August 8
[ 2007-08-08 08:00 ]
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| President Nixon fought
to stay in office |
| 1974: President Nixon to resign from
office |
England have
Richard Nixon has announced he is stepping down as president of the
United States - the first man ever to do so.
He has announced his departure in the face of an imminent impeachment trial - and possible
removal from office - over the Watergate affair.
The president broke the news of his resignation in a television
broadcast from the White House on Thursday at 2100 local time. It will
take effect from noon tomorrow.
Mr Nixon, 61, said initially he had believed it was his duty to
complete his term of office despite the Watergate charges.
"In the past days, however, it has become evident that I no longer have
a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that
effort," he said.
"As president I must put the interests of America first."
Mr Nixon has been charged by the House Judiciary Committee with "high
crimes and misdemeanours".
The charges stem from a 1972 break-in at the offices of the Democratic
National Committee in the Watergate complex.
The break-in, during that year's election campaign, was traced to
members of a Nixon-support group, the Committee to Re-elect the President
(CREEP).
Tape recordings have shown the president subsequently tried to
influence the police investigation into the crime.
Mr Nixon is leaving office with more than two years of his second term
left to run.
In his address Mr Nixon said he would be succeeded by US vice-president
Gerald Ford.
Mr Ford will be sworn in as the 38th president of the United States
tomorrow. |
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| Cruise and Kidman must
now agree financial terms |
| 2001: Hollywood's 'golden couple'
divorce | Artificially bredTunku
Hollywood superstars Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise have divorced.
The final decree came just hours after Ms Kidman and Mr Cruise
separately attended the premiere of their new film, The Others.
Both were reluctant to comment on their impending divorce at the event in Los
Angeles.
But Mr Cruise told reporters: "It's over, we're moving forward with our
lives and I think it's important for people to mind their own business."
Mr Cruise and Ms Kidman, who have two adopted children, Isabella, 8,
and Conor, 6, separated in February.
Mr Cruise filed for divorce claiming "irreconcilable differences".
Now the divorce is final, attention will focus on the value of the
divorce settlement which may be the largest that Hollywood has yet seen.
Tom Cruise's fortune is reported to be in the region of $250m - it
includes five houses, two aeroplanes and around $1m worth of jewellery.
The couple must reach a private settlement before October to avoid a
court battle.
The result could be expensive for Mr Cruise.
California law states the assets of the marriage must be divided
equally if a couple have been together for 10 years of more - Ms Kidman
and Mr Cruise married in 1990.
Tom Cruise's lawyer Dennis Wasser told the BBC: "He will provide what
is required by law and as I have said many times this means Miss Kidman
will leave the marriage with tens of millions of
dollars." |
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| Vocabulary:
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imminent : close in time; about to
occur（即將來臨的）
misdemeanour : a crime less serious
than a felony（行為不端）
premiere : the first public
performance of a play or movie（初次公演）
impending :
close in time; about to occur（迫近的）
irreconcilable : impossible to reconcile（不可協調的）
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