VOA standard English (20080408)

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:29:41

IMF: Credit Squeeze in US Could Get Worse

By Barry Wood
Washington
08 April 2008

The International Monetary Fund Tuesday said the turmoil in world credit markets that began with rising home loan defaults in the United States is not over and losses could hit $945 billion as the impact spreads into the global economy. The Bloomberg financial news services estimates that banks and securities firms have so far written off only a fraction of that total, $232 billion. VOA's Barry Wood has more from Washington.

A realtor's sign is seen on the lawn of a foreclosed home in Egg Harbor Township, NJ in this 15 Mar 2008 file photo

IMF specialists say the overall risks to global financial stability have increased sharply in recent months. Jaime Caruana is the principal author of the IMF report on financial stability.
"The credit shock emanating from the US subprime crisis is set to broaden amid a significant economic slowdown," he said.  "The deterioration in credit has moved up and across the credit spectrum."
As bank losses have soared, lenders have tightened standards and, despite lower interest rates, many commercial and consumer loans are still hard to come by. Caruana says more than six months into the crisis, credit markets are still not functioning normally.
"We have seen confidence quickly evaporate, ending in liquidity driven solvency events that threaten the core financial system," he added.
He is referring to the US central bank-orchestrated rescue of the Bear Stearns investment bank, which teetered on the brink of bankruptcy because of loan losses.

The IMF is not alone in its worry that the credit crisis could worsen. Morris Goldstein, a financial specialist at Washington's Peterson Institute, says if home prices continue to fall in the United States, defaults on mortgage loans could grow beyond the two million predicted for this year.
"It's been estimated that if US housing prices fall by an additional 15 percent or so, approximately a third of US homeowners will have negative equity in their homes," he explained.  "This raises the question of whether willingness to pay will have to be addressed along with ability to pay."
US home prices on average declined by 10 percent in 2007, a factor IMF economists say contributed to the global credit crisis.  Many US mortgage loans were bundled into securities and sold to financial institutions worldwide.
Caruana says if the situation worsens, it may be necessary for governments to spend taxpayer money to stabilize markets.
"I think we have to be careful on that," he cautioned.  "And the question is to what extent the situation continues to deteriorate."
The IMF says lax regulation and a failure to recognize the risks of highly leveraged loans contributed to the credit crisis. Financial markets, it says, will come under increased strain as world economic growth decelerates.

[ 本帖最后由 qin 于 2008-4-9 23:35 编辑 ]

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:32:50

South Korea's First Woman Astronaut Lifts Off Into Space

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
08 April 2008

South Koreans are celebrating the launch of their country's first space traveler. Yi So-yeon has become the first South Korean woman to blast into orbit on her way to a research mission on the International Space Station. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul the space mission is doubling as a major source of Korean national pride.

South Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon, left, and Russian cosmonaut, commander Sergei Volkov, speak prior to launch in Kazakhstan, 8 Apr 2008

A gala party atmosphere prevailed in the South Korean capital, where about 5,000 people gathered in a downtown plaza to watch a broadcast of astronaut Yi So-yeon's liftoff aboard a Russian rocket launched from Baikonur, Kazahstan.
South Korea's SBS network also brought the event live to television viewers around the country.  With minutes to go before the launch, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak addressed the Seoul crowd on the event's importance.
Mr. Lee calls the launch "another miracle of the Han River," referring to the large waterway that runs through Seoul.  He says Korea is now joining the space generation, and that Yi So-yeon is giving hope to young Koreans everywhere.
Then, the crowd of thousands joined in for the final seconds of the countdown, and exploded in cheers as they watched live images of the Soyuz rocket launch.
Astronaut Yi is the 49th woman in space, and only the second Asian woman.  South Korean authorities selected her from more than 30,000 applicants.
Until last month, Yi was the backup astronaut for the mission, before male astronaut Ko San was stripped of his first-in-line status in a controversy over security regulations.
She is scheduled to spend 10 days aboard the International Space Station conducting a series of experiments related to her specialty in bioengineering.  She is also expected to take detailed photographs of the Korean peninsula, in order to observe the movements of yellow dust storms from China and Mongolia that cake South Korea each spring.
In a pre-launch interview, Yi said she would approach her mission like building a house - step-by-step, starting with a strong foundation.
Yi says she is excited rather than afraid, and says she will try to remain as calm as she did during her months of training exercises.
Astronaut Yi has said she hopes her launch will also be inspirational to North Korea, which remains technically at war with the South.  She is expected to spend two days aboard the Soyuz capsule with two Russian cosmonauts before it docks Thursday with the International Space Station.

[ 本帖最后由 qin 于 2008-4-9 23:35 编辑 ]

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:37:07

Bush Meets With Afghan Governors

By Scott Stearns
White House
08 April 2008
President Bush met with Afghan governors to discuss security and economic progress in Afghanistan. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush wants more NATO troops backing the government of Hamid Karzai.

President George Bush greets Afghan provincial governors in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, 8 April 2008

President Bush met with eight Afghan governors who have been touring the United States. He says they spoke about unemployment and improving security for the young democracy in Kabul.
"One of the things that really matters in democracy is that local governance is strong and good and honest, that the people are being able to see the benefits of democracy," Mr. Bush said. "It's hard work in Afghanistan, but I told these leaders I think it is necessary work."
All members of the NATO alliance have troops in Afghanistan. But some have limited their deployments to safer areas where combat with Taleban militia is less likely. At the NATO summit earlier this month, President Bush again called for more troops from more member states on the frontlines.
Alliance leaders pledged more than 1,800 additional troops for the NATO force in Afghanistan.
Denmark says it will boost the number of helicopters and staff in Afghanistan by the middle of the year and France said it would deploy several hundred additional troops in the country. Poland pledged to send eight helicopters and 400 more soldiers. Italy, Romania and Greece agreed to add training teams for the Afghan army.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:39:09

UN Says Haitian Riots Could Undermine Progress

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
08 April 2008
The head of the U.N.'s stabilization mission in Haiti says there has been real progress on several key fronts, but it remains fragile and reversible, as the current unrest over rising food prices has demonstrated. From United Nations headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

A man walks past burning barricade during an anti-government demonstration in Port-au-Prince, 07 April 2008

Hédi Annabi told the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council that recent deadly riots in parts of Haiti over rising food prices also appear to have a political dimension, and could undermine the government as well as the public's confidence.
"We have seen a rise in anti-government demonstrations, with a particular focus on the recent dramatic increase in the cost of living. … Because of the violence that has occurred in the past, the Haitian public is particularly sensitive to threats of instability," Annabi said.
Annabi said the 10,000-strong U.N. force (MINUSTAH) needs to remain vigilant and respond robustly so these demonstrations are not exploited by people with a political agenda or by criminal gangs.
In his briefing, the secretary-general's special representative also told the council that any lasting progress will require a minimal level of political consensus and advances in socio-economic conditions.
And while security is significantly better overall, he warned that kidnappings have again been on the rise and there are signs that criminal gangs may be working to reorganize. He noted that the national police force has grown to more than eight thousand, but it is still far short of the 14,000 required for a country the size of Haiti.
Annabi said the U.N. stabilization mission must stay the course and help Haiti escape the destructive cycles of the past.

A Brazilian peacekeeper in Port au-Prince

"We need to work together to ensure that this opportunity is seized, that the country's emerging stability is consolidated, and that firm foundations are laid for a better future," Annabi said.
In a statement, the Security Council reaffirmed its support for the government of Haiti and the $500 million a year U.N. mission there. The council noted that it is the Haitian government's primary responsibility to stabilize the country, but it recognized the importance of sustained international support toward achieving that end.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:41:06

Bush Awards Medal of Honor to Sailor Killed in Iraq

By Scott Stearns
White House
08 April 2008
President Bush has presented America's highest military award to the parents of a Navy special operations sailor killed in Iraq two years ago. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush, right, takes part in a Medal of Honor ceremony with parents of Petty Officer 2nd Class Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor who was killed in Iraq, 8 Apr 2008

Petty Officer Second Class Michael Monsoor went to Ramadi in 2006 as part of a Navy SEAL special operations force to train Iraqi troops.
In September of that year, Monsoor and three SEAL snipers took up a rooftop position during a firefight with insurgents. The Defense Department says a grenade thrown from the street below hit Monsoor in the chest and dropped to the roof. The 25-year-old gunner covered the grenade with his body - saving the lives of his comrades, but suffering wounds that took his life 30 minutes later.
President Bush recognized that sacrifice by presenting Monsoor's parents, George and Sally Monsoor, with a posthumous Medal of Honor.
"Mr. and Mrs. Monsoor, America owes you a debt that can never be repaid," he said. "This nation will always cherish the memory of your son. We will not let his life go in vain. This nation will always honor the sacrifice he made. May God comfort you. May God bless America."
More than 4,000 American servicemen and women have died in Iraq. Michael Monsoor is the fourth person to receive the Medal of Honor in the fight against terrorism.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:43:31

Virginia Immigration Law Lets Police Check on Legal Status

By Zulima Palacio
Washington
08 April 2008

Prince William County Immigrants

New county legislation that allows police to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of breaking any law
Prince William County, in the Virginia suburbs outside of Washington, is drawing attention across the United States by enforcing local laws that lead to the deportation hundreds of illegal immigrants, and community activists say it has created a hostile environmental toward all immigrants. Producer Zulima Palacio prepared the story.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:47:04

Iran Announces Installation of More Centrifuges at Uranium Enrichment Plant

By Aya Batrawy
Cairo
08 April 2008
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad announced on Tuesday that Iran is installing 6,000 new centrifuges at an uranium enrichment plant. The announcement drew sharp criticism from the United States and is expected to deepen the political rift between Iran and the West. For VOA, Aya Batrawy has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

A general view shows the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, in southern Iran (File)

President Ahmadinejad announced that Tehran is expanding its nuclear enrichment program at the Natanz nuclear plant by installing 6,000 new uranium enrichment centrifuges there.
The Iranian president said the new phase began on Tuesday.
Last year, Iran announced that it had successfully installed, and was operating, 3,000 centrifuges at Natanz.
Uranium gas is enriched in cascades of centrifuges linked together. The result can be low-grade fuel used for generating electricity, or higher-grade fuel appropriate for nuclear weapons.
Speaking to a crowd near the nuclear power station in the city of Bushehr, Mahmoud Jafarai, a plant official, confirmed that Iran is moving ahead with nuclear enrichment.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes the V for 'victory' sign as he addresses thousands of people in Bushehr, 30 Jan 2008 (file photo)

The Bushehr plant is being built by Russia. But although the uranium for the plant is being enriched in Russia, Jafari told the crowd that Iran has reached an irreversible point in nuclear technology and that Western pressure will only strengthen Iran in defending its national interest.
The crowd responded with cheers chanting, "Nuclear energy is our absolute right."
Following Mr. Ahmadinejad's announcement on Tuesday, the French foreign minister told reporters in Paris that the international community must consider toughened sanctions if Iran does not address concerns about its nuclear program.
In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she is unable to substantiate Iran's claims.

Condoleezza Rice (file)

"I don't think that the underlying situation has changed which is that Iran faces three separate U.N. Security Council resolutions," she said. "Iran faces continued isolation in the international community."
The United Nations Security Council has already passed three sets of sanctions against Iran for refusing to halt its enrichment program.
Iran has long defended what it claims is its right to enrich uranium and says its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful energy purposes.
But the United States believes that Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran says it hopes to install some 54,000 centrifuges at Natanz.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:48:39

Condoleezza Rice Downplays Speculation on Vice Presidential Run

By David Gollust
State Department
08 April 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is downplaying recent media reports that she might be a potential running mate for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain. Rice says she wants to return to the faculty of Stanford University after the current administration ends. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Condoleezza Rice (file)

Rice, who was President Bush's national security adviser before becoming secretary of state, was seen by some political analysts two years ago as a potential Republican presidential candidate for 2008.
She consistently dismissed the idea of having presidential ambitions, and now - with the Republican nomination assured for Senator McCain - she is downplaying talk that she might be interested in being the party's vice presidential nominee.
The latest flurry of speculation about Rice was spurred by a weekend assertion by a Republican political operative, Dan Senor, that Rice has been "actively campaigning" for the second spot on the Republican ticket.
Senor, the former spokesman for the U.S. provisional authority in Iraq, told a television interview show Rice had promoted her interest in running by, among other things, recently meeting privately with a conservative Republican policy group.
State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack tried to quash the speculation Monday, saying Rice has made her dis-interest in being Vice President clear on many occasions.
Rice took a question on the issue at a joint news conference Tuesday with the foreign ministers of Canada and Mexico, Maxime Bernier and Patricia Espinosa.
She heaped praise on Senator McCain but insisted she has no plans to run with him.
"Senator McCain is an extraordinary American, a really outstanding leader, and obviously a great patriot," she said. "That said, I'm going back to Stanford, back to California, west of the Mississippi. I very much look forward to watching this campaign and voting as a voter."
Rice was a top administrator at Stanford University and has stressed that she is only technically on leave from the prestigious California school.
Despite her claims of disinterest, Rice has discussed domestic political issues more frequently of late, including race relations.
She is the top-ranking African-American and woman in the Bush administration and is seen by some political observers as someone who would bring demographic balance to the Republican ticket, if Senator Barak Obama wins the Democratic nomination.
Other analysts however argue that having Rice on the ticket would link Senator McCain too closely to the invasion of Iraq and other unpopular actions by the Bush administration.
Rice herself told the Washington Times newspaper a few days ago that "it is time for new blood" in Republican politics.
Senator McCain for his part has been complementary of Rice, calling her overall record very meritorious. But he said Sunday that if Rice is sending signals that she wants to be his running mate, he has missed them.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:50:29

Many Stay Home on Day One of Burkina Faso Strike

By Nancy Palus
Dakar
08 April 2008

Tuesday marked the first day of a two-day national strike in Burkina Faso, called by union leaders to protest the high cost of living. The government recently took measures to ease the impact of high food prices , but unions say the authorities must do more. Nancy Palus reports from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar that by midday local time, there was calm in the Burkinabe capital.

During demonstration held by labor union in Ouagadougou, protestor holds placard that reads: 'Life is expensive, do you want our flesh,' 15 Mar 2008

Most shops and outdoor markets were closed in the capital, Ouagadougou. Most schools, banks and gas stations were also closed.
Anti-riot police were posted throughout the city, many gathering at main intersections. In Burkina Faso as well as other countries in West Africa, recent demonstrations against rising food and fuel prices have turned violent.
Union leaders in Burkino Faso acknowledge that the government has taken measures to curb the high cost of living, including a continued suspension of import taxes and a reduction in water and electricity prices. But they say those measures are not enough.
Laurent Ouedraogo, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the National Confederation of Workers Union, says that after the strike union leaders will return to the negotiating table with the government, because, he says, the dialogue has not broken off. But, he says, the unions wanted to go ahead with their strike to emphasize the people's frustration.
He says unions are using a civilized and legal means to get their point across. He says a strike should not be accompanied by violence, because, he says, destruction does not solve anything.
Among other changes, the unions continue to call for a 25 percent increase in salaries and pensions for public and private workers.
While many people are showing their support for the strike as a way to call the government's attention to their difficulties, staying away from work means a loss of revenue that many people cannot afford.
Zakaria Ouedraogo, whose last name is common in Burkina Faso, a 21-year-old shop owner in the Patte d'Oie neighborhood of the capital, says he opened his shop for only a few hours to make enough money to feed his family.
One woman who sells fabric in Ouagadougou, tells VOA that families are struggling to make ends meet and they are not yet feeling a positive impact from the government's measures.
The woman, who refused to give her name, says while merchants might lose money in a national strike, they must accept that. She says there is a saying in her language, Dioula, that sometimes you have to accept losing something now in order to gain something in the future.
Residents of Burkina Faso's second major city, Bobo Dioulasso, tell VOA only a few businesses there were observing the strike as of Tuesday afternoon.
Unions have called for the nationwide strike to last through Wednesday.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:51:52

Low Turnout in Egypt Poll Amid Opposition Boycott, Labor Unrest

By Challiss McDonough
Cairo
08 April 2008

Turnout has been very light in Egypt's local council elections as the main opposition group urged its followers to boycott the election when its candidates were disqualified. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from Cairo.

A man brings tea to policemen guarding a polling station - to which the media were denied access -plastered with ruling party electoral posters, Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, 08 April 2008

Most polling stations in Cairo appeared to be almost empty amid an opposition boycott and a general feeling of apathy among the voters, as well as anxiety over clashes to the north of the capital.
The election was taking place after two days of riots over food prices and low wages in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla, where a teenage boy was shot by police overnight and later died of his wounds.
A number of arrests was reported in the town Tuesday, and the prime minister went to negotiate with the workers. Reports from Mahalla said voting had been canceled there after the clashes, and some of the seats there were handed out to opposition and independent candidates.
Local council elections have taken on a new significance since the constitution was amended last year, requiring any independent candidate for president to have the support of at least 140 local councilors. But almost all opposition candidates disqualified, few people seemed to be bothering to vote.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which is Egypt's largest opposition group even though it is officially banned, announced Monday it was boycotting the poll because election officials allowed only 20 of its candidates to register. There are 52,000 local council seats, and the group tried to field 10,000 candidates.
The state-run MENA news agency said 70 percent of the races nationwide had already been decided because candidates from the ruling National Democratic Party were running unopposed.
In central-Cairo's conservative Manial neighborhood polling stations appeared largely abandoned. A 23-year-old man named Hani said he had no plans to vote.
"Yes I did, in the last election I voted, but this one I do not think I am going to vote," said Hani. "Because I think this time it is not so fair like the other one, so I am not going to vote because I think it is not going to be so fair, so I am not going to participate in it."
He did not say what party or candidate he might have supported, but he indicated that whoever it was did not make it onto the ballot.
"Because I have heard that they have neglected some candidates and they have removed some names from the list, so I am not going to participate in it," he said.
Even people who support the ruling party said they see little reason to vote. A few blocks away, a man who called himself Abu Laila said he was a proud member of the ruling NDP, but had no intention of voting.
He said he does not have a voter registration card and does not want one. He said, "Whatever the party wants will happen. Myself, I am a member of the NDP, and I support the NDP, but I do not like voting and chaos and all that stuff."
He said he has been disillusioned by previous elections where candidates have promised a lot during the campaign but then failed to deliver.
He said, "As soon as they get their seat, they just ... forget about us, and we do not see them after the elections."
He gestures dismissively at a nearby wall, where the faces of local candidates peer out from election posters, all bearing the ruling-party logo.
He said, "Ask anyone, do you know who your representative is? And they will say no, we do not know him, we just see his picture on the walls."
At nearby polling stations, police appeared to be systematically keeping journalists out. One officer burst out laughing when a VOA reporter asked to see the voting room. He insisted that party agents and independent election monitors were inside, but reporters were not to be allowed in.
An early report by one monitoring group indicated some irregularities with the voter registration lists and noted incidents of vote-buying, which residents of some districts of Cairo also reported seeing.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:53:18

Zimbabwe Opposition Accuses Mugabe Supporters of Sabotage

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
08 April 2008

Opposition leaders in Zimbabwe say supporters of President Robert Mugabe have launched a campaign of violence in order to derail elections 10 days ago, which they say they won. The accusation comes as a court in Harare began hearings on the delayed results of the presidential vote. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.
The secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Tendai Biti, says militias of the ruling ZANU-PF party are being armed and are attacking MDC supporters in what he called massive post-election violence.
Biti appealed to African governments to intervene in what he called the constitutional and legal crisis in Zimbabwe.

Farm workers are being driven away to their homesteads following threats by war veterans to occupy the farm owned by a white farmer in Karoi, Zimbabwe 7 Apr 2008

Meanwhile, Commercial Farmers Union leader Trevor Gifford said supporters of Mr. Mugabe have evicted farmers who were thought to have supported the opposition.
"Sixty farmers have been removed from their farms since Saturday evening and of those 60, two are black commercial farmers and the remainder are white commercial farmers," he said.
He said it reminded some of the period following the elections of 2000 and 2002 in which all, but a few hundred of Zimbabwe's 4,000 white farmers were evicted and their farms given to liberation-war veterans and government officials.
"We have information at hand, which shows to us that this is state sponsored," he added. "It is directed by parts of the military, the [ruling] party and the war veterans. And basically, we are getting very little support in trying to sort out this problem."

Pedestrians pass an election poster with a portrait of President Robert Mugabe outside the High Court, background, in Harare, 07 Apr 2008

The high court in Harare began an urgent hearing at the request of the opposition on whether to oblige the Zimbabwe Election Commission to release results of the presidential election 10 days ago.
The Commission has released results from the parliamentary election showing the opposition won a majority of the seats.  And it has released results from Senate elections showing the two sides won an equal number of seats.
But results for the presidential vote have not been released.  The opposition and pro-democracy civic groups say their tallies of official results posted outside polling centers show MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeated Mr. Mugabe and may have won the 50 percent majority needed be declared the winner outright.
The government has asked for a recount of many of the results and has arrested five electoral officials, accusing them of undercounting votes for Mr. Mugabe.  ZANU-PF leaders have indicated they are preparing for a runoff election, which is required if no presidential candidate wins 50 percent of the vote.  By law a runoff must be held within 21 days of the announcement of the results.
The opposition says these moves are part of an orchestrated attempt by the ruling party to overturn its first defeat since independence 28 years ago.  Western governments have expressed concern over the delay, but South African President Thabo Mbeki urged patience Monday, saying the process should be allowed to take its course.

qin · 发表于 2008-4-9 23:54:42

20080408 END

暗恋桃花源 · 发表于 2008-4-10 09:30:27

赞LZ！

		自动登录	找回密码
密码			注册账号

VOA standard English (20080408)

评分

评分