09-05-06

趙岩對欺詐罪提上訴堅持無辜 (Zhao Yan Appeals Conviction of Fraud, Insists on Innocence)

紐約時報駐北京分社的研究員趙岩對其“欺詐罪”的罪名提出上訴，堅持他是無辜的。趙岩的律師說，他星期一提出了上訴。北京的一家法庭在8月25號判定趙岩犯有“欺詐罪”，但是“洩露國家機密”的指控被取消。

紐約時報刊登的一篇文章正確預言前中國國家主席江澤民將辭去中央軍委主席的職務後趙岩被指控犯有“洩露國家機密罪”。趙岩被判欺詐罪和2001年發生的另一起事件有關。當時趙岩是一家中國出版物的記者。中國是世界上關押記者最多的國家，目前至少有32名記者在監獄。

Zhao Yan, a Chinese researcher for the New York Times newspaper, has appealed his conviction on fraud charges, insisting he is innocent. The lawyer for Zhao Yan said he filed the appeal Monday. A Beijing court convicted Zhao on the fraud charges on August 25. At the same time it acquitted him on a charge of leaking state secrets.

Zhao Yan was charged with leaking state secrets after the publication of an article in the New York Times that correctly predicted former president Jiang Zemin would resign as head of the country's armed forces. The fraud charge for which he was convicted involved an unrelated 2001 incident when he was working as a journalist for a Chinese publication. China remains the world's leading jailer of journalists, with at least 32 reporters in prison.

北約：二百塔利班被擊斃數百遭圍困 (NATO: Two Hundred Taleban Fighters Killed, Hundreds Trapped)

北約組織說，在阿富汗南部針對強硬派伊斯蘭武裝的一次攻勢中，北約部隊總共打死200多名塔裏班人員，並且圍睏了幾百人。北約發言人星期二在喀布爾對記者說，聯軍部隊正在包圍塔裏班武裝分子，把他們逼進“陷阱”之中。

北約星期六發動了代號為“美杜莎”行動，爭取消滅坎大哈省的塔裏班據點。行動引發了在巴基斯坦邊界附近地區的激烈戰鬥。有5名加拿大士兵在行動中喪生，包括一名星期一被美國戰鬥機“友軍炮火”誤傷的士兵。

另一方面，巴基斯坦總統穆沙拉伕可能最早于星期三將訪問阿富汗，目的是修復兩國之間出現的緊張關係。阿富汗官員聲稱，塔裏班武裝利用巴基斯坦領土做為越境襲擊的基地。巴基斯坦否認這項指控。

NATO says its forces have killed more than 200 Taleban fighters and cornered several hundred more in an offensive against the hard-line Islamist group in southern Afghanistan. A NATO spokesman told reporters in Kabul Tuesday that allied forces are closing in on Taleban guerrillas, pushing them into what he called "a bit of a trap."

NATO's Operation Medusa was launched Saturday to wipe out Taleban strongholds in Kandahar province. It has sparked intense fighting in the region near the border with Pakistan. Five Canadian soldiers have been killed during the operation, including one hit by so-called "friendly fire" from a U.S. warplane on Monday.

In a separate development, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is due to visit Afghanistan as early as Wednesday, in an effort to mend strained relations between the two countries. Afghan officials contend that Taleban guerrillas use Pakistani territory as a staging area for their cross-border attacks. Pakistan rejects the accusation.