9-22-2005

伊拉克巴士拉省暫停與英軍合作 (Iraqi Province Halts Cooperation with British Forces)

伊拉克南部巴士拉省當局暫停與駐紮在那裏的英國部隊的一切合作，在此之前，英國軍隊為了解救兩名士兵而突襲了一所監獄。

巴士拉省省長星期四表示，省議會投票一致贊同停止跟英國部隊的合作。他說，英國方面必須道歉，對造成的損失提供賠償，把那兩名英國軍人送交伊拉克當局，然後雙方關係才能正常化。

這兩名英國便衣軍人星期一被控向兩名伊拉克警察開槍而被逮捕。由於英國軍隊越來越擔心這兩名被逮捕的英國便衣軍人被移交給什葉派民兵，所以發動了那次襲擊。

Local authorities in the southern Iraqi province of Basra have suspended all cooperation with British forces stationed there, in the aftermath of a British raid on a prison to free two soldiers.

Basra's governor said Thursday that the provincial council voted unanimously in favor of the suspension. He said the British must apologize, provide compensation for damages, and turn over the two British soldiers to Iraqi authorities before relations can be normalized.

The two undercover soldiers were arrested Monday after allegedly shooting two Iraqi policemen. British troops stormed the prison after fears grew that the soldiers had been handed over to a Shi'ite militia.

颶風麗塔以危險姿態逼近德州數千人逃離 (Thousands Flee As Hurricane Rita Bears Down On Texas Coast)

颶風麗塔依舊以強烈和非常危險的5級颶風的態勢在墨西哥灣向美國德克薩斯州移動。

德州東部的公路星期四擠滿了試圖在颶風襲來之前撤離這一地區的車輛。

最新報導說， 颶風麗塔的風速已經達到每小時270公里以上。美國的颶風中心說， 麗塔可能減弱，但很可能在星期五晚上或星期六早上登陸。

預期，路易斯安那州新奧爾良將出現暴雨。當地官員擔心，新修補起來的海堤會承受不住巨浪的衝擊，再次發大水。

星期三，美國總統布希宣佈德州和路易斯安那扛7b處於緊急狀態，授權聯邦緊急措施署幫助協調救災努力。

該署負責人說，大量的飲水、冰以及食物都已經到位。

Hurricane Rita remains a huge and intensely dangerous category-five storm as it spins through the Gulf of Mexico on a collision course with the U.S. state of Texas.

Highways across eastern Texas are jammed with motorists Thursday trying to move away from the state's Gulf coast before the storm makes landfall.

At last report, Rita was packing winds of more than 270 kilometers per hour. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Rita may weaken but will likely come ashore as a major hurricane late Friday or early Saturday.

Heavy rains are expected in New Orleans, Louisiana, where officials fear levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina could fail again and cause more flooding.

On Wednesday, President Bush declared a state of emergency in Texas and Louisiana, and authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

The agency's chief said that truckloads of water, ice and food are already in place.