VOA常速英语: news from the Voice of America

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It's 10:00 Universal Time. This is news from the voice of America.

From the VOA News Center in Washington, I'm Bill Hazard, VOA News.

Pakistani authorities say suicide bombers are to blame for two separate blasts that killed 24 people and wounded 66 in the city of Rawalpindi today. In the first attack, officials say the bomb ripped through a bus carrying government defense workers, killing at least 15 of them. Police say a second bomb exploded minutes later in a nearby commercial district, killing several more people. Rawalpindi is a garrison town outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and is the headquarters for Pakistan's army. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for either bombing.

The top US envoy on North Korea is dismissing Pyongyang's claim that Washington plans to remove it from a list of states that sponsor terrorism. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters in Sydney Australia today that North Korea must further dismantle its nuclear program before it can be taken off the black list.
President Bush is traveling to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Australia where protestors are expected to stage an anti-Iraq war demonstration. Mr. Bush is due to arrive in Sydney late today after stopping in Iraq on Monday. He is one of the 21 leaders scheduled to gather for talks on world trade, regional economic cooperation and climate change during the weeklong APEC summit.

Meteorologists say that Hurricane Felix is strengthening as it approaches the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras. The US National Hurricane Center says the storm is extremely dangerous and is just about to make a landfall. The center of hurricane is expected to hit northeastern Nicaragua near the border of Honduras. Thousands of people have evacuated the country's coastal areas to try to escape the wrath of the powerful storm which has winds of about 250 kilometers per hour. And Honduras plans to make special flights to carry residents of smaller islands to the mainland. People of border up their windows stop file food and water. However, many people have been unable to leave their homes because of transportation shortages. Hurricane warnings are in effect between the Honduran city of Limon and the Nicaraguan city of Puerto Cabezas. People are also being warned to take care elsewhere along the country's coasts.

During a surprise visit to Iraq Monday, President Bush said if current trends continue, it will be possible to begin withdrawing US troops. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the meeting site at al-Asad Air Base in western al-Anbar Province.

President Bush said he was pleased with what he heard from Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus during his five-hour visit to this province, which has gone from being the most violent and anti-government part of Iraq to one of the country's main security success stories. "General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker tell me if the kind of success we are now seeing continues, it would be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces." The president said the Iraqi leaders at all levels have to use the improved security situation to deliver better lives to the Iraqi people. He also pledged not to abandon Iraq in spite of calls from some members of Congress for a US troop withdrawal to begin this year. The president urged the Congress to hold its debate until it hears directly from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker next week. And he said policy decisions will be based on the recommendations of his field commanders, not on what he called nervous reactions from politicians or public opinion polls. Al Pessin, VOA News, at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.

Israeli Supreme Court has ordered the government to reroute a section of the West Bank separation barrier Israel is building. The court today ruled planners must change the route of the barrier near the Palestinian village of Bilin so it causes less harm to the area's residents. Palestinian villagers and their supporters have argued the current route of the barrier which runs through their village kept them from the fields and orchards. They protested at the construction site every Friday for more than two years.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon continues his visit to Sudan today to push a peace adenda to the country's troubled Darfur region. Mr. Ban's special envoy for Darfur told VOA the visit comes at a crucial moment as an escalation of violence in Darfur during the past few weeks has killed hundreds of people.

From the VOA News Center, I'm Billl Hazard, VOA News.

Vocabulary

rip: v. tear or be torn violently 拉开,划开,裂开
garrison: a fortified military post where troops are stationed 要塞
meteorologist: n. a specialist who studies processes in the earth's atmosphere that cause weather conditions 气象学家
wrath: n. intense anger (usually on an epic scale) 愤怒,激怒,猛烈的力量
reroute: v. 变更旅程, 改变路径