12-14-07

澳大利亞在野黨反對政府用軍艦跟蹤日本捕鯨船隊 (Australian Opposition Opposes Using Military to Monitor Japanese Whaling Fleet)

澳大利亞在野黨警告新政府不要動用軍隊跟蹤日本在南極的捕鯨活動。陸克文總理星期四對記者說，他將在下星期決定是否派遣海軍艦隻蒐集日本捕鯨船非法活動的證據以及是否可能在國際法庭上狀告日本。

但是在野黨領袖納爾遜說，此舉會破壞澳大利亞與澳大利亞重要盟國和貿易夥伴日本的外交關係。日本捕鯨船隊正朝南極洲航行。這個捕鯨隊計劃獵殺900多頭鯨魚，其中包括多達50頭座頭鯨。這將是自1963年以來人們所知的對座頭鯨的首次大規模捕殺行動。

Australia's opposition party is warning the new government not to use the military to track Japanese whaling activities in the Antarctic.Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters Thursday that he will decide by next week whether to deploy naval ships to gather evidence of illegal activity by the whaling ships, and bring a possible legal case against Japan before international tribunals. 

But opposition leader Brendan Nelson says such a move would cause a diplomatic breach with Tokyo, a key ally and trading partner of Australia.Japan's whaling fleet is sailing towards Antarctica on a mission to hunt and kill over 900 whales, including up to 50 humpbacks -- the first known large-scale hunt for the whales since a 1963.

印尼又有一人死於禽流感 (New Bird Flu Fatality in Indonesia)

印度尼西亞衛生官員說，又有一名男子已經死於禽流感，使印尼死於禽流感的人數上升到93。最新這起病例的受害人是首都雅加達附近文登鎮一名47歲的男子。他12月早些時候開始出現發病跡象，住進雅加達一家醫院治療，星期四晚間死亡。

印度尼西亞目前有115人感染了禽流感病毒，使印尼成為自2003年禽流感爆發以來受影響最嚴重的國家。世界衛生組織說，全世界已經有200多人死於禽流感。

Indonesia's health ministry says another Indonesian man has died of bird flu, raising the country's death toll from the virus to 93. The latest victim is a 47-year-old from the town of Tangerang, located near the capital of Jakarta. He first began showing signs of illness earlier this month, and was admitted to a hospital in Jakarta, where he died Thursday night.

A total of 115 people in Indonesia have been infected with the virulent strain of bird flu, making it the worst affected country since the outbreak began in 2003. The World Health Organization says more than 200 people have died of bird flu worldwide.