10-31-06

人權組織批美公司助中國警方(Rights Group Criticizes American Firms for Helping Chinese Police)

具有影響力的國際組織記者無國界指稱谷歌、雅虎和微軟等資訊技術大公司向中國出售有助於警方壓制人權活動人士的技術。記者無國界說，美國科技公司賣給中國的技術還使北京能夠限制民眾上網。記者無國界星期二在聯合國發起的有關互聯網管理的會議上提出以上批評。

這些科技公司反駁了對它們的指稱，並聲稱它們在中國的運營有利於否則根本無法上網的數以百萬計的網民。

The influential international group Reporters Without Bordershas accused leading information technology firms, including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, of selling technology to China that helps police there crack down on human rights activists. Reporters Without Borders says U.S. technology company sales to China have also allowed Beijing to restrict public access to the Internet. The accusations came Tuesday in Greece at a United Nations'-sponsored forum on Internet governance.

The technology companies countered the accusations, claiming their operations in China benefit millions of people who otherwise would have no Internet access.

科學家在中國發現新禽流感病毒(Scientists Discover New Strain of Bird Flu in China)

香港和美國的科學家在中國發現了一種新的禽流感病毒。他們說，這種變異了的病毒可能帶來新一輪疫情。香港大學和美國田納西州孟菲斯聖祖德兒童研究醫院的研究人員的這一發現刊登在美國國家科學院的一份科學雜誌上。

科研人員把這種新的禽流感病毒稱為“福建型病毒”，因為這種病毒最先是在中國南部福建省發現的。他們說，“福建型禽流感病毒”目前是中國幾個省最常見的禽流感病毒，而且這種病毒已經蔓延到了香港、寮國、馬來西亞和泰國。

Scientists in Hong Kong and the United States have detected a new strain of bird flu in China, and they say this variety of the virus could start a new wave of illness. The discovery by researchers from the University of Hong Kong and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, appears in a scientific journal published by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists are calling the new bird-flu strain "the Fujian-like virus," because it was first discovered in that southern province of China. They say the Fujian strain is now the dominant variety of bird-flu virus currently found in several Chinese provinces, and that the new poultry disease has already spread to Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia and Thailand.