Japan to postpone the Olympic Games, dealing① a further blow② to its economy
日本推迟奥运会，经济恐遭重创
Facing heavy global pressure and rising athlete dissent③, the International Olympic Committee sharply reversed course last Tuesday and agreed with Japanese officials that the Olympics and Paralympics will not take place this summer in Tokyo in the wake of the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers said they hoped to stage④ the Games by the summer of 2021. The Olympic flame will remain in Japan, and the Olympics still will be labeled Tokyo 2020, even though they will take place in 2021. In a report early this month, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. projected⑤ that a cancellation of the Games would erase 1.4 percent of Japan’s economic output. (The Washington Post, The New York Times)
面对国际上的重压和越来越多的运动员不满，国际奥运委员会突然于3月24日转变态度，并与日本政府达成一致：新冠大流行病疫情日益加重，东京奥运会和残奥会将不会在今年夏天举行。组织者表示，他们希望在2021年夏天举办奥运会。奥运圣火仍将留在日本；同时，即便比赛在2021年举行，赛事仍将称作“2020年东京奥运会和残奥会”。在本月初的一份报告中，日本三井住友银行日兴证券预测，如果奥运会取消，日本经济产出将下跌1.4%。
【注释】
① deal: [diːl] vt. to deliver blows 给予
② blow: [bləʊ] n. a stroke, esp. a firm stroke; a violent application of the fist or of any instrument to an object（用拳头、武器等）一击；【喻】打击，重创
③ dissent: [dɪˈsɛnt] n. difference of opinion or sentiment; disagreement 不同意
④ stage: [steɪdʒ] vt. to organize and present an event for people to see 举办，筹划
⑤ project: [prəˈdʒɛkt] vt. to calculate or forecast on the basis of present trends〖经〗预测／计
(Credit: Reuters)
02
UK Parliament shuts down for a month
英国议会将关闭一个月
Parliament has shut down until 21 April at the earliest to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Last Wednesday night, the leader of the House of Commons① laid a motion saying parliament will adjourn② until 21 April. MPs have called for ministers to take part in daily video conferencing so they can keep scrutinizing the government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak while parliament is in recess③. Meanwhile, legislation giving the government new emergency powers to combat the spread of the disease and to release funds to deal with the crisis cleared all stages in Parliament last Wednesday, and has now become law. The 329-page Act of Parliament④ will allow “extraordinary measures” never seen in peacetime in the UK, including the power to restrict events, shut down premises⑤ such as pubs, and order people to stay at home. (BBC, The Guardian)
为遏制新冠病毒传播，英国议会将暂时关闭，最早4月21日重开。3月25日晚，下议院领导人提起动议，议会休会至4月21日。下院议员呼吁内阁大臣参加每日的视频会议，以便休会期间能够继续监督政府对新冠疫情的处理情况。与此同时，紧急法案也于当日通过议会所有程序，已成为法律——该法授予政府新的应急权力，以防止疫情蔓延及拨款应对危机。这份长达329页的议会法令将批准多项和平时期的英国前所未见的“非常措施”，包括政府有权限制各种活动、关闭酒吧等场所、命令民众居家隔离等。
【注释】
① leader of the House of Commons: a government minister whose main role is organising government business in the Commons 下院领导人
② adjourn: [əˈdʒəːn] vi. to dissolve the meeting of (a court, parliament, or similar official or judicial assembly) in order to continue at another time or place; to postpone, defer, or suspend (such a meeting, assembly, or related matter or proceeding)（司法、立法机构）休会，延期讨论
③ recess: [ˈriːsɛs] n. a period of time in which the proceedings of a parliament, court, or other official body are suspended or adjourned（国会、议会的）休会，（法庭的）休庭
④ Act of Parliament: a statute that has been passed by a parliament and been given royal assent by the monarch 议会法令〔一作：一级法令。二级法令是指经一级法令授权，由政府大臣颁布的法令〕
⑤ premise: [ˈprɛmɪs] n. a house or building together with its grounds, outhouses, etc., esp. a building or part of a building that houses a business「常用复数」（尤指企业使用的）房屋连地基；生产场所；经营地点
Socially distanced MPs in the House of Commons in London on March 23, 2020
(Credit: AFP)
03
Nth Room
N号房事件
Last week, online sexual violence against women drew widespread public attention in South Korea when police arrested the operator of multiple sexual abuse chat rooms on messaging apps like Telegram. The case involves the alleged coercion①and blackmailing② of at least 58 women and 16 girls beginning in late 2018. An estimated 260,000 participants, including overlapping③ members in different chat rooms, paid up to 1.5 million won (US$1,200) for access, “proving” themselves by posting misogynistic④ content. The chat room operator obtained explicit sexual and sometimes violent footage of victims, such as nude⑤ photos, by luring women and girls under false pretenses⑥, including offering employment, and gathered their names and contact details, then used the images to blackmail them into producing increasingly cruel and dehumanizing footage. (Human Rights Watch)
上周，韩国爆出一起针对女性的网上性暴力案，舆论哗然。警方已逮捕背后元凶。此人在Telegram等多款通讯软件上建立性侵聊天室。据称，该案涉及自2018年末胁迫、勒索至少58名成年女性和16名未成年女性。据估计，聊天室成员约26万人，其中包括不同聊天室的重复注册会员。要加入聊天室，需支付高达150万韩元（合1200美元）的入会费，并发布侮辱女性的内容来“证明”自己的身份。聊天室的运营者以提供就业机会等虚假借口诱骗女性拍摄裸照等露骨甚至暴力的镜头，并收集受害者的姓名和联系方式，随后以那些图像勒索她们，迫使她们拍摄愈加残忍和反人伦的镜头。
【注释】
① coercion: [kəʊˈəːʃən] n. the act of making sb. do sth. that they do not want to do, using force or threatening 武力胁／强迫
② blackmail: [ˈblakmeɪl] vt. to use threats or moral pressure against 敲诈，勒索
③ overlap: [əʊvərˈlæp] vt. to lie or be situated so as to extend over part of (a thing) 与……重叠
④ misogynistic: [mɪˌsɒdʒɪˈnɪstɪk] adj. relating to or characteristic of hate or prejudice against women 讨厌／歧视女性的
⑤ nude: [njuːd] adj. wearing no clothes, naked, bare 裸体的
⑥ pretense: [prɪˈtɛns] n. a false, feigned, or hypocritical profession or show, esp. of a quality, emotion, etc. 借口，托词
“Telegram Nth room” main suspect Cho Joo-bin.
(Credit: Getty Images)
04
G20 leaders pledge to do “whatever it takes” on COVID-19
G20领导人承诺“竭尽所能”抗击新冠肺炎
G20 leaders have pledged to do “whatever it takes” to minimize the social and economic damage of the pandemic, in a joint communiqué① issued after a video conference call last Thursday. The leaders agreed to increase funding for research in vaccines and medicines, an area in which the G20 has shown an interest in the past. After the meeting, US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call. Tensions had been raised after Mr Trump described SARS-CoV-2 as a “Chinese virus” and accused China of withholding information about its spread. But both sides offered mutual support. Mr Xi assured Mr Trump that China had been open about COVID-19 from the beginning. America’s total of confirmed cases has just surpassed China’s. (The Guardian, NPR)
3月26日，二十国集团（G20）举办了领导人视频峰会。在随后发布的联合声明中，领导人承诺“竭尽所能”将新冠大流行病对社会和经济的损害降至最低。一直以来，G20都颇为关注疫苗和药物的研究，本次会议，G20领导人一致同意增加研究经费。会后，中国国家主席习近平同美国总统特朗普通了电话。此前，特朗普将新冠病毒称为“中国病毒”，并指责中国就病毒扩散有所隐瞒，中美关系一度紧张。此次通话，双方都表示会相互支持。习近平主席向特朗普保证，中方自始至终对新冠疫情公开透明。目前，美国的确诊人数已超过中国。
【注释】
① communiqué: [kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪ] n. an official announcement or report; esp. one delivered at the conclusion of a meeting, conference, etc. (now usually one concerned with diplomacy or international relations) 公报
(Credit: South China Morning Post)
05
US Congress approves a $2 trillion stimulus deal to fight coronavirus fallout
美国国会批准2万亿美元经济刺激法案，以应对新冠疫情影响
The US Senate approved fiscal stimulus legislation worth $2 trillion to prop① up the American economy during the coronavirus pandemic, in a bipartisan vote last Thursday after a week of tense negotiations between the Trump administration and Congress. The upper chamber② passed the bill by 96 to 0. After the bill was approved in the House last Friday, Trump signed the historic stimulus package into law. The package includes one-off “helicopter money③” cheques of up to $1,200 for individuals, an extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance for those without work, and a $450bn bailout④ fund for US businesses, states and cities. US stocks snapped⑤ a three-day winning streak⑥ last Friday while Trump prepared to sign. (The Financial Times)
3月26日，美国参议院两党表决通过了一项2万亿美元的经济刺激法案，以在新冠大流行病疫情期间支撑美国经济。此前一周，特朗普政府与国会就此法案争论激烈。最终，参议院以96票赞成、0票反对通过了法案。3月27日，众议院通过。随后，特朗普签署了这项历史意义重大的刺激法案，使之正式成为法律。该法案包括：以“直升机撒钱”的方式向个人一次性发放支票，金额最高达1200美元；每周增加失业救济金600美元；为美国企业、州、市提供4500亿美元的救助经费等。3月27日，正当特朗普准备签署法案时，美股突然结束了三天连涨。
【注释】
① prop: [prɒp] vt. to provide support or help, esp. to some weak or failing cause or institution; to sustain. Now usually with up 支撑
② chamber: [ˈtʃeɪmbə] n. one of the houses of a legislative body（立法机构的）议院
③ helicopter money: a proposed unconventional monetary policy, sometimes suggested as an alternative to quantitative easing (QE) when the economy is in a liquidity trap 直升机撒钱，飞来横财
④ bailout: [ˈbeɪlaʊt] n. a (means of) release or rescue from difficulty or crisis; spec. an act of giving financial assistance to a failing business, etc.; money given as such assistance（紧急）财政援助
⑤ snap: [snæp] vt. to cause the end of (a series of wins, losses, successes, etc.) 使突然结束
⑥ streak: [striːk] n. a period of repeated success or failure 一连串
Donald Trump signed the historic stimulus bill into law on Friday in the White House’s Oval Office.
(Credit: AP)
06
China’s new policies on the pandemic amid concerns over a second wave of outbreak
为避免疫情二次爆发，中国政府出台新的防疫措施
Wuhan, has partially re-opened after more than two months of lockdown. Crowds of passengers were pictured arriving at a Wuhan train station last Saturday. People are being allowed to enter but not leave. Wuhan saw more than 50,000 confirmed cases. At least 3,000 people in Hubei died. But numbers have fallen dramatically. The Chinese government last Saturday reported 54 new cases emerging the previous day—which it said were all imported. As it battles to control cases coming from abroad, China has announced a temporary ban on all foreign visitors, even if they have visas or residence permits①. It is also limiting Chinese and foreign airlines② to one flight per week, and flights must not be more than 75% full. (BBC)
在经历两个多月的封城后，武汉已部分解封。有照片显示，3月28日，大批乘客抵达武汉的火车站。民众可以进入武汉，但还不能够离开武汉。疫情爆发以来，武汉确诊病例超过5万例，湖北省已有逾3000人死亡。但新增人数已显著减少。3月28日，中国官方报告的前一日新增确诊数为54例，据称均为境外输入病例。为防控境外输入，中国宣布暂时禁止外国旅客入境，其中包括持有效来华签证和居留许可的外国公民，并将中国和外国航空公司抵离中国的航班限制在每周一班，同时要求客座率不得高于75%。
【注释】
① permit: [ˈpəːmɪt] n. a document giving permission to do something; a licence, warrant, or pass 许可证，通行证
② airline: [ˈɛrˌlaɪn] n. a company or other body operating aircraft in public service（民用）航空公司
People arriving in Wuhan on March 28
(Credit: AFP)
（复旦大学江默柔编译，重光会王暖流审订）
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