澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-05-22（在线收听）

The Federal Opposition says the proposed super profits mining tax is partly to blame for a massive fall in the Australian dollar. The dollar hit a ten-month low on Friday. And Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey says foreign investors have been spooked by the new tax. But the Government says European debt fears are responsible for the currency's fall in value. Mining companies in several state governments have expressed concern over the tax's impact on the industry.

The German parliament has approved the contribution. Germany will make to a massive stabilization package for eurozone countries. The package is worth 1.2 trillion dollars, with Germany’s share about one-fifths of that’s total. The European Union agreed on the package to prevent the Greek financial crisis spreading and to restore confidence in the euro. But the approval of Germany’s share of the rescue package has failed to resuscitate European markets. The major indexes fell more than 2 percent, with the FTSE 100 dipping below the 5,000 level for the first time since November.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones dropped below the psychological barrier of 10,000 before rebounding to finish slightly higher. And local shares made an impressive rally to close only slightly lower after experiencing falls of over 3 percent. The Australian dollar also took a nosedive.