英国新闻听力 93（在线收听）

The new administration in Washington has named two key envoys to deal with what the newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described, as the two most pressing foreign policy issues confronting the United States. Richard Holbrooke, who brokered the 1995 agreement that ended the war in the former Yugoslavia, has been appointed to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other envoy, for the Middle East peace process, is the former US Senator and Northern Ireland Mediator George Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell himself has plenty of experience of intractable problems. He started his new job on an optimistic note recalling the successful end to the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland.

"From my experience there, I formed the conviction that there is no such thing as a conflict that can't be ended. Conflicts are created, conducted, and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings. "

President Barack Obama, who stood next to Mrs. Clinton at the State Department as the two envoys were announced, said that Mr. Mitchell would have full negotiating powers in the Middle East. He outlined his thoughts on how to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"Lasting peace requires more than a long ceasefire. That's why I will sustain an active commitment to seek two states living side by side in peace and security. Sen. Mitchell will carry forward this commitment as well as the effort to help Israel reach a broader peace with the Arab world that recognizes its rightful place in the community of nations. Now is the time for Arab states to act on the initiative's promise by supporting the Palestinian government under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, taking steps towards normalizing relations with Israel, and by standing up to extremism that threatens us all. "

Earlier, President Obama signed an executive order that will close the American detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba within one year, fulfilling a pledge he made in his election campaign. Mr. Obama also signed other orders, dealing with the way the US authorities treat detained terrorism suspects. They include an order closing all CIA detention centers abroad, and the stipulation that all detainees be treated humanely without undergoing torture. President Obama said the measures will restore the due process of law, and the values laid down by the country's founding fathers.

A Senate committee has approved the appointment of Timothy Geithner as the new US treasury secretary despite opposition over his failure to pay some income taxes on time. The Finance Committee approved the nomination by 18 votes to 5, clearing the way for a vote by the full Senate.

British soldiers say they are unhappy that their injured colleagues are being treated on the same ward as Taliban militants at a field hospital in Afghanistan. They say that the service men and women of Camp Bastion shouldn't have to share facilities with their enemy.

World News from the BBC.

American scientists say they've taken a big step forward towards the development of quantum computing, a process they believe could form the basis of a new form of Internet that would work at the speed of light. In the American Journal of Science, researchers say they've instantaneously teleported information between two unconnected atoms a meter apart. Matt Mcgrath reports.

Quantum computing is an effort to harness the bizarre laws that operate in the subatomic world into practical devices that will revolutionize the speed of which we can share and process information. One of the key principles that empowers the concept is that in quantum mechanics, atomic particles can exist in two states at the same time. This makes them far more useful for carrying out complex calculations than conventional computer bits that are either one or zero, on or off. Another weird aspect of the quantum state is that atoms can be inextricably linked to other atoms, no matter how far apart they are. Changes the characteristics of one and, like magic, the other changes too.

The European Union has for the first time licensed an anti-obesity drug to be sold over the counter at chemists' without the need for a doctor's prescription. The drug, Orlistat, hinders the absorption of fat in the body that can cause diarrhea, flatulence and even incontinence. As the body excretes fats, it can no longer absorb. Pharmacists welcome the move, but some doctors say it will simply mask underlying problems caused by poor diet and lack of exercise.

A team of British-Italian scientists has asked for permission to exhume the body of a 16th century astronomer, Galileo. They want to examine his DNA to determine whether poor eyesight affected some of his findings. Galileo, considered by many to be the father of modern astronomy, is known to have suffered problems with his vision, and by the end of his life, was completely blind. His work contained some errors, including his belief that Saturn had two moons rather than a ring.