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六月份第 10 課

US: Syria's Assad Crossed 'Red Line' with Chemical Weapons
美國：敘總統阿薩德跨過使用化武的 “紅線”
　　Officials say Washington is moving forward with a plan to provide arms to Syrian rebels, a move that prompted a positive early reaction from U.S. allies in Europe.
美國官員說，華盛頓正在推動一項計劃，向敘利亞反政府武裝提供武器；此舉獲得美國在歐洲盟友的積極初步回應。

　　The decision came after White House officials said an intelligence report found conclusive evidence that Damascus used chemical weapons, including deadly sarin gas, on a small scale against Syrian rebels during the past year.
此前，白宮官員說，情報部門的報告發現，在過去的一年裏，大馬士革曾多次小規模地對敘利亞反政府武裝使用了化學武器，包括沙林毒氣。

　　In response, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Thursday that President Barack Obama decided to authorize "direct military support" to the opposition.
美國副國家安全事務顧問羅茲星期四說，歐巴馬總統已經決定授權向敘利亞反政府武裝提供 “直接軍事援助”。

　　U.S. officials later acknowledged this support would include weapons and ammunition.
美國官員後來承認，向反政府武裝提供的援助項目包括武器和彈藥。

　　British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday that London agrees with the U.S. assessment on chemical weapons use, and called for a "strong, determined" response from the international community.
英國外交大臣黑格星期五說，倫敦同意美國對敘利亞使用化學武器的評估，呼籲國際社會做出 “有力、果斷的” 回應。

　　NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also welcomed what he called the "clear U.S. statement."
北約秘書長拉斯穆森也歡迎他所說的 “美國明確的聲明”。

　　He said the use of chemical weapons is "completely unacceptable" and called on Syria to let the U.N. investigate the reports.
他說，使用化學武器是 “完全不能接受的”；他呼籲敘利亞讓聯合國對有關報導進行調查。

　　But Russia, Syria's ally, said the evidence provided by the U.S. "does not look convincing."
但是敘利亞的盟友俄羅斯說，美國提供的證據 “看上去並不令人信服”。

　　Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also said the expanded U.S. military aid will hamper efforts to convene a Syria peace conference.
俄羅斯總統普京的助手烏沙科夫還說，美國擴大軍事援助將阻礙舉行敘利亞和平會議的努力。

　　U.S. intelligence officials have been saying for months they suspect chemical weapons were used by the Syrian government . But Mr. Obama had said he needed to see firm evidence before deciding his next move.
美國情報官員近幾個月來一直表示，他們確信敘利亞當局使用了化學武器；但歐巴馬曾說，在確定下個步驟之前，他需要得到確鑿證據。

UN: Africa to Drive Rise in World Population to 9.6 Bn in 2050
世界人口將於 2050 年達 96 億
　　A new U.N. report says the world's population is likely to increase by almost one billion in the next 12 years, with most of the growth happening in developing regions such as Africa.
聯合國一項新的報告預測，世界人口數量將在未來的 12 年裏增長近 10 億，人口增加的地區大部分在非洲等發展中地區。

　　The report released Thursday by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs projects a rise in the global population from the current level of 7.2 billion to 8.1 billion in 2025. The U.N. says the figure is expected to reach 9.6 billion in 2050, primarily on growth in high-fertility African nations and countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States.
聯合國經濟和社會事務局在週四發佈的這份報告說，到 2025 年，世界人口將從目前的 72 億增長到 81 億，到 2050 年達到 96 億，主要是因為高生育率的非洲國家以及印度、印尼、巴基斯坦、菲律賓、以及美國這些人口大國人口的增加。

　　In the next 37 years, the population of developed regions is seen remaining largely unchanged at around 1.3 billion.
未來 37 年內，發達地區的人口將維持在目前 13 億左右的水準。

　　The report says women in 29 African nations with high fertility rates have an average of five or more children.
這份報導稱，在 29 個高生育率的非洲國家，婦女每人平均育有 5 名以上子女。

　　The U.N. study says another factor contributing to population growth is longer life spans in the world's least developed countries, many of them affected by HIV/AIDS.
聯合國這份研究報告說，推動世界人口增加的另一個因素是最不發達國家人口壽命的延長；其中很多國家受到愛滋病的影響。

　　It says life expectancy is projected to increase in those nations from 58 years in the 2005-2010 period to 70 years in 2045-2050.
聯合國預測，這些國家的每人平均壽命將從 2005 – 2010 年間的 58 歲延長到 2045 – 2050 年期間的 70 歲。

　　Another key prediction in the report is that India's population will surpass that of China around 2028, when both countries are expected to have around 1.45 billion people.
這報告中的另一項重要預測是，印度人口將在 2028 年左右超過中國，屆時中印兩國人口都將達到 14.5 億左右。