UN Security Council Approves International Force for Afghanistan
Breck Ardery
United Nations
20 Dec 2001 21:25 UTC
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution authorizing an international security force for Afghanistan.
The resolution authorizes the force for a six-month period to assist the interim Afghan government in providing security in and around the Afghan capital of Kabul. The resolution calls on all Afghans to cooperate with the security force and notes that all Afghan parties have agreed to withdraw their military units from Kabul.
Jeremy Greenstock
Britain will be leading the force and British ambassador Jeremy Greenstock told reporters the first group of troops will arrive in Kabul in time for the official start of the interim government on Saturday. "The United Kingdom is ready to go," he said. "We will have a small number of troops on the ground on the day, Saturday, in Kabul. The full British contingent will be in place a certain number of days thereafter."
Mr. Greenstock said if the interim government decides it wants the security force to deploy outside of the Kabul area, it would require a additional Security Council resolution.
AP
John Negroponte
United States ambassador John Negroponte said U.S. military forces will continue to operate in Afghanistan but not as part of the security force. "Our forces are there with a particular set of responsibilities, which is to root out the al-Qaida and fight against the remnant elements of the Taleban. In other words a war-fighting mission," he said.
Mr. Negroponte indicated that there should be no conflict between the mission of U.S. forces and the international security troops in Afghanistan.
DEVELOPMENT REPORT: Tuberculosis Control Program in India
By Jill Moss
Broadcast: December 9, 2002
This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
There are more people with tuberculosis in India than in any other country in the world. Each year, tuberculosis infects about two-million people in India and kills nearly five-hundred-thousand people. However, this is starting to change. Researchers
recently studied a tuberculosis control program in India. The study says the program has saved about two-hundred-thousand lives and more than four-hundred-million dollars.
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study about the tuberculosis control program in October. The Indian government started the program in nineteen-ninety-three. Since that time, about three-and-one-half million patients have been examined for tuberculosis. Almost eight-hundred-thousand patients have received medical treatment.
Also, more than forty percent of India's population can now get tuberculosis services. And more than two-hundred-thousand health workers have been trained to examine and treat people with the disease. This makes India's tuberculosis control program one of the world's largest public health programs.
Thomas Frieden of the United States was one of the people who wrote the study. He says that India's tuberculosis control program has strengthened the country's general health care system. For example, he says the quality of work done in laboratories has improved.
However, Doctor Frieden says the program includes only half of India. He says the goal is to continue the program while extending it to the rest of the country. Doctor Frieden believes this will be difficult because of health threats from the virus that causes AIDS and because some forms of tuberculosis are resistant to drugs.
Currently, the World Health Organization estimates that about one-third of the world's population are infected with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Tuberculosis becomes active in only about ten percent of all cases. However, it can remain in a victim's lungs for years or even a lifetime.
Infected people spread tuberculosis by releasing particles from their mouths when they cough, sneeze, spit or talk. Signs of the disease include high body temperature and coughing.
A person with active T-B must take medicine each day for six to nine months to halt progression of the disease.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin has applauded the successful launch of the country's fourth unmanned spacecraft, the “Shenzhou IV”.
In a congratulatory message, the President praises the launch as an “historical achievement”, and says China will contribute to the peaceful use of outer space.
Shenzhou IV was launched atop a Long March 2F carrier rocket at the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in northwest China's Gansu Province on early Monday morning.
The first Shenzhou spacecraft set off on its maiden voyage in November, 1999. More unmanned flights will be launched before Chinese astronauts are finally sent into space.
Experts regard the Shenzhou IV as one of the important test missions of the whole program.
The orbiting spacecraft will return to Earth after completing a series of preset experiments more complex and intricate than any carried out by the three previous spacecraft.
Scientists say the successful launch of the "Shenzhou IV" lays solid foundations for the country's future plan of sending astronauts into space.
***
China's economic growth is expected to reach 8 percent this year.
The director of the National Bureau of Statistics, Zhu Zhixin朱之鑫, says this year's gross domestic product is expected to hit a record 1.23 trillion US dollars.
Regarding agriculture, he notes that China has done a good job in promoting ecological agriculture, and that domestic food production increased by nearly 460 million tons over last year.
On industrial production, Zhu Zhixin says industrial enterprises are expected to realize a total gross annual profit of about 69 billion US dollars - a considerable increase over last year.
China has also seen rapid growth in imports and exports, while the actual use of foreign direct investment is expected to be 50 billion US dollars.
***
China will continue to cut import quotas and tariffs next year in order to fulfill its WTO promises.
China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation will continue to reduce the number of licensed commodities from 12 to 8 next year.
As of January 1st, the ministry will lift import restrictions on motorcycles, cameras, watches, car derricks and auto chassis.
China will lift all licensing restrictions on automobiles and car parts by 2005, and increase import quotas by 15 percent every year.
***
Hong Kong-based Hang Seng Bank will launch personal e-banking services Tuesday for its mainland customers in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Fuzhou.
Hang Seng Bank's customers can enjoy the online personal banking services, including account inquiries, fund transfers, time deposits and rate enquiries.
In Hong Kong, the bank's Personal e-Banking services have proved highly popular since their launch two years ago.
***
Shanghai Airport Group and Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide have signed a memorandum of cooperation.
The two sides will exchange information and market promotion.
Shanghai Mayor Chen Liangyu says Shanghai Pudong International Airport will be built into an air traffic hub in the Asia-Pacific region to cope with increasing traffic as the city prepares to host the 2010 World Expo.
In its first construction phase, the airport covers 12 square kilometers with total investment exceeding one and a half billion US dollars.
***
Telecom equipment maker Ericsson says it has won an additional 25 million US dollars in orders for equipment from China Unicom for next-generation network gear.
The new network standard offers improved call quality and higher data rates over standard CDMA networks.
Ericsson says the new orders bring the initial commitment for CDMA equipment to 175 million US dollars.
In October, Ericsson signed a 150 million US dollar agreement with Unicom, China's number two cellular carrier.
***
In Wall Street, a bleak outlook for the chip industry led tech stocks lower while blue chips and the broader market rose slightly on Monday in light trading.
The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index closed down over half percent, at 1,339. The Dow Jones industrial average rose slightly to 8,332.
European stocks were higher at the close in light, volatile trading.
London's FTSE-100 gained nearly two percent to end at 3,900. Paris's CAC 40 index advanced less than half percent to 3,025 while Frankfurt's DAX index closed rising nearly two percent at 2,892.
A comprehensive information centre is being built in capital of Henan Province.
The project, which is budgeted at 800 million yuan, is believed to be the largest of its kind in central and western parts of the country.
Upon completion, the 120 thousand square meter information center will integrate information exchange with software development and application.
Henan took the lead among China's provinces in spreading the use of telephones to every village and getting governments at all levels online.
*****
The Chinese government has made great progress this year in locating water sources in the drought-stricken western regions of the country.
In 24 counties of 9 provinces and autonomous regions, about 7 hundred wells have been dug to alleviate shortages of drinking water for more than 100 thousand people.
The project was launched last year, aiming to reduce water shortages in the country’s western regions and improve local residents’ living conditions.
*****
China surprised the world by raising its economic growth rate from 7.3 percent last year to 8 percent in 2002, against a sluggish global economy.
The National Bureau of Statistics estimates that non- government investment will increase by over 20 percent this year over 2001.
The total investment in fixed assets this year is expected to exceed 480 billion US dollars for the first time. Retail sales will also top 480 billion US dollars this year.
*****
Chinese radio stations are now financially better off.
Radio now ranks higher among conventional Chinese media in terms of the growth rate of advertising revenue, which exceeded some 220 million US dollars last year, a 20 percent increase on the previous year.
In Beijing, the growth rate was higher than 40 percent.
There are currently 303 radio stations operating in China.
1--Do you want black or white coffee?
2--White, please.
1--Look! There's a folk concert tomorrow evening.
Do you want to go?
2--I don't like folk music very much.
1--What kind of music do you like?
2--I like classical music. Do you?
1--Not very much. Classical music sends me to sleep.
2--I don't believe you.
1--It's true.
2--You are funny!
1--So are you! How about another coffee?
===================================
注解：
1）black or white coffee：加糖或加牛奶的称作white
coffee.什么也不加的称作black coffee.
2）folk concert：民间音乐会。folk作“民间的”、
“具有民族传说的”解。如folk dance，folk music,
folk songs, folk tale等。
3）classical：经典的。如classical music, classical
literature等。
4）How about...?（你以为）...怎么样？征询对方的意见时
常用的句型。如，征询关于时间安排的意见时，可以说How
about tomorrow？征询活动内容时可以说How about playing
tennis now?征询人选意见可以说How about Jane?等
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