Topical News English – Angličtina Youradio Talk

Danny Shaw: During the 1990s Afghanistan was the main source of the world's illicit heroin supply, but from July 2000 until its downfall over a year later the Taleban regime enforced a ban on cultivating opium poppy, from which heroin is manufactured. Farmers who refused to comply had their faces blackened and were jailed; in extreme cases they were paraded through the streets. The study said the result was that poppy growing in Taleban controlled areas almost ceased and that globally, the heroin supply fell by 65-percent. But since the Taleban was deposed poppy cultivation has increased sharply. The report's author, Professor Graham Farrell, says the success of the strategy raised important questions about drug policy and policing, but he said it would not be desirable, nor possible, to take such draconian measures elsewhere. VOCABULARY illicit - nelegální the Taleban regime enforced a ban on cultivating - zakázal pěstování to comply - vyhovět (předpisům), dodržovat paraded through the streets - vozit/vodit pro výstrahu ulicemi poppy growing almost ceased - pěstování opia téměř ustalo was deposed - byl svržen

Jill McGiveringová: The list of countries known to have the relatively new and deadly strain of bird flu is rapidly growing. The focus now is on Indonesia where tests will soon confirm whether or not the bird flu which killed several million chickens there is the often fatal H5N1, already confirmed in 5 other countries in the region. A spokesman for the World Health Organisation told the BBC it was clearly spreading, causing serious concern. It was becoming clear, he said, the strain had been around in the region much longer than first thought. That multiplied the risk of human infections, he added, and of the virus mutating, perhaps by attaching itself to human flu, and becoming far more deadly. But so far there's no evidence of direct human to human transmission. Were that to happen, the death rate amongst people could multiply dramatically. VOCABULARY bird flu - ptačí chřipka is spreading - šíří se strain - druh that multiplied the risk of infections - riziko nákazy to znásobilo the virus mutating - že bude vir mutovat transmission - přenos

David Kay: Well, I'm very happy if that turns out to be the case. I think it's important, not only important for the nation, it's important for our credibility as a global power and our relations with allies as we move forward. When you make mistakes you need to be seen as understanding why you made those mistakes. David Albright: If the Bush administration has its way, we won't hear anything else until the election's over. There is a problem of how the intelligence was used, and how dissent was pushed aside; how new information that would contradict the public case of the administration was pushed aside. All of those areas need to be subject to a great deal of scrutiny. VOCABULARY if that turns out to be the case - pokud se ukáže,…že tomu tak bude credibility - důvěryhodnost relations - vztahy if he has its way - pokud dosáhne svého, pokud se mu podaří prosadit svou dissent……pushed aside - námitky a nesouhlas byly ignorovány that would contradict - které by odporovaly great deal of scrutiny - podrobné přezkoumání

Tim Hirsch: It is estimated that three thousand different species are dumped every day into ports thousands of miles from their habitats carried in ballast tanks filled with seawater to provide stability to unladen ships. Many creatures transported this way have devastated local wildlife. The International Maritime Organisation will attempt to agree new binding rules this week forcing shipping companies to reduce this contamination which can cause far more lasting damage to wildlife than pollution from oil spills. VOCABULARY species - druhy their habitat - jejich přirozené prostředí ballast tanks - balastní nádrže (pomáhají udržovat stabilitu) devastated local wildlife - zničili místní faunu binding rules - závazné předpisy to force - nutit reduce this contamination - omezovat kontaminaci, zamořování oil spills - rozlitá ropa

Phil Mercer: Aborigines are the most disadvantaged group in Australia. They die on average twenty years younger than their white counterparts and suffer disproportionately high rates of ill health, imprisonment and unemployment. Large numbers of people have self-destructed through the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Relations between the police and many young Aborigines are often strained at the best of times. What is certain is this violent episode will be a major setback for efforts to improve relations between black and white Australians. VOCABULARY Aborigines - the most disadvantaged group - domorodí obyvatelé Austrálie - nejvíce postižená skupina white counterparts - bílí spoluobčané disproportionally high rates - nepřiměřeně vyšší počet imprisonment - uvěznění unemployment - nezaměstnanost what is certain is - jedno je jisté a major setback - značné zhoršení

Ania Lichtarowiczová: Tens of thousands of health workers will go house to house over the next three days in an effort to immunize sixty three million children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. The campaign is the start of monthly national immunization days during the low season for Polio. It's hoped that vaccinating children now - when the virus is at its weakest - will be the best way of stopping transmission. When the Polio campaign started in 1988, a thousand children were paralysed every day by the virus, last year less than eight hundred children were affected in total. But claims by local religious leaders that the vaccine is unsafe have seriously hampered efforts to stop Polio spreading - not only in Nigeria, but also in India and Pakistan - where similar immunization schemes are due to begin shortly. However the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, as well as state officials and religious leaders have commissioned independent tests that show the vaccine to be safe. VOCABULARY to immunize - očkovat immunization, vaccinating - očkování to stop transmission - zabránit přenášení religious leaders - náboženští vůdci hamper - brzdit not only … but also - nejen …, ale i polio eradication - vymýcení obrny

Chris Morris: With a police helicopter hovering overhead and hundreds of officers on duty around the courthouse, Belgium is finally witnessing the trial of Marc Dutroux. Its eight years since he was arrested and charged with murder, rape, abduction and imprisonment; eight years since four girls died and two others were rescued from a basement cell. In court today, the defendant sat behind bullet-proof glass as the court prepared to swear in a jury. Defence lawyers will argue that it's impossible for Marc Dutroux to get a fair trial in a country which has, in effect, already declared him guilty. He says he was just a pawn in the game, part of a much broader conspiracy. Many Belgians believe him. They point to police and judicial blunders as evidence that there's been a campaign to cover up the truth. But the prosecution says Dutroux and his accomplices worked on their own. They will argue that he is an evil man, responsible for the most horrific of crimes. VOCABULARY to hover - kroužit (vznášet se na jednom místě) murder - vražda rape - znásilnění abduction - únos swear in a jury - vzít porotu do přísahy bullet-proof glass - neprůstřelné sklo pawn - pěšec judicial blunders - justiční chyby accomplices - spoluviníci, komplicové evil man - zlosyn, ztělesněné zlo

Malcom Brabant: New Democracy's celebrations are over already under instruction from the new Prime Minister. Kostas Karamanlis is promising to get down to work immediately. He says his administration will be diligent, humble, yet daring and efficient. The party's priorities are to create more jobs, tackle unemployment and to reform agriculture. Greece's new leader has made a commitment that this summer's Olympic games will be the best and safest ever and in that respect he's singing from the same hymn sheet as the outgoing Socialist government. Preparations for the games have been shambolic and there are several major projects which are way behind schedule such as the construction of the roof of the main stadium and the development of the marathon route. Privately members of the International Olympic Committee are afraid that Greece's promises will not be fulfilled. The construction programme is past the point of no return and Olympic officials seem to have no alternative but to trust that the Greek habit of meeting deadlines at the last gasp will come good in the end. VOCABULARY to get down to work immediately - ihned se vrhnout do prácediligent - pilný humble - skromný daring - odvážný, smělý efficient - výkonný to tackle unemployment - vypořádat se s nezaměstnaností he's singing from the same hymn sheet - zpívá stejnou písničku shambolic - chaotický at the last gasp - na poslední chvíli will come good in the end - vše nakonec dobře dopadne

Chris Morris: The bomb attacks in Madrid did more than shock this country to the core; they proved to be the decisive factor in the general election. The Socialist party leader, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said his first priority, as prime minister would be to tackle terrorism in all its forms. But he's likely to do it in a very different way than the outgoing government. He was a vocal opponent of Spain supporting the US-led war in Iraq and in power he may seek to withdraw Spanish troops who are serving in Iraq now. The late swing to the Socialists also raises one disturbing thought. If al-Qaeda was responsible for Thursday's attacks, it appears to have had significant influence in changing the government of a leading western democracy. VOCABULARY shock this country to the core - otřást touto zemí v základech the decisive factor - rozhodující faktor to tackle - vypořádat se, vyřídit the outgoing government - odstupující vláda a vocal opponent - hlasitý, otevřený oponent a swing - obrat disturbing - znepokojivý

Clare Marshall: After a nasty election campaign, which opened up the old divisions of El Salvador's bitter civil war, the right has triumphed once again. ARENA, the party which has ruled this tiny Central American country for the last fourteen years, has been given a new mandate. The party faithful started celebrating just minutes after the vote count began, when initial results suggested that former sports television presenter, Tony Saca, would win in the first round. Less than three hours later, before the official result was confirmed by the electoral council, Tony Saca declared himself El Salvador's president elect. VOCABULARY divisions - rozdělení to open up - otevřít a new mandate - nový mandát the vote count - sčítání hlasů the party faithful - nejvěrnější stoupenci strany initial results - počáteční výsledky president elect - nově zvolený prezident