Reports Say Pro-Syrian Forces Killed 82 Civilians in Aleppo

Reports Say Pro-Syrian Forces Killed 82 Civilians in Aleppo
The United Nations said Tuesday it has received reports of pro-government forces in Syria killing at least 82 civilians in four different neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo, where the recapture of the last areas held by rebels is "imminent."
U.N. rights spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva it is difficult to verify reports, and that it was not clear when exactly the killings were to have taken place.
"We hope profoundly that these reports are wrong or exaggerated," he said.
Colville called for the U.N. or another organization such as the International Committee of the Red Cross to be allowed to monitor the situation in Aleppo in order to alleviate concerns about potential rights abuses.
The ICRC also warned Tuesday that thousands of civilians in eastern Aleppo "have literally nowhere safe to run" and urged those involved in fighting there to protect them.
The group said in a statement that time is running out to find a humanitarian solution, and that it is ready to help put in place any agreement that puts civilians first.

recapture: to take something into your possession again, especially by force: 
 alleviate: to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe: 

Google Signs Internet Deal With Cuba
Google signed an agreement with the Cuban government on Monday granting internet users on the Communist-run island quicker access to its branded content.
Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google's parent company, signed the deal with the president of state telecommunications monopoly ETECSA. It grants Cubans speedy access to the Google Global Cache network, which stores content from sites such as Gmail and YouTube on servers located closer to end users.
In a country where public internet access is limited to slow and expensive Wi-Fi hot spots, it was not clear how the deal would affect service in the short term.
The Google deal comes as officials in Havana and Washington are working to wrap up pending commercial accords before President Barack Obama leaves office next month.

grant: to give or allow someone something, usually in an official way: 授予
branded adj.: made by a particular company and sold under a particular name: 商标的
wrap sth up: 1 to cover or surround something in paper, cloth, or other material:  2 informal to complete something successfully: 
pending adj.: about to happen or waiting to happen: 
accord noun: (a formal) agreement: