(单词翻译:单击)
路透社:印度钢厂气体泄漏 6人死亡
=====精彩回顾=====
Deadly steel plant gas leak in India
印度钢厂气体泄漏 6人死亡
Casualties from an accident at a steel plant in the Indian state of Chhattishargh arrive at hospital. They were affected by a gas leak following an explosion at the plant in Bhilai. At least six are known to have died. At least 23 others were taken ill. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. The plant where it happened is a unit of the state-run Steel Authority of India, the country's sole producer of rails and heavy steel plates.
印度恰蒂斯加尔邦一家钢厂发生事故，伤者已经抵达医院。事故起因是比莱钢厂气体泄漏，随后发生爆炸。目前已有至少6人死亡，至少23人受伤。爆炸原因目前还不清楚。发生事故的钢厂是印度钢铁管理局一个下属单位，是印度唯一一家铁轨和厚钢板生产商。
Bergdahl back in U.S.
交换囚犯伯格达尔回到美国
U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's settling into this Texas hospital. It's the latest phase of his rehabilitation after five years in Taliban captivity. He arrived at the Brook Army Medical Center on Friday after an initial stay at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. Bergdahl was handed over to U.S. forces in Afghanistan on May 31st in exchange for five Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The deal has led to allegations that U.S. President Barack Obama's violated his own government's policy against negotiating with those it considers terrorists. Some of Bergdahl's former colleagues are also unhappy. They allege he deserted when he walked away from his outpost in circumstances which are still far from clear.
美国陆军中士鲍·伯格达尔入住德克萨斯这家医院。这是他被塔利班俘虏五年获释后的最新状况。周五，在德国一家美国军事医院康复了一段时间后，他于周五抵达布鲁克陆军医学中心。伯格达尔于5月31日获释，交换释放关塔纳摩湾5名塔利班囚犯。该交易导致人们指控美国总统奥巴马违反了自己政府不与恐怖分子谈判的政策。伯格达尔以前的一些同事也对此感到不满。他们声称伯格达尔在形势不明确的情况下走出前哨部队被俘虏是应得的下场。
Ukraine mine rescue underway
乌克兰一煤矿发生瓦斯爆炸
Nine miners were underground at this pit in the Ukraine region of Donetsk when methane gas triggered an explosion. Rescue teams are trying to reach the trapped men. Mine rescue officials say the site was operating illegally.
乌克兰顿涅茨克这座煤矿发生甲烷气体爆炸，当时共有9名工人在井下。救援队正在试图拯救被困工人。煤矿救援官员表示，该煤矿是非法运营的。
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) DEPUTY HEAD OF CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS OF MINE RESCUE SERVICES, IGOR BELIKOV, SAYING: "It is an illegal coal mine, according to our current findings. It has no contract of permanent and obligatory provision of rescue services between this mine and trained rescue stations as is compulsory. This enterprise has no official records."
煤矿救援局总部副手伊戈尔·别利科夫(Igor Belikov)：“根据我们目前的发现，这是一座非法煤矿，煤矿也没有按照要求与训练有素的救援队签订永久性的合同和强制性的救援条款。这座煤矿没有任何官方记录。”
The explosion happened on Thursday 300 metres below ground. The blast has caused the shaft to collapse and damaged ventilation systems. The mine is in a small town 90 kilometres north of the regional capital of Donetsk and less than half that distance from Slaviansk where pro-Russian separatists have taken up arms.
爆炸于周四发生在地下300米处。爆炸导致通风井坍塌，损坏了通风系统。这座煤矿位于顿涅茨克首府以北90千米处的一个小镇，而距离亲俄分裂分子拿起武器反抗的斯拉维扬斯克只有不到一半的距离。
白宫发言:奥巴马会见澳大利亚总理讲话
Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Abbott of Australia After Bilateral Meeting
Oval Office
12:16 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it’s wonderful to have an opportunity to visit with Prime Minister Abbott. We had a chance to meet when I had the great honor of addressing the Australian Parliament. And we are so glad to be able to return the favor in the Prime Minister’s first visit here to the Oval Office.
We don’t have a better friend in the world, as well as the Asia Pacific region, than Australia. They are a treaty ally. We cooperate on a whole range of issues. Historically, there hasn’t been a fight that the United States was in that Australia wasn’t standing shoulder to shoulder with us. And most recently, in Afghanistan, Australian troops have made enormous contributions and made enormous sacrifices, and we’re very grateful to them for that.
We had the opportunity this morning to discuss a wide range of issues, many of them focused on the importance of the Asia Pacific region. We discussed the security cooperation that is continuing to deepen between our two nations as treaty allies. In addition to the Marines that are now in Darwin and the rotations that have been established, we actually have arrived at additional agreements around force postures that will enhance the bilateral cooperation between our militaries and give us additional reach throughout this very important part of the world. And we’re grateful for the cooperation there.
I should note that Australia, under the Prime Minister’s leadership, is increasing its defense budget, even under tough times, recognizing that we all have to make sure that we’re doing our fair share to help maintain global order and security.
We had an opportunity to discuss the strong commercial ties between our two countries. And both of us have been very invested in trying to bring the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP, to a successful outcome. Negotiations continue, but Australia has been a very constructive partner in that process, and we both agree that not only can this agreement help to bring about jobs and growth for our respective populations, but it will also help establish the kinds of norms and free market principles throughout the region that will be important for our long-term prosperity.
We had an opportunity to discuss the work that we try to do in the region with organizations like ASEAN to maintain basic rules of the road when it comes to maritime issues, the South China Sea. Obviously, both the United States and Australia have enormous trade relationships with China, and we both agree that it’s important to continue to see China prosper and rise. But what’s also important is that as China emerges as this great world power that it also is helping to reinforce and abide by basic international law and norms.
And we had an opportunity to discuss some of the hotspots and international concerns that are on the front page of the papers over the last several weeks and months. I shared with him my views after my trip to Europe about the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of still resolving that issue in a diplomatic fashion, but thanked the Australians for joining with us and being firm with the Russians about their need to abide by international law and the application of sanctions and other consequences when they do not.
We discussed the situation in the Middle East, and obviously the concerns that we have around Iraq and Syria. Both our countries are potentially threatened by jihadists and freedom fighters, as they call them, that are going into Syria, getting trained in terrorist tactics and then potentially coming back to our countries and could end up being a significant threat to our homeland, as well.
And we also had an opportunity to talk about North Korea and the continuing threat there and the importance for us to maintain vigilance, including additional coordination around protection from potential missile strikes from North Korea.
Finally, I indicated to the Prime Minister that I’m very much looking forward to visiting Australia -- one of my favorite countries to visit -- for the G20. And I assured him that we want to cooperate in any ways that we can to ensure that Australia’s renowned hospitality is also coupled with a very productive set of G20 meetings to talk global growth.
So I think that the Prime Minister and I share a whole range of concerns, but we also see a whole range of opportunities out there for increased cooperation. And I’m very glad that he’s had the chance to come by today and have a very productive meeting.
So thank you, Tony.
PRIME MINISTER ABBOTT: Well, thank you so much, Barack. This has been a really full and thorough engagement over the last hour or so. Obviously, I’m here to thank the United States for its deepening engagement in our region. I’m here to further entrench our security and our economic cooperation. I’m here to celebrate the extraordinary friendship between the Australian and the American peoples. And I’m thrilled to have you coming to the G20 in November, because we have a very important job in November in Brisbane to accelerate economic growth around the world so that we have more prosperity and more jobs.
Obviously, right now, there are a whole range of security issues which the United States is leading on and where Australia is doing our part to secure the freedom and the safety of the world and its citizens. I want to assure the President that Australia will be an utterly dependable ally of the United States. The United States has had to bear many burdens, many burdens. The United States has paid a very high price to secure freedom and prosperity for many countries, not just itself. And the United States should never have to do all that work on its own.
So it’s been a terrific discussion. And I think that many good things will come from this meeting today.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you, Tony. I’m going to take just one question. Nedra.
Q Mr. President, are you considering drone strikes or any sort of action to stop the insurgence in Iraq?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, this is an area that we’ve been watching with a lot of concern not just over the last couple of days but over the last several months, and we’ve been in close consultation with the Iraqi government. Over the last year, we have been providing them additional assistance to try to address the problems that they have in Anbar, in the northwestern portions of the country, as well as the Iraqi and Syrian border. That includes, in some cases, military equipment. It includes intelligence assistance. It includes a whole host of issues.
But what we’ve seen over the last couple of days indicates the degree to which Iraq is going to need more help. It’s going to need more help from us, and it’s going to need more help from the international community.
So my team is working around the clock to identify how we can provide the most effective assistance to them. I don’t rule out anything, because we do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria, for that matter.
Part of the challenge -- and I’ve said this directly to Prime Minister Maliki, and Vice President Biden has said this in his very frequent interactions with the Iraqi government -- is that the politics of Shia and Sunni inside of Iraq, as well as the Kurds, is either going to be a help in dealing with this jihadist situation, or it’s going to be a hindrance. And frankly, over the last several years, we have not seen the kind of trust and cooperation develop between moderate Sunni and Shia leaders inside of Iraq, and that accounts in part for some of the weakness of the state, and that then carries over into their military capacity.
So I think it’s fair to say that in our consultations with the Iraqis there will be some short-term, immediate things that need to be done militarily, and our national security team is looking at all the options. But this should be also a wakeup call for the Iraqi government. There has to be a political component to this so that Sunni and Shia who care about building a functioning state that can bring about security and prosperity to all people inside of Iraq come together and work diligently against these extremists. And that is going to require concessions on the part of both Shia and Sunni that we haven’t seen so far.
The last point I’ll make -- what’s happened over the last couple of days I think underscores the importance of the point that I made at my West Point speech: the need for us to have a more robust regional approach to partnering and training partner countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. We’re not going to be able to be everywhere all the time, but what we can do is to make sure that we are consistently helping to finance, train, advise military forces with partner countries, including Iraq, that have the capacity to maintain their own security. And that is a long and laborious process, but it’s one that we need to get started.
That’s part of what the Counterterrorism Partnership Fund that I am going to be calling for Congress to help finance is all about, giving us the capacity to extend our reach without sending U.S. troops to play Whac-A-Mole wherever there ends up being a problem in a particular country. That’s going to be more effective. It’s going to be more legitimate in the eyes of people in the region, as well as the international community. But it’s going to take time for us to build it. In the short term, we have to deal with what clearly is an emergency situation in Iraq.
PRIME MINISTER ABBOTT: Perhaps, Barack, I might take one question.
Q Mr. President, just on that point you made there about limitations of American power -- what would it take for militarization, be it in the Middle East, be it in the Asia Pacific region? Where is the line drawn?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I gave a very long speech about all this, so I probably would refer you to that as opposed to repeating it. But the basic principle obviously is that we, like all nations, are prepared to take military action whenever our national security is threatened. Where the issues have to do with the broader international order -- humanitarian concerns, concerns around rights to navigation, concerns around our ability to deal with instability or fragile states or failed states, and the consequences for populations there and refugee flows -- those sorts of international issues, wherever we can, our preference should be to partner with other countries. We’re going to be more effective if we can work with other nations.
Q What does --
THE PRESIDENT: And that’s why -- well, that’s part of where Australia is so important to us. There are a handful of countries in the world that we always know we can count on, not just because they share our values, but we know we can count on them because they’ve got real capacity. Australia is one of those countries. We share foundational values about liberal democracies and human rights, and a world view that’s governed by international law and norms. And Aussies know how to fight, and I like having them in a foxhole if we’re in trouble. So I can’t think of a better partner.
Part of our task now in a world where it’s less likely that any particular nation attacks us or our treaty allies directly, but rather more typically that you have disorder, asymmetric threats, terrorist organizations -- all of which can be extraordinarily disruptive and damaging, but aren’t the traditional types of war that so often we’ve been equipped to fight -- it becomes that much more important for us to start building new partners who aren’t going to be as capable as the Australians, aren’t going to be as capable as our own troops. And that’s going to take some time. It’s going to take some resources, but we need to start now. We’ve learned some lessons over the last decade and we need to start applying them.
Thank you, everybody.
END
12:33 P.M. EDT
CCTV9:内地游客降低消费 香港零售量下降
Sales drop as mainland visitors ease their spending in HK
内地游客降低消费 香港零售量下降
Hong Kong’s retail sales have seen their sharpest drop in five years, as spending by visitors from the Mainland slows.
Mainland visitors used to come here in droves, packing these jewelry shops to fever pitch, and ringing the tills with thick wads of Chinese Renminbi. Now all that has changed. Mainland tourists, who used to splurge on jewelry and watches, are now spending a lot less on luxuries.
Here in this jewelry store in Wan Chai, Mr. Ngai told us late last April that turnover from Mainland customers dropped 20 to 30 percent, as they bought a lot less over the Easter holidays. Mainland clients account for 30 to 40 percent of his business.
Today, turnover has slipped even further, laments Mr. Ngai.
Hong Kong’s retail sales in April dropped the sharpest in five years, the third month in a row the figures had fallen. The biggest decline was for big-ticket items such as jewelry and watches, with sales plunging almost 40 per cent in April. Shops like these that have relied mainly on visitors from the Mainland for their sales over the past few years are struggling now, with some of them losing about 50 percent of their business since April, as Mainland spending in the city for such luxuries continues to shrink.
The fall in sales of jewelry and watches reflects a change in Mainland tourists’ shopping habits, says Clare Lui of market researcher Ipsos.
"The downturn on the mainland, the slowdown in the growth rate of the number of visitors and the fact that visitors are less inclined to extravagant spending are the main contributing factors to this." said Clare Lui, Executive Director, Ipsos.
While the record drop in retail sales comes as the number of Mainland visitors continues to slow, some economists blame the trend on the anti-corruption drive Beijing launched in 20-12 to curb government spending on luxury gifts.
If the retail sales decline persists, warns Financial Secretary John Tsang, it could affect Hong Kong’s economy and development.
Unlike his rivals in Causeway Bay, majority of Mr. Ngai’s clients are still Hong Kong locals, whom he says are still spending on jewelry. And it’s helping this 40 year-old shop in Wan Chai tide itself over in this latest downturn.
