BBC News with Iain Purdon
President Obama has named the former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his choice for America’s new defense secretary. But he may face a battle with Congress to get the nomination confirmed. President Obama also said he was choosing his counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the CIA. Paul Adams reports from Washington.
Mr. Brennan has worked closely with the president during Mr. Obama’s first term. He’s been a leading figure behind the administration’s use of drone strikes against al-Qaeda and its allies--a policy more controversial abroad than it is here. He doesn’t appear to face any serious opposition in Congress. Mr. Hagel is more controversial. He is a decorated Vietnam veteran, but many of his fellow Republicans don’t like him. They believe he’s hostile towards Israel and not strong enough on Iran. If appointed, he'd be responsible for implementing deep cuts in the military’s budget, another reason many Republicans mistrust him.
A senior Iranian MP says the country’s oil and gas revenues have suffered sharp falls. This report by James Reynolds.
Western oil sanctions are clearly hurting Iran and now a leading Iranian politician has revealed an important statistic. Gholam Reza Kateb, who’s a member of the planning and budget commission of Iran’s parliament, says that oil exports have fallen by around 45% in the last nine months and the country’s economy as a whole is in trouble. In 2012, Iran’s currency, the rial, collapsed and provoked unrest in Tehran. The export of oil has been vital to the Islamic republic. Oil exports have accounted for around half of state revenue.
Most flights by Iranian airlines were cancelled during the day as the oil ministry refused to supply them with fuel because of unpaid debts. The government says private Iranian airlines owe the state nearly 150 million dollars. The price of fuel in Iran has soared mainly because of international sanctions.
In one of his strongest public appeals, Pope Benedict has urged the international community to end what he called the endless slaughter in Syria. His comments come a day after the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad laid out terms for a peace plan but dismissed any prospect of dialogue with the rebels. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called President Assad’s speech disappointing. As our UN correspondent Barbara Plett reports.
The secretary general said Mr. Assad’s recent speech rejected the political transition spelled out in what’s known as the Geneva communique, an internationally agreed blueprint for change in Syria. It calls for a transitional governing body that includes members of both the government and the opposition and forms the basis of mediation efforts conducted by Mr. Ban’s Syrian envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. But the Syrian president refused peace talks with the armed opposition in a defiant speech just days after Mr. Brahimi visited Damascus. World News from the BBC
The Venezuelan Catholic Church has said it would be morally unacceptable to override the constitution to allow President Hugo Chavez to remain in power if he cannot be inaugurated owing to ill health. The head of the Venezuelan Conference of Bishops, Diego Pardron, said the constitution was clear. Mr. Chavez must attend his inauguration on Jan. 10. The Venezuelan attorney-general has said the inauguration could take place at a later date. The opposition says a new election should be called in 30 days if Mr. Chavez is unable to attend the ceremony.
Scientists say the first full chemical analysis of medicine tablets found in an ancient shipwreck suggests that health care in the Roman world was surprisingly sophisticated. Our science reporter Rebecca Morelle has more.
For more than 2,000 years, six grey tablets lay locked away inside a small tin box kept safe from the corrosive seawater all around. The Roman shipwreck they were found on called the Pozzino was first discovered in the 1970s off the west coast of Italy. But it’s only now that the medicine has been fully analyzed. An Italian team of scientists carefully took samples from the fragile material and discovered it was packed full of different ingredients. They found pine resin which has anti-bacterial properties, animal fats and possibly olive oil, known for its use in ancient perfumes and medicinal preparations. They also found zinc compounds. The scientists said the composition of the tablets suggested that they could have been used to treat eye infections.
Crowds of people in southern China have rallied in support of journalists who called a strike to protest against censorship. Some carried posters demanding freedom of expression as hundreds gathered at the offices of the Southern Weekend newspaper in Guangzhou. The strike at the influential weekly followed the censorship of a hard-hitting editorial on political freedom.
BBC News
第二页:重点词汇解析
curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb
英汉解释
n. 抑制;路边;勒马绳
vt. 控制;勒住
同义词
n.american stock exchange,bridle,curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb bit,curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curbing
v.conquer,contain,control,curtail
参考例句
1. In some streets, mailboxes line thecurb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb.
一些街区,路边是一溜的邮箱。
2. This stimulated the enthusiasm of steel production, but also brought difficult tocurb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curbovercapacity problem.
这刺激了钢厂的生产热情,但也带来了产能过剩难以抑制的问题。
3. Tocurb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curb">curbthis outbreak of capitalism, the regime periodically shuts markets, harasses traders and arrests people doing business with China.
为了抑制资本主义的发展,该国定期关闭市场,骚扰商人及拘捕和中国做生意的人。
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reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate
英汉解释
vt. 重申;反复地做
同义词
v.ingeminate,iterate,repeat,restate
参考例句
1. Hereiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterated the importance of good health in his speech.
他在讲话中一再重申健康的重要性。
2. Referring to this affair, I have toreiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiteratemy opinion.
齿及此事,我不得不重申一下我的观点。
3. In what has become an annual ritual, traditional donors will dulyreiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiterate">reiteratepledges to increase aid.
传统的援助国将适时重申增加援助的承诺,这已成为每年的仪式。
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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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sticking point
英汉解释
症结;关键;阻塞点
参考例句
1. Well, the terror list is thesticking point.
这个恐怖名单就是关键所在。
2. Talks on ending the country's ongoing political crisis had stalled, but it appears a keysticking pointhas been resolved.
虽然已经结束了有关平息目前国内政治危机的谈判,但似乎还有个关键点待解决。
3. The mainsticking pointis disagreement over a detailed declaration of North Korea's nuclear programs, which it was to have provided before an end of 2007 deadline.
主要的症结是各方在北韩公布核项目清单的问题上意见不一致。北韩本应该在2007年底的最后期限以前提供所有的核设施细节。
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outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage
英汉解释
n. 愤怒,愤慨;暴行;侮辱
vt. 凌辱,强奸;对…施暴行;激起愤怒
同义词
n.indignation,scandal,scandalisation,scandalization
v.appal,appall,desecrate,dishonor
参考例句
1. Itoutrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outraged the public that the local authority decided to close the road.
当局决定封闭该路引起了公愤。
2. Equally, much of theoutrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrageover bonuses is unjustified.
同样,许多对于奖金的愤怒也是不公正的。
3. The christian system of religion is anoutrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrage">outrageon common sense.
宗教里的基督教体系是对常识的一个侮辱。
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plaintiff">plaintiff">plaintiff">plaintiff
英汉解释
n. 原告
同义词
n.complainant
反义词
n.defendant,suspect
参考例句
1. Plaintiff is an antonym of defendant.
原告是被告的反义字。
2. The aim of damages is to compensate theplaintiff">plaintiff">plaintiff">plaintiff.
损害赔偿的目的在于赔偿原告的损失。
3. The master ordered that theplaintiff">plaintiff">plaintiff">plaintiffshall deposit $2, 000 as security for the defendant's cost.
法院书记官命令原告必须存放2,000美元保证金作为被告费用的担保。