9-12-2005

布希總統第三次巡視新奧爾良 (President Bush Pays Third Visit to New Orleans)

布希總統正在巡視新奧爾良市被大水破壞的街道。自從卡特裏娜颶風兩個星期之前肆虐美國墨西哥灣沿岸地區之後，這是他第三次視察這一地區。

布希星期天晚上飛到了新奧爾良，在一艘軍艦上過夜。這艘軍艦為這座受災城市運來了直升機。布希總統今天聽取了海岸警衛隊艾倫中將有關救援努力的詳細彙報，正隨軍用車隊巡視新奧爾良市，並會晤當地官員。布希晚些時候將前往比奧爾良市颶風災情更為嚴重的密西西比州城市格爾夫波特。

世界最大的保險公司之一瑞士再保險說，卡特裏娜颶風最終會讓世界各地的保險商損失大約400億美元。這是最初估計的兩倍。如果包括政府開支和人道組織的花費，這次風暴造成的損失總額有可能超過1200億美元。

目前颶風死亡人數的官方數字是400多人，但是預計最後的數字會高出許多。路易斯安納州的官員報怨說，聯邦緊急措施署沒有採取及時行動為仍然住在全州各地緊急庇護設施的5萬8千名無家可歸的居民提供臨時住所。

President Bush is touring the flood-damaged streets of New Orleans, during his third visit to the U.S. Gulf Coast since the region was devastated by Hurricane Katrina two weeks ago.

President Bush flew to New Orleans late Sunday and spent the night aboard a naval vessel that brought helicopters to the battered city. Today the president received a detailed briefing on recovery efforts by Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen, and is now touring the city in a military convoy and meeting with local officials. Later, he heads to Gulfport, Mississippi, where damage by the hurricane was even more extensive than in New Orleans.

Swiss Reinsurance, one of the world's biggest insurance firms says Hurricane Katrina ultimately will cost underwriters around the world 40 billion dollars, twice the original estimate. Including costs borne by governments and expenditures by humanitarian organizations, the storm's total cost could be 120 billion dollars.

The official death toll from the storm now stands at more than 400, but is expected to grow considerably higher. Louisiana officials are complaining that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is not moving quickly enough to provide temporary housing for the some 58-thousand displaced residents still in emergency shelters across the state.

巴勒斯坦人涌入加沙廢棄定居點慶祝 (Palestinians Rush into Abandoned Settlements in Gaza to Celebrate)

以色列撤離佔領了38年的加沙地帶之後，數以千計的巴勒斯坦人星期一歡呼著衝進被放棄的以色列定居點，在這塊土地上升起巴勒斯坦旗幟。駐加沙地區以軍最高指揮官將駕車經過基素菲姆過境點，進入以色列，完成了一整夜的撤軍行動。巴勒斯坦人隨後開始了慶祝。以色列8月份撤離了那裏所有的8500猶太定居者。以色列軍人隨後關閉了大門並堆起水泥板和泥土，封鎖了以色列和加沙之間的主要道路。

以色列人離開之後，巴勒斯坦激進分子馬上鳴槍以示慶祝。有些人插上巴勒斯坦旗幟，還有一些人開始搗毀被放棄的猶太教堂。有些人還帶著家人見證這個場面。

埃及邊防軍人試圖驅散在加沙-埃及邊界的人群。他們開槍打死一名巴勒斯坦男子。據說，這名男子和一群示威著試圖越過邊界進入埃及。

Thousands of cheering Palestinians rushed into abandoned Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip early today (Monday), raising the Palestinian flag over land vacated by Israel after a 38-year occupation. The celebrations erupted as the top Israeli military commander in the territory drove through the Kissufim crossing into Israel, completing an overnight troop withdrawal. All 85-hundred Jewish settlers were evacuated last month. Israeli soldiers then closed the crossing gate and piled concrete slabs and dirt to block the road, which had been the main artery linking Israel and Gaza.

Palestinian militants began celebrating with gunfire as soon as the Israelis left. Some planted Palestinian flags, while others began destroying abandoned synagogues. Still others brought their families to witness the spectacle.

Egyptian border guards trying to disperse huge crowds on the Gaza-Egypt frontier shot and killed a Palestinian man said to be part of a crowd of demonstrators trying to cross into Egypt.