03-20-08

本拉登针对先知漫画事件警告欧盟 (Bin Laden Issues Warning to European Union over Prophet Cartoons)

2006年，丹麦报纸刊登了讽刺伊斯兰先知穆罕默德的漫画，在世界各地的穆斯林国家引发大规模骚乱。丹麦报纸上个月重新刊登了其中的一幅漫画，在这幅度漫画中，穆罕默德戴的头巾是一枚炸弹。此前警方说，他们发现了试图刺杀那幅漫画作者的阴谋，丹麦报纸于是再次刊登这幅漫画，以表现对言论自由的坚定信仰。本拉登的声明说，漫画是讨伐伊斯兰的新十字军征战的一部分，罗马教廷在其中扮演着重要和长期的角色。

Al Qaida Terrorist Leader Osama bin Laden -- in a new message -- has warned the European Union that it will be severely punished for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers. In an audio recording posted to an al-Qaida-affiliated Web site late Wednesday, a voice said to be that of bin Laden's says publishing the cartoons was a greater offense than Western forces bombing the homes of women and children. The audio track with English subtitles is heard over a video image of bin Laden holding a rifle.

Satirical cartoons of Islam's Prophet Mohammed were published in Danish newspapers in 2006, sparking mass riots in Islamic nations worldwide. Last month they republished one of the cartoons -- in which Mohammed is wearing a bomb as a turban -- to show their commitment to freedom of speech, after police said a plot to kill the artist was uncovered. The bin Laden statement says the cartoons are part of a new crusade against Islam in which the Vatican has played a large and lengthy role.

美国失业人数上升 (US Jobless Claims Rise)

美国上星期被解雇人数有所增加。这一最新迹象表明，美国的经济下滑正在影响就业市场。美国劳工部星期四公布的报告说，申请失业福利的人数第一次超过了2万2千人，达37万8千人。其它数据显示，过去两个月里美国的就业人数都有所减少。

The number of newly laid-off U.S. workers rose last week, the latest sign that the economic downturn is affecting the job market.A report Thursday from the Labor Department said the number of people applying for unemployment benefits for the first time rose 22-thousand，to 378-thousand. Other data show the number of jobs in the U.S. economy declined in each of the past two months.