countries: 荷蘭 台灣 澳洲 中華民國 哈薩克

title: 中華女將好棒！　末節連進2球逆轉擊敗超強隊荷蘭

content_text:
▲中華女子代表隊逆轉擊敗荷蘭。（圖／冰球協會提供）

記者路皓惟／綜合報導

中華女子代表隊再寫下奇蹟！今日在荷蘭愛因荷芬舉辦的世界盃冰球U18賽事，首戰就碰上最強對手地主國荷蘭，中華女將頂住壓力，首節陷入落後仍急起直追，第三節張恩婗和黃筠筑連續進球，翻轉戰局，終場2：1獲勝，創下中華女子隊首次在國際賽擊敗荷蘭的紀錄。

面對身材高大、經驗豐富，加上有地主球迷助威的荷蘭隊，台灣女將開賽過於緊張施展不開；首節進行至16分52秒，因出現換防失誤，遭荷蘭女將琳絲卡(Abigail Liska)攻破大門，陷入1分落後。

但台灣女將逐漸找回攻守節奏，末節9分16秒，甫於冬季青年奧運奪下銀牌的小將張恩婗在門前補射破網，全隊士氣大振；終場前4分09秒，「進球王」黃筠筑再射進致勝分，替中華隊拿下重要的一勝。明天將碰上哈薩克，期盼能報上屆落敗的一箭之仇。

總教練尹安中表示，「賽前我不斷提醒球員不要緊張，但畢竟球員年紀還小，仍有些怯場，有過多沒效率的進攻，加上防守瑕疵，才會陷入苦戰。其實本場比賽，我們攻守都不遜於對手，射門次數還比對方多。」

▲（左起）總教練尹安中、領隊理事長謝俊煌、助理教練黃仁宏和副領隊秘書長黃意中。（圖／冰球協會提供）

張恩婗表示，「這場比賽全隊團結一心，就算落後也沒有人放棄，彼此互相打氣，努力不懈，才能拿下逆轉勝。」

去年U18代表隊在2級A組拿下2勝、1和、1敗，排名第三；今年捲土重來，首戰就力克強敵，接下來若能再勝哈薩克和澳洲，將創下隊史首度升上1級的空前紀錄。

中華女將征戰國際賽，中華民國冰球協會成為球員最大後盾，理事長謝俊煌也赴荷蘭替選手打氣，並在觀眾席觀戰，甚至還喊到沙啞。他表示，「第一場比賽，選手還無法完全適應場地及氣候，加上國內場地不足，前兩節打得不是很順手。未來還有兩場賽事，希望球員們能持續努力。」

秘書長黃意中則說，「第一場雖獲勝，但還不能掉以輕心，必須依照對手特性準備，持續調整至最佳狀態。」

本次台灣隊雖在客場作戰，但仍有許多華僑進場力挺，台灣駐荷蘭代表處也到場聲援，一等秘書王俊義也親臨現場，並在獲勝時向球員道賀，希望台灣女將能再創佳績，揚名海外。

▲當地華僑到場力挺中華隊。（圖／冰球協會提供）

►快來搶精選年節禮盒，限量台灣野生一口烏魚子大特價！

►過年嗑瓜子就選這一味！4種口味任你挑～


title: 近10年重大決策大聯盟發大財　簽約運動博彩業衝營收

countries: 美國 澤西 台灣

content_text:
▲大聯盟與運動博彩合作簽約，將替聯盟賺近十幾億收入。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

記者路皓惟／綜合報導

運動賭博和職業聯賽關係越趨緊密，特別是向來態度保守的大聯盟也在2018年進行了一項改變傳統的重大簽約，美國博彩業巨擘的美高梅（MGM resorts）簽下合約，這項改變替大聯盟賺進了十幾億美元收入，大聯盟營收創下新高，這也成為大聯盟近10年來的重大事件之一。

大聯盟官方與美高梅（MGM resorts）簽下合約，成為繼今年6年NBA（美國職籃）、11月NHL（職業冰球）後，第3個與美高梅合作的北美四大職業聯盟，等於體育博彩全面進軍北美職業運動。

2012年紐澤西州立法解除運動賭博禁令後，全美大學體育協會（NCAA）、職業美式足球NFL、職業籃球NBA、美國職棒大聯盟MLB與職業冰球NHL共同提出訴訟，最終最高法院宣判業餘運動保護法案（PASPA）法案違憲，等於替運動博彩打開合法化的大門。

而美國職業聯盟對於博弈產業態度越來越開放，美高梅在短短4個月時間內，就與三大職業運動聯盟達成協議，官方提供美高梅龐大數據資料庫，以及專業進階數據，有了這些進階數據，博彩公司可擁有更精準的分析，對於搶佔市場有極大的助益。

運動博彩市場龐大，有了這項資源投入，也意味著收視率和比賽關注度提升，等於有更多錢流入各大聯盟金庫。根據美國博彩協會的研究，合法運動博彩將為北美四大聯盟每年帶來42億美元額外收入。

特別是大聯盟近年來進場人數下滑，降幅達到4.2%，在少了門票收益下，從博彩業抽成的專利費用，不僅補上缺口，還可增加聯盟收入。

儘管大聯盟近年遭逢進場人數下滑問題，但年靠著球隊轉播權利金，加上大聯盟網路付費電視收入，讓大聯盟營收持續攀升，已經連續16年營收正成長，2018賽季營收103億美元，再次創下歷史新高，如今加上與運動博弈簽約，營收成長可期，共同創造「雙贏」。

▲大聯盟進場人數近年出現下滑，但營收仍屢創下新高。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

►快來搶精選年節禮盒，限量台灣野生一口烏魚子大特價！

►過年嗑瓜子就選這一味！4種口味任你挑～


title: 大聯盟近10年邁向「飛球世代」　全壘打屢屢創新高

content_text:
▲明尼蘇達雙城隊轟破大聯盟單季全壘打紀錄。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

記者路皓惟／綜合報導

大聯盟近年掀起「飛球革命」，打者有開始把球打高的趨勢，全壘打滿天飛，場場比賽都是煙火秀。今年雙城整季狂敲307轟、洋基以1轟之差排名第2，這是大聯盟百年史無前例的紀錄，也象徵大聯盟邁入了全新的「飛球世代」。

大聯盟歷史邁入150年，2019年2430場比賽一共出現了6776支全壘打，一共有14支球隊刷新隊史全壘打紀錄，其中雙城和洋基都破300轟。另外，金鶯隊單季被轟305支全壘打也是歷史新高，棒球比賽徹底邁入「飛球時代」。

今年全大聯盟一共有549位球員打出全壘打，其中有273名球員敲出兩位數以上的全壘打，其中有129位擊出超過20轟，30轟以上的球員也有58位，以及還有10名球員敲出至少40轟。其中大都會怪力男阿隆索(Pete Alonso)以單季53轟刷新菜鳥全壘打紀錄，成為史上最會轟的新人。

過去大聯盟紀錄為單季4人達30轟，一共有12支球隊共同保持，而最近一次是2009年費城人隊。雙城沙諾於賽季尾聲階段敲出本季第30支全壘打，成為本季陣中第5位擊出30轟的球員，締造了大聯盟史無前例的紀錄。另外，雙城陣中有8位球員單季至少敲出20支全壘打，也打破了隊史紀錄。

共有114場比賽單場出現五支以上全壘打，以7月10號費城人跟響尾蛇全場13發最多，洋基八月單月份74支全壘打、全聯盟八月1228支全壘打也是歷史紀錄。

▲紐約大都會怪力新秀阿隆索刷新菜鳥全壘打紀錄。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

►快來搶精選年節禮盒，限量台灣野生一口烏魚子大特價！

►過年嗑瓜子就選這一味！4種口味任你挑～


content_text:
▲蕭素英戴著義賣手鍊出賽。（圖／翻攝自IG／#chance4change）

記者張方瑀／綜合報導

2019年代表馬來西亞參加世界小姐選美的蕭素英（Alexis Sueann Seow），除了擁有亮麗外表之外，更有一顆熱於助人的心。事實上，蕭素英與母親致力推廣慈善活動，在比賽期間，她自費買下弱勢婦女所做的首飾和各國佳麗分享，希望能推廣這些婦女的作品，讓大眾更關心這些受虐或遭性侵，因而無法投入社會的婦女。

▲蕭素英親自參與製作手鍊。（圖／翻攝自IG／#chance4change）

據《星洲日報》報導，現年24歲的蕭素英在2019年的世界小姐選美中，代表馬來西亞出賽，最後取得前40名的好成績，而除了專注比賽之外，蕭素英也不忘利用各種機會做慈善。她和母親創立了名為「Chance 4 Change」慈善計畫，幫助單親媽媽、受虐或曾遭性侵的婦女找回一技之長。

▲各國參賽者都相當喜愛這些首飾。（圖／翻攝自IG／#chance4change）

比賽期間，蕭素英自費買下80條弱勢婦女所做的首飾，分送給各國參賽者。蕭素英說，「她們真的很喜歡這些作品，我覺得非常開心。」有些參賽者還在社群網站上分享了她們戴著首飾的照片。

原本這項計畫只是希望讓沒有勇氣無法再度進入社會的婦女，能夠在輔導期間做些有趣的事情，結果沒想到其中一些人對於製作手鍊有著極高的興趣和天分，所以才有了義賣商品的想法。目前這些商品其中50％的收益會歸給製作者，其他則捐獻給Chance 4 Change。

title: 大馬世界小姐超有愛！自掏腰包買80條「慈善首飾」 分送各國佳麗


content_text:
▲美國29歲男子安德森（Jeremy Anderson）持槍殺害住家附近3名街友。（圖／Baton Rouge Police Department、免費圖庫pixabay）

記者吳美依／綜合外電報導

美國路易斯安那州發生一起可怕案件，小鎮巴頓魯治（Baton Rouge）2周內傳出3名遊民被謀殺的消息，受害者露宿在高架橋下與廢棄空屋外頭，卻遭近距離槍殺，頭部中彈身亡，讓當地居民相當恐慌。警方接獲民眾通報，循線逮捕29歲男子安德森（Jeremy Anderson）。據了解，嫌犯住在案發現場的一、兩個街區距離，但警方不願透露兇手的犯案動機。

巴頓魯治警察局局長保羅（Murphy Paul）在1月2日的記者會上宣布，昨晚逮捕了幾周以來導致社區人心惶惶的謀殺案嫌犯。他提到，同仁們在安德森家中發現有力證據，男子也在偵訊後坦承殺害3名遊民，被指控2項一級謀殺罪與1項二級謀殺罪。

據了解，嫌犯的住家距離兩起凶殺案現場都只有一、兩街區的距離，警方目前仍不清楚安德森是否認識死者，謀殺對象是隨機或者特定，也不願透露兇手犯案動機。

▲巴頓魯治3名遊民露宿街頭，竟慘遭殺害，在當地引起恐慌。（示意圖／取自免費圖庫Pixabay）

53歲的福沃勒（Christina Fowler）與40歲的柯爾柯蘭（Gregory Corcoran）露宿街頭，裹著毛毯睡在高架橋下的廢棄購物車旁，去年12月13日卻被發現中彈死亡，50歲的威廉斯12月27日早上被發現陳屍在一間空屋外的門廊上。當地媒體《倡議者》（The Advocate）報導，三名街友都死於近距離頭部槍傷，兩處案發地點相距僅2街區，在社區內引發恐慌。

警方很快就發現，三起謀殺案非常相似，可能有所關連，因此警告街友提高警覺，盡可能避免露宿街頭，並投入額外資源，成立犯罪工作小組。他們在第三起謀殺案調查期間接獲目擊者報案，聲稱聽見安德森坦承用口徑9毫米的手槍殺害威廉斯。

巴頓魯治市長布魯姆（Sharon Weston Broome）表示，來自民眾的線索與警方調查都顯示，社會「致力於打擊犯罪」，「這起案件特別悲慘，因為受害者是社會上經常被忽略且脆弱的族群。」

►時間存在的意義就是襯托妳的美麗！

title: 遊民裹毯睡高架橋下「頭部中彈」身亡！29歲詭鄰2周連殺3人


title: 14歲少女客廳玩手機...突遭狼外公撲倒　憤咬手臂一大口逃命

content_text:
▲少女差點遭外公性侵，所幸狠咬一口躲一劫。（圖／123RF）

記者張方瑀／綜合報導

馬來西亞砂拉越州（Sarawak）古晉市（Kuching）一名14歲的少女某日和妹妹在家時，她的外公居然趁妹妹去睡覺時，將少女壓倒在床上意圖性侵。所幸少女極力反抗，並用力地在外公的手臂上狠咬一口，讓他知難而退後立刻逃跑。事後，少女也在母親的陪同下報警，但犯案的外公目前仍下落不明。

根據《詩華日報》指出，這名少女的父母早已離異，她與10歲的妹妹跟著媽媽一起住在外婆家，而涉案的58歲外公並非媽媽的親生父親。警方表示，事發當天只有少女和妹妹在客廳玩手機，起初外公只是坐在旁邊和她們一起聊天，豈料在妹妹回房間睡覺後，外公竟趁機伸出狼爪，將少女撲倒在床上，開始對她上下其手。

所幸少女掙扎後用力地咬了外公手臂，他立刻鬆手逃離，少女也隨即打電話給在外工作的媽媽，最後在媽媽的陪同下報警。少女母親表示，他們已經住在外婆家3年，期間都沒有任何異狀，不知為何外公會突然伸出狼爪。

據了解，嫌犯有兩名妻子，平時會輪流待在兩邊的家，但目前行蹤成謎，警方正全力緝捕當中。


title: Irons suffer FA Cup misery, Spurs held by Saints

content_text:
West Bromwich Albion’s Conor Townsend scores against West Ham United in their FA Cup fourth-round match at the London Stadium in England on Saturday.Photo: AP
West Ham United crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday as their former manager Slaven Bilic led West Bromwich Albion to a surprise 1-0 win, while Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton in the fourth round.

Albion boss Bilic, sacked by the Hammers in 2017, made eight changes as he made a priority of the Championship leaders’ push to return to the English Premier League.

Albion took a shock lead at the London Stadium when Conor Townsend drilled in his first goal for the club after nine minutes.

West Ham, struggling under new manager David Moyes and now without a win in four games, were given a lifeline when West Brom’s Semi Ajayi was sent off in the 72nd minute after his push earned a second yellow card.

Sebastien Haller should have equalized with a headed chance and Manuel Lanzini then dragged a shot wide as Albion held on.

West Ham were jeered off by their furious fans, while Bilic, who also played for the Irons, celebrated a sweet victory with his Albion players.

“We put a strong team out. I was well aware it was a home tie, so I wanted to try to make it work, but on the day we did not play well enough,” Moyes said. “We gave up opportunities in the early part of the game and they got their goal. Too many poor passes and not enough good play.”

At St Mary’s, Christian Eriksen was left out amid reports in Italy suggesting the Spurs midfielder has agreed a move to Inter, while Gedson Fernandes made his full debut for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Tottenham’s last visit to Southampton was a painful one, with Harry Kane suffering a torn hamstring in a Premier League defeat on New Year’s Day, a clash that saw Mourinho embroiled in a touchline row with a member of the Saints coaching staff.

Mourinho’s side struck in the 58th minute on their return to the south coast.

South Korea forward Son Heung-min fired home from Erik Lamela’s pass for his 12th goal of the season, but Southampton equalized through Sofiane Boufal’s powerful strike from Danny Ings’ cross in the 87th minute.

“They are a good team. They put some pressure on us in the last minutes and scored, but we are alive,” Mourinho said. “We don’t need one more match, but we have it, so we are going to fix it. It’s better to draw than to be out.”

Chelsea’s understudies clinched a 2-1 win at second-tier Hull City as Blues coach Frank Lampard made eight changes.

Michy Batshuayi, one of those drafted in, made the most of his opportunity, scoring in the sixth minute when his shot took a hefty deflection off Hull’s Ryan Tafazollia for his fifth goal of the season.

Fikayo Tomori doubled the Blues’ lead when the centerback headed in Ross Barkley’s free-kick in the 64th minute.

Lampard had bemoaned Chelsea’s failure to kill off opponents when they were on top after a frustrating loss at Newcastle United and a draw with Arsenal over the previous week, and they were forced to endure another nervous finish after Kamil Grosicki’s 78th-minute strike deflected in off Mateo Kovacic.

Newcastle had to settle for an embarrassing 0-0 draw with third-tier Oxford United at St James’ Park as their wretched FA Cup form continued.

Steve Bruce’s side are looking to make the fifth round for the first time since 2005-2006, but they needed a replay to beat minnows Rochdale in the previous round and they will have to go the distance again after a limp display.

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title: James passes idol Bryant on list

content_text:
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, top, scores the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers that placed him third on the all-time scoring list in their NBA game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.Photo: Bill Streicher-USA Today
LeBron James was a teenager when he first met Kobe Bryant at a youth basketball camp, in awe of his idol and ears open as the Los Angeles Lakers star offered advice to the prodigy that has lasted to this day.

“I was just listening,” James said. “I was just trying to soak everything up I could. I remember one thing he said was that if you want to try and be great at it, and want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in.”

James put in the work and followed Bryant’s path — from making the leap from high school straight to the NBA, to winning NBA titles and, eventually, to playing in Los Angeles.

With a driving right-handed layup, James no longer chased Bryant, he zoomed past him for third place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

“I’m just happy to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant, one of the all-time greats to ever play,” James said.

With a tribute to Bryant written on his Nikes, James on Saturday scored 29 points in front of a roaring 76ers’ crowd, but the Lakers fell short in a 108-91 loss to Philadelphia.

James scribbled “Mamba 4 Life” as he chased Bryant, the five-time champion, in Philly.

Fans stood with phones pointed toward the court, waiting to capture a slice of history that came when James scored the milestone basket with 7 minutes, 23 seconds left in the third quarter.

James entered 18 points shy of passing Bryant and the layup gave him 33,644 points. James stands third with 33,655. Bryant finished his career with 33,643, all with the Lakers.

“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644,” Bryant tweeted.

James waved to the Philadelphia crowd that gave him a rousing standing ovation when the mark was announced by the public address announcer. The Sixers also posted a graphic of the NBA’s top 10 career scorers, with images of James in Lakers and Miami Heat jerseys.

The 35-year-old entered averaging at least 25 points for the 16th straight season.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s career scoring leader with 38,387 points and Karl Malone is second at 36,928. James is on pace to pass Abdul-Jabbar in about three seasons.

The top four scorers in the NBA played for the Lakers, who signed James as a free agent in 2018.

James passed Bryant in Philadelphia, where the retired Lakers star was born.

James, who played in eight consecutive NBA Finals, has 6,911 post-season points with Cleveland and Miami that do not count in the official total.

His stories in the locker room on Bryant seemed to stretch on as long as his list of milestones.

Like another time when he was still in high school and was gifted a pair of red, white and blue Nikes from Bryant. James wore a size 15, Bryant was a 14, but he wore the sneakers anyway.

Or the way James was inspired how Bryant always found some sort of slight to use as fuel to improve.

James would have a “dream come true” when he lined up side-by-side with Bryant as teammates in the 2008 Olympics as part of the “Redeem Team,” leading the US to a gold medal in Beijing.

“There’s just too much. The story is just too much,” James said. “The story doesn’t make sense. Make a long story short, now I’m here in a Lakers uniform, in Philadelphia where he’s from.”

Elsewhere, the Bulls crushed the Cavaliers 118-106, the Jazz mastered the Mavericks 112-107, the Thunder silenced the Timberwolves 113-104 and the Nets overcame the Pistons 121-111 in overtime.

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Muslim, Buddhist writers join poetry festival in Myanmar

Divided by hatred, but united over the written word, Rohingya Muslim poets in Bangladeshi refugee camps joined Buddhist bards in Myanmar by video link as part of a groundbreaking poetry festival in a nation reeling from genocide allegations.

Five Rohingya writers took part in the three-day “Poetry for Humanity” event in Yangon, with three speaking live by video link to a packed room, while two had sent pre-recorded readings, fearing their stuttering connection would not hold up.

They drew applause for verses on the bloodshed that forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee their homes in northern Rakhine state — and also for their resilience.

“My words are taller than the walls put between Buddhists and Muslims. My words are stronger than the hatred designed for me,” reads one verse from writer Mayyu Ali’s poem My Words.

He fled with his family to the Bangladeshi camps, where he has helped bring together a group of about 150 refugees sharing a passion for poetry.

“I want to show Burmese people that the Rohingya are also Burmese. We also love Myanmar,” the 27-year-old said.

Poets once vexed Myanmar’s censorship-obsessed former military junta.

Now, younger writers are keeping the art form alive as a form of dissent under the civilian government of Burmese Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, which has defended the crackdown against the Rohingya.

The festival came in a week of heightened sensitivity over the crisis.

The International Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that there was enough evidence to pursue allegations that Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya, and ordered the country to comply with urgent measures to protect the minority.

About 740,000 fled over the border to escape a bloody military crackdown in 2017, which is thought to have killed thousands.

Yet the minority evoke little sympathy in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where even the word “Rohingya” is taboo.

Many instead refer to them pejoratively as “Bengali,” suggesting they are illegal interlopers from Bangladesh.

Festival organizer Maung Saungkha, who was jailed for six months in 2016 for writing a poem deemed defamatory to the former president, said that acknowledging the word “Rohingya” is a first step toward preventing more human rights abuses.

“We hope people will learn about equal rights and about treating different people in a humane way,” he said.

Forty poets from across Myanmar recite works in various languages, including Burmese, but the focus is on reconnecting the estranged Muslim minority.

Ethnic Rakhine writer Won Roe traveled especially from his home state, where deep divisions prevail between the mainly Buddhist Rakhine and remaining Rohingya Muslim communities.

Won Roe is convinced poetry can act as a “bridge between communities” and worked closely, if virtually, with Mayyu Ali ahead of the event.

“I see him as a poet, a friend,” Won Roe said.

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Farmer Theophilus Mwendwa wades through a swarm of desert locusts flying over corn crops in a farm in Enziu, Kenya, on Friday.Photo: EPA-EFE
The hum of millions of locusts on the move is broken by the screams of farmers and the clanging of pots and pans, but their noise-making does little to stop the voracious insects from feasting on their crops in the Kenyan village of Katitika.

The worst outbreak of desert locusts in Kenya in 70 years has seen hundreds of millions of the bugs swarm into the east African nation from Somalia and Ethiopia. Those two countries have not had an infestation like this in a quarter-century, destroying farmland and threatening an already vulnerable region with devastating hunger.

“Even cows are wondering what is happening,” said Ndunda Makanga, who spent hours on Friday trying to chase the locusts from his farm. “Corn, sorghum, cowpeas, they have eaten everything.”

When rains arrive in March and bring new vegetation across much of the region, the numbers of the fast-breeding locusts could grow 500 times before drier weather in June curbs their spread, the UN said.

“We must act immediately,” said David Phiri of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), as donors huddled in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, a three-hour drive away.

About US$70 million is needed to step up aerial pesticide spraying, the only effective way to combat them, the UN said. That would not be easy, especially in Somalia, where parts of the country are in the grip of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group.

The rose-colored locusts turn whole trees pink, clinging to branches like quivering ornaments before taking off in hungry, rustling clouds.

Astonished by the finger-length insects, children dash here and there, waving blankets or plucking at branches to shake the locusts free. One woman, Kanini Ndunda, batted them with a shovel.

Even a small swarm of the insects can consume enough food for 35,000 people in a single day, said Jens Laerke of the UN humanitarian office in Geneva, Switzerland.

Farmers are afraid to let their cattle out for grazing, and their crops of millet, sorghum and corn are vulnerable, but there is little they can do.

About 70,000 hectares of land in Kenya are already infested.

“This one, ai! This is huge,” said Kipkoech Tale, a migratory pest control specialist with the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture. “I’m talking about over 20 swarms that we have sprayed. We still have more. And more are coming.”

A single swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer of farmland, an area the size of almost 250 football fields, regional authorities say.

One especially large swarm in northeastern Kenya measured 60km by 40km wide.

Kenya needs more spraying equipment to supplement the four planes now flying, Tale said.

Ethiopia also has four.

They also need a steady supply of pesticides, said Francis Kitoo, deputy director of agriculture in southeastern Kenya’s Kitui County.

“The locals are really scared, because they can consume everything,” Kitoo said. “I’ve never seen such a big number.”

The locusts eat the fodder for animals, a crucial source of livelihood for families who now worry how they will pay for expenses like school fees, he said.

His own concern about the locusts?

“They will lay eggs and start another generation,” he said.

A changing climate has contributed to “exceptional” breeding conditions, Nairobi-based climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker said.

Migrating with the wind, the locusts can cover up to 150km in a single day. They look like tiny aircraft lazily crisscrossing the sky.

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title: Locust swarms in Africa are worst in decades


content_text:
Female entrepreneurs sent to Australia, NZ, Indonesia

In a bid to tap the full potential of female entrepreneurs, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) is this year for the first time organizing a trade promotion delegation exclusively composed of female entrepreneurs.

The delegation is scheduled to visit Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia as part of TAITRA’s efforts to help women better explore foreign markets and gain a greater role in Taiwan’s foreign trade in line with the government’s policy and a WTO declaration, TAITRA said.

The three countries are covered by the government’s New Southbound Policy, which has been implemented by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after she assumed office in May 2016, to boost two-way trade and investment with countries in Southeast and South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia were selected simply because relatively few promotions have so far targeted them, TAITRA said.

If satisfactory results are obtained, more delegations of female entrepreneurs will be formed to explore other overseas markets, TAITRA’s Market Development Department head Chiu Hui-li (邱揮立) said.

The Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment was launched in a WTO ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires in December 2017 so that members can collaborate on making trade policies more gender-responsive, share experience to encourage women’s participation in trade, and collect data to better understand connections between trade and gender.

It was the first time in the WTO’s history that its members and observers endorsed a collective initiative to remove barriers for women and foster their economic empowerment.

In 2018, there were 1.466 small and medium-sized businesses in Taiwan, around 37 percent of which were owned and run by women.

INDIGENOUS EXECUTIVES

Meanwhile, TAITRA is also seeking to organize a delegation of indigenous businesspeople to visit New Zealand, based on an economic cooperation agreement inked by the two countries in 2013.

Last year, products manufactured by Taiwanese Aborigines were showcased for the first time at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington for two weeks, paving the way for future exchanges, according to TAITRA.

Products made by Taiwanese Aborigines were also displayed last year at Taiwan Expos in other countries covered by the New Southbound Policy, and such exhibitions will continue into this year at the Taipei International Food Show in June, Kaohsiung Food Show in October, Foodex Japan 2020 in March, and FHA-Food & Beverage Asia 2020 in Singapore from March 31 to April 3, among others, it said.

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Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka, second left, scores against Schalke 04 in their Bundesliga match at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Saturday.Photo: EPA-EFE
Robert Lewandowski on Saturday scored his 21st league goal of the season as Bayern Munich thrashed Schalke 04 5-0 to cut RB Leipzig’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to one point.

After Leipzig had crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern seized the chance to trim their advantage with an emphatic win over David Wagner’s young Schalke side.

“The Leipzig match beforehand didn’t interest me, the main thing is we took three points and had a stability in our game, which is very important,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick said.

Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller scored first-half goals, then both had efforts disallowed for offside by the video assistant referee (VAR).

However, Leon Goretzka, Thiago Alcantara and Serge Gnabry netted second-half goals as Bayern dominated at the Allianz Arena.

With less than six minutes played, Schalke goalkeeper Markus Schubert failed to deal with a cross and Lewandowski was on hand to hook the ball into the net.

The Polish star moved one clear of Leipzig’s Timo Werner at the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts.

Schalke’s Welsh forward Rabbi Matondo hit the crossbar soon after, but it was all Bayern after that.

Mueller tapped the ball past Schubert in the six-yard box on 17 minutes, but VAR intervened.

The stadium announcer was already celebrating when replays showed Benjamin Pavard was offside in the buildup as Lewandowski had an effort chalked off.

Bayern and Mueller were not to be denied, though, and the former Germany forward howled with delight when he fired home Goretzka’s header two minutes into first-half stoppage-time.

It was Mueller’s 100th goal at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich came out flying after halftime and Goretzka volleyed home against his former club on 50 minutes.

Lewandowski served up a simple tap-in for Alcantara eight minutes later as Schalke offered precious little resistance, before Gnabry came on and marked his comeback from injury with a late fifth.

“It wasn’t fun for us and it wasn’t nice, but we’ll learn from that,” Wagner said.

Earlier, Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann was left ruing the leaders’ “sloppy” performance in Frankfurt after their first defeat since October last year.

Leipzig have tough games coming up as they host third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, then visit Bayern on Feb. 9.

Second-half goals by Almamy Toure and Filip Kostic sealed the victory for Frankfurt as Leipzig lost for the first time in 14 games in all competitions.

“We were clearly the better team in the first half, but we were too sloppy with our goalscoring chances,” Nagelsmann said.”

Elsewhere in the title race, Moenchengladbach came from behind to poach a 3-1 home win over FSV Mainz 05.

After Sweden forward Robin Quaison gave Mainz an early lead, Moenchengladbach’s French striker Alassane Plea scored two goals either side of halftime, before substitute Florian Neuhaus grabbed a late third.

Juergen Klinsmann’s Hertha BSC bounced back from their 4-0 thumping at home to Bayern the previous Sunday, which left them hovering just above the relegation places, with a 2-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg thanks to goals from Dodi Lukebakio and Jordan Torunarigha.

SC Paderborn 07 moved off the bottom of the table with a 2-0 win at SC Freiburg, thanks to Christopher Antwi-Adjei’s goal and a penalty by Abdelhamid Sabiri.

Union Berlin bounced back from their defeat at Leipzig with a 2-0 home win over Augsburg, with goals from Neven Subotic and Marcus Ingvartsen.

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title: Bayern spank Schalke to close gap on Leipzig


title: Women shine at India’s Republic Day pageantry

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Central Reserve Police Force female motorcycle team members perform during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi yesterday.Photo: AFP
Huge crowds yesterday gathered for India’s Republic Day parade, with women taking center-stage at the annual pomp-filled spectacle of military might featuring army tanks, horses and camels.

For the first time, the riders performing daredevil stunts on motorbikes to the delight of the crowds lining New Delhi’s central Rajpath Boulevard were women.

Inspector Seema Nag saluted the gathered VIPs as she led her fellow bikers, one precariously perched at the top of a ladder wedged behind her vehicle’s handlebars as others formed a human pyramid, drawing the loudest cheers from thousands of spectators.

And in front of the guest of honor, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Captain Tania Shergill, a fourth-generation army officer, led an all-male Corps of Signals military communications contingent.

Bolsonaro sat next to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who wore a saffron turban — and waved and clapped from behind bullet-proof glass.

Yesterday was the anniversary of India’s adoption of its constitution in 1950.

The two-hour showcase of military might and cultural diversity included everything from battle tanks and state-of-the-art weaponry to traditional dancers.

Scaled-down models of the Rafale aircraft were paraded by the air force, following the South Asian nation’s purchase of 36 jets from France in 2016 in a multibillion-dollar deal. The mounted camels of the Indian Border Security Force put in an early showing, strutting across the avenue in brightly colored caparisons.

Traditional dancers representing some of India’s diverse regional cultures performed on elaborately decorated floats showcasing selected states.

The show culminated with a Su-30 MKI fighter jet roaring through the sky in a “Vertical Charlie” aerobatic maneuver.

The parade was held against a backdrop of nationwide protests over a new citizenship law that critics say discriminates against minority Muslims, which make up 200 million people in India’s 1.3 billion-strong population.

A 620km-long human chain was planned in southern Kerala state later yesterday, as a mark of protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and a proposed National Register of Citizens.

The new law makes it easier for persecuted religious minorities from three neighboring countries to obtain citizenship, but not if they are Muslim.

There have also been protests against Bolsonaro’s visit, with a small rally held on Friday in Mumbai, where demonstrators questioned his stand on climate change and sexist comments against a female politician.

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content_text:
Handling dementia on holidays

OUTDOOR TRIPS:The Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association and a doctor at Tzu Chi Hospital in Sindian offer tips for keeping people with dementia safe when in public
By Yang Mien-jieh, Chiu Shu-yu and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer
People look at the variety of blessing lanterns hung at the Huan An Temple in Tainan’s Liujia District on Saturday.Photo: Yang Ching-cheng, Taipei Times
While the Lunar New Year holiday is often a time for family gatherings and outings, it is also a time when people with Alzheimer’s disease can easily get lost when out in public, the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association said.

People with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia should be accompanied by at least two family members at all times when out in public during the holiday, and it is important to hold their hands, association secretary-general Tang Li-yu (湯麗玉) said.

Family members should take a photograph of a relative with dementia before leaving the house, and a piece of paper with family contact information should be put in the person’s pocket, backpack or purse, Tang said.

GPS tracker bracelets should also be worn to help prevent dementia patients from becoming lost, she said.

The Lunar New Year holiday is a good opportunity for family members to encourage and guide relatives with dementia to share their life experiences, if they are still able to articulate their thoughts and ideas, she said.

Sharing memories would be enjoyable both for the patients and their relatives, she said, adding that grandchildren can be helpful guides, and families should organize activities that the elderly and grandchildren can enjoy together.

However, when visiting extended family members during the holiday, elderly dementia patients should not be asked to “guess who someone is,” she said.

Separately, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Hospital in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) urged families to be aware that a sudden change of diet over the Lunar New Year holiday, as well as constant socializing, could worsen emotional problems, personality changes and hallucinations in elderly people with dementia.

Lee Chia-fu (李嘉富), a physician in the hospital’s department of psychosomatic medicine, said 3 percent of elderly patients in Taiwan, especially those older than 65, have dementia.

For every five years after the age of 65, the risk of developing dementia doubles, Lee said.

Degenerative diseases, strokes, chronic cerebrovascular diseases, nutrition imbalances and infections of the central nervous systems could all cause the development of dementia, Lee said.

Dementia symptoms include the degenerative regression of focus or linquistic capabilities, disorientation of time and space, memory loss and rapid mood swings, he said.

Meeting unfamiliar people or a change in environment could cause elderly dementia patients to experience unease and insecurity, which they might be able to articulate, and worsen their condition, he said.

Family members should be patient with elderly relatives, especially if they are repeatedly performing the same actions, saying the same things or experiencing rapid mood swings, and should try to understand what is needed, he said.

Food made from glutinous rice should be cut into bite-sized pieces to prevent elderly people from choking on the food, while elderly people with dementia should be encouraged to make a favorite dish or dishes that they remember, which could help their condition, Lee said.

When going on a family outing, preparations should be made in the case that elderly dementia patients might need to relieve themselves in a vehicle, he said.

Families should make sure their relative has something to take with them that they are familiar with to increase their sense of security, he said.

title: Handling dementia on holidays


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Valencia’s Geoffrey Kondogbia, second left, vies for the ball with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, center, in their La Liga match at Mestalla in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday.Photo: AFP
Quique Setien’s honeymoon period lasted less than two weeks as he tasted his first Barcelona defeat on Saturday in his second La Liga game in charge after a 2-0 loss to Valencia.

A Jordi Alba own-goal and Maxi Gomez’s strike at Mestalla raised early doubts about Setien’s appointment and gave Real Madrid the chance to move three points clear at the top of the table when they visited Real Valladolid yesterday.

Sevilla jumped to third, above Atletico Madrid and five points behind the top two, after they beat Granada 2-0.

Barcelona had most of the ball, but Valencia had the best chances as Gomez missed a penalty and also hit the crossbar in the first half.

Gabriel Paulista had a third goal ruled out late on.

While performances under previous coach Ernesto Valverde were stodgy and familiar failings went unresolved, he did leave a side in first place.

Setien promised a new style, but few will cheer a team that loses. Despite dominating possession, Barcelona did little with it and as Valencia grew in confidence, they ceded control, too.

“There are things they have not understood or maybe we have not have explained ourselves well,” Setien said. “In the first half, quite frankly, we were bad.”

The question is whether Setien is trying to impose too much, too soon.

“The players have to adapt to the coaching staff to understand,” Sergio Busquets said. “There were some good things, but we have to improve.”

Valencia climbed to fifth and continue to improve under Albert Celades. The success came without captain Dani Parejo and, largely, without star striker Rodrigo.

The hosts hardly touched the ball for the first six minutes, but the plan was to sit and absorb, and it worked. When Valencia did intervene, they were more dangerous.

With their first attack they won a penalty as Jose Gaya slipped past Gerard Pique and would have scored before being brought down.

Pique was booked and, with Parejo absent, Gomez stepped up, only for his driven shot to be saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Barca were riding their luck and after halftime Pique’s flicked header landed at the feet of Gomez, whose driven effort took a cruel deflection off Alba and flew in.

Setien traded the patience of Arthur Melo for the physicality of Arturo Vidal, while Rodrigo came on for Valencia to a rousing reception.

Barcelona exerted some pressure and Lionel Messi led the way, yet just as a Barcelona equalizer began to feel inevitable, Valencia struck again.

A quick throw caught Alba out of position, and Torres did well to cut inside and switch to Gomez. He took a touch and curled into the corner.

Meanwhile, Sevilla celebrated the club’s 130th anniversary by brushing aside Granada as Luuk de Jong put them in front, before Nolito made it two before halftime.

Elsewhere, Villarreal won 2-1 at Deportivo Alaves, while RCD Espanyol drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao.

Additional reporting by staff writer

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title: Early blow for Setien as Barca lose to Valencia


content_text:
Paris Opera reopens after weeks of pension strikes

RETIREMENT:Dancers and musicians have been striking alongside public-sector workers against a plan to scrap more than 40 separate pension schemes
The Paris Opera reopened on Saturday night after weeks of strike action against the French government’s pension reforms that have cost the arts organization millions of dollars in ticketing losses.

Dancers and musicians have been striking alongside public-sector workers to oppose the government’s plan to scrap more than 40 separate pension schemes and replace them with a single points-based system.

HEAVY LOSSES

More than 70 shows have been canceled since last month at a loss of nearly 15 million euros (US$16.5 million) — greater than the state’s annual contribution to the Opera pension fund.

However, on Saturday night, its Bastille venue opened its doors for the Tales of Hoffman.

“To preserve the economic integrity of the Opera, we have made the decision to go ahead with the performance this evening, but we remain mobilized for the withdrawal of this bill,” a union representative said at the start of the performance, in a statement recorded by a spectator and posted on Twitter.

It is unclear whether other planned performances would now go ahead.

The special retirement plan for the Paris Opera, which allows dancers to bow out at age 42, was introduced in 1698 by King Louis XIV — making it among the oldest in France.

AGE FACTOR

The retirement age was set by taking into account the physical arduousness of the job, the high injury risk, and the assumption that most dancers cannot continue performing at their best beyond a certain age.

The French state covers half of the Paris Opera’s pension fund, about 14 million euros per year.

The cancelation of several top ballet, opera, and theater shows in Paris has disappointed tourists and locals, who need to book long in advance for the pricey seats.

Dancers have staged outdoor performances in Paris in a show of support for the public sector strikes, which have triggered weeks of transport chaos.

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content_text:
China stiffens defenses against virus

TRANSMISSION:While the new coronavirus is ‘not as powerful as SARS,’ its ability to spread appears to be getting stronger, Chinese health officials said
Travelers wear masks at Taipei Railway Station yesterday, the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday.Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
China yesterday expanded drastic travel restrictions to contain a viral epidemic that has killed 56 people and infected nearly 2,000, as the US, France and Japan prepared to evacuate their citizens from a quarantined city at the outbreak’s epicenter.

China has locked down the hard-hit province of Hubei in the nation’s center in an unprecedented operation affecting tens of millions of people to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.

The virus’ ability to spread appears to be “getting stronger,” though it is “not as powerful as SARS,” top Chinese health officials said at a press conference, adding that their knowledge of it was limited.

The previously unknown virus has caused global concern because of its similarity to the SARS pathogen, which killed hundreds across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.

Outside the epicenter, four cities — including Beijing and Shanghai — and the eastern province of Shandong announced bans on long-distance buses from entering or leaving their borders, a move that would affect millions of people traveling over the Lunar New Year holiday.

The southern province of Guangdong, Jiangxi in the center, and three cities made it mandatory for residents to wear masks in public.

Originating in Wuhan, Hubei’s capital, the virus has spread throughout China and around the world — with cases confirmed in Taiwan and about a dozen countries as far as the US.

The US Department of State yesterday said that it was arranging a flight from Wuhan to San Francisco for consulate staff and other Americans in the city.

The flight is schedueld for tomorrow, it said in an e-mail to Americans in China that warned of “extremely limited” capacity for private citizens.

The French government said it was formulating plans to evacuate staff and families, who would be quarantined in a city in a neighboring province.

Japan is coordinating with the Chinese government to swiftly evacuate its citizens, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

South Korea’s consulate in Wuhan said it was conducting an online poll of its citizens there to gauge demand for a chartered flight out.

Instead of New Year revelry, Wuhan has been seized by an eerie calm that deepened yesterday, as new restrictions banned most road traffic in the metropolis of 11 million.

Loudspeakers broke the silence by offering tips slathered with bravado.

“Do not believe in rumors. Do not spread rumors. If you feel unwell, go to the hospital in time,” the message said.

The health emergency has overwhelmed Wuhan’s hospitals with patients, prompting authorities to send hundreds of medical reinforcements, including military doctors, and start construction on two field hospitals.

With non-essential vehicles banned from the road, volunteers stepped up to drive sick fellow citizens to hospitals.

“There has to be someone who does this,” Zhang Lin, 48, told reporters, as he waited for a patient to emerge from a clinic for the drive back home in nearly deserted streets.

The outbreak is suspected to have originated in a Wuhan market where animals, including rats, snakes and hedgehogs, were reportedly sold as exotic food.

Beijing said it was banning all trade in wildlife until the emergency is over, but conservationists complain that China has previously failed to deliver on pledges to get tough.

Health officials said the virus has since become transmissible between humans.

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title: China stiffens defenses against virus


content_text:
People returning to Taiwan from Wuhan, China, would be subject to compulsory home confinement for 14 days upon arrival, the Central Epidemic Command Center announced yesterday, as the government stepped up preventive efforts against the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

If they fail to comply, the center would ask police to step in and have them quarantined in designated locations, officials said at a news conference in Taipei.

Previously, only those suspected of having the virus, or who had close contact with a person confirmed as having the disease were subject to compulsory home confinement for 14 days.

Disease prevention personnel will also visit people who have returned from Chinese provinces other than Hubei — whose capital is Wuhan, where the virus was first discovered — and ask them to monitor their health by checking for pneumonia-like symptoms for 14 days, the center said.

These people should remain at home whenever possible, wear a mask if they have to go out, wash their hands frequently, take their temperature and record the places they have visited for 14 days, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

The government has banned all travelers, including students, from Hubei and suspended entry applications from other Chinese provinces, except for people involved in humanitarian work or disease prevention, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.

It has asked Chinese travelers who have obtained entry permits to delay their trips, he added.

Hospitals in Penghu County late on Saturday received reports of four residents exhibiting pneumonia-like symptoms: an 11-year-old girl, a 38-year-old woman, and her husband and child.

The girl developed a fever and cough after a trip in Suzhou, China, from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18, the Penghu County Government said.

The woman and her family had traveled to Shanghai before returning to Taiwan for the Lunar New Year holiday, it said.

Meanwhile, the National Immigration Agency said that it was suspending landing visas for travelers from China to Kinmen and Matsu via the “small three links.”

The measure took effect yesterday.

At another news conference at 7:40pm yesterday, the center reported another confirmed case of 2019-nCoV, bringing the nation’s total cases to four.

The latest case is a Taiwanese woman in her 50s, who visited Wuhan from Jan. 13 to 15, and on Jan. 16 joined a 10-day group tour to Europe before returning home on Saturday via Guangzhou, China.

The woman had worn a mask during her flights and informed quarantine personnel about her condition upon arriving at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the center said.

However, a woman working at the Jin Bali Grand Ballroom (金芭黎舞廳) who reported pneumonia-like symptoms after coming into contact on Wednesday with a Taiwanese man that was one of two people on Friday confirmed to have 2019n-CoV, tested negative for the virus, it added.

Additional reporting by CNA

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title: Home confinement for Wuhan returnees


content_text:
Wuhan Outbreak: French automaker to pull out workers

VIRUS:PSA, which runs a plant with Dongfeng Motor in Wuhan, plans to evacuate employees, quarantine them in another Chinese city and then bring them back to France
A tourist wears a face mask near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday. Three cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been identified in France, the Health Ministry announced on Friday.Photo: EPA-EFE
France and a major automaker said on Saturday that they are moving to get citizens out of a locked-down Chinese city where a deadly outbreak of a new virus originated and has spread worldwide.

French automaker PSA Group says it will evacuate its employees and their families from Wuhan in central China, quarantine them in another major Chinese city and then bring them back to France.

The Foreign Ministry said French officials were studying “eventual options” for all its nationals to leave if they wish.

It comes a day after France announced that three cases of the new virus are being treated in two French hospitals — the first confirmed in Europe. All the patients are Chinese who had recently returned from China and are doing well, officials said.

PSA Group did not say how many employees would be part of an evacuation.

In a series of tweets, the automaker said transportation, housing and other organizational considerations are being worked out. PSA, which sells its Peugeot and Citroen cars in China, has a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp (DFM, 東風汽車) in Wuhan.

PSA said it was working closely with Chinese authorities and the French Consulate.

The French Foreign Ministry’s statement made no mention of PSA’s plans.

The automaker did not say how long the quarantine period would last.

However, French medical experts have said the incubation period for the virus appears to be 14 days.

PSA also said it is working with Chinese partner DFM and authorities to take care of Chinese employees. It did not elaborate.

French authorities have cautioned against panic at home, but were concerned about the country’s citizens in Wuhan and those arriving in France, which has direct flights to China. Starting yesterday, medical teams were deployed at France’s airports, notably Paris’ Charles de Gaulle, to help passengers arriving from Chinese cities with questions or medical needs, French health chief Jerome Salomon said.

The new virus accelerated its spread in China with 56 deaths so far, and the US consulate in the epicenter of the outbreak, the central city of Wuhan, announced yesterday it would evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight.

A notice from the US embassy in Beijing said there would be limited capacity to transport US citizens on tomorrow’s flight from Wuhan that will proceed directly to San Francisco. It said that in the event there are not enough seats, priority will be given to individuals “at greater risk from coronavirus.”

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title: Bureau calendar has wood motif

content_text:
By Yang Yuan-ting and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The January page from this year’s “Forest of Wood” calendar published by the Forestry Bureau is pictured on Jan. 17 in Taipei.Photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau
The Forestry Bureau’s new “Forest of Wood” calendar is following the success of 2018’s “Forest of Food” edition that featured edible plants, with more than 20,000 copies of this year’s calendar sold.

January’s page in this year’s calendar features Taiwanese wooden folk toys, because the bureau wants to raise awareness of ecological conservation among young people in urban areas with the calendars, Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said.

“A calendar is a good way to open a dialogue with the public. Before we can convince people how important it is to conserve forested areas and win their support, we must let them know that the bureau exists,” he said.

Most people know very little about the bureau, but it is the central government body that promotes ecological conservation, managing nearly half of the total land in the nation, including 1.62 million hectares of government-owned forests and protected forests, he said.

The bureau issued many publications and hosted speeches and seminars, but never managed to reach a wider audience than those who were already interested in forestry, so he decided to use a different approach when he took office in 2016, Lin said.

Drawing on his experience at the Ministry of Culture, he replaced photographs in the annual calendar with hand-drawn illustrations, because he thought young people would like the more lively style, he said.

That is how the “Forest of Food” was created, and it won rave reviews after its launch, with many people sharing pictures of the calendar on social media, he said.

Using the momentum generated by the success of the calendar, the bureau in 2018 collaborated with the Taiwan Railways Administration on the “Satoyama Animal Train” to highlight coexistence between humans and “satoyama animals,” Lin said.

“Satoyama” is the Japanese term for the region between mountains and flatlands inhabited by cicadas, moths, dragonflies, mitten crabs, frogs and snails as well as humans, he said.

Artists’ impression of satoyama animals painted on the train cars became very popular on the Internet, and helped promote ecological conservation, Lin said.

Satoyama areas are highly developed, highlighting the importance of ecological conservation, but traditional promotion approaches such as lectures just bored people, he said.

Just as trains come and go, wild animals and other creatures should be able to move about freely and live comfortably, just as humans do, he said.

The bureau’s calendar last year featured satoyama animals, and two printings quickly sold out.

“We are determined not to lecture the public, but to use aesthetic designs to arouse people’s interest from within,” Lin said.

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title: Gas stations reduce prices as oil falls

content_text:
CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday said they would lower domestic gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.3 per liter this week on the back of continued decreases in global crude oil prices amid concerns that a spreading virus from China would curb travel and hurt market demand.

Crude oil prices also fell last week as tensions continued to ease in the Persian Gulf and the International Energy Agency forecast an oversupply of crude oil in the first half of this year, the companies said in separate statements.

Based on CPC’s weighted oil price formula — 70 percent Dubai crude and 30 percent Brent crude — the refiner’s average crude oil costs fell to US$63.32 per barrel last week, from US$64.66 a week earlier. After factoring in the depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, which was down by NT$0.036 against the US dollar last week, domestic gasoline prices should be reduced by 1.56 percent this week, it said

Effective today, fuel prices at CPC gas stations would drop to NT$26.8, NT$28.3 and NT$30.3 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while premium diesel would fall to NT$24.7 per liter, it said.

Prices at Formosa Petrochemical’s pumps for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded would decline to NT$26.8, NT$28.2 and NT$30.3 per liter respectively, with premium diesel moving down to NT$24.5 per liter, the company said.

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title: Wuhan Outbreak: China tour ban imperils Thai economy

content_text:
Thailand’s economy faces fresh turbulence after China banned outbound group tours to try and limit the spread of the novel coronavirus that has sickened thousands.

Chinese holidaymakers — many on group tours — spent almost US$18 billion in Thailand last year, more than a quarter of all foreign tourism receipts, government data show.

The industry as a whole contributes 21 percent to GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Both tourism and exports were already under pressure from a surge in the Thai currency. Disarray over the annual budget is another obstacle for growth.

The government has rolled out more than US$10 billion of stimulus steps in the past few months to cushion the economy, which the Bank of Thailand estimates expanded at the weakest pace in five years last year.

“The outbreak of coronavirus is a risk,” Tim Leelahaphan, a Standard Chartered Bank economist in Bangkok, wrote in a note. “The strong Thai baht may also affect tourism growth. That is unlikely to help an already-slowing economy.”

The new coronavirus originated in China, where dozens have died from the illness.

A number of nations have diagnosed the infection in travelers from China. Cases in Thailand are rising, but remain in the single digits.

China’s prohibition on outbound group tours takes effect today and may spell more pain for Thailand’s Tourism and Leisure equity index. The gauge slumped more than 6 percent last week, making it the third-worst performing industry group on the stock exchange.

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title: NTU faculty house in Taipei wins demolition reprieve

content_text:
National Taiwan University (NTU) has suspended plans to demolish one of the school’s homes that famed calligrapher Tai Ching-nung (臺靜農) lived in after the Taipei City Government found new evidence proving its cultural value, the school said on Wednesday.

Campaigners who have been calling for the preservation of the residence, a Japanese-era house at 25 Wenzhou St (溫州街) near the school’s main campus, are credited with finding the evidence.

Tai, a professor of Chinese literature, is most famous in Taiwan for his calligraphy of the university’s name, which was used as the model for the school’s name plaque on its front gate.

A student of Chinese writer Lu Xun (魯迅), Tai arrived in Taiwan in 1946 and later taught in the school’s Chinese literature department.

He lived in another of the school’s faculty dorm homes on Wenzhou Street for many years, but when it was scheduled for demolition in 1990, he moved to the house at No. 25 in 1990 and lived there until his death at the age of 89 in November that year.

The Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs in 2018 said that the house did not meet the cultural heritage preservation criteria.

However, after new materials were submitted to prove its cultural value, the department inspected the house on Wednesday.

Historic architecture expert Lee Chien-lang (李乾朗), a member of the city’s committee on evaluating cultural heritage, said that an initial inspection of the evidence shows the house could meet the criteria for protection.

The department will form a panel to review the case, as stipulated by the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), he said.

NTU said it had decided not to preserve some of its Japanese-era buildings, including Tai’s residence, after a series of meetings with the city government and a review project, a decision in line with the Department of Cultural Affairs’ assessment of No. 25 in 2006 and 2018.

However, it has suspended the plan, the university said.

Additional reporting by Ann Maxon

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title: EVERYDAY ENGLISH

content_text:
A: Today’s the third day of the Lunar New Year. We’ve been so busy since New Year’s Eve, let’s go to bed early tonight.

B: But according to tradition, tonight is “courting night” for rats.

A: Then I’d better stay up and play video games all night. I’ve seen loads of rats in the neighborhood recently. We don’t need any more of them around here.

A: 今天是初三，我們從除夕忙到今天，真的累壞了，晚上就早點休息吧。

B: 習俗上確實應該如此，因為今晚是「老鼠娶新娘」的日子。

A: 啊，那我還是打開電動玩到凌晨再睡好了。最近我們家附近真的有老鼠，我可不想再看到他們繼續增加。

English 英文:

Chinese 中文:

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content_text:
INTERVIEW: Trans candidate says Peru’s machismo culture teaches many ‘to be ashamed’

Gahela Cari, right, talk to a supporter during a presentation at a disco for the LGBT community in Lima, Peru, on Jan. 4.Photo: EPA
The first indigenous transgender candidate to run for parliament in Peru says it is time to end the culture of machismo in the South American country.

“I suffered, in my own flesh, the consequences of inequality, discrimination, violence and corruption,” Gahela Cari, 27, said in an interview before yesterday’s nationwide parliamentary ballot.

“We have to stop educating future macho men,” she said during a break from campaigning.

Her candidacy comes as awareness of transgender people and their rights is growing in many countries.

“I’m an animal-rights advocate, an ecologist and a student leader,” Cari said. “I come from that part of the left that has always fought.”

Cari, who has promised to support the anticorruption reforms of Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra, is running as a candidate of the leftist Together for Peru party, which is seeking to end the political crisis that led Vizcarra to dissolve Congress on Sept. 30 last year.

Small, thin and calm in demeanor, she sported an Andean hat over braided hair during her interview, with bright red lipstick and, tied to her left wrist, the green scarf that symbolizes support for legalized abortion.

AFP: What motivated you to run for Congress?

Cari: We want trans people to have more opportunities. We don’t enjoy the same conditions as the rest of the population. It’s no coincidence that our life expectancy is less than 32 years. Here the state doesn’t guarantee our rights.

[Congress] has been more concerned with defending the corrupt. I’m tired of traditional politics. That’s why I entered politics, to put Congress at the service of the citizenry.

AFP: How do you present yourself to voters?

Cari: I introduce myself as a trans, indigenous, migrant woman. I was born in the south of the country. My mother is from Ayacucho and my father is from Puno.

In this country we receive an education that aims to repress who we are, to repress our sexual identity and to repress our cultural identity. They force us to be ashamed of our roots.

In a country that teaches you to be ashamed, a country that educates in order to repress you, to describe yourself as an indigenous trans person is already revolutionary. It is using your body to fight; fighting without even uttering a word.

AFP: What is the main point in your platform?

Cari: We want to finish [Vizcarra’s] political reform, to complete the reform of the justice system and to launch an economic reform that guarantees the voices of the citizenry and of vulnerable populations.

We do not want the situation facing women and LGBTQ people to continue, which is why we are proposing a reform to put the fight against gender-based violence and all forms of discrimination on the table.

We need to stop raising future macho men, future homophobes, future transphobes and woman killers. We need education with respect. I have suffered transphobic bullying in school.

We’re fighting to decriminalize abortion in all cases because we don’t believe that a democratic state can continue to condemn a woman to be a mother against her will.

AFP: Is it true that you practiced prostitution?

Cari: I had to be involved in prostitution, though I didn’t want to. It was for a short time ... but it was the most complicated stage of my life.

It was when I was about to finish university. I had gone five days without eating and my stomach was empty. It was a matter of necessity. I got out of it thanks to a network of contacts and thanks to feminists who saved my life.

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content_text:
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns to Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in their Australian Open men’s singles match in Melbourne yesterday.Photo: Reuters

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Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic yesterday came through a stern test at Melbourne Park to advance to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while defending champion Novak Djokovic cruised into the quarter-finals of the men’s singles.

Top seeds Hsieh and Strycova battled to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Daria Jurak and Nina Stojanovic in 1 hour, 22 minutes at Margaret Court Arena to keep their bid for a second Grand Slam title on track.

The Wimbledon champions broke earlier to take a 2-1 lead in the first set, but the Croatian-Serbian duo broke Strycova’s serve to level at 3-3, with the top seeds having to dig deep to break back and serve out the set.

The two sides traded breaks again in the second set, before the top seeds gained the edge, with Hsieh serving for the match at 5-4.

However, the unseeded duo kept the Taiwanese under pressure in the final game, creating two break points and saving three before the top seeds eventually converted their fourth.

Hsieh and Strycova won 57 percent of points on their second serve and hit 25 winners to set up a quarter-final against either Lara Arruabarrena of Spain and Ons Jabeur of Tunisia or American duo Jennifer Brady and Caroline Dolehide.

In the singles, Djokovic swept into the quarter-finals, but 15-year-old Coco Gauff exited in tears after her quest to become the Open era’s youngest Grand Slam winner came screeching to a halt.

As Melbourne marked Australia Day with formation jets and a 21-gun salute, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty had the home fans celebrating as she beat Alison Riske of the US 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

“I just had to hang in there, and try and give myself a chance,” said Barty, who recovered from losing the second set and stayed on course to become the first Australian champion since 1978.

Djokovic, hunting his eighth Melbourne title, was remorseless against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, crushing the 14th seed 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to book an 11th appearance in the last eight.

The Serbian’s reward was a matchup with big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, who is back in form after a run of injuries and dismissed 2018 finalist Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.

“I’ve got to be ready for missiles coming from his side of the net,” said Djokovic, the 16-time Grand Slam winner.

Gauff’s giant-killing Australian debut generated intense hype as she attempted to become the youngest Grand Slam winner in the Open era by breaking the record set by a 16-year-old Martina Hingis in 1997.

Gauff beat Venus Williams in the first round and reigning champion Naomi Osaka in the third, but she came unstuck against a determined Sofia Kenin.

Gauff raised hopes by edging the first set, but then her fellow American took control and it was one-sided at the finish as Kenin won 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-0.

“The thing I’m most proud of myself is how I handled it on the court,” said Gauff, who shed tears after her defeat. “Even though today I lost a set 6-0, I was still believing I could win it.”

Kenin next faces Jabeur, who beat China’s Wang Qiang to become the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.

Wang stunned Serena Williams in the third round, but the 27th seed ran out of steam against Jabeur, who fought back from a break down in the first set to win 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

Jabeur, the highest-ranked Arab woman in history — she reached a career-high 51 last year — is the first Tunisian woman to win a main-draw match at the Australian Open.

title: Hsieh, Strycova battle to quarter-finals


content_text:
Women march in Mexico City on Saturday to demand justice for murdered activists Yunuen Lopez Sanchez and Isabel Cabanillas. Law student Lopez Sanchez was found dead eight days after being kidnapped earlier this month, while Cabanillas was slain last week in Ciudad Juarez.Photo: EFE
Several hundred feminist activists on Saturday warmed up with chants next to a monument to murdered Mexican women before filling a street in the capital and dousing female police officers with red paint.

It was the latest in a series of rowdy all-female protests that have flooded central avenues since August last year, when thousands of women took to the streets of Mexico City in anger over the alleged rape of a teenager by city police and rampant violence against women.

Now, the feminists themselves feel like targets after two of their fellow activists were murdered this month in different parts of the country.

“Once again the women are taking to the streets to shout to society that they are killing us,” said Nelly Ornelas, 24, who belongs to a collective called Love Is Not Violence, which seeks to stamp out domestic violence.

On average, 10 women are murdered every day in Mexico, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women. Only one of every 10 reported crimes in Mexico results in jail time.

Ornelas thinks the shooting death last week of women’s rights activist Isabel Cabanillas in Ciudad Juarez was meant as a message to the women who are fighting for greater safety.

“Since the authorities are indifferent, lazy, the men think that they can keep killing women. So the feminists, we are going to keep going out until they learn to respect us,” Ornelas said.

Nearby, mothers and sisters of murdered women took turns at a microphone to describe how their girls were murdered, and how, years later, the perpetrators remain free.

Many family members say they have received death threats for their pursuit of justice.

Tears streamed down the face of teenager Tessa Lagunas as she listened to the tales.

“Sometimes I feel like staying home and not going anywhere,” she said, as her mother consoled her.

Female protesters shocked Mexico in August by trashing a bus station, police precinct and spray-painting messages like “rape state” onto the base of the Angel of Independence, a major monument in the capital topped by a female angel.

Those who complained about the graffiti care more about statues than real women, the protesters said.

Defacing monuments along the city’s stately Reforma Avenue has since become a priority for some, who wear masks to conceal their identities.

Masked protesters on Saturday poured red paint onto a statue of a man riding a pegasus, threw a flaming projectile at a statue of Christopher Columbus and tied a green bandanna — a symbol of abortion rights — around the ankle of a statue of French chemist Louis Pasteur.

Lines of female police in riot helmets stood shoulder to shoulder in an effort to protect the monuments.

The protesters shifted directions at several points, resulting in an elaborate game of cat and mouse that blocked traffic on key arteries for several hours.

The protesters shouted “traitor” at the female officers, who pursed their lips and resisted fighting back — even when one officer’s uniform briefly caught fire from a Molotov cocktail.

“Really, we are with them,” a veteran female police officer whose face was splattered with red paint said.

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title: Mexican women protest murders of activists


content_text:
Taal Volcano alert lowered, thousands of villagers return

Philippine authorities yesterday lowered the alert level at Taal Volcano, two weeks after it began spewing ash, steam and rocks, a move that would allow many of the more than 376,000 displaced villagers to return home.

A popular tourist destination just south of Manila because of its picturesque setting in the middle of a lake, Taal erupted on Jan. 12. It caused no known deaths, but delivered an early crisis this year for one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations.

“Taal Volcano’s condition in the two weeks ... has generally declined into less frequent volcanic earthquake activity, decelerated ground deformation ... and weak steam and gas emissions at the main crater,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvocs) said.

The government agency lowered the alert level from 4 to 3, which means there is a “decreased tendency toward a hazardous eruption.”

The highest level 5 alert indicates a major and much more dangerous eruption.

The agency also reduced to half the danger zone where residents have to be evacuated, from the 14km radius around the volcano. Taal last erupted 43 years ago.

“We have to be careful of Taal, because of the danger it may still bring, so at the lower level, there should be heightened preparedness. People should brace for rapid evacuation,” Philvocs Officer in Charge Renato Solidum said in a televised news conference.

Mayor Daniel Reyes of Agoncillo, a town along the western shores of Taal Lake overlooking the island where the volcano lies, said he was relieved, but remained concerned.

Residents of Agoncillo and nearby Laurel could still not return home, because of the towns’ proximity to the volcano.

Thousands of villagers who used to reside and work on Volcano Island will not be allowed to return permanently, Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas said.

Mandanas warned returning villagers to assess the safety of their villages and houses, many of which remained blanketed by volcanic ash or had been damaged by the eruption and earthquakes.

“It’s somehow a relief, but we’re still under a total lockdown,” Reyes said, adding that all the 44,000 villagers of his town would remain in evacuation centers.

Footage showed thousands of elated villagers yelling “thank you,” as they drove back in droves to their still-dusty towns and cities on board motorcycles, motorcycle taxis and some cars.

More than 376,000 people fled to safety from ash-blanketed towns and cities in hard-hit Batangas province.

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content_text:
US pressuring Bolivia to hurt ties, Cuba says

ACCUSATIONS TRADED:Havana’s foreign ministry said Bolivian authorities have been lying about Cuba and inciting violence against its medics in Boliva
A day after Bolivia suspended diplomatic relations with Cuba, Havana accused its interim government of having sought to sabotage bilateral ties ever since it took power last year, partly under pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Cuba was a key ally of former Bolivian president Evo Morales — who resigned amid a political crisis and protests in November last year — and has supported his assertion that he was toppled in a foreign-backed “coup.”

Conservative interim Bolivian President Jeanine Anez has tried to align the country more closely with Trump’s administration.

“The acting authorities unfurled a ferocious campaign of lies against Cuba ... in particular against the Cuban medical cooperation, inciting violence against our staff,” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday.

“It is not casual that the facts described here coincide with a brutal, politically motivated US campaign against the international medical cooperation Cuba provides to dozens of countries,” it said.

US officials had, since the departure of Morales, “applied pressure on Bolivia to impose a deterioration in relations with Cuba,” the ministry said.

The US Department of State was not immediately available for comment.

Cuba’s health service is the country’s most important hard currency earner, sending more than 50,000 health workers to more than 60 countries.

Cuba terminated its medical mission to Bolivia in November, saying Bolivian officials were fostering violence against about 700 doctors by claiming they were instigating rebellion.

“There have been a number of accusations that Cuban citizens have been involved in these aggressive acts that have tormented our country in recent days,” the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier that month.

The spat was revived on Wednesday, when Anez said that Havana kept 80 percent of the payments Bolivia made for the work of Cuban doctors in the country.

Cuban foreign ministry denied this, saying on Saturday that from 2006 to 2012, Havana had actually covered all the costs of medical cooperation with Bolivia, at more than US$200 million per year.

It was from then that Bolivia started paying for the medical services due to its improved economy.

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content_text:
Flight shaming is not just a problem for airlines

THE GRETA EFFECT:Images of the Australian wildfires and calls for action from activists like Greta Thunberg have sparked interest in making meetings more green
Mobile World Congress (MWC) CEO John Hoffman delivers a presentation at the expo with the theme “Limitless Intelligent Connectivity” in Barcelona, Catalonia, on Wednesday last week. The congress concludes today.Photo: EPA-EFE
It is a problem that Davos cannot solve.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) tried to mitigate the environmental impact of all those private jets traveling to and from this year’s conference in the Swiss town by giving them the option to fill up on so-called sustainable aviation fuel, which is designed to lower carbon emissions compared with normal flights. Many attendees who left the conference after the last session on Friday will nevertheless have had to take commercial planes that use conventional fuel.

Given the WEF’s effort this week to tackle the risks facing the world economy from climate change — environmental issues topped its agenda for the first time in the event’s 50-year history — it is an uncomfortable situation on its own doorstep. It is also a high-profile example of an issue confronting the entire conference industry: as concern about environmental damage from air travel has given birth to a “flight shame” phenomenon which has darkened carriers’ outlook, there is the potential for a knock-on impact on the business of organizing business meetings.

An average conference attendee emits as much as 2,000 pounds (907kg) of carbon dioxide per meeting, according to TerraPass, a sustainability consultancy — about the same as driving from San Francisco to New York City. Some of the environmental impact comes from piles of brochures that might not get recycled, the food that gets wasted and the marketing swag that can end up in landfills. But the vast majority of carbon emissions come from air travel.

“We must get ahead of change and public perception,” Jason Geall, vice president for Northern Europe at American Express Global Business Travel, said in a speech to business travel and meetings executives in London last Monday. “A failure to act now could leave us vulnerable to existential threats, such as flight caps and increased taxation and regulation.”

For now, environmental concerns have not hit events companies. Shares of Relx PLC, which derived about 18 percent of revenue from events in the first half of last year, and Informa PLC, whose events unit contributed about 8 percent, were at or close to all-time highs on Friday. UBS AG analysts led by Adam Berlin forecast 4 percent annual growth in the global exhibitions sector in the coming year, about the same pace as in recent years.

While more organizers are recognizing the need to mitigate the damage their events can cause to the environment, the industry has not settled on an approach for tackling air travel. Some conference holders include carbon offsetting in the cost of the event tickets. Others leave attendees to address the problem themselves.

Take Mobile World Congress (MWC), the annual meeting for the telecommunications industry in Barcelona. This year’s event starts Feb. 24, and last year more than 100,000 people attended. For four of the past five years, Guinness World Records named it “The World’s Largest Carbon Neutral Trade Show.”

MWC lists among its main achievements the creation of a green logo, and the use of recycled post-consumer bottles in the lanyards for attendees’ badges. Guests are also directed to a Web site where they can calculate and offset their emissions from attending the event, a spokeswoman said. The GSMA, the mobile industry lobby group that hosts the conference, calculates and offsets any emissions remaining, including from travel.

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Kim Jong-un’s aunt reappears, quelling rumors of execution

‘WE ARE FAMILY’:Once an influential figure, Kim Kyong-hui was believed to have played a key role in grooming Kim Jong-un as the next leader
A photo provided by the North Korean government on Saturday shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, front row second left, clapping, with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, third left, and his aunt Kim Kyong Hui, fourth left, as they attend a concert celebrating Lunar New Year’s Day in Pyongyang.Photo: Korean Central News Agency via AP
North Korean leader Kim Jongpun’s aunt made her first public appearance in about six years, state media reported yesterday, quelling rumors that she was purged or executed by her nephew after helping him inherit power from his father.

According to a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) dispatch, the name of Kim Kyong-hui was included in a list of top North Korean officials who watched a performance marking Lunar New Year’s Day with Kim Jong-un at a Pyongyang theater on Saturday.

North Korea’s main newspaper also released a photo showing Kim Kyong-hui sitting near Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, at the Samjiyon Theater.

Kim Kyong-hui, 73, was once an influential figure in North Korea as the only sister of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un.

She had initially kept a low profile during the early part of her brother’s rule, but she later frequently accompanied him on his inspection trips after he suffered a stroke in 2008.

While taking up many top posts, such as a four-star army general and a member of the powerful Politburo, she was also believed to have played a key role in grooming Kim Jong-un as the next leader.

Kim Jong-un eventually took power after his father died of a heart attack in late 2011.

Kim Kyong-hui’s fate had been in doubt after Kim Jong-un had her husband and then-North Korea’s No. 2 official, Jang Song-thaek, executed for treason and corruption in December 2013.

His death was reported by Pyongyang and remains the most significant in a series of executions or purges that Kim Jong-un has engineered in what outside experts believe were attempts to remove potential rivals and cement his grip on power.

Days after Jang’s execution, Kim Kyong-hui’s name was mentioned in a KCNA dispatch as a member of a funeral committee for another top official. However, she missed a state ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death days later.

Her name had since never been mentioned in North Korean state media until yesterday’s report.

Some North Korea monitoring groups in Seoul and foreign media outlets had speculated that Kim Jong-un had his aunt executed or purged, or she died of health problems.

Outside experts said Kim Kyong-hui had long suffered from liver and heart problems and high blood pressure.

Analyst Cheong Seong-chang at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute said that Kim Kyong-hui’s re-emergence suggested Kim Jong-un was attempting to strengthen the unity of his ruling family as he is pushing to harden his position toward the US in stalled nuclear negotiations.

However, Kim Kyong-hui is unlikely to regain her political influence, as she now has no position in the politburo, which has already been filled with new figures, Cheong said.

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title: World Business Quick Take

content_text:
TAXATION

Bolsonaro rejects ‘sin tax’

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has ruled out a so-called “sin tax” on beer, cigarettes and sugary food products, an idea floated earlier in the week by Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Paulo Guedes, sorry, you are my minister, I’m with you 99 percent, but there won’t be any tax increases on beer, no,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with journalists on Friday after landing in New Delhi on an official trip. “It can’t be done, we can’t increase the tax burden in Brazil. Everyone consumes sugar every day, it can’t be increased,” he added. A similar tax has been in force in Britain since April.

TELECOMS

Japan arrests ‘cheap spy’

Japanese police have arrested a former Softbank Corp employee for allegedly stealing proprietary information from the telecom giant and giving it to Russian officials, police and media reports said yesterday. Yutaka Araki, 48, is suspected of obtaining “trade secrets from a computer server at a telecommunication-related company on February 18 last year, in violation of Japan’s unfair competition prevention law,” Tokyo police said in a statement. Police suspect Russian trade officials at Moscow’s mission in Tokyo were involved in espionage, but the Russian embassy described the media reports as “regrettable” and “cheap spy allegations.”

TRADE

India and Brazil sign deals

India and Brazil agreed on Saturday to boost trade and investment across a range of fields such as defense, mining, biofuel, cybersecurity, food, the environment and health. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Brazil as “a valuable partner” as he and visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro witnessed the signing of 15 agreements by their officials in the Indian capital. Bolsonaro said he was looking forward to being the chief guest at India’s National Day military and cultural parade yesterday in New Delhi. India celebrates Jan. 26 as the anniversary of its adoption of Constitution in 1950.

OIL

Libyan production plunges

Libya’s oil production has plunged by around three-quarters since forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar launched a blockade a week ago, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Saturday. The fall, from 1.2 million barrels per day to just over 320,000, has caused estimated losses of US$256 million since the closure of major oil fields and ports in the east and south of the country, the NOC said in a statement. The corporation made assurances that “fuel is still available in most regions” of Libya, but called for an end to the blockades “to ensure continuing supply of fuel products to all regions and to restore vital revenues to the Libyan economy.”

AUTOMAKERS

Rivian to supply Ford

Rivian Automotive Inc, the electric-truck start-up backed by Amazon.com Inc and Ford Motor Co, is to provide the “skateboard” platform for a premium, high-performance electric Ford vehicle, its top executive said. “In Ford’s case, we provide the platform,” Rivian chief executive R. J. Scaringe said in an interview on Saturday. “They will provide the top hat, the body and the interior.” The “skateboard” is the entire platform, including the motor, battery pack, computer systems and wheels. The design is modular and allows for different vehicle body types to be added on top. Rivian is seeking partnerships to grow beyond its own consumer electric vehicle offering.

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content_text:
Hertl fires Pacific to All-Star victory

‘APPRECIATE THE LOVE’:Losing finalist David Pastrnak of Team Atlantic was named the Most Valuable Player in St Louis with four goals and two assists over two games
Team Atlantic’s David Pastrnak, right, scores past Team Pacific goaltender Jacob Markstrom in the NHL All-Star Game in St Louis, Missouri, on Saturday.Photo: AFP
San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl on Saturday scored the game-winning goal as Team Pacific defeated Team Atlantic 5-4 to win the NHL All-Star Game in St Louis, Missouri.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson scored twice in the victory, while Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist.

David Pastrnak and Jonathan Huberdeau each had a goal and an assist for Team Atlantic.

Pastrnak was named the event’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) with four goals and two assists over his two games.

“We all wanted to win at the end of the day. Too bad we didn’t,” Pastrnak told reporters. “I don’t even know how they got votes in. I would expect the winner to be the MVP, the winning team. If it was voted in by fans, I appreciate the love. Probably wasn’t any fans from the St Louis building. Whoever voted, I appreciate it, I appreciate the love.”

“He’s our MVP on a lot of nights, too, so I’m used to see him going to work,” Team Atlantic and Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. “He got to play with good players, score a few goals. Too bad we came up a little short.”

The event featured four divisional teams playing three-on-three games with two 10-minute periods.

The title game was more tightly contested than the wide-open semi-finals.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped seven of eight shots as Team Atlantic built a 3-1 first-period lead.

Team Pacific battled back in the second period to tie the game 3-3 and later take the lead 5-4 on Hertl’s goal with 2 minutes, 36 seconds left.

In the semi-finals, Team Atlantic defeated Team Metropolitan 9-5, while Team Pacific beat Team Central 10-5.

In the first semi-final, Team Metropolitan forged a 5-4 second-period lead before Team Atlantic scored five unanswered goals — the final two into an empty net — to advance to the final.

Pastrnak and Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair each scored a hat-trick and added an assist for the winners.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman had a goal and three assists, while Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped six of seven shots in the second period.

Team Metropolitan were led by New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier (two goals, one assist), Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (one goal, three assists) and Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny (three assists).

In the second semi-final, Team Pacific broke a 4-4 tie with a dominant second period — outscoring Team Central 6-1 to advance to the final.

Hertl scored four goals, including the final three of the second period, to lead the attack.

“I thought Tomas Hertl was really good, he played defense,” Team Pacific and Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “I said: ‘You’re the next Brent Burns.’ I thought he was the next Brent Burns out there, he was awesome for us.”

Draisaitl (three goals, one assist), Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk (two goals, two assists) and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (one goal, three assists) also starred offensively.

Flames goaltender David Rittich stopped nine of 10 shots in the second period to seal the victory and send Team Pacific to the final.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane scored twice for Team Central, while forwards Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets and Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars each had a goal and an assist.

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title: Hertl fires Pacific to All-Star victory


content_text:
Boeing’s 777X airliner makes first flight

NEW HOPE:With Boeing facing a crisis over its 737 MAX after deadly crashes, the 777X is supposed to compete in the long-haul aircraft market with Airbus SE’s A350
A Boeing Co 777X airliner, with a folding wingtip visible, on Friday taxis on the runway at the Paine Field airport in Mukilteo, Washington. The Washington factory complex was constructed a half-century ago for the original jumbo jet.Photo: Bloomberg
Boeing Co’s new long-haul 777X airliner made its first flight on Saturday, a step forward for the company whose broader prospects remain clouded by the 737 MAX crisis.

The world’s largest twin-engine aircraft landed at Boeing Field near Seattle after approximately four hours in the air, following months of delays and erratic weather in recent days.

High winds led to the maiden flight’s postponement on Friday, and the company blamed weather for an earlier delay on Thursday, which was rainy.

A few minutes after 10am local time (6pm GMT), the plane took off from the rain-slicked runway at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, home to Boeing’s northwest US manufacturing site.

“Yes!” Boeing spokesman Josh Green shouted as the plane’s wheels finally lifted off the tarmac.

Just minutes earlier, the pilots deployed the plane’s winglets — folding wing tips — designed to improve the craft’s fuel efficiency and make it possible for the plane, with the widest wing span ever from Boeing, to be accommodated at more airports.

The first flight was originally scheduled to take place in the middle of last year, but was postponed due to problems with the new engine, manufactured by General Electric, and difficulties with the wings and software.

Saturday marked the first of what is to be a series of in-flight tests. If they go well, Boeing will officially file for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

With Boeing facing a crisis over its top-selling 737 MAX following two deadly crashes, the 777X is supposed to compete in the long-haul aircraft market with the A350 made by rival European aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE.

The flight was “a demonstration to the world that we know what we are doing. We know how to do aircraft designed safely and instill trust in the public,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive Stanley Deal said.

Major airlines including Emirates Airline, Lufthansa AG, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (國泰航空), Singapore Airlines Ltd and Qatar Airways Ltd have placed about 340 orders for the 777X.

The first deliveries of the new model, with maximum capacity of 384 to 426 passengers depending on the configuration, are not expected before early next year, instead of the middle of this year as initially planned.

The aircraft encountered significant problems during pressurization tests in September.

Boeing’s business has also been weakened by a lack of firm orders from Chinese airlines for its 787 Dreamliner, which is expected to see production cuts.

The 777X has a range of 16,200 to 13,500 kilometers depending on its configuration and the number of passengers aboard, according to the Boeing Web site. It is also extremely fuel-efficient, an important consideration at a time when passengers are increasingly concerned about carbon emissions. Its list price is US$410 million to US$442 million, though customers often negotiate discounts.

US air safety regulators could clear the 737 MAX to return to service before mid-year, a person close to the process said on Friday.

The plane has been grounded since March following two deadly crashes, in Ethiopia and Indonesia. On Tuesday, Boeing announced it did not expect to win regulatory approval until the middle of this year.

In addition to the crisis of confidence, Boeing is seeking US$10 billion in loans to deal with swelling costs for the MAX.

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title: Traffic, accidents on second day of Lunar New Year

taiwan-subdivisions: 土城 湖口 員林 坪林 汐止 龍潭 霧峰 頭城 楊梅 竹山

content_text:
Heavy traffic congests the southbound lane of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) near Changhua yesterday morning, the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday.Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei Times
Traffic congestion occurred on several national freeways yesterday, the second day of the Lunar New Year, when married daughters traditionally return to visit their parents’ home.

Slow-moving southbound traffic occurred at the interchanges on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) from Taoyuan’s Yangmei District (楊梅) to Hsinchu, and from Changhua to Yuanlin (員林), the Freeway Bureau said.

Sluggish northbound traffic occurred on various sections along the freeway near the Taichung interchange, from the Hsinchu to Hukou (湖口) interchanges and from the Yuanshan (圓山) to Sijhih (汐止) interchanges, it said.

High traffic volume also occurred on southbound system interchanges along the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3) from Tucheng (土城) to Longtan (龍潭), from Ciedong (茄苳) to Siangshan (香山) and from the Wufong (霧峰) system to Nantou Service Station, as well as on the northbound section from Jhushan (竹山) to Nantou Service Station.

The section between the Toucheng (頭城) and Pinglin (坪林) interchanges on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. 5) also experienced heavy northbound traffic.

Long traffic backups in parts were due to the rainy weather, with several traffic accidents along the freeways.

Two vehicles collided at 7:08am on a southbound lane along Freeway No. 3 near the 67.7k mark, causing a backup of 4km, while two vehicles collided on a northbound lane near the 90.8k mark on the freeway at 9:59am, causing a 4km traffic buildup.

Two vehicles collided at 9:33am on a northbound lane on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway at the 171.2k mark, causing a backup of 4km, while another accident near the northbound 346.4k mark led to a 11km-long congestion.

Meanwhile, traffic peaked along an improved section of the Suhua Highway at 5pm and remained congested until after 9pm.

A high vehicle occupancy scheme was implemented along the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway.

The bureau urged people to use the four long-distance and seven short-distance alternative routes.

People are advised to take Provincial Highway No. 61 instead of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and the Formosa Freeway; Provincial Highway No. 9 instead of the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway; and Provincial Highway No. 6 instead of the Shuishalian Freeway (Freeway No. 6), the bureau said.

Short-distance drivers are advised to use county roads instead of national freeways, it said.

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