09-19-07

聯合國柬埔寨特別法庭指控前紅色高棉領導人犯有戰爭罪和反人類罪 (UN Tribunal in Cambodia Charges Former Khmer Rouge Leader with War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity)

聯合國支援的柬埔寨特別法庭指控前紅色高棉領導人農謝犯有戰爭罪和反人類罪。紅色高棉前政權造成將近200萬人死亡，農謝因其所起的作用而受到指控。

目擊者說，柬埔寨警方星期三在柬埔寨西北部農謝的家鄉拜林將他拘捕，拜林是前紅色高棉在西北部的據點。農謝隨後被直升機送往首都金邊，並被帶到這個特別法庭。這個審議民族滅絕罪的特別法庭的一位發言人說，農謝已被特別法庭扣押。

現年80多歲的農謝是還健在的前紅色高棉的高級成員。在1975到1979年紅色高棉執政期間，農謝擔任已故前紅色高棉領導人波爾布特的副手，是紅色高棉政權政治思想的最高主管，以“二號大哥”著稱。

A United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia has charged a former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea with war crimes and crimes against humanity, for his role in the former regime that caused the deaths of nearly two million people.

Witnesses say Cambodian police took Nuon Chea into custody Wednesday in his hometown of Pailin - the former Khmer Rouge stronghold in Cambodia's northwest. Nuon Chea was flown by helicopter to the capital, Phnom Penh, where he was brought before the tribunal. A spokesman for the genocide tribunal said Nuon Chea has been placed in its custody.

Nuon Chea, in his early 80s, is the group's senior surviving member. Known as "Brother Number Two," he was the deputy of the late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot and the group's chief political ideologue during its reign from 1975 to 1979.

亞洲股市在美國利率降低後大幅上漲 (Asian Stocks Surge after U.S. Rate Cut)

在美聯儲的政策制定者降低主要基準利率以避免美國經濟陷入衰退以後，亞洲主要股市星期三大幅上漲。東京日經指數收盤時漲幅超過3.5%，以16,382點收作。香港的恒生指數在上午交易結束時跳升近4%，上升928點，達到25,505點。美聯儲星期二決定把聯邦基準利率調低0.5個百分點，投資者作出回應。

美聯儲的公開市場委員會表示，這次降息的目的是為了阻止美國房屋市場疲軟可能給金融市場帶來破壞。降息後的聯邦基準利率是4.75%。聯邦基準利率決定銀行之間拆借的成本。

Key Asian stock markets are surging upward in Wednesday's trading, after U.S. central bank policy-makers lowered a key interest rate to help the U.S. economy avoid recession. Tokyo's Nikkei index closed up more than three-and-a-half percent at 16-thousand-382. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index ended the morning session nearly four percent higher - up 928 points at 25-thousand-505. Investors are responding to the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision Tuesday to slash the federal funds rate by one-half percent.

The U.S. central bank's Open Market Committee said the rate cut is meant to counter possible disruptions in financial markets resulting from weakness in the U.S. housing market. The federal funds rate now stands at four-and-three-quarters percent. The federal funds rate determines the cost that banks pay to borrow from each other.