11-08-07

擔心油價和美國經濟亞洲股市大跌(Asian Stocks Plunge on Oil Worries and US Economy Concerns)

由於華爾街股市大幅下滑、人們對石油價格居高不下的擔憂以及對美國經濟的擔心動搖了投資人的信心，整個亞洲地區的股市星期四大跌。

東京的日經指數下跌了2%，台北、雪梨和首爾的股市收盤時也受重挫。

原油價格從新高位上有所回落，但是星期三的時候仍然接近每桶100美元的價位，使人們對美國經濟狀況更加憂心。美國經濟今年已經受到房屋價格大跌以及美元貶值的困擾。

Stocks across Asia plunged in trading Thursday as sharp falls on Wall Street, worries about high oil prices, and concerns about the U.S. economy shook investors.

Tokyo's Nikkei index slipped two percent, while share prices in Taipei, Sydney and Seoul also closed sharply lower.

Crude oil prices have eased back from new highs, but still flirted near the 100-dollar mark Wednesday, adding concern to the U. S. economy -- which has been beset this year by plunging home prices and the declining dollar.

科學家稱禽流感仍在亞非蔓延 (Scientists Say Bird Flu Still Spreading in Asia and Africa)

正在泰國首都曼谷開會的科學家表示，禽流感目前仍然繼續在好幾個亞洲和非洲國家裏蔓延。聯合國禽流感人類流感問題的高級協調員戴維.納巴洛星期三對記者表示，目前取得了一些進展，但是問題仍然存在。

納巴洛說，問題比較嚴重的國家包括有亞洲的孟加拉國、印度尼西亞和越南。他還說，非洲的埃及和尼日利亞令人擔心。納巴洛說，泰國在控制禽流感病毒的傳播方面取得較大成功。

H5N1型禽流感病毒主要是在禽鳥身上發作，主要發生在亞洲地區，不過歐洲和非洲地區也出現了這種病毒。H5N1型禽流感病毒1997年最早在香港出現以來，目前已經奪去了11國家裏至少211人的生命。

Scientists meeting in Bangkok say bird flu continues to spread in several Asian and African countries. The United Nations senior coordinator for avian and human influenza told reporters Wednesday that progress has been made but problems still remain. 

David Nabarro said problem countries in Asia include Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. In Africa, he said Egypt and Nigeria give cause for concern. Nabarro said Thailand has had greater success in controlling the H5N1 virus.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza mainly affects birds and has struck primarily in Asia, but it has also appeared in Europe and Africa. Since its appearance in Hong Kong in 1997, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 211 people in eleven countries.