英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

2021/12/20 05:30
◎陳成良

Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light.

日本研究人員開發出一種使用鴕鳥抗體的口罩，透過在紫外線下發光來檢測「2019冠狀病毒病」（COVID-19，武漢肺炎）。

The discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press release.

他們在一份新聞稿中說，日本西部京都府立大學的塚本康浩與其團隊的發現，可以為在家中進行低成本的病毒檢測提供條件。

The scientists started by creating a mask filter coated with ostrich antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus, based on previous research showing the birds have strong resistance to disease.

這些科學家首先建立一個口罩過濾層，上面塗有針對新型冠狀病毒的鴕鳥抗體，因為先前的研究表明，鳥類對疾病有很強的抵抗力。

In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present.

2021/12/16 05:30
◎孫宇青

Pope Francis has received dozens of soccer jerseys and game balls during his eight-year pontificate and he got a new football-themed toy lately: his very own foosball table.

天主教教宗方濟各在任8年來收到許多足球衣和比賽用球，近來還獲得一組足球主題的新玩具：屬於他的手足球台。

Francis played a round on the table that was presented to him at the end of his general audience by representatives of a table football association, Sport Toscana Calcio Balilla in Altopascio, Tuscany.

這個手足球台是在教宗進行「公開接見」時，由托斯卡尼大區阿爾托帕肖市的托斯卡納手足球運動協會代表人所贈送，方濟各還玩了一局。

The mayor of Altopascio, Sara D’Ambrosio, wrote on Facebook that the table was designed to be inclusive and work well for people with physical disabilities to encourage their participation in sport.

阿爾托帕肖市市長莎拉．迪安布羅修在臉書寫道，這組手足球台設計上具有包容性，方便身體不便的人使用，鼓勵他們參與運動。

The Argentine-born pope is a well-known lover of soccer. He has long promoted sport as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.（AP）

阿根廷出生的教宗是知名的足球愛好者。他長期推崇把運動當作促進團結和包容的方式，尤其對年輕人而言。（美聯社）

2021/12/15 05:30
◎管淑平

A Japanese train driver is suing his employer after his wages were docked 56 yen over a minute-long delay to the country’s famously punctual rail system, the company said Thursday.

一名日本火車司機員造成該國以準時出名的鐵路系統誤點1分鐘，因而被扣薪水56日圓，他正為此控告雇主，這家公司週四說。

The driver filed the suit against the West Japan Railway earlier this year after it fined him for a work mix-up in June 2020 which caused the delay, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported.

讀賣新聞報導，這名司機員因2020年6月工作疏失造成這起誤點事件，遭西日本旅客鐵道公司懲處後，於今年稍早控告該公司。

He is seeking 2.2 million yen in damages for mental anguish caused by the ordeal, the report said.

報導說，他尋求220萬日圓賠償他因此事受到的精神痛苦。

The company argues it was appropriate to dock the driver’s wages because no labour was performed during the mix-up. (AFP)

該公司主張，扣發這名司機員的工資是合宜的，因為他在該次工作疏失時並未執行勞務。（法新社）

2021/12/13 05:30
◎陳成良
Greece is to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for people aged 60 and over, in a drastic move to stem a new surge in coronavirus cases.

希臘將強制要求60歲及以上的人口接種COVID -19疫苗，這是遏制冠狀病毒新病例激增的一項重大舉措。

Fines of €100 will be imposed at monthly intervals from mid-January on those who refuse, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

總理米佐塔基斯稱，從1月中旬開始，將對拒打疫苗者每月罰款100歐元（約3130台幣）。

The money will go towards the Greek health system, which is struggling with a surge in hospital admissions.

這些罰金將流入因住院人數激增而承受重壓的希臘衛生系統。

About 63% of Greece’s 11-million population is fully vaccinated, but data show more than 520,000 people over 60 are yet to get the jab.

希臘總人口1100萬人，其中約63％已完成疫苗接種，但資料顯示，逾52萬60歲以上人群尚未接種疫苗。

2021/12/10 05:30
◎張沛元

The authorities in southern India are investigating a couple who are reported to have chartered a plane and performed a marriage ritual in midair in front of scores of guests, a breach of Covid-19 guidelines in a country that is being devastated by a second wave of the coronavirus.

印度南部當局正在調查一對被舉報包下一架飛機並在數十名賓客面前舉行空中婚禮的夫妻，此舉違反這個正飽受第二波疫情襲擊的國家的武漢肺炎防疫指引。

The couple had intended to tie the knot in front of family and friends at a hotel in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, but coronavirus restrictions capped the guest list at 50 people.

這對夫妻原本打算在親友的見證下於南部泰米爾納德邦的一家飯店共結連理，但疫情限制規定賓客人數上限50人。

Instead, according to reports in the Indian news media, the couple chartered a commercial aircraft and boarded the plane on Sunday morning along with about 160 people.

根據印度新聞媒體的報導，這對夫妻因而改包下一架民航機，並於週日一早與大約160名賓客登機。

新聞辭典
charter：名詞，動詞，（交通工具的）包租。