NPR 2011-06-07

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

The White House is reaffirming what it calls a "real drawdown" of US forces in Afghanistan. This hours after the president met with his advisors¹ to review US policy in that region. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports President Obama will soon decide how many troops to bring home in July.

The defense² secretary and commanders in the field will advise the president about how many troops should leave Afghanistan in its first round. White House spokesman Jay Carney says Mr. Obama's decision will depend on how stable Afghanistan is and whether troops have defeated al-Qaeda in the country.

"It will be a real drawdown, but it will depend on the conditions on the ground, which he relies on his commanders to inform him about."

Both political parties are divided on this issue. Many critics point to the war's two-billion-dollar-a-week price tag, but Carney says cost will not be a major factor in the president's decision. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, the White House.

Five American soldiers in Iraq are dead in one of the worst single attacks of its kind in two years. Today, the US military announced the service members who were acting³ as advisors to Iraqi authorities were killed when their living quarters in eastern Baghdad came under rocket attack.

Celebrations in Yemen's capital today, with many elated the embattled president is temporarily out of the country. Ali Abdullah Saleh is being treated in Saudi Arabia for wounds sustained during an attack on his palace amid two weeks of fighting in Sana'a.

Syrian state television is broadcasting images of armed groups torching government buildings in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. It says at least 120 security personnel have been killed since the crackdown on anti-government protesters began there over the weekend. The latest from the BBC's Jim Muir.

The official TV said the gunmen were armed with medium caliber⁴ weapons and grenades, and that they'd stolen five tons of explosives from a nearby dam. Jisr al-Shughour has been the scene of a continuing military crackdown since Saturday following protest demonstrations⁵ denouncing the regime after Friday prayers. If the government's account is to be believed, it's by far the biggest number of security forces killed in any single incident since the uprising began in March. It implies that at least in Jisr al-Shughour, they're facing an armed insurrection rather than mass peaceful protests.

The BBC's Jim Muir reporting.

A levee near the Missouri-Iowa border has begun to give way to rising waters. The Army Corps⁶ of Engineers reported a second partial breach⁷ today that was said to be about 10 feet wide. Wherever they're expecting the levee to fully⁸ breach under the pressure of record river flows from heavy rains and snowmelt, evacuations are under way.

At last check on Wall Street before the close, the Dow was down 61 points or about 0.5% at 12,090 in trading of just over three billion shares, and the NASDAQ had lost 30 points, down more than 1%, at 2,703.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

"Shame on you. Shame on you."

Former International Monetary⁹ Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Khan encountering angry protests as he arrived at a Manhattan courthouse today, where he pleaded not guilty this morning to sexual assault charges. We have the latest from NPR's Margot Adler.

1 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• 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。

7 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。