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Mr Aquino returned in spite of threats to his life
1983: Filipino opposition leader shot dead
England have
The Philippines opposition leader, Benigno Aquino, has been assassinated
just minutes after returning home from exile.
Mr Aquino, 50, had spent the last three years in the US but was returning
home to contest next year's expected elections.
Speaking aboard the plane returning him to Manila, Mr Aquino told reporters
he was well aware of the risk he was taking.
"I suppose there's a physical danger because you know assassination's part
of public service," he said.
"My feeling is we all have to die sometime and if it's my fate to die by an
assassin's bullet, so be it."
When his plane landed at Manila airport Mr Aquino was taken into custody by
soldiers and escorted off the plane.
Shortly afterwards witnesses on the plane said a volley of shots rang out
and they saw him lying in a pool of blood on the runway tarmac.
The body of the man said to have been the assassin was nearby.
Mr Aquino's long-time rival, Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has
said the assassin was a "professional killer".
But his claim that Mr Aquino was the victim of a lone gunman has not
convinced many in the Philippines or the wider world.
The opposition parties in the Philippines are in disarray after nearly 20
years of rule under Ferdinand Marcos.
But it was widely expected that Mr Aquino would be able to unite them and
mount a challenge to President Marcos in next year's elections.
Before his self-imposed exile he looked set for presidency after becoming
the country's youngest member of parliament at the age of 35.
But after the imposition of martial law in 1972 he was labelled a Communist
by President Marcos and imprisoned for seven years.
Three years after being sentenced to death for subversion in 1977 he was
offered the chance to leave the country for heart surgery in the US.
After his treatment he did not return and became a focal point for
dissidents in the US.
The glacier has already caused massive damage
1986: Giant glacier threatens eco disaster
Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA A huge glacier in Alaska is threatening to
cause an ecological disaster in the region.
Large areas of forest, sea animals and fish stocks are endangered by the
ice block - known as the Hubbard Glacier - which is on the move after thousands
of years of inactivity.
The Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidal water glacier in North
America.
Rising 300-feet (91-metres) high and 6-miles (10km) wide from the ocean
near Yakutat Bay off the coast of Canada and is moving up to 100 feet (30
metres) per day.
Dubbed the "galloping glacier", its endpoint has already blocked access to
the Russell Fjord thereby turning it into a lake.
The ice advanced so rapidly that it trapped seals, porpoises, and other
marine animals in the new lake.
A rescue effort has been mounted by environmentalists to capture the
animals and transport them to safety.
Residents of the nearby town, Yakutat, are concerned the new freshwater
lake may overflow into a local river.
They fear if that happens they may suffer from the loss of a profitable
salmon-farming industry and a drop off in tourists who come to the town for
fishing holidays.
Millions of pounds worth of damage has already been caused to the timber
industry as whole sections of forest have been submerged.
Larry Mayo of the United States Geological Survey said the movement of the
Hubbard Glacier was unprecedented in modern times.
"The sprint of the Hubbard is causing probably the largest natural
alteration to occur in North America within our lifetimes," he said.
The Hubbard has been moving at a very slow pace for years but scientists
say its current surge was set off last winter by the movement of other nearby
glaciers.
They believe water may have built up beneath the glaciers reducing the
natural friction that holds the ice in place.
Vocabulary:
escort: to accompany as safeguard(护卫;护送)
dissident:a person who disagrees from some established policy(持不同政见者)
porpoise: any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt
snout and many teeth(海豚)
submerge:sink below the surface;cover completely or make
imperceptible(淹没;湮灭) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:52:13