🔴Friday March 19th 2021
🔵2021年3月19日星期五
1️⃣EMS: AZ vaccine is “safe and effective”
歐洲藥品管理局：AZ 疫苗“安全有效”
The European Medicines Agency said the Oxford University/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine was “safe and effective”, following a review. Many European countries have halted vaccinations with the drug, amid concerns that it increased the risk of blood clots. The World Health Organisation also urged countries to continue using the vaccine, arguing that the benefits far outweigh any risks.
歐洲藥品管理局 (EMA) 表示根據審查後發現，牛津大學/阿斯利康 (Oxford University/AstraZeneca) 的新冠疫苗是“安全有效的”。許多歐洲國家已停止接種 AZ 疫苗，因人們擔心這款疫苗會增加血液凝塊 (形成“血塊”) 的風險。世界衛生組織 (WHO) 仍敦促各國繼續使用 AZ 疫苗，並認為其益處遠大於所有風險。
2️⃣Spain: the sixth country legalising euthanasia
西班牙：第六個合法化安樂死的國家
Spain passed a law allowing adults with “serious and incurable” diseases that cause “unbearable suffering” to choose to end their own lives. It is the sixth country to legalise euthanasia, joining Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The law, passed by the lower house of parliament, is expected to take effect in June.
西班牙通過了一項法律允許患有“嚴重且無法治愈”之疾病的成年人在無法承受痛苦時選擇結束自己的生命。這是將安樂死合法化的第六個國家，加入了比利時、加拿大、哥倫比亞、盧森堡和荷蘭的行列。西班牙國會下議院通過了這項法律並預計將於 (今年) 六月生效。
3️⃣The battered giant: Saudi Aramco’s results
受創的巨人：沙烏地阿美的業績
The world’s largest oil company will report its annual results on Sunday. Every oil firm has had a trying year as covid-19 sapped demand for crude, but Saudi Aramco has faced unique pressures. Its output is set by its main shareholder, the Saudi government. Its yearly dividend, promised to investors in the run-up to its initial public offering in 2019, is a gargantuan $75bn. And the company remains the continued target of violence. Most recently, Houthi militias in Yemen launched drones and missiles against Ras Tanura, Aramco’s largest export facility. Crude prices briefly climbed above $70, providing a rare bright spot. But the suspension of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine in parts of Europe is now stoking fears that travel, and therefore oil demand, might resume more slowly. That may prompt Saudi Arabia to extend production cuts. Aramco, like its peers, is keen for a return to “normal”. That may be a long way off.
全球最大的石油公司沙烏地阿拉伯國家石油公司 (Saudi Aramco，簡稱沙烏地阿美)，將在本週日公佈其年度財報。由於新冠疫情導致原油需求的下降，每家石油公司都經歷了過去這艱辛的一年，但沙烏地阿美卻面臨著獨特的壓力。它的產量由其主要股東沙國政府來設定。而它在 2019年首度公開募股以前向投資人允諾的年度股息就高達 750億美元。此外，該公司依然是暴力攻擊的目標。近期，葉門 (Yemen，位在中東地區，阿拉伯海與紅海之邊緣) 的胡塞武裝叛亂組織 (Houthi) 便向位於 Ras Tanura 鎮 (沙烏地阿美最大的石油出口港) 發射無人機與導彈。原油價格為此短暫地攀升至 70美金以上，進而提供了一個罕見的亮點。但現在 AZ 疫苗於歐洲部分地區的停用引起了人們對旅行的擔憂，因此石油需求量可能會恢復得更慢。這可能促使沙國延長其減產計畫。像其他同業一樣，沙烏地阿美很渴望能回歸「正常」。但這可能還有很長的路要走。
