Protests against official corruption gathered strength in Mongolia. Perhaps 20,000 people gathered in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, despite the winter freeze to denounce the conduct of the country's two biggest political parties. More demonstrations are planned.
蒙古反对官员腐败的抗议活动愈演愈烈。大约2万民众顶着严寒天气聚集在首都乌兰巴托,谴责该国两个最大政党的行为。他们计划举行更多的示威活动。
The latest eruption of Mount Merapi, a volcano in central Java, intensified, sending lava down its slopes. The Indonesian authorities have not yet issued an evacuation order, but are rushing to repair damaged roads in case of an exodus.
位于爪哇岛中部的默拉皮火山最近一次喷发加剧,岩浆顺着山坡往下流。印尼当局还没有发布疏散令,但正在紧急修复受损道路,方便人员撤离。
No safe place to hide
无处藏身
Members of al-Shabab, a jihadist group with ties to al-Qaeda, attacked a hotel and office complex in a normally secure neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya's capital. At least 21 people were killed, including several foreigners. The assailants were armed with grenades and guns; one attacker was a suicide-bomber.
青年党成员是一个与基地组织有联系的圣战组织,他们袭击了肯尼亚首都内罗毕一处通常安全的社区内的一家酒店和办公楼。造成至少21人死亡,其中包括几名外国人。袭击者携带手榴弹和枪支;其中一名袭击者为自杀式炸弹袭击者。
The government of Zimbabwe launched a crackdown on protesters after widespread unrest linked to a rise in fuel prices. Access to the internet was blocked, as soldiers patrolled the streets of big cities, arresting and beating young men. At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured. NGOs reported human-rights violations across the country. The government blamed the unrest on the opposition.
津巴布韦政府电视台在燃油价格上涨引发大规模骚乱后对抗议者进行了镇压。由于警察在大城市的街道上巡逻,逮捕并殴打年轻人,互联网被政府封锁。这次镇压造成至少8人死亡,数百人受伤。非政府组织报道了该国各地的侵犯人权事件。津巴布韦政府将骚乱归咎于反对派。
The International Criminal Court at The Hague took another knock when its judges acquitted Laurent Gbagbo, a former president of the Ivory Coast, who had been charged with crimes against humanity. Last year a Congolese former vice-president, Jean-Pierre Bemba, was also acquitted, and a case against Kenya's current president, Uhuru Kenyatta, had been dropped four years earlier. The court's authority is increasingly questioned, especially in Africa.
海牙国际刑事法庭的法官宣布科特迪瓦前总统洛朗·巴博无罪,他被控犯有反人类罪。去年,刚果前副总统让-皮埃尔·本巴(Jean-Pierre Bemba)也被判无罪,而针对肯尼亚现任总统乌呼鲁·肯雅塔(Uhuru Kenyatta)的一桩案件也于四年前被撤销。法院的权威日渐受到质疑,尤其是在非洲国家。
A suicide-bomb attack in northern Syria killed at least 15 people, including four American servicemen and civilians. The attack was claimed by Islamic State, just weeks after Donald Trump said the jihadist group was defeated and that he would begin withdrawing American troops from Syria.
叙利亚北部发生自杀式炸弹袭击,造成至少15人死亡,其中包括4名美国士兵和平民。而在几周前,特朗普刚刚宣布击败“伊斯兰国”组织,并将开始从叙利亚撤军。
Meanwhile, Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said his troops would create a 32km-deep “safe zone” in northern Syria to protect civilians. The announcement came after Mr Erdogan held a phone conversation with Mr Trump, who had threatened to “devastate Turkey economically” if it attacked America's Kurdish allies, whom Turkey considers to be terrorists.
与此同时,土耳其总统埃尔多安表示,他的军队将在叙利亚北部建立一个32公里长的“安全区”,以保护平民。此前,埃尔多安与特朗普进行了电话交谈。特朗普曾威胁称,若土耳其攻击美国的库尔德盟友(土耳其称其为恐怖分子),那么他将摧毁“土耳其的经济”。
Shutdown meltdown
政府停摆继续
The impasse over funding for a wall on the Mexican border, which has led to the suspension of some public services in America, entered its fourth week, becoming the longest-ever government shutdown. The Council of Economic Advisers said the shutdown was having a worse effect on the economy than it had expected. Opinion polls showed that voters blame the president for the shambles.
修建美墨边境隔离墙的资金问题陷入僵局,这导致美国一些公共服务部门停摆。目前这一僵局已进入第四周,成为美国政府有史以来政府关门时间最久的一次。美国经济顾问委员会表示,政府关门对经济的影响比预期的更糟。民意调查显示,选民将这场混乱归咎于总统。
The Senate held a hearing on whether to confirm Donald Trump's choice of William Barr as attorney-general. Although he has argued in favour of expansive powers for presidents, Mr Barr promised to allow Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian provocateurs to proceed unhindered. He also said that Mr Trump had not sought any “assurances, promises or commitments from me of any kind, either express or implied.”
参议院就是否确认总统特朗普提名威廉·巴尔(William Barr)担任总检察长举行了听证会。尽管巴尔支持扩大总统权力,但他承诺,将允许罗伯特·米勒不受阻碍地进行对俄罗斯挑衅者的调查。他还表示,特朗普“没有明示或暗示我做出任何形式的保证和承诺”。
Kirsten Gillibrand, a senator from New York, became the second heavy-hitter to enter the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
来自纽约的参议员柯尔斯滕·吉利布兰德(Kirsten Gillibrand)成为第二位进入民主党总统候选人名单的重量级人物。