Politics this week (2020.05.02) Part.02

Dozens of people were killed when a fuel lorry rigged with explosives was detonated in the Syrian city of Afrin, which is controlled by Turkish forces and their local allies. Turkey’s defence minister blamed a Kurdish militia, the YPG, which was pushed out of the city two years ago.

• lorry
  • (BrE) (NAmE truck) 卡车；货运汽车
• rig
  • （秘密地）安装，装配
• detonate
  • （使）爆炸；引爆；起爆
  • [SYN] explode
• Syrian
  • 叙利亚🇸🇾
• Kurdish
  • 库尔德人
• militia
  • 民兵组织；国民卫队

Southern separatists in Yemen broke a peace deal with the internationally recognised government and claimed control of the port city of Aden. The separatists are backed by the United Arab Emirates; the government, by Saudi Arabia. All four are ostensibly on the same side in the war against the Houthi rebels, who control the north.

• separatist
  • 分离主义者；独立主义者
• the United Arab Emirates
  • 阿拉伯联合酋长国🇦🇪，是由阿布扎比、沙迦、迪拜、阿治曼、富查伊拉、乌姆盖万、哈伊马角七个酋长国组成的联邦制君主国。
• ostensibly
  • apparently; seemingly 表面上

Khalifa Haftar, the warlord battling the government in Libya, declared military rule in the east. General Haftar hopes to become Libya’s strongman, but he is on the back foot after recent losses in the west.

• warlord
  • 军阀
• rule
  • 统治，管理，支配
    • under Communist/civilian/military, etc. rule 在共产党、文官、军人等统治之下
• strongman
  • a leader who uses threats or violence to rule a country 铁腕人物，独裁者
• on the back foot
  • at a disadvantage; outmanoeuvred or outclassed by an opponent 处于不利境地

Saudi Arabia said it would no longer execute people who committed crimes when they were children. It also banned flogging as a punishment. But the beheadings continue: 184 people were put to death last year, a record for the kingdom.

• execute
  • （尤指依法）处决，处死
• commit
  • 做出（错事）；犯（罪）
• flogging
  • （作为惩罚的）鞭笞，棒打
• beheading
  • 斩首（尤指刑罚）

The IMF agreed to provide $3.4bn in emergency funding to Nigeria, its biggest disbursement related to covid-19 so far. Nigeria faces a shortage of foreign currency after a collapse in the oil price.

• disbursement
  • Disbursement is the paying out of a sum of money, especially from a fund. （从专项基金中拨出的）支付款

The scheduled launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area on July 1st was postponed indefinitely because of the outbreak of covid-19. The agreement is intended to create the world’s largest free-trade zone, with 55 members.

• African Continental Free Trade Area
  • 非洲自贸区

At least 43 people were killed in fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These include 12 rangers killed by rebels in the Virunga National Park.

• ranger
  • a person whose job is to take care of a park, a forest or an area of countryside 园林管理员；护林人
• Virunga National Park
  • 维龙加国家公园

America’s top brass were reportedly at odds about whether to re-instate Brett Crozier as captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft-carrier. Captain Crozier was fired for going outside official channels to ask for help amid an outbreak of covid-19 on his ship. The navy wants to give him his command back, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff is pushing for a full inquiry.

• brass
  • （公司、机构等的）最高负责人，要员
• at odds (with sb) (over/on sth)
  • （就某事）（与某人）有分歧
• re-instate
  • 使恢复原职；使重返岗位
• command
  • 控制，指挥
• Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • 参谋长联席会议，是美国军队陆海空各军种指挥官组成的机构。
• push for
  • 反复要求，施压争取……