2020年经济学人 一周要闻 英国正式开启疫苗接种 拜登提名黑人防长 英国脱欧进入最后关头（在线收听）

The world this week

本周国际要闻

Politics

政治

Britain began the world’s first vaccination programme for covid-19 using a fully tested vaccine. Thousands of people, mostly the very elderly and frontline health workers, received the Pfizer/BioNTech jab in hospitals. Family doctors will also administer the injections, as will care homes by Christmas. Canada became the second country to approve the Pfizer vaccine and will start distribution soon. In America regulators were on the verge of approving it.

英国采用了一种经过全面检测的疫苗，启动了全球首个针对新冠肺炎的疫苗接种项目。成千上万的人在医院接种了辉瑞联合BioNTech研发的疫苗，其中大部分是老年人和一线医护人员。在圣诞节前，家庭医生处和疗养院也将开展疫苗接种项目。加拿大成为第二个批准辉瑞疫苗接种的国家，并将很快开始分发疫苗。美国的监管机构也即将批准该疫苗。

General Lloyd Austin was tapped by Joe Biden to be his defence secretary. If confirmed, General Austin, who has led America’s command in Afghanistan and Iraq, will be the first black person to hold the job. He will also be a former military man in a position that by tradition goes to a civilian. Donald Trump’s first defence secretary, James Mattis, also came from the armed forces.

乔·拜登任命劳埃德·奥斯汀将军为国防部长。如果这一提名得到确认，曾领导美军驻阿富汗和伊拉克司令部的奥斯丁将军将成为首位担任这一职务的黑人。他还将成为担任这个传统上留给平民的职位的退役军人。特朗普的首任国防部长詹姆斯·马蒂斯(James Mattis)也是军人出身。

The House of Representatives passed a defence bill, with 140 Republican votes, that would, among other things, remove the names of Confederate generals that adorn some military bases. Mr Trump says he will reject the bill, but it has been approved by a two-thirds majority, enough support to override a presidential veto. It now goes to the Senate.

众议院以140名共和党人的投票通过了一项国防法案，除其他事项外，该法案还将更名部分以南方联盟将军名字命名的军事基地。特朗普表示，他将否决该法案，但该法案已获得三分之二的多数票通过，足以推翻总统的否决。现在法案已经移交参议院。

The House also passed a bill that would decriminalise marijuana and overturn the sentences of those who have been convicted of non-violent cannabis crimes. Its purpose is to redress the racial disparities in marijuana convictions (black people are more likely to be jailed for possession). It is unlikely to pass the Senate.

众议院还通过了一项法案，将大麻合法化，并推翻那些对非暴力大麻犯罪人员的判决。其目的是纠正在大麻定罪方面的种族不平等(黑人更有可能因持有大麻而被判入狱)。该法案不太可能在参议院获得通过。

The Supreme Court made its first foray into the jumble of lawsuits from Republicans still trying to overturn the election result. In a one-line response with no dissents, it refused to hear a case from Pennsylvania. Joe Biden’s victory will be officially confirmed on December 14th, when the electoral college meets to cast its vote.

最高法院首次介入共和党人仍试图推翻选举结果的诉讼。在一行没有异议的回复中，该院拒绝听取来自宾夕法尼亚州的一起诉讼。乔·拜登的胜利将于12月14日正式确认，届时选举人团将开会投票。

As Brexit trade talks went down to the wire, the British government announced an “agreement in principle” with the European Union over border controls between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Britain also agreed to scotch legislation that would allow it to break international law. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, went to Brussels for a dinner with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, but their meeting left a bad taste in the mouth for those hoping for a breakthrough.

随着英国脱欧贸易谈判进入最后关头，英国政府宣布与欧盟就爱尔兰和北爱尔兰之间的边境问题达成“原则上协议”。英国还同意取消允许其违反国际法的立法。英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊前往布鲁塞尔与欧盟委员会的乌苏拉·冯·德莱恩共进晚餐，但他们的会面给那些希望取得突破的人留下了不好的印象。

France published details of a proposed new law designed to combat the spread of radical Islam. The law, which will go to parliament next year, follows the beheading of a French schoolteacher for showing children cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

法国公布了一项拟议新法的细节，旨在打击激进伊斯兰教的传播。这项法律将于明年提交议会审议，此前一名法国教师因向儿童展示先知穆罕默德的漫画而被斩首。

Venezuela’s dictatorial regime, led by Nicolás Maduro, reclaimed control of the legislature, the one branch of government it did not command. The ruling PSUV and its allies won more than two-thirds of the votes in a legislative election that was boycotted by most of the opposition. The psuv’s victory means that the opposition’s leader, Juan Guaidó, recognised as Venezuela’s interim president by more than 50 countries, will lose his role as head of the assembly.

由尼古拉斯·马杜罗领导的委内瑞拉独裁政权重新控制了议会，而议会是政府的分支机构，但并未被控制。执政的统一社会主义联盟(psuv)及其盟友在立法选举中赢得超过三分之二的选票，这次选举遭到大多数反对派的抵制。统一社会主义联盟的胜利意味着反对派领袖胡安·瓜伊多(Juan Guaido)将失去议会主席的职位，瓜伊多被50多个国家承认为委内瑞拉临时总统。