09-24-07

数万缅甸人加入僧侣反政府示威 (Tens of Thousands of Burmese Join Monks in Anti-Government Protest)

数万缅甸民众走上仰光街头，加入佛教僧侣举行的大型非暴力示威游行，抗议缅甸军政府实施的政策。

包括1万名僧侣在内的多达10万人参加了星期一的游行。这是自从1988年以来缅甸最大的示威活动。1988年，缅甸现有的军政府掌权，当时安全部队打死了大约3000多名支持民主的示威者。

星期一的游行从缅甸最神圣的圣殿--大金塔开始，和平地通过仰光的街道抵达市中心。

虽然有传言说军政府很快会采取镇压行动，但最近的示威规模在持续增长，给缅甸军政府形成重大挑战。

早些时候，缅甸的一些知名人士敦促民众支持缅甸受尊敬的佛教僧侣以及他们举行的亲民主示威游行。

抗议于上个月当局把燃油价格上涨了一倍之后爆发，目前已经演变成为反对军人统治者的大示威。

Tens of thousands of Burmese citizens have joined Buddhist monks in a massive, non-violent demonstration to protest the policies of the country's military government. 

As many as 100-thousand people including 10-thousand monks marched Monday in what is the largest protest in Burma since 1988, when the current military government took over and security forces killed some three-thousand pro-democracy demonstrators.

Monday's protest moved peacefully from Burma's most sacred shrine, the Shwedagon Pagoda, through the streets of Rangoon to the city's center. 

Recent demonstrations, which pose a significant challenge to the country's military rulers, have continued to grow, despite rumors of a looming government crackdown. 

Earlier, some of the country's top celebrities urged support for Burma's revered Buddhist monks and their pro-democracy demonstrations.

The protest began last month after the government sharply raised fuel prices. But they have since turned into a general protest against Burma's military leadership. 

欧元对美元汇率创历史新高 (Euro Hits Record High Against Dollar)

欧元对美元比价开创新高，汇市深信美联储将进一步降低利率。

由于高风险次级房屋贷款市场出现的麻烦继续影响全球市场，美国联邦储备委员会上星期把一项关健利率调低到4.75%，降低了零点5个百分点，以避免美国经济衰退。

美国利率下调降低了人们对美元投资的兴趣。在星期一上午开市后的交易中，欧元对美元的比价是一欧元兑换一美元41美分。

自从欧洲1999年实行单一货币以来，这是美元对欧元的最低比价。

dollar, as markets are convinced the U.S. central bank will cut interest rates even further.

Last week the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered a key interest rate by half a percent, to four-and-three-quarters percent, in an effort to help the U.S. economy avoid recession as problems with the high-risk, sub-prime home loan market continue to upset global markets.

The cut in U.S. interest rates makes investments in the dollar less attractive than other currencies. In early trading Monday, the euro was trading at more than one dollar and 41 cents.

The dollar is now at its weakest exchange rate against the Euro since the introduction of the single European currency in 1999.