英国新闻听力 美国防部将公开大量虐囚照片（在线收听）

United States officials say the Pentagon is to release hundreds of previously unpublished photographs showing the alleged abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan by US personnel during President Bush’s time in office. The move is in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by American Civil Liberties Union. From Washington, Justin Webb.

The American Civil Liberties Union has been trying for some time to get access to photos which it believed show prisoners being abused in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Bush Administration opposed the move; the Obama Administration has decided to allow the photos to be published in line with court ruling last year. “It looks as if there will be a large number, I think it will be in the hundreds” said a Pentagon official. What the ACLU says is that the photos will prove that much publicized abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison outside Baghdad were actually part of a wild pattern amounting to a policy.

Iraq has seen one of its bloodiest days in recent month, with 60 people killed in an attack on the most important Shiah Muslim shrine in Baghdad. Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at the gate of the shrine in the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, 25 Iranian pilgrims were among the dead.

The Mexican government says it’s preparing a mass vaccination campaign to tackle a new kind of deadly swine flu. The World Health Organization says the outbreak appears to have killed at least 57 people. More than 800 others are believed to have been infected. The WHO is planning an emergency meeting soon to decide if there’s an international public health threat. From Mexico City, Sidon Gibbs reports.

Mexico’s Health Ministry says the new virus has reached epidemic levels, it described as it is a former swine flu, which is mutated and being passed to humans. Most of the cases, so far recorded have been in or near Mexico City and have largely affected men between the ages of 25 and 44. As well as ordering the closure of all schools in the capital and its neighboring Mexico State, the Ministry is advising the population to avoid crowded areas and not to shake hands or kiss one another.

Finance Ministers and Central Bankers from some of the world’s biggest economies say there are signs that the global financial crisis should begin to ease slightly later this year. But the statement after a G-7 meeting in Washington warned against premature optimism. From Washington, Andrew Worker.

The good news in the G-7’s views is that things aren’t getting worse as rapidly as they were. But the host to this meeting, the US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was not prepared to conclude that the recovery is imminent. The G-7 statements said that should begin later this year, but it’s likely to be weak. There was also a commitment to tackle the problem in the banks, that’s been identified by the International Monetary Fund as the most important obstacle to a recovery. The IMF says there has been progress on that front but not enough.

The President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo says he will not resign over claims by several women that he fathered children with them while he was a Catholic Bishop. At a televised news conference, Mr. Lugo asked for forgiveness from anyone who’ve been offended by the revelations but said he would complete his five-year term despite what he called rumors of instability and conspiracy.

The African Union has praised the conduct of a general election in South Africa. The head of AU Observer Mission described the poll as free, fair and credible. With 90% of the vote counted, the governing African National Congress is heading for a decisive victory. Final results are expected on Saturday.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have warned the prospects for poverty reduction in the developing world are looking bleaker, because of the global financial crisis. In their annual report on progress towards the targets known as the Millennium Development Goals, the two Agencies say up to 9 million more people could fall into extreme poverty. The reports say the health targets are going to be the worst affected.

Farmers in parts of Europe are to be allowed to resume the practice of leaving dead livestock in their fields for vultures to feed on. The European Parliament voted to overturn a ban which had been brought in to tackle Mad Cow disease. Kris Mason reports from Brussels.

Environmentalists describe the vultures as nature’s cleaners. They are capable of stripping a dead cow or sheep carcass in a matter of hours, but many have been starving to death since European law aimed at tackling mad cow disease, meant all dead livestock have to be cleared away. This forced the birds to embark on some rather long-haul journeys. One was even spotted recently perched on top of a bush shelter here in Brussels. Following the vote, farmers will again be able to leave dead livestock in their fields, providing it is deemed safe and hygienic to do so. Kris Mason in Brussels.

美国官方表示，五角大楼将公开数百张美方人员据称是布什政府时期在伊拉克和阿富汗虐待囚徒的照片，这些照片之前从未公开过。国防部这样做是应美国公民自由联盟（ACLU）依据《信息自由法》提出的要求。 Justin Webb华盛顿报道。

美国公民自由联盟（ACLU）一度试图想得到这些显示在阿富汗和伊拉克虐囚的照片，布什政府反对这一行动。去年，奥巴马总统决定依法院裁决公开这些照片。“好像数量很大，我想应该有数百张，”国防部一位官员这么说。ACLU说，这些照片证明，广为批评的巴格达外的阿布格莱布监狱事实上只是依政策实施的野蛮作法的一部分。

伊拉克经历了数月来最血腥的几天，60人在巴格达最重要的什叶派穆斯林神庙被杀。两名女性在Imam Moussa al-Kadhim神庙大门口进行自杀式炸弹袭击，死者中有25名伊朗朝圣者。

墨西哥政府表示，将实施大规模的疫苗接种运动，以对付一种新型致命威胁--猪流感。世界健康组织表示至少57人死于这次疫情。已有800多人被认为已感染此病毒。世界健康组织将很快召开紧急会议，以确定已构成国际公共健康威胁。 Sidon Gibbs从墨西哥城报道。

墨西哥卫生部表示，这种新病毒已构成流行病，认为它曾是一种猪病毒，后经过变异，现在在人之间传播。现已记录的大多数案例都发生在墨西哥城及其附近，大多数感染人群在25岁到44岁之间。墨西哥卫生部不仅命令关闭首都和历尽的墨西哥州的所有学校，还建议人们避免去拥挤地段，不要握手或接吻。

世界主要经济体的财政部长和中央银行家们表示，今年晚些时候全球金融危机将显现轻微的好转迹象。但是华盛顿的G7会议会后发表的声明警告不要太早乐观。Andrew Worker华盛顿报道。

G7会议带来的好消息是，事情并不像之前恶化得那么快。但是这次会议的东道主、美国财政部长盖特纳没有做出复苏即将来临的结论。G7的声明表示，复苏将于今年晚些时候来临，但是可能并不牢固。会上还作出解决银行业问题的承诺，国际货币基金组织（IMF）视之为复苏道路上的最大障碍。IMF说未来将会有进步，还还不够。

巴拉圭总统费尔南多·卢戈表示，尽管有数名妇女声称同自己在任天主教主教时有私生子，但他不会辞职。在电视记者招待会上，卢戈向因事情揭露而受触犯的人请求宽容，但是他表示，尽管传出动荡与阴谋谣言,他将担任完5年任期。

非洲联盟赞扬南非大选。非洲联盟观察使团主席认为这是一次自由、公正、可信的投票。国民大会党以90%的投票支持率取得决定性的胜利。最终结果有望于周六公布。

世界银行和国际货币基金组织警告，由于全球金融危机，发展中国家减少贫困的希望渺茫。在对“千年发展目标”而做的年度发展报告中，这两个机构表示，9百万多的人口将处于极端疲困中。报告警告，健康的目标所受的影响最大。

欧洲部分地区的农场主已被允许恢复将死牲畜抛弃野地的习惯，以供秃鹫食用。欧洲议会表决推翻一项意在对付疯牛病的禁令。Kris Mason从布鲁塞尔发回报道。

环境保护论者认为秃鹫是大自然的清洁者，它们可以在数小时内将一具死牛或死羊的尸体剥皮，但是，自从为解决疯牛病问题而实施欧洲法--这意味着清除所有死亡的牲畜--以来，很多秃鹫被饿死。这使这种鸟不得不进行长距离的飞行。人们甚至发现一只秃鹫栖息于布鲁塞尔一处矮树丛，作为藏身之处。根据这项法令，在安全和清洁的前提下，农场主们再次被允许将死亡的牲畜抛于田野。