时事经纬
02-05-09

澳洲将向美国购买 100架战斗机

其潜艇战队的规模也将扩大一倍，以跟上亚洲地区其他国家的军力。根据昨天发表的国防白皮书，在今后20年，澳洲政府将花费逾700亿美元提升军力，以应对区内的军备扩张和全球的强权转移。报告指出，全球暖化，燃油、粮食、食水短缺，许多国都在想方设法保障这些重要资源的供应不断，这可能威胁世界的和平。由于印度洋是中东和亚洲之间的一条主要运油航道，大国之间将不惜任何代价加强海军力量以争夺这里的霸主地位。

朝鲜外相：朝鲜退出六方会谈的立场不变

朝鲜媒体2日表示，上月29日在古巴举行的不结盟运动（NAM）调整委员会部长级会议上，朝鲜外务相朴义春发表演讲称，朝鲜将退出六方会谈，并努力确保强有力的战争威慑力。

美国称朝鲜尚不具备核武器部署能力

中日韩就筹建中的区域外汇储备库出资份额达成共识

中国出资３８４亿美元，日本出资３８４亿美元，韩国出资１９２亿美元，分别占储备库总额的３２％、３２％和１６％。在发生金融危机时，储备库以借贷方式向出现流动性困难的成员提供资金帮助。

最新指数：中国非制造业经济总体在上升区域运行

四月份在中国非制造业PMI指数体系中，商务活动指数、新订单指数、中间投入价格指数、从业人员指数、供应商配送时间指数和业务活动预期指数高于百分之五十，其余指数均位于百分之五十以下。其中，新订单指数较上月回升一点九个百分点；新出口订单指数的环比回升四点五个百分点；中间投入价格指数和收费价格指数环比回升幅度均有所加大；四月份从业人员指数比上月回升零点五个百分点；业务活动预期指数维持在百分之六十以上的高位，四月份数值为百分之六十六点二。

奥巴马:金融业在美国经济中比重将下降

奥巴马说:“华尔街仍将是我们经济中大的、重要的一部分,像（上世纪）70、80年代那样,但不会成为我们经济的'半壁江山’。在过去10年中,金融业利润在我们所有的利润中占据了如此重要的分量。这种状况我认为应有所改变,我认为这不正常。”

美宣布再倒闭三家中小银行 关闭银行数目达32家

新增破产银行分别为佐治亚州的商业银行Silverton Bank、新泽西州的Citizens Community Bank与犹他州的America West Bank。

Jews unwavering in support for Obama

Obama's first 100 days in office show that 79 percent of Jews approve of Obama's performance so far, about the same percentage that voted for him last November.Muslims gave Obama higher approval ratings, with 85 percent responding that they approve of the president. Respondents who identified themselves as nonreligious also indicated overwhelming support, with 73% indicating approval. Liberal Jews showed overwhelming support for the Democratic president, with 96% approving of his job performance. Among those who described themselves as moderate, 77% approved of Obama. Jewish conservatives split evenly, with 45% approving of Obama and 45% disapproving.

Peres on way to US: Don't ignore Iran

"The government is currently undergoing a policy review and we need to wait until it's complete," Peres told Army Radio. "I will update Obama on the developments, but the main thing that unfortunately cannot be ignored is Iran, which is trying to gain control of the region."
Opposition leader Tzipi Livncriticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu still has no proper plan to present to the Americans, and "taking the two-state solution off the table would pose a strategic risk to Israel". Binyamin Netanyahu is set to meet the US president in Washington on May 18.

US diplomats return to Syria this week

"You have influence with Hamas. Please help them with the reconciliation effort. Please bring them into the political process," Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha quoted American officials' saying.

Underground Threat: Tunnels Pose Trouble from Mexico to Middle East

This month, U.S. border authorities will begin installing the first small, 50 mile segment of a "virtual fence" on the dividing line with Mexico. By 2014 most of the border will be home to sensor-equipped towers that are linked to a central communications network. But while proponents argue that the system will help stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drugs and arms coming over the border, most experts admit it will do little to guard against people making their way under it.
And as above ground border defenses and patrols get tougher, that subterranean vulnerability is becoming a growing problem. Since 2001, more than 100 tunnels have been discovered by U.S. law enforcement, compared with just 15 in the 1990s, and the pace is accelerating. Most of those have been uncovered through human intelligence, since there are no currently available technical means to reliably detect tunnels. The Department of Homeland Security started spending research money on detection technologies two years ago. But even the most promising ones — primarily adapted from mining and petroleum exploration industries — are several years from proving reliable. "We see this as one of those frontier threat areas that have to be mitigated but it is a very, very difficult problem area," says Rick Miller, a leading expert at the Kansas Geological Survey.
Israel was jolted into awareness of the threats tunnels pose one early Sunday morning in June of 2006, when Palestinian militants popped up from the earth in the middle of a military outpost near the border, killing two soldiers and wounding four others. Twenty year old Gilad Shalit, whose hand broke when an RPG hit his tank, was dragged into the tunnel and back to Gaza. Almost three years later, Shalit is still being held by Hamas, which has offered to exchange him for 450 Palestinians prisoners.

Even more vexing are the estimated 800 tunnels linking Gaza (from the town of Rafah) with Egypt, whose border is closed due to friction between Cairo and Hamas. The tunnels are critical conduits not only for weapons but also medicine and food, including live goats and sheep. The occasional bombing along the border is not thought to accomplish much; Israel's US-made bunker-busting bombs would not do much damage to tunnels that are 70-100 feet deep. If tunnels are located — as they were in Israel's latest ground operation in Gaza in January — they are not easily disabled for long. By the end of March some 70 tons of weapons was smuggled in to replenish Hamas stocks, according to Israel's security chief, Yuval Diskin.

Two die in air raid on Gaza tunnels

Iran says its nuclear program should be treated like Japan’s

“Japan spent a considerable number of years to build confidence in the nuclear field and we are making a similar effort,” Manouchehr Mottaki said in a joint press conference with his Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone. However, Mottaki said, “During those years Japan was never asked to suspend or freeze its work.” He added all countries working in this field should be treated similar to Japan.

Iranian jets hit Iraqi Kurd areas

Iranian helicopters have attacked three Kurdish villages in northern Iraq in an apparent cross-border raid targeting Kurdish separatists, according to an Iraqi Kurdish border guard official.
The incident comes a week after reports of a clash between Iranian police officers and suspected PJAK fighters in the country's western province of Kermanshah.

Kermanshah borders Iraq and is home to many of Iran's minority Kurds.

Iran's western provinces have been the scene of regular armed clashes between Iranian security forces and Kurdish separatists including PJAK, a group linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).