Politics this week (2020.05.23) Part.02

Marco Rubio took over as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, when Richard Burr stepped down amid an FBI inquiry into claims he benefited from a briefing about the emerging covid-19 threat in mid-February by selling stock.

• Senate Intelligence Committee
  • 参议院情报委员会
• step down
  • 退位
• briefing
  • a meeting in which people are given instructions or information 传达指示会；情况介绍会
  • the detailed instructions or information that are given at such a meeting 详细指示；详情介绍
• emerging
  • （从暗处）出现的；显露的

Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron put forward a joint plan for a €500bn ($546bn) fund to help countries in the European Union recover from the pandemic. The money is to be provided as grants, not loans, and will be borrowed by the EU as a whole from markets. The “frugal four” (Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden) are unhappy with the proposal, which requires unanimous agreement.

• joint
  • 联合的，共同的
• grant
  • （政府、机构的）拨款
    • student grants 学生助学金
• as a whole
  • considered altogether; completely 作为一个整体；总体上
• frugal
  • 节俭的，节约的
• Austria
  • 奥地利🇦🇹
• the Netherlands
  • 荷兰🇳🇱
• Sweden
  • 瑞典🇸🇪
• unanimous
  • （决定或意见）一致的，一致同意的

Italy greatly eased its lockdown, allowing most shops, restaurants and even hairdressers to reopen, though with strict controls. To many people’s surprise, the government said it hopes to allow flights to and from the country to resume soon. Greece and Portugal also indicated they would reopen to tourists.

• Portugal
  • 葡萄牙🇵🇹

After a year of political deadlock Israel swore in a new government. Binyamin Netanyahu will continue to serve as prime minister for 18 months. His former rival, Benny Gantz, will be his deputy, before taking over the top job. As part of the coalition deal the government can seek approval for annexing parts of the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, responded by threatening to pull out of agreements and security arrangements with Israel.

• deadlock
  • 僵局，僵持
• swear sb ↔ in
  • 使某人宣誓就职；使某人宣誓忠于某组织（或国家等）
• coalition
  • （两党或多党）联合政府
• annex
  • 强占，并吞（国家、地区等）
• West Bank
  • 约旦河西岸
• Palestinian
  • 巴勒斯坦的

Forces aligned with the internationally recognised government in Libya captured an important air base from the forces of Khalifa Haftar, a rebellious general. General Haftar’s men then pulled out of parts of Tripoli, the capital, which they have tried to seize.

• aligned with
  • 与……结盟的
  • align
    • 使一致
• rebellious
  • 叛乱的，造反的
• pull out of
  • （军队）撤出；退出，脱离
• seize
  • （常指通过暴力突然）夺取，攻占，控制

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed 55 people in raids on a religious sect that had urged its followers, mostly ethnic Kongo, to drive members of other ethnicities from their homes.

• raid
  • 突然袭击
• sect
  • a small group of people who belong to a particular religion but who have some beliefs or practices which separate them from the rest of the group 宗派，派别
• ethnic
  • 民族的，种族的
• ethnicity
  • the fact of belonging to a particular race 种族渊源