FRANCE -- François Hollande（弗朗索瓦·奥朗德，现任法国总统）, the Socialist candidate, won France’s presidential election, beating Nicolas Sarkozy, the center-right incumbent, by 51.6% to 48.4%. He will be inaugurated on May 15th; a day later he will travel to Berlin to meet with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. Top of the agenda will be the German-backed “fiscal compact”, which the Frenchman has threatened to scupper if it is not accompanied by growth-promoting measures.

CIA -- The CIA announced that it had foiled a plot to blow up an aero plane using an enhanced and possibly undetectable “underpants bomb”. In a breakthrough for Saudi intelligence the device was reportedly handed over by a double agent.

 

The PHILIPPINES -- Tensions over the disputed Scarborough Shoal（黄岩岛） in the South China Sea escalated as Chinese travel agents cancelled tours to the Philippines and the government issued safety warnings to its citizens there. Anti-Chinese protests are expected in Manila.

 

Guantánamo Bay（关塔那摩湾） -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others were arraigned at a military tribunal in Guantánamo Bay naval base for plotting the attacks on New York and Washington of September 11th 2001. The men refused to recognize the authority of the tribunal and declined to listen to the translation. Their trial is likely to be delayed for at least a year.

 

1.       incumbent: n. someone who has been elected to an official position, especially in politics, and who is doing that job at the present time 现任者，在职者

2.       inaugurate: v. sb be inaugurated as sth  举行就职典礼

3.       scupper: v. to ruin someone's plans or chance of being successful  使失败，摧毁

4.       foil: v. to prevent something bad that someone is planning to do 阻止，使挫败

5.       escalate: v. 升级为…  escalate into sth

6.       arraign: v. 传讯