12-31-07

埃及一妇女死于禽流感 (Egyptian Woman Dies of Bird Flu)

埃及卫生部说，一名26岁的妇女死于禽流感，这是不到一个星期以来的第三起死于禽流感的事件。埃及卫生部的声明说，这名妇女来尼罗合三角洲的一个省，星期六住进医院，星期一死亡。卫生部一名官员说，死者生前接触了感染了禽流感的家禽。

这名妇女是埃及第18个死于禽流感的人，也是自从2006年2月埃及出现禽流感以来第43位受感染的人。埃及位于候鸟主要迁徙线路的途中，同时由于人们习惯在家附近饲养家禽，使得埃及成为亚洲以外禽流感疫情最严重的国家。

Egypt's Health Ministry says a 26-year-old woman has died from bird flu, the third death from the disease in less than one week. In a statement, the ministry said the woman, from a province in the Nile Delta, was admitted to a hospital on Saturday and died Monday. A Health Ministry official said the victim was exposed to poultry infected with bird flu.

The woman was the 18th bird flu fatality in Egypt and the country's 43nd human infection since the virus appeared there in February 2006. Egypt's location on major bird migration routes and the widespread practice of keeping domestic fowl near living quarters have helped make it the hardest-hit country outside of Asia.

新年到 (New Year Arrives)

新西兰和很多太平洋岛国最先迎来新年。澳大利亚的悉尼花费400万美元在悉尼港口举办庆祝活动，估计有100万人参加狂欢。摩洛哥一家报纸说，摩洛哥几年前没有什么人庆祝新年，可是现在商店都挂上了很多彩灯和装饰品。这种改变的原因是摩洛哥民众通过卫星电视了解到了外部世界。100年以来，纽约市时代广场巨大灯球每年落下迎新年。今年的灯球将首次使用节能的发光二极管照明。

The year 2008 has first arrived in New Zealand and many Pacific island nations. Sydney, Australia is throwing a four million dollar party for an expected one million revelers at its harbor. A Moroccan newspaper notes that the arrival of a new year was barely noted there a few years ago, but now shopkeepers are using lots of lights and decorations. The change is attributed to exposure to the outside world, via satellite television. For 100 years a huge lighted ball has dropped to illuminate the new year in Times Square in New York City. This year the ball will use energy efficient LED lights for the first time.