Home sales in the United States dropped between April and March, evidence that the housing market's problems are not over.

Today's (Friday's) report from a business group (The National Association of Realtors) says sales of previously-owned homes fell one percent in March.

That pushed the sales of homes down to an annual rate of just under four-point-nine million units. The same report says the median sales price for a home fell eight percent from the same period last year.

Sales of previously-owned homes are the largest part of the housing market. Sales of newly-constructed homes will be reported next week.

Problems in the housing market are one key reason for the current economic slowdown in the United States.

美国房屋销售量在三四月之间下降，由此证明房屋市场的问题并未结束。

今天(星期五)，一个商业组织(全国房地产商联合会)的报告说，三月份旧房销售量下降了1%。

这促使房屋的年销售量略低于490万套。报告还说住房销售价格的中值比去年同期下降了8%。

旧房销售是房屋市场的主力。新建的房屋销售下周将有报告。

房屋市场的问题是现在美国经济减缓的一个关键原因。

A Swiss climber has died from exhaustion after making it to the top of Mount Everest.

Fellow climbers say 44-year-old Gianni Goltz had scaled the nearly nine-thousand-meter-high mountain without the aid of bottled oxygen.

Climbing to the top of Mount Everest without additional oxygen is considered risky because of the very thin air, which makes it hard to breath.

News of the death came shortly after officials announced that a veteran Sherpa guide climbed to the top of Mount Everest for a record 18th time Thursday.

瑞士一位登山者在登上珠穆朗玛峰顶之后因过度疲劳死亡。

他的登山同伴说，44岁的詹尼.戈尔茨在没有氧气瓶帮助的情况下攀登上近9千米的高峰。

由于空气稀薄，呼吸困难，不借助额外的氧气而攀登珠穆朗玛峰被认为是危险的。

在此之前不久，有关官员宣布，一位资深的夏尔巴人向导星期四在创下18次登上珠峰峰顶的纪录后死亡。

In Taipei, President Ma Ying-jeou says Taiwan and China have a historic opportunity to improve relations, and that he hopes the island and the mainland can build up mutual trust through expanded ties. Mr. Ma welcomed Beijing's warm reaction today (Thursday) to his inaugural address this week, in which he promised to pursue cross-Strait ties and regional stability.

China's top official on Taiwan affairs, Chen Yunlin, says that just two days after Mr. Ma was sworn into office, there are already positive efforts at reconciliation. Mr. Chen's comments during a speech in the Chinese capital have been republished on the Internet by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

The head of Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party is scheduled to visit the mainland in the coming days.

台湾总统马英九在台北说，台湾和中国有历史性的机会改善关系，他希望台湾岛和中国大陆能够通过扩大关系建立互信。马英九对北京星期四就他本星期就职演说的热情反应表示欢迎。他在演说中承诺发展两岸关系和谋求地区稳定。

中国台湾事务的最高负责人陈云林表示，马英九宣誓就职仅仅两天后，在和解方面已经出现了积极的努力。陈云林在北京演讲时发表的这个评论，被刊登在中国国务院的网络上。

台湾执政党国民党的主席定于近日访问中国大陆。

China is denying reports that a shipment of weapons meant for Zimbabwe's government has reached Zimbabwe. A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing (Qin Gang) today (Thursday) rejected southern African media reports that said the arms have been delivered to Harare.

The reports from South Africa and Mozambique said the cargo -- consisting of bullets, grenades, and mortar shells -- was unloaded in either Angola or the Republic of Congo and then flown to Zimbabwe.

The Chinese spokesman says the reports are completely false, and that the weapons are being carried back to China on the ship that was to have delivered them.

The ship (the An Yue Jiang) was refused permission to unload in South Africa because of concern the weapons would be used against opponents of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

中国否认有关为津巴布韦政府运送一批军火已经抵达津巴布韦的报导。中国外交部发言人今天(星期四)在北京否认南部非洲媒体有关这批军火已经交给哈拉雷的报导。

南非和莫桑比克的报导说，包括子弹、手榴弹和迫击炮弹等军火的这船货在安哥拉或刚果共和国卸货，随后把被空运到津巴布韦。

中国外交部发言人说，有关报导完全是不真实的，这批军火正在由那艘原本要运货的货船运回中国。

由于担心这批军火会被用来镇压津巴布韦总统穆加贝的反对者，这艘船被拒绝在南非卸货。

Chinese officials say they will move and completely rebuild one of the towns worst hit by last week's powerful earthquake in Sichuan province. China's official state-run news agency today (Wednesday) quotes local officials who say the (Qushan) town in Beichuan county, surrounded by steep hills, is no longer safe, and it should be relocated to flat land. The earthquake killed more than eight-thousand-600 people in that town alone, 

Xinhua says, and destroyed 70 percent of the buildings. News of the relocation plan comes as authorities are rushing emergency supplies and shelter to some five million people left

homeless by the earthquake. Although increasingly desperate, rescue efforts continue. Today, a woman was rescued from a tunnel at a power plant nine days after she was trapped during the seven-point-nine magnitude

中国官员说，将迁移并全面重建一个在上星期四川大地震中受损严重的城镇之一。中国官方媒体今天(星期三)援引地方官员的话说，北川县的这个镇四面陡壁环绕，已不再安全，因此要迁至平原地带。

新华社说，仅这个镇就有8600多人死于地震，70%的房屋被毁。在宣布迁移计划的同时，有关当局正加紧为大约500万无家可归的地震灾民提供紧急救援物资和帐篷。尽管希望愈来愈无望，但搜救工作仍在继续。

今天，一名被四川7.9强烈地震掩埋在一座发电站隧道下9天的妇女获得解救。

The Tibetan government-in-exile is calling for a temporary halt to protests against China in the wake of last week's deadly earthquake. In a statement released today (Wednesday) from its headquarters in Dharamsala, India, the government urges Tibetans to stop the demonstrations in front of Chinese embassies around the world "to express our solidarity" with the Chinese people.

The statement also asks Tibetans to send messages of condolences for the victims, raise funds for relief efforts and explore the possibilities of establishing "Sino-Tibetan friendship associations."

China has come under international criticism over its harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters in Tibet in March. Angry demonstrations in several cities marred the international torch relay for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

在上星期四川发生造成惨重伤亡大地震之后，西藏流亡政府呼吁暂停反对中国的抗议活动。西藏流亡政府星期三在印度达兰萨拉的总部发表声明，敦促藏人停止在全球的中国驻外使馆门前示威，以表达与“我们中国人民的团结”。

声明还要求藏人向地震受害者发送悼念慰问、为救灾行动募捐并探讨成立“汉藏友好协会”的可能性。

中国今年3月在西藏严厉镇压反政府抗议，招致国际社会的批评。愤怒的抗议人士在几个城市干扰了即将举行的北京奥运会的火炬国际传递活动。

A Chinese woman has been rescued from the rubble in quake-struck Sichuan province, eight days after the country's massive earthquake hit, toppling buildings and leaving five million homeless. The official Xinhua news agency says the woman spent 195 hours under the rubble, but did not provide any other details. She is the second person to be rescued today, as hopes dim for those still trapped.

Chinese officials say the death toll has risen to more than 40-thousand, and warned that the final death total could be more than 50-thousand. As China continues to work to rescue those buried, its focus is increasingly shifting toward caring for survivors of the seven-point-nine magnitude quake.

中国四川的一名妇女在大地震发生的八天后从废墟中获救，地震造成很多房屋倒塌，5百万人无家可归。官方新华社说，这名妇女在废墟中被埋195小时，但没有提供任何其他细节。随着被埋在废墟中的人能够生还希望渺茫，她是今天被救出的第二个人。

中国官员说，死亡人数已经超过4万，并警告说，最终的死亡人数可能超过5万。中国在继续营救被埋在废墟中的人的同时，将施救重点逐渐转向照顾这次7点9级大地震的幸存灾民。

The Dalai Lama has begun an 11-day visit to Britain, where he will meet the country's prime minister and testify before a parliamentary committee on China's recent military crackdown in Tibet. The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived today (Tuesday) in London from Berlin, one of five cities he visited in Germany as part of his campaign for human rights.

The exiled monk will testify Thursday before a British parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. He will meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown Friday at Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. The location of the meeting sparked controversy because it will not take place at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence. Some of Mr. Brown's critics say the decision to meet the Dalai Lama informally at the archbishop's residence was designed to appease China, which opposes the Dalai Lama's meetings with any foreign government official.

达赖喇嘛开始对英国的11天访问，其间将会晤英国首相，并在一个议会委员会就中国当局最近在西藏进行武力镇压一事作证。西藏精神领袖达赖喇嘛今天(星期二)从柏林抵达伦敦，柏林是他访问的五个德国城市之一。这次出访是达赖喇嘛争取人权努力的一部分。

流亡的达赖喇嘛星期四将在一个英国议会委员会就外交问题作证。星期五，达赖喇嘛将在坎特伯雷大主教威廉姆斯居住的兰柏特宫会晤布朗首相。这次会晤的地点引发争议，因为不在首相官邸唐宁街10号举行。布朗的一些批评者说，决定在大主教的住所与达赖喇嘛进行非正式会晤是为了取悦中国。中国反对达赖喇嘛会晤任何外国政府官员。

Chinese officials say direct economic losses from last week's earthquake could be as high as 10 billion dollars in Sichuan province alone. China's Ministry of Industry and Information says (today/Monday) the earthquake affected more than 14-thousand companies in Sichuan, and it projects their economic losses at nine-point-six billion dollars.

Independent estimates say China's overall economic losses from the quake could reach 20 billion dollars. Chinese officials say the earthquake destroyed more than 30-thousand hectares of grains and vegetables in Sichuan, the hardest hit area. The government is closely watching food prices, but does not expect damage from the quake to affect the cost of food nationwide.

Sichuan province produces six percent of China's grain and is an important region for rice, wheat, corn and other crops.

中国官员说，上星期地震造成的直接经济损失，仅在四川省就可能高达100亿美元。中国工业和信息化部今天(星期一)说，这场地震影响到四川省的1万4千多家公司，估计经济损失为96亿美元。

按照独立机构的估计，这场地震给中国造成的总体经济损失可能高达200亿美元。中国官员说，在受灾最严重的四川省，3万多公顷种植粮食和蔬菜的农田被毁。目前，中国政府在密切关注粮食价格，但预计地震造成的损害不会影响全国的粮价。

四川省的粮食产量占全国的百分之6，是水稻、小麦、玉米以及其他作物的重要产地。

China came to a standstill for three minutes today (Monday) as the public mourned the over thirty thousands of victims of last Monday's powerful earthquake. Across the country, air raid sirens and car, train and ship horns blared at 2:28 p.m. (0628 UTC) to mark the exact time the seven-point-nine earthquake struck Sichuan province seven days ago, killing more than 34-thousand people.

Authorities expect the final death toll could be above 50-thousand. Today's three minute pause is part of three days of mourning for quake victims during which China has suspended the Olympic torch relay. Internet Web sites have also been ordered to shut down entertainment content, and public recreational activities have been canceled.

As China mourned today, the official Xinhua news agency reports that a mudslide in the disaster area buried more than 200 relief workers. No details were given.

中国今天(星期一)静默三分钟，为在上星期一的强烈地震中3万多死难者哀悼。在下午2点28分，全国各地响起空袭警报声，汽车、火车和轮船鸣笛，纪念7天前四川发生7.9级地震的这一时刻。这次地震造成3万4千多人死亡。

当局预计最后的死亡人数会超过5万。今天的三分钟默哀是为地震受害者举行的为期三天的哀悼活动的一部分，在哀悼期内，中国暂停奥运火炬的传递活动。互联网站也被下令关闭文娱内容，公共娱乐活动也被取消。

在今天举国哀悼时，官方新华社报导说，震灾区发生的一场泥石流掩埋了200多名救援人员，但是没有透露细节。

China is allowing foreign search-and-rescue teams into the country to assist in finding survivors from Monday's massive earthquake, as the rescue efforts reach a critical phase.

Several members of a Japanese rescue squad arrived in Sichuan province today (Friday), with several more due to arrive later. A group of Russian emergency personnel, including doctors, is on its way to China.

Beijing has also given permission for teams from South Korea and Singapore to come and assist the 130-thousand troops deployed in the affected areas.

中国允许外国搜救人员入境，帮助寻找星期一强地震后的幸存者。同时，营救工作进入关键阶段。

日本搜救队的一些人员星期五抵达四川省，晚些时候还有一些人将抵达。一组俄罗斯应急人员，包括医生，正前往中国。

北京还允许韩国和新加坡的两个救援队来帮助部署在灾区的13万军人救灾。

The price of crude oil soared to yet another record high in today's (Friday's) trading in New York. The price of a barrel of oil for future delivery went as high as 127 dollars, 43 cents a barrel.

The price hike follows declines in the value of the dollar, strong oil demand from China, and a prediction by experts at the Goldman Sachs investment bank that oil could rise to an average price of 141 dollars a barrel in the second half of this year.

原油价格今天(星期五)在纽约交易市场的价格再创新高。原油期货每桶价格达到127.43美元。

石油价格上升前，美元币值下跌，中国对石油的需求强劲，高盛投资银行的专家预测今年下半年每桶石油平均价格将达到141美元。

China says nearly 400 dams and reservoirs near the epicenter of Monday's deadly earthquake were damaged, triggering new worries as Chinese officials warned today (Thursday) that the death toll could top 50-thousand.

The military is in a race against time to rescue tens of thousands believed buried beneath the rubble from Monday's quake. Officials in southwestern Sichuan province say the known death toll has risen to more than 19-thousand-500.

The official Xinhua news agency says troops have been sent to repair cracks in the Zipingpu Dam in Sichuan. China's water minister (Chen Lei) says there are major safety issues with dams, reservoirs, and hydropower stations in the earthquake zone.

The Chinese military has sent 130-thousand troops to Sichuan and deployed 101 more helicopters to airlift victims and drop emergency supplies to quake survivors.

中国说，星期一致命大地震震中附近有将近400座水坝和水库受到损坏，引发外界新的担忧。中国官员今天(星期四)警告说，死亡人数可能超过五万。

军方继续争取时间抢救数以万计被埋在废墟下的人。西南省份四川的官员说，死亡人数已经上升到了一万九千五百多人。

官方的新华社说，部队已被派去修复四川紫坪铺大坝的裂缝。中国水利部部长说，震区的水坝、水库和水电站都存在严重的安全问题。

中国军队已经向四川派出13万军人，并增派101架直升机来转移灾民并向幸存者空投急救物资。

The Dalai Lama called for real autonomy for Tibet as he arrived in Germany today (Thursday) on the first leg of a visit to several Western countries. The Tibetan spiritual leader will give lectures and meet with politicians while in Germany. But he will not meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in Latin America.

Beijing insists Tibet is a part of China. A meeting between the Dalai Lama and Chancellor Merkel in Berlin last September strained relations between the two countries and led to Beijing canceling high-level contacts with German officials.

After landing in Frankfurt, the Dalai Lama criticized China's violent suppression of Tibetans following protests in Lhasa in March, which spread to neighboring provinces. He said Tibet is not seeking independence but autonomy within China.

达赖喇嘛今天(星期四)抵达德国时呼吁西藏获得真正的自治，这是他访问西方几国第一站。藏人精神领袖达赖喇嘛将在德国布法，并将与德国政界人士会见。但是他将不会见正在拉丁美洲访问的德国总理默克尔。

北京坚持西藏是中国的一部分。达赖喇嘛和默克尔去年9月在柏林的会见使得德国和中国关系紧张，导致北京取消了与德国高级官员接触的计划。

达赖喇嘛乘抵达法兰克福后，批评中国3月在拉萨暴力镇压抗议活动。拉萨的示威后来蔓延到临近省份。达赖喇嘛说，西藏并不要求从中国独立，只是在中国内部自治。

Chinese health officials say the capital city Beijing has recorded its first death from an outbreak of a severe intestinal virus that has now killed 42 children nationwide. A 13-month-old boy from the city's Chaoyang District died Sunday while on the way to a hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Health Ministry says the boy tested positive for enterovirus 71, a severe form of hand, foot and mouth disease that can lead to high fever, paralysis and viral meningitis. The spokeswoman says another child died of the disease in a Beijing hospital, but the case will be recorded in the neighboring Hebei province, where the child resided.

More than 24-thousand cases of hand, foot and mouth disease have been reported this year. The majority of the casualties have been recorded in the eastern province of Anhui.

中国卫生官员说，首都北京出现第一例严重肠道病毒爆发导致的死亡案例，这种病毒现在全国造成42名儿童死亡。北京朝阳区一名13个月的男孩星期天在去医院的路上死亡。

卫生部一位女发言人说，这个男孩的EV71病毒测试呈阳性。EV71是手足口病的一种严重的病毒。手足口病可以导致高烧、瘫痪和脑膜炎。这位女发言人说，另外一名儿童在北京一家医院死于这个疾病，但是这个死亡病例将由这名儿童居住的邻近的河北省记录。

中国今年报告有超过两万四千例手足口病，主要死亡病例发生在东部的安徽省。

The Chinese military has begun airlifting emergency supplies to areas affected by Monday's devastating earthquake that has killed thousands of people. 

The official Xinhua news agency says seven military helicopters have delivered supplies to Wenchuan county, the epicenter of the seven-point-nine magnitude quake, and several surrounding counties.

中国军方已经开始向星期一极具破坏力的地震的受灾地区空运急救物资，地震已经造数以千计的人死亡。

官方新华社说，七架军用直升机向这次七点九级地震的震中汶川县以及周围几个县送去了供应品。

The organizing committee for the Beijing Olympics says the torch relay for the 2008 Games will go on as planned in China's Sichuan province next month.

Speaking in Beijing today (Tuesday), a spokesman for the committee said the earthquake in Sichuan will not affect the relay because the quake-stricken areas are not along the route.

The epicenter of Monday's seven-point-nine magnitude earthquake was in Sichuan, and most of the confirmed deaths from the quake are in the province.

The Olympic torch relay continued today in the Chinese city of Longyan, in the province of Fujian. The torch is expected to reach Sichuan province next month, touring seven cities between June 15th to June 18th.

北京奥组委说，2008奥运火炬的接力活动将按计划下个月在四川省举行。

北京奥组委发言人今天(星期二)说，四川地震灾区不在定于举行火炬接力的线路附近，因此不影响接力活动。

星期一7.9级地震的震中位于四川。大部分确认的死伤也在该省。

奥运火炬接力活动今天在福建省的城市龙岩继续进行。预计火炬下个月抵达四川，于6月15号到18号期间在7座城市传递。

Chinese officials say about 60 giant pandas at a Chengdu breeding center near the epicenter of Monday's devastating earthquake are safe. However, the official Xinhua news agency said today (Tuesday) that there was no immediate word on the status of the pandas at another research center near Wolong, also located in the disaster area.

Pandas are among the world's most endangered animals. The breeding centers are part of efforts to help ensure the survival of the species by breeding them to be released into the wild. Only about 16 hundred pandas live in the wild in China's mountainous west.

中国官员说，在星期一强烈地震的震中附近的成都一个熊猫繁殖中心内的大约60只熊猫安然无恙。但是官方的新华社星期二说，目前还不清楚也在灾区的卧龙附近的另外一个研究中心里的熊猫状况。

熊猫属于世界最濒危动物。人们努力维持这一物种的生存，包括建立繁殖中心，繁殖熊猫，把他们放生野外。只有大约一千六百只野生熊猫生活在中国西部山区。

Chinese state media estimate that between three to five thousand people were killed in one single county today (Monday) when a powerful earthquake struck China's southwestern province of Sichuan. The official Xinhua news agency says that at least 10-thousand people are also feared injured in that same area, Sichuan's Beichuan county.

Reports also say that that nearly 900 students were buried when two primary schools collapsed but no details were provided and their fate is unknown.

Xinhua says there are 107 confirmed deaths in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Yunnan and in the municipality of Chongqing.

中国官方媒体估计，中国西南部的四川省发生强烈地震后，仅在一个县就造成3千至5千人死亡。官方新华社说，同一地区，四川省的北川县可能还有至少一万人恐怕受伤。

报导还说，两所小学的校舍倒塌，将近900名学生被埋。报导没有提供任何细节，这些学生目前的命运还不清楚。

新华社报导说，在四川、甘肃、云南和重庆市，已经证实有107人死亡。

China's trade surplus fell about one percent in April to a still robust 16-point-eight billion dollars as global demand weakened slightly. According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, the trade gap for April was much bigger than in February (13.4 billion dollars) and March (8.6 billion), but still well below last year's monthly figures that often exceeded 20 billion dollars.

China's growing trade gap with the 27-nation European Union and the United States is frequently a point of contention, as Western nations push Beijing to ease currency controls and lift import barriers.

China also announced today (Monday) that its inflation rate rose to eight-point-five percent in April, remaining near decade-high levels.

由于全球需求量略有减少，中国4月份的贸易顺差减少了大约一个百分点，但仍高达强劲的168亿美元。中国国家统计局公布的数据，4月份的贸易顺差远远超过2月份和3月份，但大大低于去年，去年每月的贸易顺差常常超过200亿美元。

中国与欧盟27国以及美国的不断增加的贸易顺差是经常引起争议的问题，西方国家敦促北京放松对本国货币控制以及取消进口壁垒。

此外，中国今天(星期一)宣布，中国4月份的通货膨胀率上升到百分之8点5，仍然接近10年来的最高水平。