12-20-06

美新防长访问伊拉克观察局势 (Gates Visits Baghdad for a Look at Iraq Situation)

美国新任国防部长罗伯特.盖茨在未经宣布的情况下对伊拉克进行访问，亲眼观察那里的局势，并和美军指挥官举行会谈。

盖茨星期三抵达伊拉克首都巴格达，他两天前刚宣誓就职。盖茨强调，在伊拉克失败“将是一场灾难，会在今后几十年成为缠绕我们国家的梦魇、损害我们的信誉并危及美国人民的安全”。

在盖茨抵达巴格达之前数小时，巴格达发生了两起自杀炸弹袭击，造成至少12人死亡、数十人受伤。

The new U.S. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, is in Baghdad on an unannounced visit to get a first-hand look at the situation there and hold talks with American military commanders.

Mr. Gates arrived in the Iraqi capital Wednesday -- just two days after taking oath of office. Mr. Gates has stressed that failure in Iraq "would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our credibility and endanger Americans for decades to come."

Hours before his arrival, at least 12 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in two separate suicide car bombings in Baghdad.

马来西亚南部万余人逃避洪水 (More Than 10,000 Flee Floods in Southern Malaysia)

在马来西亚南部的柔佛州，1万多人为逃避洪水和滑坡逃离了家园。星期一以来，那里一直猛降罕见大雨，导致河水在村庄和城镇泛滥。这次洪水是一个世纪以来袭击这个地区最严重的一次，但是到目前为止还没有发生任何伤亡的消息。

受灾最严重的是柔佛州中部地区、西海岸以及该州首府，也就是和新加坡只有一路之隔的柔佛巴鲁。南行的铁路服务，包括通往新加坡的列车，都因滑坡而中断。星期三雨量有所减少，但是预计阵雨将持续到星期五。

More than ten-thousand people have evacuated their homes in southern Malaysia's Johor state to escape floods and landslides. Unusually heavy rain since Monday has caused rivers to flow into villages and towns. The floods are the worst to hit the area in a century, but no one has been reported injured or killed.

The worst-hit areas are central Johor, the west coast, and the state capital, Johor Bahru, just across a causeway from Singapore. The south-bound rail service, including trains to Singapore, has been suspended because of landslides. The rain eased Wednesday but showers are expected to continue until Friday.