每日新闻播报（October 31）

>Digital services tax announced
英国将征收'数字服务税'
The UK government has announced a new "digital services" tax of 2% that it plans to start levying on the UK revenues of tech giants like Amazon, Google and Apple, based on the money they make on digital services like advertising and streaming entertainment (but not online sales). Announced on Monday as part of the 2018 Budget by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, the tax is due to come into effect in April 2020. Hammond said the government expects to raise more than 400 million pounds annually based on current revenues. "This is not an online sales tax on goods ordered over the internet," he said, saying that such a tax would end up getting passed down to users. The digital services tax will be paid by companies that are profitable, he said, and making at least 500 million pounds per year in global revenues. To be clear, the UK government expects large companies, and not startups, to "shoulder the burden" of the tax, the Treasury noted.
英国政府宣布计划开始征收一项新的"数字服务税"，税率为2%，征税对象为亚马逊、谷歌和苹果等科技巨头，征税范围包括它们通过广告和流媒体娱乐(但不包括在线销售)等数字服务在英国赚取的收入。作为2018年预算计划的一部分，英国财政大臣菲利普•哈蒙德29日公布了这项将于2020年4月生效的新税。哈蒙德表示，根据这些科技公司目前的收入，英国政府预计每年可征得超过4亿英镑的税收。哈蒙德称："这不是对通过互联网订购的商品征收的网上销售税，这种税最终将转嫁到用户身上。数字服务税将由每年全球营收至少为5亿英镑、利润丰厚的公司支付。"英国财政部指出，需要申明的是，英国政府希望大公司而不是初创企业"承担这笔税负"。

>Table salt contains plastic
超90%食盐中含微塑料
A study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found microplastics in more than 90% of the packaged food-grade salt - also known as table salt - for sale in stores. The team, from South Korea's Incheon National University and Greenpeace East Asia, sampled 39 brands of salt harvested in 21 countries and regions. Only three of the samples had no detectable microplastics: a refined sea salt from Taiwan, a refined rock salt from the Chinese mainland, and an unrefined sea salt in France. Based on their results, the researchers estimate that the average adult ingests about 2,000 pieces of microplastic in salt per year. But, that still only represents a fraction of the microplastics a person is likely to consume. Previous research revealed that microplastics have also been found in tap water, mollusks, and both indoor and outdoor air. All together, those four pathways add up to an average 32,000 pieces of microplastic ingested per year per person.
《环境科学与技术》期刊上发表的一篇研究报告发现，商店里出售的包装食品级盐(即食盐)中，有超过90%含有微塑料。韩国仁川国立大学和绿色和平东亚分部的研究团队对21个国家和地区的39个品牌的食盐进行了抽样检查，只有3个样品没有可检测到的微塑料：来自中国台湾的精制海盐、来自中国大陆的精制岩盐和来自法国的未提炼的海盐。研究人员根据研究结果估计，普通成年人每年通过食盐吃进约2000粒微塑料。不过，这仍然只占一个人可能摄入的微塑料量的很小一部分。此前研究显示，自来水、软体动物和室内及室外空气中也都含有微塑料。一个人平均每年从以上4种途径中总计摄入高达3.2万粒微塑料。

>FAST seeks research talent
'天眼'招聘驻地科研人员
China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, will attempt a new round of recruitment after seeing little interest in the first attempt. Located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in Guizhou province, FAST is believed to be the world's most sensitive radio telescope. FAST has discovered 53 new pulsars since its trial operation began in September 2016. Currently there are about 20 staff members based at the site, too few to ensure operations over three shifts. Applicants are required to work at the site for a long period of time, have good English skills, and be flexible to work night shifts. The annual salary, plus the subsidy, will be around 100,000 yuan. The previous recruitment drive only filled half of the posts due to a lack of publicity as well as the challenges of the job.
世界上最大的单面射电望远镜——我国的500米口径球面射电望远镜(FAST)将尝试新一轮人才招聘，其首轮招聘遇冷。FAST坐落于贵州省一个自然形成的圆且深的喀斯特洼坑中，被认为是全球灵敏度最高的射电望远镜。自2016年9月开始试运营以来，FAST已经发现了53颗新脉冲星。FAST工程现有约20名驻地工作人员，不够确保三班倒轮流值班。申请者需长时间在驻地工作，英语水平高，要胜任夜班。包括补贴在内，年薪将为10万元左右。由于宣传力度不够以及工作本身具有挑战，"天眼"前一轮招聘活动仅一半岗位招到了人才。

>Germany's Merkel to step down
默克尔宣布将放弃连任
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she would not run again for chancellor in 2021 when the current term ends. Having served as chancellor for 13 years, Merkel told a press conference at the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) that she will remain as chancellor for the remainder of the term. Merkel has been CDU chairwoman since 2000. She said Monday she will not run again for CDU leadership at the party's next federal conference in Hamburg in December. Merkel added that she will not take any other political positions after the chancellorship. Merkel's announcement came after the state election in Hesse on Sunday, in which the CDU's votes decreased by more than 10%, compared with the last election five years ago. 
德国总理默克尔29日宣布，本届任期结束后，2021年她将不再参加总理竞选。已担任德国总理13年的默克尔在基督教民主联盟总部举行的记者会上表示，自己将继续干满本届总理任期。当天，自2000年起任基民盟党主席的默克尔表示，12月在汉堡召开的下届基民盟全国党代会上，她将不再参选党主席。默克尔还称，总理任期结束后，她将不再担任任何其他政治职位。在默克尔宣布上述决定前一天，黑森州举行州选举，基民盟的得票率比5年前的上一次选举低了逾10%。

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