新闻万花筒：BBC视角之意大利搁浅邮轮船长被判过失杀人罪

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BBC News with Sue Montgomery.

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia which ran aground off the Italian coast three years ago, has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Thirty two passengers and crew died when the ship hit rocks off the Italian island of Giglio. Allan Johnston reports from outside the court.

Francesco Schettino attended to take his huge ship very very close to the island of Giglio. He was on the bridge and in command when she ran a reef and sank on that winter's night. Thirty two people drowned. Now Schettino has been convicted of their manslaughter and of abandoning ship, saving himself while many of his passengers were still in danger during a chaotic evacuation. Schettino had denied the charges. He's always argued that others should share the blame for what happened.

President Obama has asked the US Congress to authorise a three-year military campaign against Islamic State militants. The plan could include limited ground operations by American forces. The president says he already has the statutory authority to attack IS, but he wants the clear backing from Congress. Mr Obama said he was not requesting the deployment of US ground forces to Iraq or Syria.

"It is not the authorisation of another ground war like Afghanistan or Iraq. As I said before I'm convinced the United States should not get dragged back into another prolonged ground war in the Middle East. It's not in our national security interest, and it's not necessary for us to defeat Isil."

The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France have begun talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to try to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine. President Poroshenko and President Putin briefly shook hands at the start of the meeting. Mr Poroshenko has warned that achieving a ceasefire is essential to prevent the situation getting out of control. Lyse Doucet is at the talks in Minsk.

There is still a huge and very dangerous gap between all the sides, most of all between the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who represent two very different sides in this escalating war. Petro Poroshenko wants to regain the territorial integrity. He is talking about greater autonomy, but the rebels want to control the areas. They are talking about federalism not decentralisation.

Thousands of people are taking part in rallies in Greece in support of the new government's anti-austerity policies. The demonstrations were timed to coincide with the meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels to discuss changes to the international bailout, which Greece says is unsustainable. Before the meeting, the head of the IMF Christine Lagarde praised Greek officials.

World News from the BBC

The army in Niger says it spoiled an attack by a female suicide bomber in the town of Diffa. An army spokesman said a military vehicle followed a veiled woman who'd been asking for the whereabouts of soldiers. He said when she failed to give herself up they shot her dead, and then found a belt of explosives on her. The violence on Nigeria's borders with Niger and Cameroon has intensified as regional armies mobilise to fight Boko Haram militants.

American diplomats have flown out of Yemen after the closure of their embassy as rival demonstrators took to the streets of capital Sanaa. The State Department confirmed that the diplomats' vehicles had been seized apparently by Houthi rebels. The Houthi advance into Sanaa led to the resignation last month of President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, a US ally.

Ivory Coast's government is to reward its football team with millions of dollars in prizes for winning the Africa Cup of Nations. The team beat Ghana in the final in Equatorial Guinea. Here is Richard Hamilton.

President Alassane Ouattara is giving each member of the 23-man squad a house worth about $50,000 and the same amount in cash. There will also be six-figure rewards for the football federation and technical staff. In total the government is spending more than $3m on its celebrations, which included Monday's National Holiday. Some might question the wisdom of this expenditure in a country that had been ravished by civil conflict, but there is undoubtedly a feel-good factor in Ivory Coast.

The European Space Agency says its prototype miniature space plane has splashed down successfully in the Pacific Ocean in an experiment to help scientists develop reusable spacecraft. The plane reached an altitude of about 400km before descending rapidly. The flight will allow scientists to analyse the strains of returning through the atmosphere at great speed.

BBC News

词汇解析

command

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.命令；指挥；掌握；[计算机] DOS命令 : 引用辅助命令处理器

v.命令；指挥；掌握；博得

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

He growled a command to her to stop.

他咆哮着命令她停下来。

用作动词 (v.)

The general commanded his men to attack the city.

将军下令部下攻城。

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substance

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.实质；物质；财产；内容；重要性

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

Later he became a man of substance.

后来，他成为颇具资产的人。

This argument has some substance.

这项争论具有一定的重要性。

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saving

英汉解释

n. 节约； 挽救

（复数)savings:储蓄金； 存款

prep. 除 ... 之外

conj. 除了； 除去

save的现在分词

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

A saving of 30% is obtainable under this scheme.

按这一计划做可以获得百分之三十的节约率。

用作介词 (prep.)

It was debated whether saving grace could be obtained outside the membership of the church.

人们在争论除了加入教会之外还有没有其它好处。

用作连词 (conj.)

Apart from saving you time, it also brings in a world of information and knowledge and acquaints you with the latest happenings in your fields of interest.

除了能够为你节省时间，它也能将你带入到一个信息和知识的世界，它能让你接触到你所感兴趣领域里最新的信息。

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finance

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.金融；财政；资金

vt.给 ... 提供资金；负担经费

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the minister in charge of finance in Britain.

英国财政大臣是负责财政的大臣。

用作及物动词 (vt.)

The repairs to the school will be financed by the educational department.

学校的修缮将由教育部门出资。

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limited

难度：5星基本词汇，属常用1000词

英汉解释

adj.有限的；被限制的

动词limit的过去式和过去分词形式.

参考例句

用作形容词 (adj.)

We had only limited communion with the natives.

我们与本地人的交往有限。

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rival

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.竞争者；对手；同伴

adj.竞争的

v.竞争；与 ... 相匹敌

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

He is hound out of his job by jealous rival.

他受到忌妒他的竞争者的算计而被迫离职。

用作形容词 (adj.)

He was utterly unscrupulous in his competition with rival firms.

他与对立公司竞争完全不讲道德。

用作动词 (v.)

Ships can't rival aircraft for speed.

轮船在速度方面无法与飞机匹敌。

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political

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

adj.政治的；政治上的；政党的；人事的；争权夺利的

参考例句

用作形容词 (adj.)

The British political system has evolved over several centuries.

英国的政治制度是经过几个世纪逐步发展而成的。

Everything in our company is so political that you never know who you can trust.

我们公司的所有事情都是争权夺利的,以至于你都知道你能相信谁。

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