11th ASEAN Summit opens



The 11th ASEAN(Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) Summit and nine related summits opened in Kuala Lumpur, December 12. ASEAN is facing immense challenges, ranging from regional economic integration, to security threats, disease outbreaks, environmental concerns and high oil prices.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, while the so-called "plus-three" format brings in China, Japan and South Korea.

The ASEAN summit and plus-three gathering on Monday and Tuesday will be followed by the first-ever East Asia Summit, which also includes Australia, India and New Zealand to form a new 16-nation bloc.

Russia will attend the East Asia Summit on Wednesday as a guest after being refused full membership due to a split within ASEAN over its membership.

The ASEAN Summit is an annual meeting held on a rotating basis by the country which holds the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Standing Committee. The Summit is geared toward strengthening ASEAN as a regional forum for managing issues of regional and international concern in an effective and productive way.

The official theme of the 11th ASEAN Summit is "One Vision, One Identity, One Community".

Top of the agenda at the summit was the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Charter, as the document will give the grouping a legal standing and give the ASEAN Secretary-General and the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta more power in decision-making.

The document is likely to stress ASEAN's adherence to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, and the need to uphold equality among the 10 ASEAN countries in the group's external relations.

The charter will include a commitment to continue to avoid use of force and rely on peaceful means to settle differences or disputes. It will also incorporate the group's desire to continue promoting democracy, human rights, transparency and good governance, according to a draft copy circulated before the meeting.

Edited by Kovis
ASEAN leaders pose for a group photo before the plenary session of the 11th ASEAN Summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur, December 12.

 

 

World in Pictures
Photo source: ImagineChina

	Wheelchair wedding 七旬老人举行"轮椅婚礼" Margaret Nixon, 73, and Francis Murphy, 75, of Defiance, Ohio, kiss after being married on motorized wheelchairs in the "Tunnel of Love" drive-though at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, December 5. The couple can walk short distances but use wheelchairs due to health problems.
	Tallest Xmas candle 古塔被改造成圣诞蜡烛 A 42-meter high candle in Schlitz, Hesse, central Germany, December 7. The medieval tower of Schlitz has been decorated with red sheets and lights on top, claiming to be the world's tallest Christmas candle.
	Tallest and smallest Santas 世界最高与最矮圣诞老人齐亮相 The tallest and shortest Santa Clauses in the world pose for a picture in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, December 2. The tallest, Oleg, at 2.5 meters, and the smallest Hassan, 1.1 meters, will work during the festive season for various charities in the city.
	Biggest tabletop football tournament 球迷齐玩超长版桌上足球 Youngsters play football on a giant tabletop, December 9 at Berlin's Olympic stadium. The football enthusiasts tried to establish a record for the world's biggest tabletop football tournament, just hours before the final draw for the FIFA Football World Cup, which will take place in Germany from June 9 to July 9, 2006.
	CIA spy becomes a surgeon CIA特工改行整形美容 Former CIA master of disguise Bob Barron hugs five-year-old Peter Dankelson, December 9, after fitting him with a prosthetic left ear at Barron's lab in Ashburn, Virginia, 53km west of Washington DC. Barron, who changed the identity of spies with his skills for 25 years, today devotes his time to helping people who are disfigured.

 

 

World in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"Why does it always have to be me?"
"为什么受伤的总是我? "
Brigitte Hoffmann, whose bar has been robbed 81 times in 12 years.
--德国一酒吧12年里遭遇了81次抢劫. 对此酒吧老板布丽奇特·霍夫曼很无奈.

"These days, parents go on a lot of business trips, but with children, hugging and touching are very important."
"现在, 许多父母经常因公出差在外, 但对于孩子们来说, 拥抱和抚摸非常重要. "
Singapore scientists are looking for ways to transmit the sense of touch over the internet and are thinking about electronic children's pajamas for cyberspace hugs.
--新加坡一些科学家正努力探寻通过网络来传递触觉的方法, 他们打算开发一种电子儿童睡衣, 能使父母在网络空间里拥抱自己的子女.

"It's out of the question that music of misogynist character should be allowed to ride roughshod over questions of equality and the respect of the Central African woman."
"绝不能容许那些排挤女性的歌曲来践踏中非妇女的平等权和应受到的尊重. "
Central African Republic has ordered radio and television stations to stop broadcasting songs which encourage men to dump their wives.
--中非共和国政府日前下令禁止全国电台和电视台播放那些鼓动男人遗弃糟糠之妻的歌曲.

"I think he is not in pain any more now. Obviously, I can't ask him but I can observe him and it looks like the pain is greatly reduced. It's a great result."
"我认为它现在已经不觉得疼了. 当然, 它不可能亲口告诉我, 但我可以观察, 看起来它的疼痛感的确是大大减轻了. 这个结果实在是太好了. "
Klaus Gunther Friedrich, the chief veterinarian of an Italian zoo. Bellamy, an Asian lion in the zoo, underwent a treatment to relieve muscle cramps two weeks ago in which fifty 24-karat gold pellets were inserted into his spinal muscles.
--意大利一动物园为园内的亚洲狮贝拉米做手术, 在其背部肌肉中植入了50颗纯金珠子以缓解其肌肉痉挛. 该园首席兽医克劳斯·冈特·弗里德里希表示手术很成功.


Vocabulary
rotate 轮流
agenda 议程
equality 平等
external 外部的
disguise 化装
transparency 透明