Australians have been warned to prepare for interest rate rises as the economy shows signs of recovery in the wake of positive comments from the Reserve Bank governor. The federal government is defending the size of recent stimulus spending. The Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner says the government has not overreacted and won’t be revising its forecast for negative growth.

The National Australia Bank is said to axe its overdraft fees, saving customers almost a billion dollars a year. From October, the NAB will scrap the 30-dollar fee imposed on accounts that have become overdrawn.

A dire bushfire forecast has been issued for Victoria with this summer expected to be even fiercer than the last. A leaked report from the state’s Department of Sustainability and Environment says a season with the greatest potential loss to life and property is now in sight. Victorians have been warned they have 90 days to prepare.

And US police have searched the Las Vegas home of Michael Jackson’s doctor as part of the investigation into the singer’s death. Dr. Conrad Murray was with the pop star when he died. Police say he is not a suspect.

I’ll be back with more news in an hour. Bye for now.


  • New Words
  • Pronunciation
  • Simple Meaning
  • in the wake of
  •  
  • 尾随……
  • governor
  •  
  • In some systems of government, a governor is a person who is in charge of the political administration of a region or state.
  • overreacte
  •  
  • If you say that someone overreacts to something, you mean that they have and show more of an emotion than is necessary or appropriate.
  • revise
  •  
  • If you revise the way you think about something, you adjust your thoughts, usually in order to make them better or more suited to how things are.
  • axe
  •  
  • If someone's job or something such as a public service or a television programme is axed, it is ended suddenly and without discussion.
  • overdraft
  •  
  • If you have an overdraft, you have spent more money than you have in your bank account, and so you are in debt to the bank.
  • scrap
  •  
  • If you scrap something, you get rid of it or cancel it.
  • impose
  •  
  • If you impose something on people, you use your authority to force them to accept it.
  • overdrawn
  •  
  • If you are overdrawn or if your bank account is overdrawn, you have spent more money than you have in your account, and so you are in debt to the bank.
  • dire
  •  
  • Dire is used to emphasize how serious or terrible a situation or event is.
  • fierce
  •  /fɪəs/
  • Fierce conditions are very intense, great, or strong.
  • leaked
  •  
  • If a secret document or piece of information leaks or is leaked, someone lets the public know about it.
  • the Reserve Bank
  •  
  • 澳大利亚央行
  • The Finance Minister
  •  
  • 财政部长
  • Department of Sustainability and Environment
  •  
  • 环境可持续发展部门
  • Las Vegas
  •  
  • 拉斯维加斯