11-3-2005

亚行称禽流感或严重破坏亚洲经济 (ADB Says Bird Flu Pandemic Could Devastate Economy)

亚洲开发银行预计，如果亚洲发生大规模禽流感，可能会造成将近3千亿美元的经济损失。总部在马尼拉的亚行星期四公布的报告估计，如果禽流感在亚洲大规模流行，可能会导致亚洲地区经济下滑6.5%，并引发全世界的衰退。亚洲开发银行说，如果出现大规模流行病，全球的货物与服务贸易额将会减少大约14%，折合2万5千亿美元。

亚行说，即使出现较小规模的流行病，也会给亚洲经济造成1千1百30亿美元的损失。迄今为止发现的禽流感传染都是直接和病禽接触。不过，卫生专家警告说，如果禽流感病毒变异成能够轻易在人之间传播的毒株，就会有数以百万计的人染病。

The Asian Development Bank projects the economic loss from a bird flu pandemic in Asia could be nearly 300-billion dollars. In a report released Thursday, the Manila-based bank estimated a severe pandemic could bring a six-point-five percent decline in the regional economy and trigger a worldwide recession. The ADB says in the event of a severe pandemic, the global trade in goods and services would shrink by around 14-percent, or two-and-a-half trillion dollars.

It said even a mild pandemic would cause a 113-billion dollar loss to Asia's economy. So far, human cases of bird flu have been traced to contact with infected poultry. However, health experts warn of millions of human cases if the virus mutates into a form that spreads easily from person to person.

媒体权益组织谴责中国封博客网志 (Media Rights Group Condemns Shut Down of Chinese Blog)

维护新闻媒体权利的国际组织记者无国界谴责中国政府关闭一个支持民主的博客网志。这个网志被提名获得一项言论自由奖。总部在巴黎的记者无国界星期四发表的声明谴责它所说的对宣传民主的网络日志作者王义(音译)的封锁。该组织说，为这个博客网志提供上网服务的天涯公司按照海南省政府的指示关闭了这个博客网志。

该网志在德国公共广播电台德国之声组织的博客竞赛中获得一项提名。提名说，这个网志被用来争取中国的司法独立。记者无国界说，中国政府关闭该网站的行为违背宪法里有关保护言论自由的规定。

International media rights organization Reporters Without Borders is criticizing the Chinese government for shutting down a pro-democracy blog nominated for a freedom of expression award. In a statement released Thursday, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said it condemns what it calls the censorship of the web log of pro-democracy writer Wang Yi. The group says the company (Tianya) that hosts the blog shut it down on the orders of the Hai Nan provincial government.

The blog had been nominated for an award in a blog contest organized by the German public radio station Deutsche Welle. The nomination says the blog is used to fight for the independence of justice in China. Reporters Without Borders says the Chinese government's action in shutting down the site would appear to be against constitutional guarantees of free expression.