put in place, which would include an ability now in the arms embargo³ to essentially⁴ board ships at sea, which is a new very aggressive part of the United Nations Security Council resolution."

Mullen says the US will work to jam Gaddafi's communications and sever⁵ supply lines to his troops. But he admits any political end game is uncertain. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.

Muammar Gaddafi's son says the international coalition⁶ against Libya has it all wrong. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi says the rebels are the enemies.

"Simply the Americans and the other Western countries, you are supporting the terrorists."

Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen tells NBC's "Meet the Press" the operation could achieve its stated goals without forcing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi from power.

"It isn't about seeing him go. It's about supporting the United Nations resolution, which talked to limiting or eliminating the — his ability to kill his own people."

In comments broadcast by state television, Gadaffi is vowing⁷ a long war.

President Obama plans to continue his five-day trip to Latin America despite American missile strikes in Libya. NPR's Ari Shapiro is traveling with the president and reports Mr. Obama's attention is divided in this trip.

Members of the president's national security team are traveling with him on his trip. They are briefing him on Libya in between family outings to tourist sites and visits with foreign heads of state. President Obama insists that America's military involvement will be limited.

"I am deeply aware of the risks of any military action, no matter what limits we place on it. I want the American people to know that the use of force is not our first choice, and it's not a choice that I make lightly."

This is President Obama's first trip to Latin America, and his aides insist there is no need to cut it short. Today is the family's only full day in Rio de Janeiro. Tomorrow, he flies to Chile, then on to El Salvador. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, traveling with the president in Brazil.

Japanese officials say they've made some progress in their attempts to cool reactors⁸ at the quake-damaged Fukushima plant. They say the least troublesome units are under control after nuclear fuel storage pools finally cooled to safe levels. But the safety of food and water remains⁹ their concern.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The European Court of Human Rights has overturned an earlier court ruling, saying that crucifixes in public classrooms in Italy do not violate a student's freedom of conscience. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome the crucifix debate has divided European Catholic countries from their more secular¹⁰ neighbors that observe strict separation of church and state.

The case was brought before the Strasbourg-based court by a Finnish woman living in Italy who objected to [the] crucifixes in her children's classrooms, arguing they violate freedom of conscience. In a 2009 ruling, the court sided with the woman, saying crucifixes in public schools could be disturbing to non-Christian or atheist¹¹ pupils. Italy appealed and had the support of more than a dozen countries including Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria that had all suffered religious persecution¹² under Communism. On appeal, the court said Italy has done nothing wrong and found no evidence the display of crucifixes in classrooms might have influence on pupils. The Vatican hailed what it called a historic ruling, while the plaintiff's lawyer Massimo Albertin said it showed the Vatican is too strong for individuals. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

The US Coast Guard is looking into what's causing a sheen in the Gulf¹³ of Mexico. Officials say they're collecting samples to determine exactly what it is. They're also trying to determine how large an area the substance covers. One Coast Guard official tells the Associated Press it was first reported as an oil sheen. But they have not confirmed that it's oil.

New York appears to be cracking down on tour bus operators following last weekend's bus crash in the Bronx that killed 15. A state official says a single checkpoint in Friday's sting operation resulted in 14 out of 14 buses ordered off the road.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

8 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

9 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。

10 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

11 atheist   

n.无神论者

参考例句：

• She was an atheist but now she says she's seen the light.她本来是个无神论者，可是现在她说自己的信仰改变了。
• He is admittedly an atheist.他被公认是位无神论者。

12 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

13 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。