A mother wearing a mask to avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) checks a document as her children wait for her at Gimpo international airport in Seoul, South Korea, May 1, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
>S. Korean population falls韓全年人口首次負增長South Korea's population fell year-on-year for the first time in 2020, census data showed Sunday, with a record low number of births getting surpassed by deaths to cause a natural decrease. 1月3日公布的韓國人口普查數據顯示，2020年韓國首次出現人口負增長，死亡人口數超過新生人口數，新生人口數創歷史新低。According to the latest census figures released by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, South Korea had 51,829,023 people as of Dec 31, 2020, down 20,838 from the end of 2019. 根據韓國行政安全部公布的最新人口普查數據，截至2020年12月31日，韓國人口為5182萬9023人，同比上年減少了20838人。For 2020, South Korea reported 275,815 births, down 10.65% from the previous year. 2020年韓國新出生人口數為27萬5815人，同比上年減少10.65%。But 307,764 people died in 2020, a 3.1% increase from 2019. 但是，2020年死亡人口數為30萬7764人，同比上年增加3.1%。In an increasingly aging society, the 60-and-over population made up 24% of the country. 韓國社會老齡化日益加重，60歲以上的人口佔全國總人口的24%。The census data also showed a 2.72% increase in the number of households, which now sits at 23,093,108. That is largely attributed to the rise in single-person households. 人口普查數據還顯示，由於獨居人口比例上升，韓國家庭戶數增加了2.72%，目前共有2309萬3108戶。
A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
>US may cut vaccine doses美考慮將疫苗劑量減半The US government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday. 一位聯邦政府官員1月3日表示，美國政府正在考慮將莫德納公司研發的新冠疫苗每針劑量減半，以加快疫苗接種速度。Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that officials were in talks with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration about the idea. 聯邦新冠疫苗項目曲速行動的負責人蒙塞夫斯拉維在接受美國哥倫比亞廣播公司《面向全國》節目採訪時表示，聯邦官員正在與莫德納公司、美國食品和藥物管理局就上述設想進行溝通。Moderna's vaccine requires two injections. 莫德納公司的疫苗需要注射兩次。"We know that for the Moderna vaccine, giving half of the dose to people between the ages of 18 and 55, two doses, half the dose, which means exactly achieving the objective of immunizing double the number of people with the doses we have," Slaoui said. "We know it induces identical immune response" to the full dose, he added. 斯拉維說："給18歲到55歲之間的人群注射一半劑量的莫德納疫苗，注射兩劑，這樣可以在現有疫苗存量情況下讓接種人數增加一倍。"他還說，這樣做與注射全部劑量產生的免疫反應差不多。Moderna and the FDA could not immediately be reached for comment.目前莫德納公司和美國食品和藥物管理局對此沒有發表評論。
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>2020 saw spike in homicides2020年美國兇殺案激增2020 has been a killer year in every way, including murder. 2020年無論從哪方面來說都是致命的一年，從謀殺案數量上來看亦不例外。The US has experienced the largest single one-year increase in homicides since the country started keeping such records in the 20th century, according to crime data. 犯罪數據顯示，自上世紀開始統計每年兇殺案數量以來，美國經歷了兇殺案數量增幅最大的一年。Killings nationwide increased by 20.9% in the first nine months of the year, according to the FBI, due largely to gun violence. 美國聯邦調查局表示，去年前九個月，全美範圍內的兇殺案增長了20.9%，其中大部分是槍枝暴力事件。In the nation’s capital, nearly 200 homicides were reported in 2020, about a 20% increase that is in line with the national FBI figures. 美國首都華盛頓2020年共報告了近200起兇殺案，數量較前一年增加20%左右，這與美國聯邦調查局公布的數據一致。In New York City, killings rose almost 40%, and shootings nearly doubled from the previous year. 在紐約市，去年的兇殺案數量較前一年增加了近40%，槍擊案的數量則幾乎翻倍。Experts agree the pandemic has played a huge role in the rise in killings.專家們一致同意，疫情是導致兇殺案數量上升的重要因素。
A group of chinstrap penguins huddle on top of an iceberg floating near Lemaire Channel in Antarctica. [Photo/Agencies]
>Earth is spinning faster地球自轉加速一天變短?The Earth is spinning faster than it has in five decades, scientists say. 科學家表示，地球現在自轉的速度比過去50年都要快。Since last year, a full day has been taking less than the normal 24 hours. 從去年開始，一整天的時間就比正常的24小時要短。July 19, 2020, was the shortest day since scientists began keeping records in the 1960s - 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than the full 24 hours. 2020年的7月19日是自上世紀60年代科學家開始做記錄以來最短的一天，全天比24小時縮短了1.4602毫秒。A 2015 study published in Science Advances suggests global warming may be the reason behind the Earth's speedier rotation. 2015年發表在《科學進展》上的一項研究表明，全球變暖可能是地球自轉速度加快的背後原因。As glaciers melt, mass redistribution is causing the planet to shift and spin faster on its axis. 隨著冰川融化，質量重新分布導致地球自轉速度加快。"It's quite possible that a negative leap second will be needed if the Earth's rotation rate increases further," Peter Whibberley, a senior research scientist at the National Physical Laboratory, told The Telegraph. "But it's too early to say if this is likely to happen."英國國家物理實驗室的高級研究科學家彼得韋博利告訴《每日電訊報》："如果地球自轉速度進一步加快，很可能需要加上一個負閏秒，但現在還為時尚早，說不準這種情況是否可能發生。"
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來源：chinadaily.com.cn