BBC News with Iain Purdon
The highest court in Venezuela has backed a decision by the country’s National Assembly to allow an indefinite delay in the inauguration of President Hugo Chavez. He’s in hospital in Cuba after undergoing cancer surgery. Sarah Grainger reports from Caracas.
Luisa Estella Morales, the president of the Supreme Court, said that judges of the court had agreed that the inauguration could take place at a later date. She said the court did not consider Mr Chavez to be absent from his duties and as an incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent president, a new swearing-in ceremony was not necessary. That leaves the political opposition with few options. They had argued that the constitution sets the date of the 10th of January as the beginning of the new presidential term and in Mr Chavez’s absence an interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim president should be appointed.
A group of 49 Iranians freed by Syrian rebels after months in captivity have arrived at a hotel in Damascus accompanied by the Iranian ambassador to Syria. The Iranians were freed in exchange for prisoners being held by the Syrian authorities. The deal hasn’t officially been confirmed by the Syrian government. The Turkish humanitarian aid agency IHH which said it helped secure the agreement said the Syrian authorities for their part were freeing more than 2,100 prisoners that they’ve been holding.
The Obama administration has signalled it may take unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral action on gun control if Congress won’t cooperate on the issue. Vice President Joe Biden said Mr Obama was determined to curb gun violence and added that this could be done by legislation which requires working with Congress or executive action which doesn’t. Paul Adams reports from Washington.
This was the first time the vice president has hinted at the range of measures being considered by the White House. He said he and the president were determined to act. The tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut had, he said, awakened the conscience of the country and it was important not to be put off by the complexity of the task. Mr Biden didn’t say what those measures were, but they almost certainly include the reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction of a ban on so-called assault weapons as well as a more comprehensive system of background checks on those purchasing guns.
The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made her first public comments after a month away from her desk because of sickness. Mrs Clinton told reporters in Washington she was thrilled to be back at work. She said she was focusing on unresolved issues before handing over to her successor in President Obama’s new administration, Senator John Kerry.
“You know obviously somewhat bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet because I’ve had the most extraordinary experience, and I work with an amazing team of people, but I’m very much looking forward to doing everything we can these last few weeks to resolve and finish up wherever possible and then to have a very smooth, seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless transition to Senator Kerry to continue the work.”
World News from the BBC
A British businessman extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to sell missile components to Iran has been jailed for 33 months. Christopher Tappin was also ordered to pay an $11,000 fine. In a plea bargain, he’d admitted to submitting false shipping documents to export batteries used for Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to Iran via the Netherlands.
The International Labour Organisation says the vast majority of domestic workers are excluded from employment protection and vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse. In the first report of its kind, the UN agency said only 10 per cent of them benefited from the same kind of protection as other workers. Mark Gregory has more.
Nobody really knows how many domestic servants are employed around the world. The ILO puts the figure at a minimum of 52 million, but says the actual number could be tens of millions higher. More than 80 per cent of them are women. Indeed domestic service accounts for more than seven per cent of all women’s waged employment. Many domestic workers migrate to other countries to find work. The ILO says their terms of employment turn to be worse than other workers.
The Sri Lankan government has said it deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplores">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplores the beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading of a Sri Lankan domestic worker by authorities in Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the government said it had appealed for a pardon for Rizana Nafeek, who was convicted of killing a baby in her care in 2005, a charge she denied.
Police in South Africa have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing farm workers taking strike action in the wine-producing Western Cape province. More than 40 people were arrested. The strikers, most of them black seasonal workers employed in white-owned fruit farms, are demanding a doubling of their daily pay of about $8. At least two protesters were killed in similar violence in November.
BBC News
第二页:重点词汇解析
incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent
英汉解释
adj. 现任的;依靠的;负有职责的
n. 在职者;现任者;[英]领圣俸者
同义词
n.officeholder
参考例句
1. It isincumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbentup on us to do so .
这样做是我们义不容辞的责任。
2. Love themselves, love their own lives have become the responsibilityincumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbentupon you.
关爱自己,珍爱自己的生命已成为你义不容辞的责任了。
3. The future of the world economy depends on how both China and theincumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbent">incumbentpowers adapt to their new roles.
世界经济的未来取决于中国以及现有的强权怎样适应它们的新角色。
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interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim
英汉解释
adj. 临时的,暂时的;中间的;间歇的
n. 过渡时期,中间时期;暂定
同义词
n.lag,meantime,meanwhile
参考例句
1. Theinterim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interimgovernment of Honduras has ordered all Argentine diplomats to leave the country within three days.
洪都拉斯临时政府下令所有阿根廷外交人员在三天之内离开这个国家。
2. These data and information confirm and re-enforce the assumptions and conclusions of thisinterim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interimsafety/risk assessment.
这些数据和信息进行确认,并重新执行的假设和结论,这个临时的安全/风险评估。
3. Supporters of theinterim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interim">interimgovernment accuse President Manuel Zelaya of violating the constitution and say his removal was legal.
临时总统米切莱蒂的支持者指责塞拉亚总统违反宪法,并说将他罢免是合法的。
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unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral
英汉解释
adj. 单边的;[植]单侧的;单方面的;[语]单边音;(父母)单系的
同义词
a.one-sided,unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateralist
反义词
a.many-sided,multilateral
参考例句
1. No Party or anyone acting on its behalf may have anyunilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateralcommunication with the Panel.
诉讼方或它的任何代表都不可以与陪审团有单方面的通信联系。
2. We oppose anyunilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateraldecision to change, by either China or Taiwan, to change the status quo.
我们(美国)反对任何单方面的改变决定,中国或者台湾,去改变目前的现状。
3. My delegation had voted against the resolution because it wasunilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateral">unilateraland essentially political in nature.
我方代表团对决议案投反对票,因为它是片面的,而且本质上是政治的。
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reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction
英汉解释
n. 再介绍;再引入
参考例句
1. Reintroduction of some previously unused assets into the current project.
再引入一些从前的不用资源到当前的项目中。
2. The rule falls short of a fullreintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroductionof the "uptick" rule that some had called for.
这项新措施无法同“报升规则”相提并论,而有些人过去一直要求彻底重启“报升规则”。
3. Whether thereintroduction">reintroduction">reintroduction">reintroductionof capital punishment would reduce the number of armed robberies is an open question.
对于是否重新采用极刑能减少武装抢劫案,这是个有争议的问题。
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bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet
英汉解释
adj. 苦乐参半的;又苦又甜的
n. 又苦又甜的东西;[植]蜀羊泉
同义词
n.american bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet,bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet nightshade,deadly nightshade,false bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet
a.semisweet
参考例句
1. I was raped by a doctor. Which is, you know, sobittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweetfor a Jewish girl.
我被一个医生强暴了。你知道,这对一个犹太女孩来说是哭乐参半的事。
2. They say that the taste of vengeance isbittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet, but I find it to my liking.
他们说复仇的味道尝起来苦乐参半,但是我觉得我还蛮喜欢的。
3. The moment of parting wasbittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet">bittersweet, for I knew I would probably never see the Hollises again.
分别的时刻又苦又甜,我知道恐怕永远也不会再见到霍利斯一家了。
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seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless
英汉解释
adj. 无缝的;无缝合线的;无伤痕的
同义词
a.unlined,seamed">unseamed
反义词
a.seamed
参考例句
1. Zhenxing, senior analyst atseamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamlesssteel pipe that must pay close attention to changes in demand, improve product quality.
振兴的资深无缝钢管分析师表示,必须密切关注需求变化,提高产品质量档次。
2. We can supply all kinds ofseamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamlessunderwear with good quality and competitive. Please feel free to contact me if you interest in our products.
我们可以提供各种无缝内衣具有良好的质量和竞争力。请随时与我联系如果您对我们的产品感兴趣。
3. Capital market, experts believe that seniorseamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamless">seamlesssteel pipe, steel spot prices and futures markets and stock markets are interrelated, but not the root cause of the decrease in steel prices.
资本市场方面,资深无缝钢管专家认为,钢材现货价格与期货市场和股票市场都互有关联,但并非此次钢价下跌的根本原因。
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beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading
英汉解释
n. 斩首;[地质]断头作用
vt. 把…砍首(behead的现在分词形式)
同义词
n.decapitation
参考例句
1. A spy wasbeheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheadingon the outskirts of Kaiyuan, Liaoning, China in Russo-Japanese War.
图为日俄战争时期,中国辽宁省开元市市郊,一正被斩首的间谍。
2. A man charged with stabbing andbeheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheadinga fellow Greyhound bus passenger appeared in court.
一名男子被控猛刺长途汽车上的邻座,并将其头砍下来,已经出庭受审了。
3. The Shabab, which means youth, hunts down its critics, sometimesbeheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheading">beheadingthem, so torching its battle banner in broad daylight was a brave act.
沙巴柏意味着年轻,该组织四处追捕其反对者,有时甚至将他们斩首,因此对该组织发起公然挑衅可谓是勇敢之举。
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deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore
英汉解释
vt. 谴责;悲悼;哀叹;对…深感遗憾
同义词
v.bemoan,bewail,lament
参考例句
1. Wedeplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplored their taking drugs.
我们对他们吸毒感到遗憾。
2. The trait you mostdeplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplorein others?
你最痛恨别人的什么特点?
3. What is the trait you mostdeplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplore">deplorein yourself?
你自己的哪个特点让你觉得最痛恨?