Weekly 7 'Terrorist' murdered soldier 'in cold blood,' Canada's Prime Minister says

The two shootings in Ottawa Wednesday left lawmakers barricaded inside offices and parts of the city on lockdown for hours as police searched for suspects.

Ottawa Police lifted the lockdown Wednesday night and said there was no longer a danger to the public.

But many questions remain about the shootings: Who was the gunman? Why did he open fire? And was he acting alone?

liament

"It appears there was just one shooter, and that shooter is dead," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "But it has been a traumatic experience, obviously, for not only our city but the country."

Investigators haven't provided any possible motives for the shooting. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn't provide details about the investigation in a televised address to the nation Wednesday night.

"In the days to come, we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had, but this week's events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere in the world," Harper said. "Let there be no misunderstanding: We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated."

It is unclear whether additional suspects were tied to the shootings or whether additional arrests have been made. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more information would be provided in a press conference Thursday.

As authorities continued to investigate, details began to emerge about the man they suspect was behind the shooting.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was identified by Canadian officials to their American counterparts as the suspected gunman, multiple U.S. officials told CNN.

Bibeau, who was born in 1982, was a convert to Islam and had a history of drug use before he converted, two sources said.

His passport had been confiscated by Canadian authorities when they learned he planned to go fight overseas, a U.S. law enforcement official told CNN's Susan Candiotti. The official said it was not clear when that happened.

barricaded路障，街壘

accomplices共犯，同謀，幫兇

grim無情的；嚴厲的；殘忍的

immune免除的；免於……的

intimidated威嚇；脅迫

WHO: Ottawa Mayor AND The Royal Canadian Mounted Police

WHERE: Canadian Parliament

HOW: They investigated the result of the event

WHAT: It was not clear to be explained in this report.

WHEN: Wednesday night

WHY: Terrorist murdered soldier in cold blood

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/22/world/americas/canada-ottawa-shooting/

Weekly6 Syria Iraq: The Islamic State militant group

Under its former name Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), it was formed in April 2013, growing out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

It has since been disavowed by al-Qaeda, but has become one of the main jihadist groups fighting government forces in Syria and Iraq.

Its precise size is unclear but it is thought to include thousands of fighters, including many foreign jihadists.

The organisation is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Little is known about him, but it is believed he was born in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971 and joined the insurgency that erupted in Iraq soon after the 2003 US-led invasion.

This rare image of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was released by the Iraqi interior ministry

In 2010 he emerged as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that later became Isis.

Baghdadi is regarded as a battlefield commander and tactician, which analysts say makes his group more attractive to young jihadists than al-Qaeda, which is led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Islamic theologian.

Prof Peter Neumann of King's College London estimates that about 80% of Western fighters in Syria have joined the group.

IS claims to have fighters from the UK, France, Germany and other European countries, as well as the US, the Arab world and the Caucasus.

Unlike other rebel groups in Syria, IS is seen to be working towards an Islamic emirate that straddles Syria and Iraq.

The group has seen considerable military success. In March 2013, it took over the Syrian city of Raqqa - the first provincial capital to fall under rebel control.

In January 2014, it capitalised on growing tension between Iraq's Sunni minority and Shia-led government by taking control of the predominantly Sunni city of Fallujah, in the western province of Anbar.

It also seized large sections of the provincial capital, Ramadi, and has a presence in a number of towns near the Turkish and Syrian borders.

The group has gained a reputation for brutal rule in the areas that it controls.

However, it was its conquest of Mosul in June that sent shockwaves around the world.

Iraqi security forces fled as IS advanced into the city of Mosul

The US said the fall of Iraq's second city posed a threat to the entire region. It may also have made ISIS the most cash-rich militant group in the world.

Initially, the group relied on donations from wealthy individuals in Gulf Arab states, particularly Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who supported its fight against President Bashar al-Assad.

Today, IS is said to earn significant amounts from the oil fields it controls in eastern Syria, reportedly selling some of the supply back to the Syrian government. It is also believed to have been selling looted antiquities from historical sites.

Prof Neumann believes that before the capture of Mosul in June 2014, IS had cash and assets worth about $900m (£500m). Afterwards, this rose to around $2bn (£1.18bn).

The group reportedly took hundreds of millions of dollars from Mosul's branch of Iraq's central bank. And its financial windfall looked set to continue if it maintains control of oil fields in northern Iraq.

disavowed否認

insurgency暴動

invasion入侵，侵略

battlefield戰場，戰地

theologian神學家，神學研究者

emirate埃米爾的職位

straddles對……持觀望態度

predominantly佔主導地位地

presence 出席，在場；存在

looted（總稱）戰利品；掠奪物；贓物

assets財產，資產

WHY: ISIS wants to get the administration of Iraq to possess the oil fields of it.

HOW: brutal military invasion

WHERE: Syria and Iraq.

WHAT: , the group relied on donations from wealthy individuals in Gulf Arab states, particularly Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who supported its fight against President Bashar al-Assad.

WHO: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

WHEN: January 2014

source:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084

Weekly5 Boko Haram Seizes Nigerian Town where Schoolgirls Were Abducted

ABUJA, NIGERIA—

The Nigerian army says it has pushed Boko Haram militants out of the northeastern town of Chibok, the home of more than 200 schoolgirls the group kidnapped earlier this year.

Army officials say the military had recaptured the town, in an operation late Saturday, just two days after it was seized by Boko Haram.

Locals say the army was aided in the operation by a local vigilante force.

There was no information about casualties from Saturday's battle.

Boko Haram has taken a number of towns in the northeastern states of Borno and Adamawa this year for a "caliphate" proclaimed by the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau.

Nigerian security forces and vigilante groups have succeeded in retaking some areas, including the Adamawa town of Mubi, freed during a battle on Thursday.

Fighting has continued despite a cease-fire announced by the Nigerian government on October 17.  Shekau said in a subsequent video that no cease-fire existed and that the kidnapped schoolgirls had been converted to Islam and married off.

The kidnapping from a Chibok secondary school April 14 made headlines and drew outrage from around the world.  The Nigerian government has been unable to rescue the schoolgirls despite surveillance and intelligence help provided by the United States, Britain and other allies.

Hundreds of fighters on motorcycles and trucks poured into the town of Chibok late afternoon Friday, overrunning the military forces and vigilante groups to take control.

“The local vigilantes did put up a fight with the contingent of the military that’s in Chibok, but they were outgunned,” said Pogo Bitrus, chairman of the Chibok elders’ forum.

Who: The Nigerian army  and Boko Haram 

Why: Army officials say the military had recaptured the town, in an operation late Saturday, just two days after it was seized by Boko Haram.

What: The Nigerian army says it has pushed Boko Haram militants out of the northeastern town of Chibok, the home of more than 200 schoolgirls the group kidnapped earlier this year.

Where: chairman of the Chibok elders’ forum.

When: not given

How: “The local vigilantes did put up a fight with the contingent of the military that’s in Chibok, but they were outgunned

recapture奪回，收復

vigilante【英】治安維持會成員；自發組織的維持治安者

subsequent後來的，其後的，隨後的[B]

surveillance看守；監視

alliy同盟國；同盟者

contingent分遣隊；代表團；（大組中的）一組[G]

outgun火力壓過；武器多於；力量超過，比……有優勢

forum討論會

source: http://www.voanews.com/content/nigerias-boko-haram-seizes-chibok-home-of-kidnapped-girls/2520472.html

Weekly 3 MH17 destroyed in instant by 'number of high-energy objects', says report

MH17 destroyed in instant by 'number of high-energy objects', says report

Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was destroyed in an instant when the cockpit and other parts of the fuselage were peppered by "a large number of high-energy objects," causing the plane to break apart over easternUkraine before anyone could raise an alarm, according to a preliminary report on the disaster which was released on Tuesday.

The report by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB), does not speculate on the origin or nature of objects, noting its investigators have not been able to visit the crash site because their security could not be guaranteed in the midst of the conflict between Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatist forces.

The findings are consistent with US and Ukrainian assertions the Boeing 777, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down by an anti-aircraft missile, which they say was provided by Russia. However, some air-to-air missiles also have fragmentation warheads which spray small shrapnel when they detonate close to a target.

The DSB report rules out other possible causes for the crash, which killed all 298 people on board, saying: "There are no indications that the MH17 crash was caused by a technical fault or by actions of the crew." It found that the shrapnel came from outside the plane and hit the cockpit above the level of the floor, implying it sheared through the space occupied by the pilots. The front parts of the plane broke away first, leaving the rest of the aircraft to fly on for some distance, with parts of the rear and centre ending up miles further east than the cockpit.

The US and Ukraine have accused separatists of shooting down the plane with a surface-to-air BUK missile, which explodes near its target, peppering it with high-velocity shrapnel. Moscow has denied the charge, pointing instead at the Ukrainian air force.

Rebel leaders have by turns admitted and denied possessing a BUK system. On Monday Alexander Zakharchenko, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, told Russia's Interfax new agency: "We simply do not have the military hardware capable of shooting down a Boeing passenger jet such as the Malaysian plane."

The Dutch board was given the lead in drawing up the report because 193 of the 283 passengers and 15 crew who died came from theNetherlands. Russia, Ukraine, the US, the UK, Malaysia and Australia were all given the politically sensitive report for review.

The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said: "We have to guard against drawing premature conclusions. The case is still wide open."

WHO: The DSB report

WHEN: on Tuesday

WHAT: Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was destroyed in an instant when the cockpit and other parts of the fuselage were peppered by "a large number of high-energy objects," causing the plane to break apart over easternUkraine before anyone could raise an alarm, according to a preliminary report on the disaster which was released on Tuesday.

HOW: the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, told Russia's Interfax new agency: "We simply do not have the military hardware capable of shooting down a Boeing passenger jet such as the Malaysian plane."

WHERE: over eastern Ukraine

cockpit駕駛員座艙

fuselage機身

preliminary序言（性）的

midst中部；中間；中央；當中[U]

bring down結束; 終止

fragmentation分裂；破碎

separatist分離主義者

premature過早的

shrapnel砲彈碎片

Weekly3 Taiwan Government Agrees to Halt Construction on Nuclear Plant

Taiwan Government Agrees to Halt Construction on Nuclear Plant

 TAIPEI—Taiwan's government Sunday said it would stop construction work at the island's fourth nuclear power plant to assuage growing opposition to the use of nuclear energy on the island.

Speaking to the reporters, Fan Chiang Tai-chi, spokesman for the ruling Kuomintang, said the government and the party agreed that after the safety inspection process has been completed for reactor one, it won't go into operation, but will be sealed off. Meanwhile, all work on reactor two will be halted immediately.

"The cabinet also agreed to hold a national level meeting as soon as possible to ensure the future of energy supply," Mr. Fan Chiang said.

The announcement tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Taipei this weekend demanding the government abandon nuclear energy.

"There are too many unanswered questions about the safety of nuclear power. If a nuclear disaster can happen in an advanced country like Japan who is to say it won't happen in Taiwan?" New Taipei City resident Huang Chung-liang, 43, said. Two of the country's three existing plants are located at New Taipei City and another is under construction.

The government has agreed to hold a referendum about continuing with the plant, promising no fuel rods will be inserted before the referendum. It will shut the country's three existing nuclear plants by 2025 with the under-construction plant intended for decommission by 2050, according to the Bureau of Energy. However, it maintains nuclear power is the most efficient.

Protesters argue the requirement for more than 50% of eligible voters to cast a ballot for a referendum to be valid is too much. None of six earlier referendums in Taiwan reached that threshold.

Many demonstrators Sunday said they supported antinuclear activist Lin I-hsiung who has been on hunger strike since Tuesday.

Mr. Lin, 73, was a political dissident during martial law between 1949 and 1987 and has been jailed several times for speaking out against the government.

Antinuclear sentiment in Taiwan increased after the 2011 Fukushima, Japan, disaster.

Taiwan imports more than 95% of its energy.

WHO: Mr. Fan Chiang , Huang Chung-liang, Mr. Lin,Cabinet

WHEN: Sunday

WHY: Taiwan's government Sunday said it would stop construction work at the island's fourth nuclear power plant to assuage growing opposition to the use of nuclear energy on the island.

WHERE: Taipei

HOW: Taiwanese worry about their safety because they don’t know whether the nuclear power plant will blow up.

WHAT: The government wanted to construct the forth nuclear power plant in Taiwan

assuage緩和,減輕,鎮定

reactor 反應者

seal off封閉

cabinet內閣

rods棍子,棍棒

inserted插入,鑲補

decommission使退役

cast投

Source:http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304163604579527072873788850

2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup

This always promised to be a special FIFA World Cup™. Hosted by a nation that has come to represent the very best of football, edition number 20 of the beautiful game's greatest spectacle was never likely to be just like the others. And we were not disappointed. Brazil 2014 proved extraordinary in all sorts of ways, with packed stadiums and passionate crowds treated to thrills, upsets and a record number of goals.

It also witnessed Germany reclaim in style a Trophy they had won three times before and, in the process, become the first European team to triumph in the Americas. Joachim Low's side were worthy and impressive winners, although for the third World Cup in succession it required extra time to decide the Final, with Mario Gotze this time assuming the role that Andres Iniesta had occupied in 2010.

The substitute's brilliant 113th-minute winner also maintained Europe's grip on the World Cup, with the continent having now produced a record three consecutive champions. It was a goal that very nearly lifted the roof off Rio de Janeiro's iconic, incomparable Maracana, and which provided a fittingly inspiring conclusion to a truly unforgettable tournament.

who:Brazil, Germany  Mario Gotze
what:German reclaim in style a Trophy they had won three times before and, in the process, become the first European team to triumph in the Americas.

how:Brazil 2014 extraordinary in all sorts of ways
why:It promised to be a special FIFA World Cup
when:2014
where:Brazil

 spectacle景象

reclaim試圖取回

succession連續

assume就任

substitute替代者

 consecutive連續不斷的

fittingly適切地；適合地

 source:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=7/news=germans-reign-as-brazil-thrills-the-world-2404806.html#c_comments_2404806

The presidents of Russia and Ukraine held key talks yesterday with little hopes for a breakthrough in resolving the raging conflict pitting Kiev against pro-Moscow separatist rebels.

Hours before the crunch talks, Kiev ratcheted up tensions by releasing footage purporting to show 10 Russian soldiers captured on its territory who a Moscow military source said had crossed into Ukraine “by accident.”

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Minsk for a meeting with top EU officials and the leaders of Kazakhstan and Belarus, in a bid to defuse tensions that some fear could trigger all-out war between Kiev and its former Soviet master, Moscow.

US National Security Adviser Susan Rice accused Russia of “military incursions” into Ukraine using artillery, air defense systems, tanks and troops, which she said represented a “significant escalation” in the conflict.

“Repeated Russian incursions into Ukraine unacceptable. Dangerous and inflammatory,” she wrote on Twitter.

Kiev’s security service said paratroopers from Russia’s 98th airborne division were captured about 50km southeast of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

Ukrainian media yesterday aired footage purporting to show the captured Russian paratroopers confessing to entering Ukraine in armored convoys.

“We traveled here in columns, not along the roads, but across the fields,” says one of the men who identifies himself as corporal Ivan Milchakov from the 331st Parachute Regiment based in central Russia. “I didn’t even see when we crossed the border.”

Kiev has long accused Moscow of stoking the separatist insurgency raging in its east, but this is the first time Ukrainian authorities have claimed to have captured soldiers from Russia’s regular army.

“Officially, they are at exercises in various corners of Russia. In reality, they are participating in military aggression against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Minister of Defense Valeriy Geletey said on Facebook.

Who: The presidents of Russia and Ukraine  Kiev

When :no given

what :

why:10 Russian soldiers captured on its territory

where:Minsk

how: with little hopes for a breakthrough in resolving the raging conflict pitting Kiev against pro-Moscow separatist rebels.

breakthrough 關鍵問題的解決

pitting   圈套

crunc talks  緊縮會談

ratcheted up 加深;加大

trigger  觸發

incursions  侵略

airborne  (軍)空降的

paratroopers  (軍) 傘兵

source:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/08/27/2003598361