Madam,
I was appalled and deeply shocked to learn of the desecration of the British
cemetery at Etaples in Pas-de-Calais.
This defacement is unacceptable and shameful, and has aroused the unanimous reprobation of the French.
On behalf of France and personally, I want to express to you my most sincere regrets. France knows what she owes to the tremendous devotion and courage of the British soldiers who came to help her to regain her freedom in the tight against barbarity.
M Chirac closed his letter with the formula appropriate for correspondence between heads of state. In French this reads:
Je vous prie de croire, madame, l' assurance de mes tres respecteux hommages" In English: Madam, please accept the sincerity of my very deep respect tor you.
October, 2003
VI. :
Express sincere regrets, devotion and courage, , the Duke of Edinburgh, , , , , , , , , , , the Prince of Wales, to express outrage at smth. shadow cabinet.
To cast a shadow on...- ... (fig.)
VII. -:
78, 87, 64, 77, 69, 98, 45. 76, 66, 93, 89, 48, 99, 84. 88, 69, 98, 90, 73, 84. 96, 92, 17. 88, 87, 18, 26, 76, 61, 83, 39, 84, 23, 45, 81, 66, 90, 96, 52,21.
. , , , , ,
, , , , .
- , - , - , , .
. ,
, , , , .
, .
|
|
|
, , , , . .
- . , : , , , , , .
. . , , .
- - , : (, , ) ( ).
, , , - , , . , , , .
, , . - , , ( ). . , . -, , .
. .
3
1.
2. III, V. VI, VII.
4
State free schools
public fee paying schools -
tuition and board payment
-university education (usu. six ,
years)
take an examination in A level ,
subjects: standards ofexaminations
necessary for entrance to a (e. g. She took A levels in physics, chemistry and
university mathematics)
|
|
|
scholarship .
(a sum of money given to a pupil by an official body to pay partly for a course of study)
Unique education standard
to dismiss from classes
the daily routine .
nominal roll .
(e. g. The teacher called the nominal roll = she
read the list aloud to see if everyone was there)
tutor n ,
(a teacher who directs the studies of public
school pupils and/or responsible for giving
them advice about personal matters)
Spartan conditions
to be independent
{habitually taking actions and decisions alone)
to have the staff of the leader
modern facilities n
to learn by rote
self-motivation .
I. I :
1
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF SCHOOLS iN GREAT BRITAIN: STATE SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS
State schools are tree local schools controlled and paid from the state budget Public schools (such is well-known Eton school and St. Paul's school) are fee-payin
boarding schools (boarding houses). They are not supported by government money, so
tuition and board are paid for by parents or sponsors
Public schools are to give their pupils a pre-university education so as they will be able to pass exams in A level subjects.
II. 2 3 ,
:
2
500 . .
.
- , .
- :
- 500 ;
- - ;
- ,
, - :
,
.
3
, , . 7.00. ( , ), , . 13.00 . . - 1,5 . . - ( - : , , ).
- . - , . . , , ) , ) ) - , , .
. 4 4:
4
:
RUGBY SCHOOL
Welcomesapplications for
SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIPS Enjoy two years in a School which values its tradition and has superb modern facilities, a friendly
atmosphere and a forward-looking approach A substantial number of Scholarships for boys and
girls is available
A wide range EOT A-level subjects including Design,
Business Studies. Drama and Theatre Studies,
Computing, Politics and Russian is on otter
Applications should be received by
Nd October
Ian Barlow the Registrar, will be pleased
to provide further details and a prospectus
Please telephone the Registry on
01788537035. Rugby School is a registered chanty/or the purpose of
providing education The Times, September 27 2002
|
|
|
4
Is there a real alternative to Public School?
Yes, Hurlwood House A school that combines the best qualities of public school and sixth form college Hurlwood House is a mixed, residential community, dedicated to the sixth form. where fresh stimulus and traditional values go hand in hand
25 years ago. Hurtwood House was a vision of -university education Today it has become the envied reality
High up in the league tables. Hurtwood House achieved a 100% pass rate in eighteen A-level subjects this year and 99% of all students went on to University. Its teachers are Sixth Form specialists and every week they meet to review and monitor progress of each of the 280 students.
Within us structured environment the emphasis is on self-motivation, which is why it offers the broadest possible canvas. Its busy world encompasses music, theatre, art, sport and recreation
The Times August 27, 2002
______________ ___________________________________________________________._________
IV. (3 ) ( 5 6)
5
Will Woodword
Ed ucation editor A report by the Design Council welcomed by the government says the ₤ 1bn spent by schools each year on classroom chairs, desks and equipment is often wasted on poorly-designed products, with little thought as to how they will improve the quality of learning.
The report urges designers, manufacturers and schools to work together to improve schools
"When most people think of environments that inspire them, schools are likely to come low on the list Yet learning should be inspirational it is difficult to achieve this, and to motivate and retain the best teaching staff, it teachers and pupils see uncomfortable, noisy, rickety chairs. Rows of desks decorated with graffiti and hardened chewing gum. Unforgiving linoleum floors Walls painted in drab colours Harsh lighting
The report accepts that there have been some changes to the stereotype in recent years with some classrooms having computers and whiteboards But the improvements are nothing like those in homes, where digital television, the internet. mobile phones and games consoles enable people to entertain themselves at their own pace. The money spent on improving state schools is spread very thinly across 30,000 schools.
6
State schools in England are to be guaranteed a real increase in funding next year under plans being formulated by the education secretary, Charles Clarke, to prevent a repeat of this year's budget crisis.
But Damian Green, the shadow education secretary, said that 700 teachers faced redundancy this term because of budget cuts and a further 700 were going because of falling pupil numbers "I would rather be a beggar than send my children to a state school", he added.
The Guardian,
November 21, 2003
Will Woodward
Education editor
Note: redundancy =
V. (I) - (II). .
I
TRY SPELLING IMPERIAL LEGACY
HONG KONG
THE FORMER BRITISH COLONY IS TRYING TO TRANSFORM ITS EDUCATION SYSTEM
WHATEVER else sustained the British empire tor so long, it was not Britain's education system. Its modern one still performs relatively poorly by most international comparisons. And unfortunately it exported the shortcomings of its earlier versions to many of its colonies, with Hong Kong suffering more than most Kai-ming Cheng, professor of education at the University of Hong Kong, has shown that in 1999.23,000 candidates (18% of the total) sitting the major public examination at the end of secondary education in the former colony obtained no pass grades They were "not fit tor further studies and they are not employable."
|
|
|
The defects in both Britain's and Hong Kong's education systems were disguised by the fact that most people were employed in the low-skill, mass-manufacturing sector that predominated in both countries They did not seem to need much education. But in the past 20 years. Hong Kong and Britain have lost more jobs in manufacturing than anywhere else apart from South Africa. According to the World Bank, in 1999 only 20% of Hong Kong's workforce was in the manufacturing sector, and this is expected to fall even further to 16% in 2005. As Hong Kong has de-industrialised, its education system has been exposed as inadequate to compete in what educationalists call the "knowledge economy".
II
The British woke up to this problem in the 1990s. Tony Blair's rallying cry for his first Labour government was "education, education, education". And it is only since the handover of the colony to China in 1997 that the new Hong Kong government has started to tackle this aspect of the colonial legacy. Education reform is one of the few areas where the government of the special administrative region enjoys widespread support.
In September 2000, Hong Kong's government published its reform proposals for the education system. The emphasis is now very much on a "lifelong learning society", to enable everyone to acquire new skills even after they have left school. Hong Kong is aiming to get away from its old system of learning by rote, in which pupils were endlessly drilled for a tew very academic exams. The emphasis now is on encouraging pupils to think tor themselves, and to develop flexible learning skills that will enable 60% of 18-30 year olds to be in tertiary education by 2010
It Hong Kong is to retain its status as a major economic power in Asia, everyone agreed that modernising the archaic British education system is essential. A close observer of the problem, not usually given to exaggeration, said, "Hong Kong's survival is at stake."
The Economist, February 23 2003
Note: manufacturing sector of industry - making articles by physical labour or machinery usually in large quontaties = mechanical production
VI. :
, tuition and board payment, tutor, , , , to learn by rote, , , unforgiving linoleum floors, , , redundancy, shortcomings, to obtain no pass grades
VII. -:
21, 34, 69, 24, 19, 18, 61, 17, 73, S4. 16, 71, 82, 93, 7, 66, 78. 82. 93. 99. 68, 44. 55, 70, 60, 80, 90, 13, 14, 99, 38, 28, 49,75,77,97, 10, 15, 66, 71, 30, 64, 87, 18, 29, 44, 57, 61, 24, 84, 18.
- How high can you count in English? - One, two, three... ten, Jack, Queen, and King.
, .
. : -, , , -, ,
, , , Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary (600.000 ), Longman Dictionary of Contempory English (two volumes), American Heritage Dictionary (200.000). ,
, , , Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (150.000) Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (75,000) , . Concise Oxford , , .
( ) , ; . , , .
|
|
|
4
1. 5
2. II. III, V.
5
(University education)
Chancellor ( ,
, 1 - 2 .
. P. (Member of Parliament) )
principal . ()
proctor . ,
( , )
tutor . ,
tutorial . ,
don, fellow (.)
to staff
to allocate
research work -
degree .
bachelor's degree (a first university degree in
any of several subjects)
master's degree
doctor's degree, syn. Doctorate
dissertation
-
(a written treatment of a subject by a University student where he (she) gives his opinion supported by reasonable argument)
grant . (
).
(money given, esp. by the stale to a university or to a student during a period of study; e, g. She finds it difficult to live on her grant
Universal state financed high ,
education
rent n.
(a stated sum of money paid regularly for the use room, television set, etc.)
tuition . (payment for teaching: e. g.
He has already paid a year's tuition in physics)
loan . -.
(, ), {something which is lent, esp money;
low-interest loans
e. g. How much interest do they charge on loans?
thesis [ 'TJsIs] . .(.g. a doctoral thesis: a long piece
of writing on a particular subject written for a higher university degree)
modest means-tested student grants ,
(an inquiry into the amount of money someone has; esp. to find out if a student has so little that he (she} can be given some money)
campus n ,
( , - , ..)
academic dress
chapel n () (
)
to fine
to rusticate
St Andrews university ,
1411 , - -
I. 1, 2, 3, 4 5 :
1 OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE
For most people in Great Britain the word "University" means either Oxford or Cambridge although there are 45 universities in the country.
The city of Oxford lies not tar from London,, There is no single building which is the University in Oxford. There are 30 colleges instead which are spread all over the city and which together make up a University where 10 000 students study.
The head of the University as a whole is the Chancellor He is usually a well-known figure in public life, an M. P who lives in London and plays only a small part in the running of the University.
The actual head is the Vice-Chancellor. He deals with the Questions of finance, staffing, relations with trade-unions, with government and outside world. The Vice-Chancellor is chosen from among the heads of the 30 colleges who are called the principals of colleges.
Each of the 30 colleges specializes in a different field Religion, however, is a compulsory subject in every college. 
The names of the colleges show this close link of the University with the Church: Christ Church College, All Souls College, Jesus College, St. Anne's College, St. Catherine's College and so on.
Note: When both universities are mentioned the order is "Oxford and Cambridge" It is a custom of speech since Oxford is the older of the two universities
2
Most colleges are independent of the British government and must have their own financial resources to draw upon since the government allocates none Colleges' money comes from the students' tuition fees which are very high in Oxford as well as from investments, wills, gifts, "generosity and benefaction" of the wealthier members of a particular college. For instance, Christ Church college accepts annually gifts from the Queen thankful to the College for her father, King Charles I who lived here during the war Because of the lack of adequate financial backing no new buildings were errected on the campuses of most colleges during several centuries and no repair work was done.
In Britain the university year is from October to June, with three terms from eight to twelve weeks. Both in Oxford and Cambridge each student has a tutor to whom he goes every week: for a tutorial. At the tutorial they discuss the work in hand -generally an essay which the student has written that week. He also has some eight lectures a week which are not compulsory.
3
Graduating or gaining a degree, is the aim of all University students. To get a degree, students usually have to stay at the University for at least three years, during which time they have to sit preliminary examinations as well as the final ones at the end of the course.
The first degree given a person by a college is that of a Bachelor. The Bachelor's
degree, which is most common in Britain can be taken in a number of subjects. Arts
degrees, for instance, may be taken in subjects ranging from English literature, classics and
history to foreign languages A person who has obtained the first Arts degree will be known
as a Bachelor of Arts. A Science degree can be taken in physics, mathematics, engineering
economics. A person who has been given this degree is called a Bachelor of Science.
Same graduates then go on to more specialised research work in their own subject, and after submitting the results oh their work, in the form of a thesis they may obtain either the Master's degree or a Doctorate - the highest degree given by a University
College graduates are not guaranteed any jobs. They have to recourse to public and private employment agencies to get a job which with unemployment in the country is not an easy thing
4
The professors and lecturers of the University ("fellows") as well as the students ("undergraduates") must wear academic dress at lectures, in the University dining room, in Chapel and in the town streets after dark..
There is a special official in Oxford known as the "Proctor", whose duty is to see that this rule is obeyed.
Wearing his academic dress he walks about the chief streets of the town, accompanied by two college servants who are known as his bulldogs It a student is seen, without his cap or gown the bulldogs are told to catch him. When caught the student is taken to the Proctor who asks, "Your name and college, sir?" The student has to visit the principal of his college later, who orders him to pay a fine If the rule is disobeyed several times the principal may rusticate a student
Note: The academic dress includes such necessary articles as a cap. a black gown and a white tie. The origin of the dress goes to the middle ages
5 The English are great lovers of sports So each college has its teams tor all main
snorts, the most popular of which are rowing and cricket.
The University Boat Races are the oldest of the sporting competitions between
Oxford and Cambridge The name given to the race competitions in the Summer
Term is May Week Somebody once observed that it is called May Week because
it's held in June and lasts a fortnight
The cricket sporting competitions between Oxford and 
Cambridge are held in September (Michaelmas Term).
II. 6 -
6
By SARAN CASSIDY
Education Correspondent
Banker is told he cannot buy son a place at Oxford
THERE WAS a time when each year a number of places at Oxford University were reserved tor the offspring of major benefactors But money no longer appears to provide any such guarantee after it emerged that one of the university's most generous donors had withdrawn a pledge of £100,000 and severed links with his old college after it rejected his son.
Philip Keevil, a prominent City banker who has already given more than £100,000 to the university over the past 15 years, expected his generosity to be rewarded with preferential treatment tor his children.
Universities have perhaps not yet realised that they can only really raise money from the old members That means they have to feel they belong and they are being fairly treated", he said
Today his son, a British state school pupil won a scholarship to stud) at Harvard University in the United States.
The Independent September 2 2003
III. , :
7
FOR HIS 21ST BIRTHDAY PRINCE WILLIAM WAS INTERVIEWED BY THE PRESS ASSOCIATION ABOUT HIS LIFE AT ST ANDREWS
Q. William, how do the University dons treat you?
W. "Once they stopped trying to spy me at lectures then it was all very relaxed. I
try to attend as many lectures as I can but inevitably there are certain times when I never make them for lots of reasons. But I go to all my tutorials"
Q. We beard things were not always easy tor you?
W. No. I thought about quitting university after a year. But 1 was like most people, I think, when you first come to university.
"It's new surroundings, new scenery, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It's the same as starting school really and I was a little uneasy
"But I went home and talked to my father during the holidays and throughout that time debated about whether to come back - not seriously debating it - but it did cross my mind.
"My father was very understanding about it and realised I had the same problems as he probably had. He was very good about it and we chatted a lot and in the end we both realised, I definitely realised, that I had to come back.
Q. Is you room similar to that of the other students''
W. "I'm not particularly fussy about my room. I just want it to be somewhere I can relax, my own space. But I do have drapes up in my room. I like that because it makes it more cosy.
I've got to have a stereo - got to have music, I love my music. I don't like to play it loud.
I have a good view from my window of the dramatic coastline.
Q. Why dramatic? Don't you like to swim in the sea?
W. "I do swim in the sea but that really doesn't last very long. It's usually in and out, and I make a big fuss and shout how cold it is and then don't do it again for while."
Q. Academically you are taking an unexpected path?
W. "Yes, I am teaching myself an East African language. I'm trying to teach myself Swahili which is something that has proved a little harder than I thought"
Q. Why such a choice?
W. "It's because of my love of Africa. It's an odd language to learn but I wanted to do something that was very specialised. I love the people of Africa and I'd like to know more about them - and to speak to them.
"I've got a book and a book-tape. Like I say, I'm teaching myself. I have them in my room and they're collecting dust quite rapidly but I am trying to make progress " I might drop history of art to specialize in geography tor the final two years of the degree course. I am torn between the two But I have to decide soon."
Q. You often praised your father's talent as a painter7
W. Yes, he's brilliant. He's very modest about it and he's always criticizing his own work. But I do actually really like it
Harry can paint but 1 can't. He has our father's talent while I am about the biggest idiot on a piece of canvas. I did a couple of drawings at Eton which were put on display. Teachers thought they were examples of modern an but in fact I was just trying to paint a house. I like traditional art. I love the Renaissance. It's fascinating because it's just so detailed and precise
More modern people - Picasso and his blue period. I do like that. He was revolutionary.
I did do my A-level history of art dissertation on Leonardo da Vinci's drawings which are in the Royal Collection, so I was very lucky".
Q. What about your future?
W. "I really haven't thought much about that I'm really just concentrating on getting through the next two years. I honestly haven't thought about what I'm going to do next
The media have been particularly good up here and I hope that continues. It's probably because of the media's considerate attitude that I've been able to have such a good time."
Q. Are you somehow involved in student polities''
W. I am aware of issues such as student loans and university tees. I do listen to what goes on and I know there are sensitive issues. There are some students who have just cause to be worried about loans and tees but most students here, as far as I know, don't get involved."
Q. Are you ever nervous? (His reply was unexpected.)
W. Little do you know.
The Guardian Friday, May 30 2001
Note: St Andrews [snt'ændr:z]- - . , , 1411 } (golf course)
IV. -
STUDENT SPELLING AND GRAMMAR' "CRISIS"
Rebecca Smithers Education correspondent
Standards of spelling and grammar among an entire generation of English-speaking university students are now so poor that there is "a degree of crisis" in their written use of the language, the publisher of a new dictionary warned yesterday.
The problem is not confined to Britain, but applies also to students in Australia Canada and the US.
Faye Carney, dictionaries publisher said: "We thought it would be useful to get in touch with lecturers, teachers and academics to find out what problems then students were having with their writing and what help they might need from a dictionary. The result's were shocking.
Students were regularly found to be producing incomplete or rambling, poorly connected sentences, mixing metaphors "with gusto" and overusing dull, devalued words such as "interesting" and "good".
Overall they were unclear about appropriate punctuation, especially the use of commas, and failed to understand the basic rules of subject/verb agreement and the difference between "there" "then" and "they're".
Bethan Marshall, a lecturer in English at King's College London and a member of the London Association of Teachers of English, said:
"The type of student we're getting now is very different from what we were seeing 10 years ago and it is often worrying to find out how little students know. The emphasis on phonics in the teaching of English in England does. 1 think, make us worse at spelling. We fetishise spelling in this country, unlike in Germany where, it a word is regularly misspelled, then it is changed."
The Encarta dictionary for students has a list of 800 commonly misspelled words, and notes which distinguish between pairs of words pronounced similarly but spelled differently and which have different meaning - for example, "faze" and "phase", and "pray" and "prey".
"We are sure that the use of computers has played a part. People rely increasingly on automatic tools such as spell-checks which are much more passive than going to a dictionary and looking something up That can lull them into a false sense EOT security."
This has significant implications tor the future, especially tor young people.'
The Independent. October 2001
V. :
The principal, - , tuition, dons, proctor, , dissertation, , grant, , chapel, thesis. University chancellor, tutorial, master's degree, university fees, low-interest loan, to rusticate, to fine, tuition fees, , , , campus, modest means-tested grants, , academic dress , , .
.
"I shall have to give you ten days or $20 ' 
-"I'll take the $20, Judge"
5. , 5:
STUDENT FINANCE
(Great Britain)
One of the first things that the Labour government did after it came to power in 1997 was to change the way in which students are supported Out went the universal, state-financed higher education that had existed since the 1960s. Maintenance grants (for living expenses and rent) were abolished, and, in 1998, tuition tees (paid to the university) came in. Today students have to pay their own way through university, relying mostly on a system of low-interest loans. This sent out a clear message that a university education was no longer a universal right, but was something that equipped
the graduate with a strong advantage in the jobs market, and therefore had to be paid for.
The new policy went down particularly badly in Scotland and Wales. First the
Scottish Parliament decided to abolish tuition fees, and then, earlier this month, the
Welsh Assembly voted to re-introduce modest means-tested student grants. The
government announced last October that it was starting a review of student finance,
thus preparing the ground for a discreet U-turn
The principal argument against introducing tuition fees and scrapping maintenance grants is that it has deterred those young people from poorer
backgrounds from applying to university tor tear of going heavily into debt. So the government will probably introduce means-tested grants to save some face
Either way, the government will have to come up with something that solves the problem of access, and also ensures that universities continue to get sufficient income from their students.
The Economist. February 23rd, 2002 6: I. II, III, IV.
_______ III___________
.
.
6
Congress . (USA - capital .)
Congressman .
congressional elections
(Note the use of the article in: The Congress of the United States is the chief law - making body. The main function of the US Congress is legislation. Another major function of Congress is to finance the US Government)
determine v. t. ,
(E.g. The US Congress has the sole right to determine taxes)
be determined to do smth -.
(E.g. He is determined to master English)
federal . , ()
- often with capital F
Federal union of states
Federal Constitution
Federal and States budgets
()
federal tax
federal revenue
(government income from taxes, customs duties, foreign concessions, etc.)
finance v
(provide money or capital for...
E.g. One of the functions of Congress is to
finance the operation of the Government)
subsidize v.
(E. g. This Senator is a loyal servant of General Motors which subsidized his election campaign)
sponsor v.. -.
{to grant money to someone who needs
financial help. E. g. to sponsor a radio
programme)
Administration (USA) ()
government . ,
(. g. The government of the nation is vested in
three coordinate branches: legislative, executive
and judicial)
govern v.
House of Representatives = the
House (but both houses of
Congress - small "h")
Senate
Senator William Brown (D - N.Y.) -
***
- "I see your views on war and peace have undergone some
changes after the elections, haven't they, Senator? You have become
war minded."
- "But those, sir, were not my views. They were my interviews.
tax
determine taxes ,
tax loophole
federal tax
income tax
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones...
You're not rich enough to pay to
taxes"
treaty n
initialed
signed ,
cancelled
treates are ratified
violated
rejected
...
V concluded
expire v. ( )
( . . g. This treaty will soon expire.) ? (Who initialed this treaty')
try v. ( }
trial n.
* * *
"Judge, I want you to try this chicken soup,"
"I've tried it... and my decision is that the chicken has proved an alibi."
impeach v. t. (charge with some
misconduct officers of state)
right .
| { |
to smth. ... to do smth. syn. be entitled to do smth.
have the sole right
(E.g. The US Congress has the sole right to propose amendments to the Constitution. Ever) State is entitled to at least one representative in the House)
President-elect ,
Each housewife in the village was asked to 
say what she thought of the candidate.
bipartisan .
(the ruling in the house of the two major political parties - the Democratic and the Republican)
(USA)
Some a wise and some are otherwise
I. :
Powers of Congress
The United State of America is a Federal union of 50 states. Its basic law in the Constitution of 1787 to which 27 amendments have been made since. The first ten amendments to the US Constitution are called collectively the "Bill of Rights".
One of the features of the US politics is the so-called bipartisan system, i.e. the ruling of the two principal parties - the Democratic and the Republican - in the political life of the country.
The Democratic Party is the older of the two, tracing its history back to 1822. The Republican Party was founded in 1856, primarily as antislavery party. Its founder is Abraham Lincoln The Emblem of the Republican Party is elephant (strength), and that of the Democratic Party is donkey (wisdom)
Both parties are entirely free of party discipline: it is not necessary to make an application to join the party, there are no membership dues
A clear cut difference between the two parties has not existed for more than half a century.
Donations of monopoly capital to both parties to keep them "healthy" have become public knowledge.
Under the constitution the government of the nation is vested 
in three branches: the legislative (Congress), the executive (the President and his Administration) and the judicial (the Supreme Court).
The Congress of the USA is composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The main function of both houses is legislation, i.e making new laws or changing the old ones.
Other functions of Congress are to finance the operation of the President and his Administration and to approve The Federal budget.
Besides, Congress is entitled to determine taxes, to regulate foreign and interstate commerce, to raise and maintain the armed forces and to declare war
II. "In Brief". .
1. Colin Powell, America's Secretary of State, visited Israel, the Palestinian
territories, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to promote the road map - the plan for
a Middle Eastern peace agreement.
Substantive progress will have to wait until Areal Sharon. Israel's prime minister, visits America's President next week (2003).
Commentary: road map " ' It is a phased proposal offered by the United States for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by 2005
2. South Korea's President has long hoped that he could melt the ice between
North and South Korea by offering the North dollops of aid and other goodies
while keeping silent about the poor human rights record, its illicit weapons
programmes and the vast conventional forces dug in just across his boarder (The
Economist, 2003).
3. France's President seeking re-election played the crime-card: more power
for police, more power tor courts and anti-crime ministry
4. The street can give its views, but the street doesn't govern." said France's prime minister just before huge demonstrations on May 13th against his plans for Pension reform brought France almost to a halt (2003).
5. America's health secretary used religious language in calling for a ban on
cloning. "Life is a creation, not a commodity", he said
■
6. America's interior minister imposed a ban on the import of wildlife products
ROM Taiwan because it said Taiwan had failed to do anything about the trade in tiger bones and rhino horn.
7. In a new outbreak of kidnapping in the Philippines, a South Korean and a
Filipino businessman were seized by gunmen in the southern island of Mindanao
Police, helped by American special forces, continued to hunt for an American
missionary couple and a Filipina nurse held on Basilan island.
8. For the moment. Blair's name is greeted here with the kind of acclaim accorded
to no British leader since Winston Churchill (and easily surpassing Margaret
Thatcher's 80s vogue). Conservatives in the Senate and House of Representatives
have nominated him for the congressional gold medal, the nation's highest mark of
national appreciation, which was first awarded to George Washington by the
Continental Congress in 1776. The previous recipients include Pope John Paul II,
Mother Teresa, Colin Powell and Churchill. Sponsored in the Senate by Elizabeth
Dole - North Carolina Republican, the medal resolution is likely to draw little oppo
sition, if any. from either side of the aisle. (The Guardian. October 10, 2003)
9. Colin Powell. America's secretary of state, announced plans to visit Berlin: a step
towards re-establishing Iraq-torn relations with Gerhard Schroder's government. But the
Pentagon, by asking Poland to play a prominent peacekeeping role in Iraq, seemed
keener on strengthening ties with the "new Europeans".
10 Several days of fighting between Yorubas and Hausas in Lagos, Nigeria's
commercial capital, led to about 100 deaths. Tony Blair, Britain's prime minister,
arrived in Nigeria at the start of a tour-nation West African tour that also takes in
Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
11. An Egyptian court sentenced two Islamic militants to death tor trying to
murder Naguib Mahfouz. a Nobel-prize-winning novelist
12. Somalia's transitional government, which has little or no control over the
warring country it is supposed to rule, was shut out of its parliament building for non
payment of rent.
13. To test corruption in the police force, the interior minister sent a lorry full of
spirits on a 700-kilometre journey through the country. The police stopped it 24
times. They asked for bribes 22 times.
14. Nicolau dos Santos, a former judge who had become Brazil's most-wanted
fugitive, surrendered to police after spending some eight months in hiding. He is
accused of embezzling 164m reals ($86m) from a court-house construction project.
46
***
- Why did you steal $ 1, 500 000? - I was hungry, sir.
III. :
Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Taiwan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Poland, North and South Korea, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Brazil, Sierra Leone. Jerusalem, Gaza, Delhi, Islamabad.
***
To fiddle while Rome burns (proverb)
