End of Covid pandemic ‘in sight’, says World Health Organization
The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday, his most optimistic outlook yet on the years-long health crisis which has killed over six million people. Deaths from COVID-19 last week were the lowest since March 2020, the U.N. agency reported. “We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” WHO Director-General Tedros told reporters at a virtual press conference. He urged nations to maintain their vigilance① and likened the pandemic to a marathon race. Tedros added: “If we don’t take this opportunity now, we run the risk of more variants, more deaths, more disruption and more uncertainty.” Countries need to take a hard look at their policies and strengthen them for COVID-19 and future viruses, Tedros said. He also urged nations to vaccinate 100% of their high-risk groups and keep testing for the virus. (Reuters)
9月14日，世界卫生组织负责人谭德塞称，世界正处于终结新冠疫情的最佳时机。这是他对这场持续多年的健康危机最乐观的看法。该危机已造成全球600多万人死亡。联合国机构报告称，上周新冠肺炎疫情死亡人数降至自2020年3月以来的最低水平。世卫组织总干事谭德塞在线上新闻发布会上对记者说：“虽然我们还没有走到结束疫情的那一步，但胜利就在眼前。”他敦促各国保持警惕，并将这场疫情比作一场马拉松比赛。谭德塞补充说：“如果我们现在不抓住这个机会，我们就会面临更多变异、更多死亡、更多破坏和更多不确定性的风险。”谭德塞表示，各国需要认真审视其政策，并加强落实政策以应对新型冠状病毒和未来的多种病毒。他还敦促各国落实全体高危人群的疫苗接种工作，并继续进行病毒检测。
① vigilance: [ˈvɪdʒɪləns] n. great care that is taken to notice any signs of danger or trouble 警戒，警惕
(Credit: The New York Times)
S. Korea fines Google, Meta billions of won for privacy violations
South Korea levied① tens of millions of dollars in fines on Google and Meta Platforms for privacy law violations, authorities said on Wednesday. In a statement, the Personal Information Protection Commission said it fined Google 69.2 billion won ($50 million) and Meta 30.8 billion won ($22 million). The fines are the highest imposed for violations of the country’s personal information protection law. The privacy panel said the firms did not clearly inform service users and obtain their prior consent when collecting and analysing behavioural information to infer their interests or use them for customised advertisements. Both companies refuted the commission’s findings and Meta indicated it could challenge its fine in court. The fines can be appealed through administrative lawsuits, which must be filed within 90 days after the companies are formally notified of the commission’s decision. (Reuters & AP News)韩国当局9月14日表示，谷歌和元宇宙平台因违反韩国隐私法，将被处以数千万美元的罚款。韩国个人信息保护委员会在一份声明中表示，对谷歌和元宇宙平台分别处以692亿韩元（合5000万美元）和308亿韩元（合2200万美元）的罚款。在韩国，该罚款金额为涉嫌违反个人信息保护法之最。该监管机构还表示，谷歌和元宇宙平台在收集或分析这些数据以估算用户的个人兴趣并使用这些信息提供个性化广告时，既没有明确告知用户，也没有事先获得用户的同意。两家公司都驳斥了该委员会的调查结果，元宇宙平台表示可能会在法庭上对其罚款提出异议。他们可以通过行政诉讼进行罚款申诉，且行政诉讼须在公司正式收到委员会通知后90天内提出。① levy: [ˈlevi] v. impose (a tax, fee, or fine) 征收（税，费，罚款）
(Credit: Reuters)
Jean-Luc Godard, king of France’s New Wave, dies at 91
Franco-Swiss director and New Wave linchpin① Jean-Luc Godard, who revolutionized world cinema with his ground-breaking② debut, “Breathless,” and never stopped pushing the envelope of his creativity, died on September 13 at the age of 91. The news was confirmed by Godard’s family in a statement which read, “Jean-Luc Godard died peacefully in his home surrounded with his close ones. He will be cremated.” Godard died by assisted suicide at his home in Switzerland. His legal adviser said that Godard wanted to die with dignity “and that was exactly what he did.” French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Godard on social media with a message describing Godard as “the most iconoclastic③ of New Wave filmmakers, had invented a resolutely modern, intensely free art. We are losing a national treasure, a look of genius.” (The Washington Post)法国-瑞士导演和新浪潮的领头人让·吕克·戈达尔于9月13日辞世，享年91岁。他以具有开创性的处女作《筋疲力尽》彻底改变了世界电影,并且从未停止过挑战自己创造力的极限。戈达尔的家人在一份声明中证实了他离世的消息，声明提到:“让·吕克·戈达尔在家人的陪伴下，于家中安详去世。他将被火化。”戈达尔在瑞士的家中接受了安乐死。他的法律顾问说，戈达尔希望有尊严地死去，“他确实做到了”。法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙在社交媒体上向戈达尔致敬，称戈达尔是“新浪潮电影最特立独行的人，他发明了一种绝对现代、极度自由的艺术风格。我们失去了一个国宝，一位天才。”① linchpin: [ˈlɪntʃpɪn] n. a person or thing that is the most important part of an organization, a plan, etc., because everything else depends on them or it （组织、计划等的）关键人物，关键事物
② ground-breaking: [ˈɡraʊnd breɪkɪŋ] adj. breaking new ground; innovative; pioneering 开辟新天地的；创新的；开拓的
③ iconoclastic: [aɪˌkɒnəˈklæstɪk] adj. criticizing popular beliefs or established customs and ideas 批评传统信仰（或习俗思想）的
(Credit: The Washington Post)
Spain arrests “one of Europe’s biggest money launderers”
Police in Spain have arrested who they have alleged to be one of Europe’s biggest money launderers following a raid. The British-Irish suspect is alleged to have shifted more than 200 million euros in illicit cash. Europol did not identify the man, but sources close to the investigation identified him as John Francis Morrissey, 62, who works for the notorious Kinahan organised crime group. Europol said Morrissey “and his associates were in charge of collecting large amounts of cash from criminal organisations, which they would then ‘deliver’ to other criminal organisations in other countries.” They had been using the so-called hawala① underground banking system, which is operated through face-to-face transactions②. The international operation, which was led by the Spanish Guardia Civil, involved two associates being arrested in Spain and another in the UK. (The National News)西班牙警方在一次突袭中抓捕了欧洲最大的洗钱大鳄。这名英国和爱尔兰双重国籍嫌疑人被指控转移了超过2亿欧元的非法现金。欧洲刑警组织没有确认这名男子的身份，但据知情人士确认该男子叫约翰·弗朗西斯·莫里西，62岁，为臭名昭著的基纳汉犯罪集团工作。欧洲刑警组织表示，莫里西和他的同伙负责从犯罪组织收集大量现金，然后把这些钱“运到”其他国家的其他犯罪组织。他们一直在使用所谓的哈瓦拉地下银行系统，该系统通过面对面交易运作。此次国际行动由西班牙国民警卫队领导，莫里西的两名同伙在西班牙被捕，另一名在英国被捕。① hawala: [haˈwɑːlə] n. a traditional system of transferring money used in Arab countries and the Indian subcontinent, whereby the money is paid to an agent who then instructs an associate in the relevant country or area to pay the final recipient 哈瓦拉，为阿拉伯国家和印度次大陆的一种传统汇兑体系，由经手人在收款后指定相关国家或地区的合伙人向收款人付款
② transaction: [trænˈzækʃn] n. a piece of business that is done between people, especially an act of buying or selling （一笔）交易，业务，买卖
(Credit: The National News)
Emmy wins for “Squid Game” actor Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Dong-hyuk
Smash① Netflix series “Squid Game” racked up② multiple wins at Monday’s Emmy Awards, with South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series and director Hwang Dong-hyuk taking the award for top director of the same. Set in Seoul, the dystopian series saw hundreds of contestants in need of money play deadly children’s games to win cash prizes. Lee played Player 456, a single cash-strapped father who entered the game and ultimately won. Speaking previously with CNN, Hwang shared his inspiration for Squid Game, saying that it was “a personal story” that also reflected the “competitive society”. The show became a pop culture phenomenon when it debuted③ last September and was the first non-English language series nominated④ for the outstanding drama series at the Emmys. It received 14 nominations⑤ at this year’s awards. (CNN)9月12日，奈飞公司出品的热剧《鱿鱼游戏》在艾美奖上斩获多项大奖，韩国演员李政宰获得剧情类最佳男主角，导演黄东赫获得剧情类最佳导演奖。这部反乌托邦剧集以首尔为背景，数百名需要金钱的参赛者通过玩致命的儿童游戏赢取现金奖励。李政宰扮演456号玩家，一位囊中羞涩的单身父亲，他参与了游戏并最终获胜。此前在接受美国有线电视新闻网采访时，黄东赫分享了他创作《鱿鱼游戏》的灵感，称这是一个“个人故事”，也反映了“激烈竞争的社会”。《鱿鱼游戏》在去年9月首播后就赢得了大众的喜爱，是第一部获得艾美奖最佳剧情类剧集提名的非英语类剧集，在本届艾美奖获得了14项提名。① smash: [smæʃ] n. a song, film/movie or play that is very popular 十分走红的
② rack up sth. : to collect sth, such as profits or losses in a business, or points in a competition 累积，聚集（某物），累计（得分）
③ debut: [ˈdeɪbjuː] v. (of a performer or show) to make a first public appearance (演员）首次亮相，初次登台；（表演）首次上演
④ nominate: [ˈnɒmɪneɪt] v. to formally suggest that sb should be chosen for an important role, prize, position, etc. 提名，推荐
⑤ nomination: [ˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃn] n. the act of suggesting or choosing sb as a candidate in an election, or for a job or an award; the fact of being suggested for this 提名
(Credit: CNN)
Roger Federer announces his retirement from competitive tennis
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer posted what he called a “bittersweet decision” via both a written statement and an audio clip on Thursday, saying that at age 41, his body is telling him the time has come. In recent years, Federer has contended with① injuries and surgeries as well as a rising crop of new stars. He has played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Over his career, Federer has won more than 100 titles② total and 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Prodigious③ skills kept him at the top of the sport with astounding④ consistency. Federer has broken multiple records, including becoming the oldest No. 1 in ATP rankings history at age 36 and remaining at the top of the rankings for a record 237 consecutive⑤ weeks. “Finally, to the game of tennis: I love you and will never leave you,” Federer said. (BBC & CNN)9月15日，41岁的瑞士网球名将罗杰·费德勒在社交平台发布了一份书面声明及一段音频，宣布了自己“苦乐参半的决定”，称他的身体向他传达信号，提醒他该退役了。最近几年，费德勒经历了伤病与手术的巨大挑战，同时与不断涌现的网球新秀竞技。24年里，他参加了1500多场比赛。在其职业生涯中，费德勒总共赢得了100多个冠军和20个大满贯单打冠军。费德勒高超的球技使他始终居于这项运动顶尖选手之列，排名之稳令人震惊。费德勒打破了多项纪录，包括以36岁的年龄成为ATP排名史上最年长的世界第一，以及连续237周单打世界排名第一。“最后，我要对网球运动说：我爱你，永远不会离开你。”费德勒说。① contend with sth./sb.: to have to deal with a problem or with a difficult situation or person (不得不）应付，处理，对付
② title: [ˈtaɪtl] n. the position of being the winner of a competition, especially a sports competition (竞赛、体育比赛的）冠军
③ prodigious: [prəˈdɪdʒəs] adj. very large or powerful and causing surprise or admiration 巨大的，伟大的
④ astounding: [əˈstaʊndɪŋ] adj. so surprising that it is difficult to believe 令人震惊的，使大吃一惊的
⑤ consecutive：[kənˈsekjətɪv] adj. following one after another in a series,without interruption 连续不断的
(Credit: BBC)
张菊 审订