Protests Intensify in Yemen, Key Figures Desert President Sa

Protests intensified¹ dramatically Monday across Yemen as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the central squares of towns and cities to demand the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Key military and political figures deserted² the president, although the defense³ minister insisted the military would remain loyal to him.
As protests intensified Monday, a number of top political and military figures announced they were deserting Saleh. Former allies of the president also expressed outrage⁴ about violence against the mostly young protesters, which left scores dead and wounded Friday.
General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, head of the first armored division, announced he was supporting the protesters and that he had deployed⁵ troops in the capital to protect them.
He said Yemen is falling into an utter state of crisis that is threatening its political existence. He argued that the chaos⁶ is the result of a leadership unwilling⁷ to govern within the framework of the law and the constitution, and marginalizes public opinion.
Despite numerous defections, however, Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed went on state TV to announce that the military would remain loyal to Saleh. He insists that the Yemeni military supports Saleh, that its officers will uphold their oaths to defend legality and legitimacy⁸, and will not tolerate any military coup⁹.
Al Jazeera TV reported that dozens of military commanders had pledged to support the protest movement, while several top ministers and members of the president's ruling party resigned. Yemeni ambassadors to at least seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, also have resigned.
Yemeni Health Minister Abdel Karim Rida captured the mood of public outrage, demanding that those responsible for Friday's violence against protesters be punished. He said he strongly condemns¹⁰ the bloody¹¹ attacks, which have moved the hearts of all Yemenis. He added that he is calling on judicial¹² authorities to hold a public trial of those responsible for the violence.
Yemen Post newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hakim Almasmari said the military defections from Saleh's camp indicate that his government is on the verge¹³ of collapse¹⁴. "Right now it's game over for Saleh and we predict the end of this regime in the next 24 hours. That's our feeling, 24 hours, it won't go past that. 90 percent of the military will be in the hands of the revolution before nightfall."
Another top analyst¹⁵ in Sana'a, who asked that his name not be used for safety reasons, said that the situation in the capital was "electric" and that many people believe the government is about to collapse. This analyst said it is not clear, though, what or who would fill the vacuum.
Hakim Almasmari thinks Saleh could be preparing to hand over power to the Yemeni military, however, so that he can step down peacefully. He questions, however, if that solution will meet the approval of opposition¹⁶ parties or the protest movement.

1 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

3 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。

4 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

9 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

10 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

12 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

13 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

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。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

14 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。

15 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

16 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。