>4 day working week piloted
英企業(yè)試行四天工作制
A string of small British firms have switched their workers over to a four-day week, amid mounting political interest in the idea that working less could deliver higher productivity and better balance between life and work. A lingerie manufacturer, a lighting design firm and a landscape architect are among a wave of employers experimenting with giving staff three days off per week, for no less pay. "Two days out of seven is just enough to recover from a stressful week. Three is enough to recover and have extra time to do something else, said Neil Knowles, a design consultant at Elektra, a lighting design company. "This is an idea whose time has come. We need to get more companies to give it a go. They will be surprised at the improvement in their company, their staff and in their wider community, "said Andrew Barnes, the chief executive of Perpetual Guardian, a finance company in New Zealand
數(shù)家英國小企業(yè)已經(jīng)將工作制改為上四休三，與此同時，政界對于減少工作時間能夠提高工作效率且能更好地平衡生活和工作的觀點也越來越感興趣。試行上四休三且不降薪水的這波企業(yè)包括一家內(nèi)衣生產(chǎn)商、一家照明設(shè)計公司和一家景觀建筑公司。照明設(shè)計公司Elektra Lighting的設(shè)計顧問內(nèi)爾?諾爾斯說："每周休兩天只能勉強從一周的壓力中恢復(fù)過來。三天的周末不但能恢復(fù)過來，還有多余的時間做些別的事情。"新西蘭金融公司Perpetual Guardian的總監(jiān)安德魯?巴恩斯說："這個理念的時機已經(jīng)成熟。我們需要讓更多公司嘗試這一機制。他們會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，公司、員工和周邊環(huán)境都有了改善。"

>Tokyo unveils relay torch
東京奧運火炬式樣出爐
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic committee unveiled the official relay torch for the Games Wednesday, featuring Japan's iconic cherry blossoms. With the color of "sakura gold," the torch has a length of 71 cm, and weighs 1 kg in the body plus a 200 g fuel cell, according to the Olympic organizers. Bearing a motif of sakura cherry blossoms, the torch was designed in line with the relay's theme of "Hope Lights Our Way". The Olympic torch is expected to arrive in Japan on March 20, 2020 and will be carried to Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Recovery Memorial Park in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. The flame will be displayed in some cities in the disaster-hit prefectures before the relay starts on March 26, 2020 at the J-Village national soccer training center in Fukushima prefecture and will travel across all 47 prefectures in Japan over a period of 121 days. The relay will conclude at the New National Stadium in Tokyo on July 24 for the start of the Games.
20日，2020年東京奧組委發(fā)布了采用日本標(biāo)志性櫻花形狀設(shè)計的官方接力火炬。據(jù)東京奧組委介紹，火炬顏色為"櫻花金"，長71厘米、炬身重1公斤、燃料電池重0.2公斤?；鹁嬖煨挽`感源自櫻花，同時兼顧了火炬接力的主題"希望照亮我們的道路"。火炬預(yù)計將于2020年3月20日運抵日本，隨后被運往宮城縣石卷市的石卷南濱海嘯重建祈念公園。3月26日火炬?zhèn)鬟f活動在福島縣J-Village國家足球訓(xùn)練中心正式啟動之前，圣火還將在數(shù)個地震受災(zāi)城市展示。圣火傳遞活動將歷時121天，途徑日本全國47個縣，于7月24日在東京新國立競技場結(jié)束，拉開奧運帷幕。

>Aged-care pension up 5%
今年基本養(yǎng)老金再漲5%
The government has increased basic aged-care pension by 5% for retired personnel, according to a news release by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Wednesday. The policy, effective Jan 1, is projected to benefit 118 million employees of companies, government departments and public institutions. According to the release, increasing the basic aged-care pension will help secure retired people a happier life against the backdrop of price hikes. It's the fourth consecutive year the government increased the aged-care pension for retired personnel from companies, government departments and public institutions since 2016, the release said.
根據(jù)人社部20日印發(fā)的通知，政府決定上調(diào)退休人員基本養(yǎng)老金水平，幅度為5%。這一政策自1月1日起生效，預(yù)計將惠及1.18億名企業(yè)和機關(guān)事業(yè)單位退休人員。通知表示，在物價上漲的背景下，增加基本養(yǎng)老金能保障退休人員安享晚年。這是自2016年來政府連續(xù)第四年同步安排、統(tǒng)一調(diào)整企業(yè)和機關(guān)事業(yè)單位退休人員基本養(yǎng)老金。

>Fed: No rate hikes in 2019
美聯(lián)儲稱今年不再加息
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday brought its three-year drive to tighten monetary policy to an abrupt end, abandoning projections for any interest rate hikes this year amid signs of an economic slowdown, and saying it would halt the steady decline of its balance sheet in September. The measures mean the Fed's gradual and sometimes fitful efforts to return monetary policy to a more normal footing will stop well short of what was foreseen in late 2015. Having downgraded their US growth, unemployment and inflation forecasts, policymakers said the Fed's benchmark overnight interest rate, or fed funds rate, was likely to remain at the current level of between 2.25% and 2.50% at least through this year.
因經(jīng)濟出現(xiàn)放緩跡象，美國聯(lián)邦儲備委員會20日突然終止了持續(xù)三年的貨幣政策緊縮行動，預(yù)計今年將不再加息，并宣布將于9月停止對資產(chǎn)負債表規(guī)模的穩(wěn)步縮減。這些舉措意味著美聯(lián)儲近年來逐步推行的貨幣政策正?；呐σ迅嬉欢温?，盡管遠未達到其2015年末所預(yù)期的目標(biāo)。決策者降低了對于美國經(jīng)濟增長、失業(yè)率和通脹水平的預(yù)期，并表示至少在今年年內(nèi)，美聯(lián)儲指標(biāo)隔夜利率即聯(lián)邦基金利率目標(biāo)可能保持在當(dāng)前的2.25-2.50%區(qū)間。

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