week 3-comfort women

Japan and South Korea agree WW2 'comfort women' deal

Japan and South Korea have agreed to settle the issue of "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese brothels during World War Two, in their first such deal since 1965.

Japan has apologised and will pay 1bn yen ($8.3m, £5.6m) - the amount South Korea asked for - to fund victims.
The issue has been the key cause for strained ties. South Korea has demanded stronger apologies and compensation.
Only 46 former "comfort women" are still alive in South Korea.
The announcement came after Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met his counterpart Yun Byung-se in Seoul, following moves to speed up talks.

Later Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe phoned South Korean President Park Geun-hye to repeat an apology already offered by Mr Kishida.
"Japan and South Korea are now entering a new era," Mr Abe told reporters afterwards. "We should not drag this problem into the next generation."
Ms Park issued a separate statement, saying a deal had been urgently needed - given the advanced age of most of the victims.
"Nine died this year alone," she said. "I hope the mental pains of the elderly comfort women will be eased."
It is estimated that up to 200,000 women were forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during WW2, many of them Korean. Other women came from China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.

Japan will give 1bn yen to a fund for the elderly comfort women, which the South Korean government will administer

The money also comes with an apology by Japan's prime minister and the acceptance of "deep responsibility" for the issue

South Korea says it will consider the matter resolved "finally and irreversibly" if Japan fulfils its promises

South Korea will also look into removing a statue symbolising comfort women, which activists erected outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul in 2011

Both sides have agreed to refrain from criticising each other on this issue in the international community

 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35188135


Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-'comfort women'

      WHEN-not given

      WHAT-apologized

      WHY-not given

      WHERE-Japan and South Korea

      HOW- pay to fund victims

 

Keywords：

   1. brothel：妓院

   2. strain：應變

   3. compensation：賠償金

   4. counterpart：對方

   5. drag：拖動

   6. deep responsibility：深度的責任

   7.  irreversibly：不可逆

   8. erect：直立

   9. embassy：大使館

 10. refrain：避免

week 2-Paris Climate Change Conference

Paris Climate Change Conference

The pact is the first to commit all countries to cut carbon emissions.
The agreement is partly legally binding and partly voluntary.
Earlier, key blocs, including the G77 group of developing countries, and nations such as China and India said they supported the proposals.
President of the UN climate conference of parties (COP) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: "I now invite the COP to adopt the decision entitled Paris Agreement outlined in the document.

"Looking out to the room I see that the reaction is positive, I see no objections. The Paris agreement is adopted."
COP21: In summary
As he struck the gavel to signal the adoption of the deal, delegates rose to their feet cheering and applauding.
US President Barack Obama has hailed the agreement as "ambitious" and "historic", but also warned against complacency.
"Together, we've shown what's possible when the world stands as one," he said.
And although admitting that the deal was not "perfect", he said it was "the best chance to save the one planet we have".
China's chief negotiator Xie Zhenhua said the deal was not perfect. But he added that "this does not prevent us from marching historical steps forward".
Nearly 200 countries took part in the negotiations to strike the first climate deal to commit all countries to cut emissions, which would come into being in 2020.
The chairman of the group representing some of the world's poorest countries called the deal historic, adding: "We are living in unprecedented times, which call for unprecedented measures.
"It is the best outcome we could have hoped for, not just for the Least Developed Countries, but for all citizens of the world."

Key points

The measures in the agreement included:
• To peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century
• To keep global temperature increase "well below" 2C (3.6F) and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C
• To review progress every five years
• $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance in the future.

Analysis: The BBC's Matt McGrath in Paris

The speeches and the cliches at the adoption of the Paris Agreement flowed like good champagne - success after all has many fathers! The main emotion is relief. The influence of the COP president, Laurent Fabius, cannot be overstated. His long diplomatic career gave him a credibility seldom matched in this arena. He used his power well.
The deal that has been agreed, under Mr Fabius, is without parallel in terms of climate change or of the environment. It sets out a clear long term temperature limit for the planet and a clear way of getting there. There is money for poor countries to adapt, there is a strong review mechanism to increase ambition over time. This is key if the deal is to achieve the aim of keeping warming well below 2C.
More than anything though the deal signifies a new way for the world to achieve progress - without it costing the Earth. A long term perspective on the way we do sustainability is at the heart of this deal. If it delivers that, it truly will be world changing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35084374

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-President of the UN

      WHEN-not given

      WHAT-conference

      WHY-green affect

      WHERE-Paris

      HOW-agreement

Keywords：

   1. proposal： 提案

   2. Minister： 部長

   3. gavel：木槌

   4. delegate：代表

   5. hail：冰雹

   6. complacency：自滿

   7. negotiator：談判

   8. march：前進

   9. unprecedented：史無前例

 10. cliche：陳詞濫調

week 1-Russian plane crash

Egypt's President links Russian plane crash to terrorism

(CNN)Egypt's President has publicly linked terrorism to the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Sinai last year - reportedly for the first time.

For months, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had resisted the notion of terror involvement, although ISIS claimed responsibility, and Russian investigators said there had been a bomb on board the plane. In a speech on Wednesday, he alluded to a connection.

"Has the confrontation and terrorism ended? No, not yet. Whoever downed that plane, what did he want?" el-Sisi said at a government conference. "Just to hit tourism? No. To hit relations. To hit relations with Russia, hit relations with Italy."

State-run news site al-Ahram reported that this was the first time the Egyptian President has acknowledged terrorism could be the cause of the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 on October 31 that killed all 224 people on board.

Egyptian investigators have not yet published a definitive report on the crash or possible terrorism at its root, al-Ahram reported. And el-Sisi did not say directly in his speech that terrorists carried out an attack.

Russia's initial resistance

Shortly after the crash, Western intelligence, particularly in Britain and the United States, pointed to a bomb having ruptured the plane. They said it may have been smuggled aboard in Sharm el-Sheikh, where the plane took off -- possibly with help from an airport employee.

But initially, both Egyptian and Russian authorities resisted the idea that terrorists may have struck, perhaps retaliating for Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Then, in November, the Russian Federal Security Service said a bomb with 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of explosives had detonated on board the plane. The government offered a $50 million reward for information leading to those responsible.

Russian investigators presented a soda can and circuitry as being components of the device, and after Russia's announcement of the reward, its military flew multiple airstrikes over Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of ISIS' proclaimed caliphate.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/24/middleeast/egypt-sissi-russian-plane-sinai/
Structure of the Lead：
      WHO-Egypt's President
      WHEN-last year
      WHAT- linked terrorism to the downing of a Russian passenger jet over
      WHY-Russian plane crash
      WHERE-not given
      HOW-not given
 Keywords：

   1.notion：概念

   2. alluded：暗示

   3. confrontation：對抗

   4. acknowledged：承認

   5. definitive：明確

   6. initial：初始

   7. ruptured：爆裂

   8. retaliate：報復

   9. detonated：引爆

 10. proclaimed ：宣稱的