VOA 2011-2-12

From Washington, this is VOA news.
Demonstrations continue in Cairo in the face of President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to step down. Pakistani police accuse an American diplomat for murder. I’m David Forest reporting from Washington.

Hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators have spread out across Cairo and other Egyptian cities after President Hosni Mubarak refused their command to resign immediately. There are reports of crowd massing after Friday prayers in several Cairo enclaves and in big cities surround Egypt. Demonstrators are surrounding some government buildings. The military is deployed as tens of thousands of protestors packed in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The more on the story go to our website, voanews.com.

European government, meanwhile, react with a max of concern and impatience to President Mubarak’s refusal to step down. Lisa Bryant reports.

The European have been stepping up their calls in recent days for a power change in Egypt, those called were reiterated following the Egyptian leaders televised declaration Thursday that he would not resign right away. In his own televised remarks after Mubarak’s speech French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was inevitable that the Egyptian President would leave office. Britain Foreign Secretary William Hague called for an urgent but orderly transition of power while Germans Foreign Minister said Mr. Mubarak’s speech left International Communities more worried than before. Lisa Brayant for VOA news, Paris.

Pakistan Military Officials say suspected militant attacks have blown up railway tracks at four locations in Southern Sindh province, suspending train services and wounding at least 2 people.

Pakistani police rejecting a detained U.S. diplomat claim that he acted self-defense when he shot and killed two men last month in Lahore. Ayaz Gul reports.

Lahore Police Chief Aslam said Friday an investigation revealed Raymond Davis committed what the chief called cold-blooded murder, “Therefore, his self-defense plea was considered and that has been rejected”, Speaking to VOA on the latest development in the case. U.S. Embassy’s spokesperson Courtney Beale reiterated Washington’s stance on the issue. “Eyewitness accounts report that the American acted in self-defense”. The United States insists its diplomat killed the Pakistani because they were trying to rob him at gunpoint. Ayaz Gul for VOA news, Islamabad.

Russia and Japan are reaffirming their claims to the Kuriles islands despite talks in Moscow aimed at easing tension over the dispute. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Japan’s position radical, setting a Japanese government sponsored rally in Tokyo on Monday. He spoke after talks with his Japanese counter-party Seiji Maehara who called the island an indigenous part of Japan.

A Philippine official says the government and communist rebels will declare a 7-day ceasefire when peace talks resume in Oslo, Norway next week. Chief Government Negotiator Alexandra Padilla said today that the talks would be the start of a series of discussions on economy and political reforms to end one of the Americans longest running or should say one of Asian longest running insurgencies.

A chilling portrait of Afghan woman whose ears and nose were sliced off by her husband as punishment for leaving him has won top World Press Photo prize, photographer Judy Bibber won the prize Friday for her portrait taken for Times magazines. Meanwhile, a prominent U.S. paper reports Afghanistan is considering new rules that would require women seek permission from a government panel to live in a shelter. The New York Times reports under the proposed rules if a panel denies woman permission for refuge in a shelter, the panel wound then determine whether the woman should be sent to jail or back home, where the news paper says she would be at risk of a beating or even death.

Authorities say several armed pirates attacked a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Guinea. It was an apparent robbery attempt on Thursday. International Agencies say the ship’s crew managed it to escape.

Moody’s Investor Services has cut the bond rating on of six Irish banks, bid out of concern a change in the government this month might reduce or eliminate the support they are getting.

The Obama Administration is proposing a major reform the way U.S. housing market works. Those were aimed at mostly reducing a large role now played by the U.S. government.

On Wall Street, the U.S. stock indexes are down at this hour.

I’m David Forest, more news on the Internet at voanews.com.


知识：
法国总统：尼古拉•萨科齐Nicolas Sarkozy
菲律宾共和国：PILIPINAS
菲律宾的，菲律宾人的：Philippine ['filipiːn]
爱尔兰人：Irish
债券评级：bond /bɒnd/ rating债券；公债 | 纽带；联系；关系；契合
单词：
reiterate /ri'ɪtəreɪt/ n 反复地说；重申
inevitable /ɪn'evɪtəbl/ adj 不可避免的；不能防止的；必然发生的事；不可避免的事
reveal [ri'viːl] v 揭示,揭露;暴露;泄露
plea /pliː/ n（被告或被告律师的）抗辩，答辩，辩护；（法庭中的）理由，借口，辩解
stance /stæns/ n（公开表明的）观点，态度，立场~ (on sth)
gunpoint /'ɡʌnpɔɪnt/ n at gunpoint 用枪威胁；在枪口威胁下
reaffirm ['riːə'fəːm] v 再断言;再肯定;重申
radical /'rædɪkl/ adj  激进的；极端的
indigenous /ɪn'dɪdʒənəs/ adj 本地的；当地的；土生土长的
chilling /'tʃɪlɪŋ/ adj （常与残暴有关）令人恐惧的，令人害怕的
portrait /'pɔːtreɪt/ n 肖像；半身画像；半身照
prominent /'prɒmɪnənt/ adj 重要的；著名的；杰出的 | 显眼的；显著的；突出的
Irish /'aɪrɪʃ/ n 爱尔兰人
refuge /'refjuːdʒ/ n 庇护；避难  收容所；避难所