(BBC News with Sue) Montgomery.
In one of the most severe monsoon seasons in Asia for years, the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has gone to the western province of Gansu, where huge mudslidesengulfed mainly Tibetan communities. More than 120 people were killed. Michael Bristow reports.
The">The landslides began at about midnight, when most people were at home and in bed. Television pictures show how rivers of rock and mud slid down mountainsides following heavy rain. They">They buried buildings in their path. Most of the damage happened in the main town of Zhouqu County in the western province of Gansu. The">The landslides blocked the main river running through the town, and water built up behind these natural dams. The">The river eventually burst its banks and flooded the town. Buildings, several storeys high, were reported to be completely under water.
As a monsoondrenches Pakistan, officials say at least 40 people have been killed by landslides in the north. The">The rain has severelyhampered aid efforts in the northwest, and officials say the Swat valley is completely cut off. Gan Rice, who's in charge of US (food)flood relief operations there, said it was difficult to reach those in need.
"Themagnitudeof the disaster is very great. The terrain that we were, we are operating in, it is veryformidable- very high mountains, very constricted valleys, and clearly weather challenges have been a problem for the last couple days."
The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has urged Colombia's largest left-wing rebel group, the Farc, to free all its hostages as proof that it wants peace. The call comes hours after the new Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos took office. Here is Will Grant.
Shortly after Mr Santos received the presidential sash in Bogota, President Chavez spoke of his wish to turn the page with Colombia. He's now followed that out with a call to the left-wing rebels, the Farc, togive uptheir arms andhand overtheir remaining hostages. There was no future for the Farc as an armed guerilla group, Mr Chavez said, asking on his national television program “why did the guerillas need to kidnap people”. He urged them to show acommitmentto the peace effort, suggesting the release of the remaining hostages would be an adequate step.
Journalists in South Africa have launched a campaign against proposed legislation which, they say, would curtail the freedom of the press and threaten democracy. Marcus Elbow reports.
In a strongly-worded declaration, the editors of South Africa's major newspapers express deep concern about the proposed legislation that would allow the government to classify material that is currently not secret, and would make it an offence to publish such information.They appeal to the governing party, the African National Congress, to abandon the planned measures. The ANC says new legislation is needed to make journalists legallyaccountable forinaccurate reporting.
BBC News.
Reports from Iran say seven of the most senior members of the Baha'i Faith have been sentenced to jail for up to 20 years. The seven have faced a number of charges including acting against Islam and spying. Members of the Baha'i community say the charges are “baseless” and are an example of the persecution of Baha'i's in Iran. The Iranian authorities do not recognise the Baha'i Faith. They accused Baha'i of holding heretical views on Islam.
The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the Taliban for killing 8 medical workers in Afghanistan. The six Americans, one German and one Briton, and their two Afghan translators were shot dead on Saturday. Mrs Clinton described the medical workers as "heroic and generous".
A United States naval force is visiting Vietnam to mark the 15th anniversary of normalised diplomatic relations between the two countries. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, is expected to be joined by a guided missile destroyer and a mine hunting warship off the port of Da Nang. As Brandon Marshall reports, it's not just a goodwill exercise.
This latest show of naval strength by America in the Asia-Pacific region follows the recent joint naval exercises it has held with South Korea.Those werepartlyaimed at deterring any aggressive action from North Korea, following the sinking of a South Korean warship for which the North has been blamed.The exercises also strengthen relations between the US and Japan, which sent observers to the event. But China criticised the maneuvers, saying they couldexacerbatetensions with North Korea.
Police officers in the Mexican city of Juarez have detained their commander at gunpoint, accusing him of corruption and links to organised crime. Two hundred and fifty federal police agents raided the hotel where the commander was staying, and accused him of planting drugs on police officers toblackmailthem into carrying outextortion. The commander has been suspended, pending an investigation.
BBC News.
在亚洲几年来遭遇的形势最严重的雨季,西部省份甘肃某地发生巨大的泥石流,淹没了主要是藏族社区的地区,国务院总理温家宝已经赶赴灾区。目前,泥石流已经造成超过120人死亡。Michael Bristow报道。
泥石流发生在半夜,大部分人都在家中熟睡。电视画面显示了岩石和泥浆随着倾盆大雨从山坡滑落,沿途将建筑吞噬的景象。受灾最严重的是甘肃西部的舟曲县。泥石流阻塞了流经该县的主要河流,洪水在这些自然的障碍后聚集。河流最终决堤,涌入县城。据报道,建筑和高楼层已经全部浸泡在水下。
巴基斯坦大雨滂沱,官员表示已有至少40人在北部的山体滑坡中遇难。大雨严重阻碍了西北部的救援工作,官员表示,进入斯瓦特河谷的道路已经完全切断。负责美国驻巴基斯坦洪水救援行动的Gan Rice表示,很难抵达需要帮助的灾民。
“这次灾难的强度非常大。我们需要采取行动的地区地势非常险峻——高山,峡谷,而且天气挑战也成为最后几天的问题。”
委内瑞拉总统查韦斯敦促哥伦比亚最大的左翼反叛组织Farc(哥伦比亚武装力量)释放所有人质,作为他们希望和平的证据。查韦斯提出该要求是在哥伦比亚新总统桑托斯(Juan Manuel Santos)就职几个小时之后。Will Grant报道。
桑托斯在波哥大接受了总统肩带之后不久,查韦斯总统就表达了希望与哥伦比亚揭开新的篇章的愿望。现在,他进一步要求Farc放弃武器,交出剩余的人质。查韦斯表示,作为武装游击队组织,Farc没有未来。他在国家电视节目上问道,“为什么游击队员需要绑架民众”。他敦促他们遵守希望和平的诺言,他指出,释放剩余的人质将是充分的证明。
南非记者发起了反对一项立法提案的运动。他们称,该提案会剥夺媒体的自由,威胁民主。Marcus Elbow报道。
在措辞严厉的宣言中,南非主要报纸的编辑对该提案表达了深切的担忧。该提案将允许政府将现在并不是秘密的资料列入机密范围,而且会阻碍这类信息的公开。他们要求执政党南非国民大会党放弃这些计划的措施。南非国民大会表示,必须制定新的立法,使记者对不实报道负法律责任。
来自伊朗的报道称巴哈伊教(Baha'i Faith)最高级成员被判处最高20年监禁。这七人面临几项指控,包括反对伊斯兰教和间谍罪。巴哈伊教社区成员表示,这些指控是“毫无根据的” ,是巴哈伊教在伊朗受到迫害的例子。伊朗当局并不承认巴哈伊教,他们指控巴哈伊教是伊斯兰文明的异端。
美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿谴责塔利班在阿富汗杀害八名医疗工作者的行为。周六,6名美国人,1名德国人和1名英国人和他们的两名阿富汗翻译被枪杀。克林顿称这些医疗工作者是“慷慨大度的英雄”。
美国一支海军力量正在访问越南,纪念两国外交关系正常化15周年。预期在大朗港口,一艘导弹驱逐舰和水雷战舰将加入华盛顿号核动力航空母舰的行列。这并不仅仅是一次表达良好意愿的行动。Brandon Marshall报道。
最近美国在亚太地区显示海军力量紧随与韩国联合举行海上军事演习之后。这些演习部分是为了在韩国军舰沉没后防止朝鲜作出任何进攻行的行动。国际社会谴责韩国军舰沉没是朝鲜所为。演习还增强了美国和日本之间的关系。日本曾派遣观察员观看演习。但是中国对这些演习提出谴责,称这会使他们与朝鲜的关系更加恶化。
墨西哥城市华雷斯用枪逮捕了他们的指挥官,指控他受贿,并与犯罪团伙有联系。大约250名联邦警察特工袭击了这名指挥官入住的酒店,指控他在其他警察身上放置毒品,敲诈他们实施勒索行为。这位指挥官已经被停职,等待调查。
1.engulf vt.吞没, 包住
例句:The little boat was engulfed by the waves.
小船被波浪吞没了。
2.drench vt.使湿透
例句:The people there have been drenched.
那边的人都被雨淋透了。
3.hamper vt.妨碍, 束缚, 限制
例句:Prejudice sometimes hampers a person from doing the right thing.
有时候, 偏见会妨碍人正确行事。
The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.
恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
4.magnitude n.巨大; 重要性
例句:The auditorium is a building of great magnitude.
这个大礼堂是一栋巨大的建筑物。
I hadn't realized the magnitude of the problem.
我没有认识到这个问题的重要性。
5.formidable adj.可怕的, 令人畏惧的
例句:He met with a woman with a formidable appearance.
他遇到了一个样子可怕的女人。
6.commitment n.承诺, 许诺, 保证
例句:He made a commitment to pay the rent on time.
他保证按时付房租。
7.baseless a.无根据的
8.partly adv.部分地, 不完全地
例句:This is partly a political and partly a legal question.
这个问题部分是政治问题, 部分是法律问题。
9.exacerbate vt.使恶化;使加重
例句:The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain.
他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。
10.blackmail vt.胁迫,尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财
例句:He tried to use the sexual scandal to blackmail the mayor.
他想利用性丑闻来敲诈市长。
11.extortion n.敲诈,勒索,逼取;被勒索的财物
例句:to stand trial for extortion
涉嫌敲诈而受审判
He was known for running a brutal extortion racket.
他因干过一起残忍的敲诈勒索而出名。
1.He's now followed that out with a call to the left-wing rebels, the Farc, to give up their arms and hand over their remaining hostages.
give up放弃;投降, 认输; 猜不出
例句:I can't answer that puzzle; I give up.
我猜不出这个谜语, 我认输了。
She will give up this journey.
她将放弃这次旅行。
hand over让与, 移交;送交
例句:He has resigned and will hand over charge of his office today.
他已辞职, 将在今日办移交手续。
They were handed over to a military tribunal for trial.
他们已被交给军事法庭审判。
2.In a strongly-worded declaration, the editors of South Africa's major newspapers express deep concern about the proposed legislation that would allow the government to classify material that is currently not secret, and would make it an offence to publish such information.
这句话的主干是:the editors of South Africa's major newspapers express deep concern.In a strongly-worded declaration是状语。
that would allow ... and would make it...是定语从句,修饰legislation。
3.The ANC says new legislation is needed to make journalists legally accountable for inaccurate reporting.
accountable for对...应付责任
例句:Each government worker is accountable for his own work.
每一个政府工作人员都应对自己的工作负责。
I am not accountable to you for my work.
我没有义务要对你说明我的工作情况。
4.Those were partly aimed at deterring any aggressive action from North Korea, following the sinking of a South Korean warship for which the North has been blamed.
deter from阻止某人做某事
following the sinking of是现在分词短语作状语。for which the North has been blamed是定语从句,修饰的是the sinking of a South Korean warship。