10-19-2005

联合国警告中东非洲可能面临禽流感 (UN Agency Warns Middle East and Africa May Face Bird Flu)

联合国警告说，候鸟可能会把禽流感传播到中东和非洲，从而增加病毒从禽鸟传染给人类的机率。联合国粮农组织说，中东和北非国家应该能够抗击禽流感。但是该组织担心，东部非洲由于人群与禽畜十分接近，很可能成为禽流感的滋生地。

这个联合国机构承诺帮助非洲国家监控野鸟和家禽的状况，以及改善实验室早期侦测禽流感疫情的能力。

同时，俄罗斯和中国内蒙古地区都报告发生了新的禽流感病例。马其顿当局为了应对另一种相对不那么严重的禽流感，正在宰杀数以千计的禽鸟。自从2003年以来，亚洲已经有60多人死于H5N1型的禽流感病毒。

The United Nations has warned that migratory birds may spread bird flu to the Middle East and Africa, increasing chances of its transmission to humans. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says countries in the Middle East and in northern Africa should be able to combat avian influenza. But it expressed concern that eastern Africa could become a breeding ground for the illness because of the close proximity between people and animals there.

The U.N. agency pledged to assist African countries in surveillance of wild and domestic birds, and in improving laboratory capacities to detect any bird flu outbreak early.

Meanwhile, new bird flu cases are reported in Russia and in China's Inner Mongolia region. Macedonian authorities are culling thousands of birds to deal with a less serious type of bird flu. More than 60 people in Asia have died from the H5N1 strain of the virus since 2003.

第中国军方重申不首先使用核武 (Chinese Military Repeats Promise Not to First Use Nuclear Weapons)

美国国防部长唐纳德.拉姆斯菲尔德会晤中国国家主席胡锦涛和国防部长曹刚川。曹刚川再次否认了有关北京少报军事开支的说法。拉姆斯菲尔德还参观了中国第二炮兵、也就是中国战略导弹部队的司令部。二炮司令靖志远对另一名中国将领最近的公开说法表示不以为然。那名将领说，如果美国介入台湾冲突，中国将对美国使用核武器。

靖志远将军说，中国的政策禁止首先使用核武器。在星期三的会晤中，双方保证扩大两军合作，但是拉姆斯菲尔德也对中国秘密扩充军力的“不一致信号”再次表示关注。中国说，目前的国防开支是每年300亿美元左右。但是五角大楼估计，中国今年的军事预算是900亿美元。

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has met with China's president Hu Jintao and Defense Minister General Cao Gangchuan. Cao Gangchuan again denied allegations that Beijing understates its military spending. Rumsfeld also visited China's Second Artillery Headquarters, the seat of China's strategic nuclear missile program. There, Chief Commander General Jing Zhiyuan dismissed a recent public suggestion by another Chinese general who said China would use nuclear missiles against the United States if it intervened in a conflict over Taiwan.

General Jing Zhiyuan said China's policy bars it from using nuclear weapons first. During Wednesday's meetings, the two sides pledged greater military cooperation, but Rumsfeld also repeated concerns over the "mixed signals" from China's secretive military buildup. China says it spends around 30 billion dollars a year on defense. The Pentagon, however, estimates China's military budget this year at 90 billion dollars.