week3-巴黎恐攻(期末)

French arrest two suspected of selling guns to Paris attacker

The Paris prosecutor's office says two people have been arrested on suspicion of helping provide guns to the man who attacked a kosher supermarket in January.

The man and woman were arrested Tuesday in Lille, northern France, nearly a year after the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and kosher store left 17 people dead, the prosecutor's office said. The store attacker, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four people inside the market, and separately a policewoman, before dying in a shootout with police.

Coulibaly said he was acting on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The prosecutor's office confirmed that one of those arrested is Claude Hermant, an acknowledged mercenary, while the other is his partner.

CBS Radio News correspondent Elaine Cobbe reports that Hermant was already in custody on arms trafficking charges, and has reportedly been well-known for several years as a supplier of repurposed weapons.

French media were reporting that five of the guns used by Coulibaly in the supermarket siege were purchased from Hermant, but it remained unclear he was aware of their intended purpose the sales were apparently handled via intermediaries.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/france-claude-hermant-guns-paris-kosher-supermarket-amedy-coulibaly/

Structure of the lead:

  Who- two suspects

  When- Tuesday

  What- arrest two suspected of selling guns to Paris attacker

  Why- not given

  Where- Paris

  How- not given

Keywords:

1. prosecutor 起訴人
2. mercenary 雇傭兵
3. custody 保管
4. trafficking charges 販賣費
5. siege 圍城  

Week2-天津爆炸(期末)

Tianjin port city in China shaken by massive explosions

Huge explosions at a warehouse for dangerous materials in the northeastern Chinese port of Tianjin killed at least 17 people, injured hundreds and sent massive fireballs into the night sky, officials and witnesses said Thursday.

China's state broadcaster, CCTV, said that at least 17 people were killed and that 32 were in critical condition in hospital. Hundreds of others were taken to hospital. The explosions late Wednesday knocked off doors of buildings in the area and shattered windows up to several miles away.

"I thought it was an earthquake, so I rushed downstairs without my shoes on," Tianjin resident Zhang Siyu, whose home is several kilometers from the blast site, said in a telephone interview. "Only once I was outside did I realize it was an explosion. There was the huge fireball in the sky with thick clouds. Everybody could see it."

Zhang said she could see wounded people weeping. She said she did not see anyone who had been killed, but "I could feel death."

Police in Tianjin said an initial blast took place at shipping containers in a warehouse for hazardous materials owned by Ruihai Logistics, a company that says it's properly approved to handle hazardous materials. State media said senior management of the company had been detained by authorities.

It's part of an industrial park, with some apartment buildings in the vicinity.

The official Xinhua News agency said an initial explosion triggered other blasts at nearby businesses. The National Earthquake Bureau reported two major blasts before midnight, the first with an equivalent of 3 tons of TNT, and the second with the equivalent of 21 tons.

In one neighborhood about six to 12 miles from the blast site, some residents were sleeping on the street wearing gas masks, although there was no perceptible problem with the air apart from massive clouds of smoke seen in the distance.

"It was like what we were told a nuclear bomb would be like," said truck driver Zhao Zhencheng, who spent the night in the cab of his truck. "I've never even thought I'd see such a thing. It was terrifying but also beautiful."

At the nearby Taida Hospital as dawn broke, military medical tents were set up. Photos circulating online showed patients in bandages and with cuts.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tianjin-port-china-massive-explosion-hundreds-injured/

Structure of the lead:

  Who- not given

  When- not given

  What- huge explosion

  Why- not given

  Where- Tianjin

  How- not given

Keywords:

1.  broadcaster 廣播員
2.  weep 哭泣
3.  blast 爆破
4.  vicinity 附近
5.  perceptible 感知

Week1-美醫師殺獅王(期末)

Walter Palmer, US dentist who killed Cecil the lion, returns to work

The American big game hunter who killed Cecil the lion returned to work at his dental practice in suburban Minneapolis on Tuesday as the possibility of him being extradited to Zimbabwe appeared to be fading.

Walter Palmer, 55, remained silent as he arrived at his office where a small group of protesters shouted "murderer" and "extradite Palmer".

Several messages were taped to the door of the building, including "Justice for Cecil". Police blocked off traffic and a security guard took Mr. Palmer inside.

In late July the Telegraph revealed that Mr Palmer was the hunter responsible for killing Cecil, the most famous animal in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, with a bow and arrow.

The lion was part of a study being carried out by Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and had been fitted with a tracking collar.

Following an international outcry Mr. Palmer had remained out of public view ever since.

On Monday he announced, in an interview with his local newspaper, that he was determined to return to work because he was a "health professional" and his patients and staff needed him.

As he arrived at work, protester Cathy Pierce, 63, said she was there to "fight for animals that can't fight for themselves". She added: "We want him to know that we're not going to forget."

But Stephanie Michaelis, who lives opposite the dental practice, was supportive of Dr Palmer. She said: "What do we have to do with lions in Africa? They don't affect our lives."

Police in Minneapolis said they did not believe there was a safety risk to Mr Palmer, but they have set up a security camera in the car park next to his practice.

Others involved in the hunt that led to the death of Cecil have been charged, or are awaiting charges, in Zimbabwe.

In July senior officials there said they would be requesting Mr. Palmer's extradition as a "foreign poacher".

However, the country's pursuit of the dentist has cooled off amid fears it could hamper the lucrative, legal hunting industry.

Police spokesman Charity Charamba said they have not yet made any moves to apply for Mr. Palmer's extradition.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11851169/Walter-Palmer-returns-to-work.html

Structure of the lead:

  Who- Walter Palmer,US dentist

  When- on Tuesday

  What- US dentist killed a lion named Cecil and returned to work 

  Why- he was a health professional and his patients and staff needed him

  Where- in Minneapoils

  How- not given

Keywords:

1. suburban 郊區
2. extradited 引渡
3. block off 阻擋
4. outcry 喊叫
5. set up 設立
6. poacher 盜獵者
7. hamper 阻礙
8. lucrative 賺錢

Week3-美同性婚姻合法

Same-Sex Marriage Rights Advance in the US 

 This week the Supreme Court acted in one of America’s most debated issues by doing almost nothing. The justices decided not to examine lower court rulings that permit same-sex marriage in the states of Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Utah.

Reaction in Virginia

In the U.S. state of Virginia, Attorney General Mark Herring commented shortly after the Supreme Court announced its decision Monday. Mr. Herring tweeted that marriage equality is in effect in the state. The announcement led those who had been waiting for the chance to take action. Some went immediately to their courthouse to request marriage licenses.

The 4th Circuit says their mandate will issue at 1 PM & marriages can then begin. What a momentous & joyous day for thousands of Virginians.

Matthew Tosiello is a 38-year-old teacher at an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. He proposed marriage to his same-sex partner on Monday night. His partner accepted. Later, Mr. Tosiello posted a photo of the proposal, written on paper, to his friends on Facebook.

He has had over 200 likes and nothing but happy reactions from his friends and family.

"Personally I'm just happy to be able to have the right to do it, and I look forward to doing so. [Two years ago] I had emergency surgery for an appendix that was about to burst. We spent a lot of money to do medical powers of attorney and things like that. We're not going to have to have that conversation [in the future]. It's definitely going to have a big impact on our lives, but it's those, you know, very important yet mundane details. Happy as I am, I -- in some ways I really wish the Supreme Court would have made a very definitive statement by settling this issue once and for all."

Possible future Supreme Court ruling

A White House spokesman on Monday said most Americans believe same sex couples deserve fair treatment under the law. The spokesman made the comment after the Supreme Court ruled, but he did not note the decision. The spokesman said U.S. President Barack Obama believes it should be legal for same sex couples to marry.

Indeed, many legal experts expect the Supreme Court to rule one day on whether gay people should have the right to marry in all U.S. states. However, officials in some states say the Constitution does not give the federal government the power to decide how states define marriage. The officials say no legal tradition supports a right to gay marriage.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/gay-marriage-supreme-court/2477430.html

Structure of the Lead：

   Who-homosexual

   When- Monday

   What-same-sex marriage rights

   Why- not given

   Where-in the U.S. state of Virginia

   How-not given

Keywords:

1. examine 審查  

2. Supreme Court 最高法院     

3. courthouse 法院     

4. mandate 任務     

5. appendix 盲腸        

6. attorney 律師     

7. mundane 平凡       

8.federal 聯邦的       

      

Week2-尼泊爾地震

Nepal rocked by 7.3-magnitude earthquake near Mount Everest

Nepal has been hit by another strong earthquake, causing widespread panic and casualties just over two weeks after a devastating one killed more than 8,000 people, injured 18,000 and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3 and struck 42 miles (68km) west of the town of Namche Bazaar, close to Mount Everest. It was followed closely by at least six strong aftershocks. Shockwaves were felt as far away as the Indian capital, Delhi, and Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

The full extent of casualties is unknown, with reports of collapsed buildings and some deaths coming in from remote areas close to the epicenter.

At least four people were killed in the town of Chautara in Sindhupalchok district, north of Kathmandu, after several buildings collapsed and more than a dozen were injured in landslides. Sindhupalchok suffered the heaviest death toll in last month’s quake.

Two deaths have been reported in Bhimeswhar, in Dolakha district. There are also concerns over a large glacial lake called Tso Rolpa in Dolakha that is held back by a fragile natural dam. The Nepalese home ministry described a disaster in both Dolakha and Sindhupalchok. At least one four-storey building in Kathmandu has collapsed.

As of 11 am GMT, the home ministry said that across the country at least 19 people had been killed and 981 injured.

Five people were killed in Indian states bordering Nepal – one in Uttar Pradesh and four in Bihar, officials said. Chinese media reported one person died in Tibet after rocks fell on a car.

At least half a million Nepalese are already without homes and living in makeshift camps or among the ruins of their houses.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/nepal-hit-by-second-huge-earthquake

Structure of the Lead：

   Who-Nepalese 

   When-not given

   What-7.3-magnitude earthquake

   Why-not given

   Where-Nepal
   How-many people were killed and the buildings were destroyed

Keywords:

1.        casualty: 傷亡

2.       devastating: 破壞性的

3.       magnitude: 大小

4.       aftershock: 餘震

5.        shockwave: 衝擊波

6.       epicenter: 震央

7.        toll: 費用

8.       fragile: 脆弱

9.       makeshift: 湊合的

         

Week1-地中海船難

700 migrants feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck

A major rescue operation is under way in the Mediterranean after as many as 700 migrants are feared to have drowned just outside Libyan waters, in what could prove to be the worst disaster yet involving migrants being smuggled to Europe.

Italian coastguards have retrieved 28 survivors so far and about 20 bodies, according to the interior ministry, after the boat went down overnight about 60 miles (96km) off the Libyan coast and 120 miles (193km) south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, told the Guardian that up to 700 may remain in the water, according to numbers supplied by a survivor. The accident happened after the migrants saw a merchant ship in the distance and scrambled to attract its attention, over-balancing the fishing boat in which they were travelling.

Barbara Molinario, a spokeswoman for UNHCR in Rome, said: “They wanted to be rescued. They saw another ship. They were trying to make themselves known to it.”

If confirmed, Sunday morning’s accident means that at least 1,500 migrants have died so far in 2015 while on route to Europe – at least 30 times higher than last year’s equivalent figure, which was itself a record. It comes just days after 400 others drowned last week in a similar incident.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/19/700-migrants-feared-dead-mediterranean-shipwreck-worst-yet

Structure of the Lead：

   Who-Libyan migrants

   When- April 04, 2015

   What-shipwreck

   Why- after the migrants saw a merchant ship in the distance and scrambled to attract its attention, over-balancing the fishing boat in which they were travelling

   Where-Mediterranean

   How-not given

Keywords:

1.        migrants: 移民

2.       Mediterranean: 地中海

3.       shipwreck: 船難

4.       drowned: 淹死的

5.        smuggled: 走私

6.       retrieve: 取回

7.        refugee: 難民

8.       merchant: 商人

9.       UNHCR: 聯合國難民署