#251 (經濟學人導讀 — 每日新聞). #每日一經濟學人 #英文學習 #國際時事…
By: Leon X The Economist
Tags: Debt Relief, G20, LGBT, Chief Of Staff, PlayStation

#每日一經濟學人 #英文學習 #國際時事 #謝謝志工AmyAndyJackyShane

👍11/28 (六) 經典單元、名額有限 (至多10人)！第四場全英文導讀專班

報名至11月13日截止，邀請各位用英文來討論經濟學人：https://reurl.cc/e8kyDx

Friday November 13th 2020

2020年11月13日星期五

🌏Espresso — The world in brief

每日濃縮 — 世界概況

1️⃣Sony’s new PlayStation 5: keeping you busy

第五代 Sony PlayStation：讓你/妳一直玩一直玩

Several retailers quickly sold out of the Sony PlayStation 5 shortly after the new video-game console was released. In-person sales were restricted by covid-19 lockdowns, but pre-orders and online sales quickly revealed intense interest. The shortage of other entertainment has been a boon for the video-game industry. This week Microsoft also launched the Xbox Series X.

在其新款電動遊戲機發佈後不久，零售商們很快就將索尼 (Sony) 的 PlayStation 5 銷售一空。實體店銷售受到了新冠病毒的封鎖措施，但預購和線上購物很快就展現出 (消費者) 強烈的興趣。其他休閒娛樂的短缺對電動遊戲業來說是一個福音。本週微軟 (Microsoft) 也推出了其 Xbox 的 X系列。

2️⃣LGBT rights in Europe: some are doing otherwise…

LGBT 權利在歐洲：有人唱的是反調…

The European Commission launched a strategy to protect LGBT people, setting it on a likely course for conflict with some eastern member states. The proposals, which member states must agree to, include minimum penalties for anti-LGBT hate crimes. But Hungary has recently proposed a constitutional amendment that would keep gay couples from adopting, and many Polish towns have declared “LGBT-free zones”.

歐盟執委會 (European Commission) 發表了一項旨在保護 LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender; 泛指「女同性戀者、男同性戀者、雙性戀者與跨性別者) 族群的策略計畫。由於該提案須經 (歐盟) 會員國同意才能實施，而且內容包含了針對「反 LGBT 族群」仇恨言論的最低罰款，因此可能與東歐某些會員國 (的法令/價值) 相衝突。例如：匈牙利 (Hungary) 最近提出了一項憲法修正案，禁止同性戀夫婦收養小孩，而許多在波蘭的城鎮亦宣佈其為「無 LGBT 區 (不歡迎 LGBT)」。

3️⃣Biden’s chief of staff: the person for the job

拜登的白宮幕僚長：身經百戰

President-elect Joe Biden named Ron Klain as his White House chief of staff. Mr Klain performed a similar role for Mr Biden when he was vice-president. Mr Klain was appointed “Ebola tsar” in 2014, when that disease briefly threatened America. (He was portrayed by Kevin Spacey in “Recount”, a Hollywood film about the contested presidential election of 2000.)

美國 (新任) 總統當選人拜登任命 Ron Klain 為 (新一任) 白宮幕僚長。Ron Klain 在拜登擔任副總統時期就曾擔綱類似職務。Ron Klain 於 2014年被任命為「伊波拉沙皇 (描述其對抗伊波拉病毒的強硬手腕)」，而當時該病毒曾短暫威脅美國。(好萊塢 (Hollywood) 影星凱文史貝西 (Kevin Spacey) 在講述美國 2000年總統大選的電影《鹿死誰手 (Recount)》中所扮演的角色即現實生活的 Ron Klain。)

🔱Espresso — Today’s agenda

每日濃縮 — 今日頭條

💰2️⃣0️⃣💰Light relief: the G20 and debt restructuring

二十國集團以及債務重組：不無小補

Today G20 finance ministers will try to devise a way of helping the world’s neediest countries, many of which have been crushed both by the pandemic and by heavy debt burdens. The Institute of International Finance, an industry group, calculates that 35 of the poorest African countries will have an average public-debt-to-GDP ratio of a whopping 480% this year. Some of this debt will need to be written off. Securing relief requires co-ordination among different creditors, in particular China, which are due to receive more than 40% of global debt-service payments in 2021. So the G20 is trying to create a framework that treats creditors equally and ensures that none need worry that their generosity is in effect lining others’ pockets. If it proves successful, some hope the framework might eventually apply also to richer countries in need of relief. But not yet: creditors will be asked to accept their haircuts one snip at a time.

二十國集團 (G20，ㄧ國際經濟合作論壇) 的財政部長們今日將試圖設計一種方法來協助世界上最需要幫助的國家，受疫情和沈重的債務負擔所影響，其中許多國家遭受了重創。國際金融協會 (The Institute of International Finance，IIF，一全球金融服務業的協會或貿易組織) 今年計算出 35個最貧窮的非洲國家之平均公債與國內生產總值 (GDP) 的比率將達到驚人的 480%。其中部分債務需被ㄧ筆勾銷，但要獲得減免需要不同債權國之間的協調，特別是中國。中國在 2021年將獲得全球 40%以上的債務償還，因此 G20 正試圖創建一個平等對待債權人的架構，確保沒有人需要擔心他們 (中國) 的慷慨實際上 (在背後) 是中飽私囊的。如果此方法被證明是成功的，一些人也希望此架構最後能適用於其他需要救濟的富裕國家；但現在還不是時候：債權人將先被要求接受一次 (債券價格下跌) 的財務損失。

⚜️Daily takeaway⚜️

每日單字精選

✅Similar (adj.): 相似的 (形)

✅Appoint (v.): 任命、委派 (動)

✅Disease (n.): 疾病 (名)

✅Briefly (adv.): 簡短地 (副)

✅Contested (adj.): 有爭議的 (形)

✅Video-game console (n.): 電動遊戲機 (名)

✅Pre-order (n.): 預購 (名)

✅Intense (adj.): 激烈的、緊繃的 (形)

✅Shortage (n.): 短缺、不足 (名)

✅Entertainment (n.): 娛樂 (名)

✅Strategy (n.): 策略 (名)

✅LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) (n.): 女同性戀者、男同性戀者、雙性戀者與跨性別者的英文首字母縮略字 (名)

✅Conflict (n.): 衝突 (名)

✅Constitutional (adj.): 憲法、憲政的 (形)

✅Amendment (n.): 修正案、修正版 (名)

✅Debt (n.): 債務 (名)

✅Burden (n.): 負擔 (名)

✅Calculate (v.): 計算 (動)

✅Write off (v.): 註銷、報銷、銷帳 (動)

✅Framework (n.): 架構 (名)

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