09-21-07

美國在網路上公佈新五元紙幣(US Unveils New Five-Dollar Bill Online)

美國政府公佈了定於明年初進入流通的5美元面值紙幣的新設計。政府官員星期四宣佈，新設計加入了改善的防偽特徵，使得偽造貨幣更加困難。這是美國第一次完全在網上公佈新紙幣。

新紙幣含有兩個浮水印、重新的防偽安全線以及傳統綠色背景上的紫色設計。

美國預定在2008年發行新的100美元面值的紙幣。

去年一年，美國和國際有關當局在全球範圍清除了市場上流動的將近6500萬美元假鈔。

The U.S. government has unveiled a new design for the five-dollar bill scheduled to enter circulation early next year. Government officials announced Thursday that the bill incorporates improved security features making it more difficult for counterfeiters to fake. The online preview of the bill is the first time that U.S. paper money has ever been unveiled entirely online.

The new bill features two watermarks, a repositioned embedded security thread and purple designs against the traditional green.

A new 100-dollar bill is scheduled to be released in 2008.

Last year, U.S. and international authorities removed from circulation nearly 65-million dollars in counterfeit U.S. bills worldwide.

聯合國：到工業國尋求避難的伊拉克人數量倍增 (UN: Number of Iraqis Seeking Asylum in Industrialized Countries Doubles)

聯合國難民機構說，今年上半年，到發達的工業化國家尋求庇護的伊拉克人數比去年同期增加了一倍多。

該機構星期五公佈的一份聲明說，今年1月到6月期間，將近2萬伊拉克人在36個工業國家尋求庇護。

瑞典是他們的首選之地，大約有一半的人到該國尋求庇護。緊隨其後的依次是希臘、西班牙和德國。

聲明說，如果按目前的趨勢發展下去，到今年年底，伊拉克到工業國家尋求庇護的人數將高達5萬人。

聯合國難民機構說，伊拉克大約有220萬難民為了躲避國內的暴力逃到別的國家，其中大部份逃到了鄰國，特別是敘利亞和約旦。這些國家並不是發達國家。

The United Nations refugee agency says the number of Iraqis seeking asylum in industrialized countries has more than doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year.

The agency said in a statement Friday that nearly 20-thousand Iraqis requested asylum from January through June this year in 36 industrialized countries.

Sweden is the top destination -- with about half seeking asylum there -- followed by Greece, Spain, and Germany.

The statement said if current trends continue, the total number of Iraqis seeking asylum in industrialized countries could reach 50-thousand by the end of the year.

The U.N. refugee agency said there are about two-point-two million Iraqi refugees who have fled violence in their homeland, mostly to neighboring countries, especially Syria and Jordan. Those countries are not industrialized.