BBC News with Marion Marshall
President Obama is about to sign into law an extension of his predecessor's tax cuts, including those for the wealthiest Americans.Mr Obama is opposed to the extension along with many of his party, but he agreed to it in order to get approval for his own plans to extend unemployment benefits from his Republican opponents.Mark Mardell reports from Washington.
If this hadn't passed, taxes would have gone up for all Americans in the New Year.The deal, cobbled together by President Obama and the Republican opposition, pleases almost no onein its entirety. But that means the president canportrayhimself as a compromiser, rising abovepettyparty politics. The deal means tax cuts introduced by President Bush will be extended for another two years, including those for Americans earning more than $250,000 a year, tax cuts for the rich, say the Democrats, something President Obama has always opposed andin principlestill does.
The trustee appointed to recover money stolen by the New York financier Bernard Madoff has reached a multibillion-dollar settlement with the estate of a man identified as the biggest singlebeneficiaryof the fraud. It means about half the money lost in theswindlewill ultimately berecouped. Theo Leggett reports.
The settlement represents something of a coup for the trustee Irving Picard. After the collapse of Bernard Madoff's investment firm in 2008, he was given the task of recovering money lost by investors, who'd unwittingly put their cash into the giant Ponzi scheme. Since then he's launched a wave of litigation against people and businessesdeemed tohave profited from the fraud. Chief among them was Jeffry Picower, who was a long-term investor in Bernard Madoff's funds. Over the course of three and a half decades, he withdrew some $7bn,substantiallymore than his initial investment. His widow has now pledged to return every penny he received.
The President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has said the power-sharing deal with the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, has run its course. The 86-year-old president told members of his Zanu-PF party that elections should be held early next year. Correspondents say the president's comments suggest that the unity government isvirtuallydead.
The American State Department says the US is preparing a series of sanctions to be imposed on the President of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, unless hesteps downand allows his rival Alassane Ouattara to take over. William Fitzgerald, the State Department official in charge of West African affairs, told the BBC that a travel ban and financial measures against Mr Gbagbo were being organised.
"We are going to work with a regional bank to close off the stake it has, as it were, of his money. And we are going to continue toratchet upthe pressure until he does give up power. It is absolutely unacceptable that Laurent Gbagbo remain in power."
Mr Fitzgerald said he knew at least one African state that had offered to resettle Mr Gbagbo, although he wouldn't say which.
World News from the BBC
A court in France has given long prison sentences to 13 associates of the late Chilean military ruler Augusto Pinochet for their role in the murder of four French citizens in the 1970s. The 13 men were all military or intelligence officers involved in a campaign of violence against left-wing activists. They have refused to leave Chile to attend the trial.
Reports from Mexico say there's been a mass breakout from a prison near the border with the United States. Mexican media said more than 140 prisoners escaped. Many are thought to have been serving sentences for drug trafficking. From Mexico City, Julian Miglierini reports.
Mexican media have reported that the jailbreak happened early on Friday morning and that authorities had launched a massive search to try to recapture the fugitives. It is not clear how the prisoners managed to escape, and there has not yet been any comment by authorities. The prison is located in the city of Nuevo Laredo, just across the border from Texas in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The region has beenengulfed by Mexico's violent drug conflict in which more than 30,000 people have been killed since late 2006.
The High Court in London has ruled that a temporary limit on the number of skilled migrant workers entering Britain from non-European Union countries was introduced unlawfully.The court found that the Home Secretary Theresa May had tried to avoid parliamentary scrutiny when she implemented the cap earlier this year. The government has been given permission to appeal.
The Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year. Gyan received well over half the votes in a public ballot conducted by text and email. The 25-year-old led Ghana at the World Cup in South Africa, missing a penalty, which denied his country a place in the semi-finals. Gyan thanked the whole of Africa for voting for him. He's the third Ghanaian to win the title, Africa's only major football prize awarded exclusively by fans.
BBC News
1.portray vt.画像; 描述;描绘;描画;描写
例句:The book portrayed his personal experience.
这本书描绘了他的个人经历。
He portrayed himself as a champion for democracy.
他把自己描绘成民主斗士。
2.petty adj.不重要的
例句:It was a petty problem and they soon solved it.
这仅是一个小问题, 他们很快就解决了。
卑鄙的; 小气的
例句:It was petty of her not to accept the apology.
她气量太小, 连道歉也不接受。
3.beneficiary n.受益人;受惠人(~ of sth)
例句:Her husband was the chief beneficiary of her will.
她丈夫是她遗嘱的主要受益人。
4.swindle n.诈骗;骗取
例句:I don’t want to get involved in a swindle.
我不愿意牵涉在欺诈行为里。
5.recoup vt.重获(所失的东西)
例句:It took the firm five years to recoup its losses.
这个公司5 年后才挽回损失。
6.substantially adv.相当多地,大大地
例句:The price may go up quite substantially.
价格可能大大上扬。
7.virtually adv.实际上; 事实上
例句:He was virtually a prisoner.
他实际上是个囚犯。
8.engulf vt.吞没, 包住
例句:The little boat was engulfed by the waves.
小船被波浪吞没了。
1.The deal, cobbled together by President Obama and the Republican opposition, pleases almost no one in its entirety.
in its entirety作为一个整体
例句:We must view the problem in its entirety.
我们必须全面地看这个问题。
2.tax cuts for the rich, say the Democrats, something President Obama has always opposed and in principle still does.
in principle原则上; 基本上
例句:Her idea is sound in principle.
从原则上来说, 她的观点是正确的。
They are agreed in principle but not in detail.
他们的看法在大体上是一致的, 但是在细节上有所不同。
3.Since then he's launched a wave of litigation against people and businesses deemed to have profited from the fraud.
deem to认为,相信
例句:This is what we would deem to be good and excellent business.
这就是我们将认为是优良业务。
4.The American State Department says the US is preparing a series of sanctions to be imposed on the President of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, unless he steps down and allows his rival Alassane Ouattara to take over.
step down退休, 辞职
例句:The manager had to step down on account of poor health.
那位经理由于身体不好, 只能辞职不干。
5.And we are going to continue to ratchet up the pressure until he does give up power.
ratchet up(一步步地)增加;渐进
例句:The Europeans say they accept that it may be necessary to ratchet up sanctions against the regime in Tehran.
欧洲领导人说,他们认为,也许有必要加强对德黑兰当局的制裁。
1.Mr Obama is opposed to the extension along with many of his party, but he agreed to it in order to get approval for his own plans to extend unemployment benefits from his Republican opponents.
but表示转折。in order to表示目的。to extend unemployment benefits是动词不定式做后置定语,修饰plans。
2.If this hadn't passed, taxes would have gone up for all Americans in the New Year.
与过去事实相反的虚拟语气。
3.The High Court in London has ruled that a temporary limit on the number of skilled migrant workers entering Britain from non-European Union countries was introduced unlawfully.
这句话的主语和谓语是:The High Court in London has ruled,后面是that引导的宾语从句。宾语从句的主干是:limit was introduced unlawfully。on the number of...详细说明限制的对象。