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[] | 2016-08-29T16:48:56 | null | 2016-08-29T16:35:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fambode-restates-commitment-to-rid-lagos-of-criminals%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ambode-Akinwunmi-e1471289282861.jpg | en | null | Ambode restates commitment to rid Lagos of criminals | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | The Raw Story of Ngozi! The Lady that Got Rid of Fibroids Without Surgery
4:11 pm | http://thenationonlineng.net/ambode-restates-commitment-to-rid-lagos-of-criminals/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/790751f254614a1b2b67e1aca47159ff596ac26bb6adf2458e281e1e3398b7db.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T00:48:44 | null | 2016-08-29T00:02:38 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fondo-needs-governor-business-experience-2%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Abraham-Segun2-1.jpg | en | null | ‘Ondo needs governor with business experience’ | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | Dr. Olusegun Abraham is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on his chances at the primary and preparations for the election.
How are you warming up for the primary?
I am warming up very well and things are turning out positively. The whole state has been receptive to my ambition. The response from the grassroots, right from the ward level, has been positive. We set out some months ago. I started my tour of the wards some months ago. No aspirant has traversed the length and breath of the state as I have done. There are some of them that have not been able to do what I have done. The response has been very okay. I am popular in the party at the local, state and national level and people look forward to my emergence.
What transpired at the screening of aspirants?
We were informed about the guidelines for the screening. They looked at what we submitted, our credential and they asked some few questions. They asked from us: apart from you, who else do you think can be the governor? These were some of the questions they asked from us.
Could you shed light on the rumours and denial of rumours of endorsement, in respect of your ambition?
There have been endorsements in Akoko. In fact, the endorsement cuts across the state. Many things are responsible for this. The Akoko youths realised that, in the last 15 years, I have been assisting them educationally, in terms of school fees, meeting their educational expenses, giving them scholarship. I have been setting up small businesses for the less privileged in the society. I have given scholarship to over 200 people. I have assisted some people to go to school overseas and paid their school fees. Youths and their parents have benefitted from these programmes. When the university authority in Akungba actually sent people packing; some of them were to lose a session or semester for not being able to pay N15,000, I came to their aid. I assisted those who could not pay across the local governments. The endorsement by the Akoko youths is gratifying. When the youths begin to do that, you will know the result. people are happy that somebody is coming to this state who will not steal their money.
What are your core plans for the state?
When you look at the problem of Nigerian and Ondo State in particular, you discover that they are two and the two cannot be separated. These are the questions of economy and integrity. Because people don’t have integrity these days, we have lost virtues, we have lost values, we have lost conscience and this has led to corruption. Ondo State is becoming a desert. All the monies that came to Ondo State have been siphoned. They only have cosmetic projects. That is because there is no integrity, and because there is no integrity, there is no value, there is no virtue. You can see that the problem has become more complicated. They can’t add value and the money from Abuja, they siphon it.
On the economic problem, the state has not been privileged to have a businessman in the saddle who can use business discipline, business acumen and international connection to turn its economy around, to turn the opportunities into productive activities, so that we can earn more revenue, so that the state can be bouyant and prosperous.
These are the two goals. Other things flow from them. When we are talking about the economy, we are talking about industrialisation. Every local government should have at least on small scale business that will engage the youths and women. The infrastructures in Akure are completely dead. There is pressure on the infrastructure. They cannot cope because everybody moves from the village to the urban centres. Every village is associated with a particular industry in a country like China. The same thing we are bringing to Ondo State. These industries will be set up with the raw materials there. We will train the youths there so that they can be productive.
The world is now a global village. Our local areas are part of this global village. Whatever is produced here can be used in America and other places. If a cleaner in America works in three hours, the salary is more than the eight naira minimum wage that Nigeria is taking. We must develop our economic activities. A professor in Nigeria may not be able to earn what it takes to feed a dog in America. This must be reversed. The only way is to develop our economic activities and return to values, virtues and good leadership. If I say yes, it must be yes. If I say good morning, it must be morning. There are some people, if they say good morning, yiu must look at your wrist watch before you answer.
You send your driver to buy fuel, he tries to shortchange you. You get to the filling station, the attendant wants to shortchange you. You can’t develop an economy like that. So, integrity and economy are interwoven. The two are inseparable. Today, Buhari is fighting corruption. Thirty years ago, he fought corruption. When he left, nobody to talk about value and virtues again. That’s why anybody can come to Ondo State and divert half of the money meant for education, health and road and think that he is smart. Today, we are a laughing stock across the globe. That’s why Trump was talking to us like that. people are always stealing in Nigeria.
What are your plans for education, health and other infrastructures?
We will revive our education system. We will have a productive education system. We now have certificated institutions; academic people. We have a polytechnic in Owo. It should contribute more to the economy of Ondo State. It should be able to design many things. We will have education without walls. We are going to break the walls. Our educational institutions must meet the needs of the society. Education is about knowledge. If you have knowledge and it is not relevant to the society, it is useless. We should be able to apply knowledge in an appropriate manner.
We are going to look at health in a holistic manner. It is divided into two. We are going to look at the preventive health care system. Then, we will introduce curative health care system. What you have in Nigeria today is the curative health system. When somebody is ill, you take him to the hospital and you begin to treat him. We will like to prevent illness starting from the food the people eat, their lifestyles, what they must do to make them healthy. We don’t want our people to go through pain. We don’t want our people to lose the productive man-hour.
We are going to look at the infrastructural system. We will develop our infrastructure, using our local materials. We will reduce the capital flight. Some roads will be done by expatriates. Some roads will be done by our people. We will use the raw materials we have to develop our state. We will invite investors. Investors don’t just come. They come when they know that there is a market for their products. So, we create markets for them.
We will focus on agriculture. We don’t need fertilizers to grow our agricultural products. Our soil is not polluted with fertilizers. If it is not polluted with fertilizers, then, we can produce organic foods. Organic food is three times more expensive than the normal food. We have the cargo airport that is lying idle. We will use it to export our farm produce so that our farmers can earn dollars. Some people in the civil service will even want to resign to become international farmers. We have a big advantage we can explore. I am not a professional politician. I am a professional in politics. I am an entrepreneur in politics.
The spirit of enterprise is in me. When I see stone, I see money, granite. When I see weed, I see money. I see money littered on the way. I see the waste her as an incomplete process that can become money. It can be converted to toiletries, fertilizers. We need to change the syllabus of our universities. I read Technology Management. We will change the orientation of our ministries and promote inter-connectivity. Our civil servants have initiatives. We will drive them. We must wage war against corruption.
The corrupt people have destroyed our youths. Instead of using the money to build industries, they waste the money. We have unemployment and under-employment. We will also try to secure the environment to prevent crime. I am not going there to make money. I am for the upliftment of the people financially and spiritually. If you love your neighbour, you will not steal the money meant for the development of the state. I don’t think people who have stolen millions and billions from the public treasury should have human rights. Do you know how many people have died through that singular action?
It is your second attempt at seeking the position. How would you rate the process now?
In 2012, I was working. I was popular. The thing was not zoned to me. I said it was not yet time appointed by God. When they decided in 2012, I was smiling. People asked why I was smiling. I told them it was not yet my time. I believe that power belongs to God. I said God, if you will give me power, give me power so that I can impact on the people; that God should give me power in such a way that it will not destroy my soul so that I can make heaven. I did not want power at all cost. I want to be the governor who has the attributes of God; patience and love. Nigerians should follow the path the successful countries have followed. All I want is the success of our party and the progress of our state.
Have you been interacting with other aspirants?
We are talking. We are relating. We crack jokes. We talk regularly. God will make us succeed in life and give us prosperity. We are all qualified. It is a big responsibility we want to shoulder. There is a desire to lead. Not everybody can be governor at the same time. But, we can all serve in different capacities at the same time. Everybody is a building block. Each block has a position. In abroad, you see a driver calling the manager by his name. The driver and the manager sit together. They play complementary roles. Everybody has a duty that is essential and special. All the aspirants, we are equal. God has destined for everybody what he will do.
What do you expect the leadership of the party to do to guarantee a hitch-free primary?
The leaders have experienced. They formed the party. They fund the party. They have been holding primaries. Ondo will not be an exception. We should trust the leaders that they will do what is right. We should learn from them. We can only make some suggestions.
Can an APC candidate from Akoko/Owo axis beat a PDP candidate from Akure?
These are camouflages. In Akure, you see the people of Akoko, Ondo, Idanre, Ekiti, and others. It is a wrong calculation and we are happy.
What is your advice to the INEC in respect of the inconclusive elections?
We must look at the causes. I have not seen anybody jailed for electoral malpractices. The laws should take its course. They are not for decorations. The INEC must prepare. They must be upright. They must promote integrity. | http://thenationonlineng.net/ondo-needs-governor-business-experience-2/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/7bed8e0460db9bb4c86f5162c4ae78273bc1ed6d9375a5aab6153c8e954f7e62.json |
[
"Banco Oro",
"Godwin Samuel",
"Dr John",
"Linda Shirley"
] | 2016-08-27T14:45:52 | null | 2016-06-27T18:49:55 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fbabcock-releases-20162017-admission-list%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/babcock-university-e1445381086700.jpg | en | null | Babcock releases 2016/2017 admission list | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | null | http://thenationonlineng.net/babcock-releases-20162017-admission-list/ | en | 2016-06-27T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/23a49a39f82e65fa264d2e66b9605e46016ab12303c04f35c7531d61862581d0.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T00:47:38 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:52 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Ftiff-nigerias-turn-lagos-dance%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/themes/thenationonlineng/images/default-img-big.png | en | null | TIFF: NIGERIA’S TURN, LAGOS’ DANCE | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | 2015 was particularly a strong year for Africa and Palestine at the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), with films from Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa. A few titles also made their world premieres alongside films that launched their career in the Berlinale, Cannes and Venice. But South Africa hit the spotlight with six films, the most from a single African country that year – Nigeria had none. In fact, I was perhaps the only Nigerian at TIFF last year, save for Jude Idada, a screen writer and Lonzo Nzekwe, film director: two Nigerians based in Toronto.
Although ‘Best of No Nation’ was the biggest film that defined Africa at the festival that year, it was promoted as an American film.
This fall, Cameron Bailey, the Artistic Director of TIFF has programmed the selection from Africa and the Middle East. And it`s going to be an exciting year with a special spotlight on Lagos, Nigeria. To this end, eight films have been curated by Bailey. They include ’76’ by Izu Ojukwu; ’93 Days’ by Steve Gukas; ‘Green White Green’ by Abba Makama; ‘Just Not Married’ by Uduak-Obong Patrick; ‘Okafor’s Law’ by Omoni Oboli; ‘Oko Ashewo’ (Taxi Driver) by Daniel Emeke Oriahi and ‘The Wedding Party’ by Kemi Adetiba.
But Nigeria’s outing is likely going to explode beyond the eight films to also include Kunle Afolayan’s latest flick, The CEO, which will enjoy a special industry screening. This is just as Afolayan will share the stage with sultry actress, Genevieve Nnaji and six other internationally celebrated special guests such as Hiam Abbass, Sônia Braga, Isabelle Huppert, Karan Johar, Mark Wahlberg, and Zhang Ziyi.
Tagged “In Conversation With…”, this onstage conversation will explore Genevieve Nnaji and Kunle Afolayan’s inspiring stories, illuminating the complex dynamics behind Nollywood’s rise to prominence at home and all over the world. This is just as Lagos-born actor, singer and winner of the 2006 Amstel Malta Box Office reality TV show, OC Ukeje, alongside model and fashion executive, Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama are being identified by the festival as two fast-rising actors from Nigeria who are breaking the barriers of international collaboration.
It is ironic how South Africa’s participation has dropped this year.
In 2013, South Africa had six films at TIFF, including Mandela: Long walk to freedom, Khumba, iNumber Number, Of Good Report, Berea and Unogumbe (both short films). It was perhaps the first time that six local films have been selected at TIFF and all of them have not yet been released on cinema except for ‘Of Good Report’, which was on circuit at that time.
Last year, South Africa rolled out the drums again with five films. The five were Oliver Hermanus’s ‘Endless River’, Charlie Vundla’s ‘Cuckold’, Zamo Mkhwanazi’s ‘The Call’, Jihan El-Tahri’s ‘Nasser’ and Ben Russell’s ‘YOLO’.
A 20-member South African delegation, led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), was also at TIFF to promote South Africa’s attractiveness as a film destination to filmmakers attending the festival, and to provide exposure to emerging South African filmmakers.
According to DTI Deputy Minister Mzwandile Masina, the participation of South African filmmakers in TIFF was part of the DTI’s strategy to create access to local film and video products and promote an increase in the volume of film production in South Africa.
From indications, it is likely going to be a Lagos State show at TIFF, with perhaps little of Federal Government’s involvement going by the lukewarm attitude of the agencies like the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), which could have put the Ministry of Information and Culture in the front seat of this landmark celebration. | http://thenationonlineng.net/tiff-nigerias-turn-lagos-dance/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/f8d9ffb486394b8951132fa0b4355aff534f478fd341027f9f3071fc1a580054.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:48:34 | null | 2016-08-28T15:17:31 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fpick-pocket-leader-21-others-arrested-lagos%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/image-10.jpg | en | null | Pickpocket leader, 21 others arrested in Lagos | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | Ease of doing business: Nigeria will be top 100 countries by 2019, says Buhari
2:57 pm | http://thenationonlineng.net/pick-pocket-leader-21-others-arrested-lagos/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/7fe4f610ea221392a9489899d4ca66a23abd8ff1115d489860353dea5665435c.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T00:48:51 | null | 2016-08-30T00:07:53 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fkwara-uncovers-1071-illegal-workers%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Abdulfatah_Ahmed.jpg | en | null | Kwara uncovers 1,071 illegal employees in civil service | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | One thousand and seventy one illegal workers were uncovered in the employ of the Kwara State government, it was learnt yesterday.
The government said it lost N400 million monthly to the illegal workers in the last few months.
Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Alhaji Musa Yeketi spoke at the book launch of the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Shehu AbdulGafar.
Yeketi attributed the incident to dishonesty among civil servants, adding that appropriate actions were being taken against those culpable.
A lawyer, Malam Yusuf Ali, identified irregular salaries and poor pay as some factors responsible for corruption and sharp practices in the civil service.
In his paper, Public Service Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Alli lamented that civil servants were aiding corruption.
“In recent times, top public officers have been accused of embezzling gratuities and pensions of retired colleagues. Poor remuneration has exposed civil servants to sharp practices; most of them demand money before rendering their service to the public.
“They keep business letter-headed papers, invoice-receipts of their companies and become suppliers and contractors, even in their offices,” he said.
Noting that no country can develop beyond the capacity of its public service, the legal luminary posited that “there is unfortunately a broad consensus among Nigerians that our public service is both broken and dysfunctional.
“The quality of our public servants and the service they provide are below expectation. Unlike the days of yore, when only the best and brightest competed to join the administrative service, our public service is now seen as the employer of the dull, the lazy and the corrupt.”
Ali called for training and retraining of civil servants to enable them adapt to modern trends, adding that the civil service should be repositioned to be the information pool which commissioners and ministers rely on for effective administration. | http://thenationonlineng.net/kwara-uncovers-1071-illegal-workers/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/a19af3643f70db1042e6b1d260f6a2a8492ee2889ef89c6485bbb19ad9133922.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T06:48:51 | null | 2016-08-30T07:11:11 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2F4-benefits-okra-secret-weapon-diabetes%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/image-12.jpg | en | null | 4 Benefits Of Okra As A Secret Weapon Against Diabetes | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | null | http://thenationonlineng.net/4-benefits-okra-secret-weapon-diabetes/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/838899175e52c72bc2790c1b72d269ce601d25c6d8daaa9011fa95d917ef8a24.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T00:47:39 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:49 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fjourney-pathways-fuel-smugglers%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/themes/thenationonlineng/images/default-img-big.png | en | null | Journey through the pathways of fuel smugglers | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | BEBE, an outpost of Benin Republic has an aversion for the lily livered. Only the lion-hearted ply its windy road which connects with Zomi Road and peters out at the Ajegunle axis of Ipokia Local Government Area, Ogun State. Swamps and rainforest span the four-kilometre road with potholes and ditches dotting its pathways. It is a terrain for smugglers, especially trans-border petrol smugglers who travel the road early in the morning twice a week—Wednesday and Saturday.
A lot of things can kill on Bebe road. From reckless motorcyclists moving contrabands including petrol in jerry cans and running at neck-breaking speed to convoys of smuggled cars fleeing from border patrols of Customs and other security agents manoeuvring their ways through the ditches. Bystanders and villagers are often knocked down, killed or injured by the smugglers while trying to flee from Nigerian law enforcement agents whose sporadic gunshots send jitters down the spines of residents.
The activities of smugglers are believed to be responsible for the low population of the community which lacks basic social amenities like good roads, water and health facilities, among others. The community also acts as the haven of porters and youths from Nigeria who flock there to work as load carriers for smugglers for a fee.
The community’s notorious road starts from a point close to a university founded by a Nigerian don at Banigbe, Benin Republic. The reporter had joined a group of petrol smugglers who were on a trip to the community to place an order for new jerry cans and sundry items on July 29.
”You are a Nigerian. Why are you visiting Bebe through Banigbe instead of going through the Idiroko checkpoint of the Nigeria Customs Service,” the driver of the car, Weme Boni asked the reporter.
“Things are hard in the country. I learnt there are menial jobs I can do there, so I am going to Bebe to see if I can get a job,” the reporter responded.
Apparently convinced by the reporter’s explanation, the driver demanded CFA 1000 (N647) as fare and the journey began at 5.30 am with the car moving tempestuously on the undulating road.
It had rained in the night. So, as the Golf 3 car that conveyed the reporter and other passengers ran through the floods on the road, a number of villagers emerged from the dotting bushes on the sideways trekking home.
The villagers were soon out of sight and a convoy of smugglers moving petrol on motorcycles in big yellow jerry cans and racing through the floods of dirty water they also splashed on the car.
”That is what makes smuggling tick. Time is of essence because a moment of slack could be costly. It could land a smuggler in the dragnet of Customs and border security forces,” said one of the passengers.
After a long drive, the car approached a checkpoint and was flagged down by a Beninese policeman.
”My name is Zoglo,” he politely introduced himself in smattering English. ”What do you have for me,” he asked with a cheery smile. As soon as the driver handed him a N200 note, he removed a straw of bamboo used to barricade the road and asked us to pass.
”I don’t know the fascination. They (Beninese policemen) prefer collecting bribe in naira,” Boni said as he raced the car from the checkpoint.
At the centre of the community, there were piles of yellow jerry cans on both sides of the four-kilometre road. It serves as the hub of jerry can traders who sell them to petrol smugglers for as low as N300 equivalent of CFA franc.
A few metres away from the centre of the community lies a checkpoint manned by Nigerian mobile policemen. The minions of law were seen relaxing on a wooden sofa under their tent while a Customs checkpoint is located near the junction of Zomi Road, which connects with Bebe road from Ajegunle area of Ipokia Local Government Area, Ogun State on the Nigerian frontier.
Zomi Road snakes through a row of buildings near Jolaco Petrol Station in Ajegunle to Idiroko Road, which leads to the Nigeria Customs Service checkpoint bordering Benin Republic. It is the easiest road to Benin Republic but one most avoided by smugglers because of the heavy presence of security operatives.
However, some of the buildings on Zomi Road in the Ajegunle axis of Ipokia Local Government Area provide a shade for petrol smugglers. There are ‘hidden’ bush paths behind them, which lead to Bebe and other communities in Benin Republic.
The five hours the reporter spent in the community revealed how trans-border petrol smugglers operate, beat Nigerian security operatives and move unhindered into Benin Republic.
Bush paths/confusing routes
Investigation revealed several routes used by petrol smugglers taking the product from Nigeria to Benin Republic. They avoid the main road (Zomi) which connects the road to Bebe because of the heavy presence of security operatives including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), police, Immigration, Joint Border Patrol, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and State Security Service (SSS).
Ajegunle has two other bypasses including New Road and Iko Gate Road beside Iko Gate Grammar School. The routes afford the petrol smugglers the chance to move into the francophone country without being seen or trailed by Nigerian security operatives that man the border.
There are several of such illegal routes in Ipokia LGA. For example, the Egua-Oja Odan-Ilase, a 104-kilometre road, connects four local government areas, namely Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko Afon and Ipokia, all in Ogun State.
The road is used by the syndicate controlling the Oja Odan petrol smuggling ring by connecting to it through Ihunbo, Igborodo, Ayetoro, Akojaga Road, Ilashe, Koko Road, Ogosa, Araromi and Ajilete.
Our reporter’s investigation during a visit to the communities revealed that petrol smugglers escape from the security operatives either by veering into the bypasses or bush paths they created to Igbeji creeks, a stone’s throw from Benin Republic, or Oja Odan and Ijoun where the two countries are only separated by a river.
The situation is compounded by the uncooperative attitude of the villagers who see no problem with their youths engaging in the illicit business. It was gathered that the villagers most times withhold information on the smugglers when requested by Customs and other security operatives.
”We don’t see anything wrong in jobless youths engaging in smuggling so long as they don’t steal. Everyone knows that there is a high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. If we cannot provide jobs for our teeming jobless youths, we should not discourage them from doing a job that they have found since it is not stealing or robbery. The only thing we do is to advise them to be careful when carrying out their duties,” said a community leader in Oja Odan, Chief Samuel Akinyemi.
How they evade arrest
Most of the roads are very difficult terrains for security surveillance or patrol, as some of them are specifically designed by smugglers for their nocturnal activities. Some are designed as footpaths only to widen at further distance. Some routes are designed with ditches.
A suspected petrol smuggler who was in the community to inspect new jerry cans he had ordered said: “Petrol smugglers don’t fall into those ditches because we know the terrain like the back of our palms and move petrol in jerry cans with our motorcycles with ease.
“Moreover, we created the ditches by ourselves. Only the border patrol teams fall into the ditches when they are chasing us. And whenever we realise they are up to our game, we devise new ploys to make it impossible for them to come after us. Many patrol vehicles have packed up on our routes.
“That is why the border patrol acquire mostly Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and trucks. But even those can hardly withstand so much.”
Once the petrol smugglers escape on their motorbikes through the bush paths or bypasses into hamlets in Bebe in Benin Republic, the Nigerian security operatives cannot arrest them. They are then mocked by the smugglers who resort to making jest of them.
”It is difficult to arrest petrol smugglers because once they escape through the bush paths into some villages at the frontier of Benin Republic, they would start mocking us because they know that it is against the rule of border patrol to cross into another country with arms to apprehend an offender,” said a senior Nigerian Customs officer who asked not to be named.
Also, to beat eagle eye security operatives, the petrol smugglers usually fill a number of jerry cans with petrol mixed with water and abandon them when they are being chased or trailed on the bush paths or bypasses. The smugglers abandon such adulterated fuel in jerry cans and escape with good ones. The unsuspecting security operatives would then think that they have impounded the products and celebrate the ‘seizures’ in the media while the smugglers escape with undiluted products into Benin Republic.
Normally, the seized products are sold by Customs with the proceeds remitted into the national purse. But adulterated fuel abandoned by petrol smugglers cannot be sold, hence, they are thrown away by Nigerian Customs men at the Idiroko Area Command.
”They mix petrol with water while moving them across the border into Benin Republic. They abandon some kegs filled with adulterated fuel and escape with the rest while we think that we have made seizures. The smugglers are aware that the seizures are sold to the public and the proceeds are remitted into the coffers of the federal government, hence, they adulterate the petrol in order to prevent us from selling the product,” the customs officer added.
Another daring ploy designed by the trans-border petrol smugglers to frustrate security agents is the planting of locally made spikes on some bypasses or bush paths to demobilise the operational vehicles of Customs men on their trail. Customs men and security operatives get trapped by the spikes while the smugglers move their products into Benin Republic.
The Customs Area Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun State Command, Comptroller Waindu Multafu, in a chat with our reporter, said: ”The spikes are usually buried to a certain level by smugglers on their illegal routes in order to demobilise the vehicles of customs officers on their trail. They bury them to a certain level on their illegal routes so that we don’t see them. In spite of this, 240 kegs of petroleum products were seized from trans-border petrol smugglers recently.”
”In view of this development, the command has restructured its operational strategies with a view to optimally achieving its core statutory mandates of revenue collection, anti-smuggling campaigns and trade facilitation, among other collaborative functions.”
Experts proffer solutions
The continued smuggling of petrol products to the Republic of Benin by syndicates from Nigeria is seen by experts as unbecoming and one that portends doom for the country’s economy. According to them, the illicit endeavour has negative impact on the economy and could lead to scarcity of petroleum products.
An economic expert and Chief Executive Officer of Oil Bureau, a Lagos- based oil and gas consulting outfit, Dr. Tunji Adebayo said: ”There is the need for Federal Government to take drastic action towards eradicating the menace of trans-border smuggling of petrol from Nigeria into the Republic of Benin and other neighbouring countries. Failure to do so could create unnecessary scarcity of the product in the future.
”The government could do this by asking the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to establish filling stations in the Republic of Benin and other neighbouring West African countries. With the establishment of the stations in neighbouring countries, the government will directly take the products there and make a lot of money as income into the federation account.”
An oil and gas business analyst, Mr Chinedu Odimegwu, advocated the use of technology to monitor the movement of tankers from depots to filling stations.
He said: “A situation where our major product is being taken to another country through illegal routes is dangerous to our economy and could retard its growth. To my mind, the security agencies at the borders cannot contain this queer business because of the porous nature of our borders.
“The federal government can help the Nigeria Customs and Excise and other security agencies to halt the continued smuggling of petrol to neighbouring countries through the use of electronic or satellite technology to track the movement of tankers from depot or loading points to filling stations.
“By so doing, the destination of petrol tankers would be ascertained and security agencies including Customs authorities would be able to forestall the movement of Nigeria’s petrol to neighbouring countries. This is what Saudi Arabia has been doing by gathering data through electronic and satellite technology on the movement of all petrol tankers as they move from loading points to filling stations.”
A retired Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration and homeland security expert, Mrs Funmilayo Odubela-Aduroja said there is need for the federal government to identify all entry points into the country by erecting walls at the borders.
”The porous nature of Nigerian borders calls for serious concern and all kinds of foreigners are cashing in on that to move into the country to carry out their nefarious activities unchecked. Yet, the Nigerian authorities are not doing enough to checkmate the unpleasant situation at our borders.
”Apart from trans-border petrol smuggling, as we speak, Nigeria’s cash crops such as cocoa and groundnut are being smuggled to neighbouring countries like Benin Republic and Niger. These countries in turn export the crops and make a lot of money from our collective sweat.
“The only measure to stop this is to properly fence our borders like the US did to prevent people from her neighbouring countries such as Mexico from coming into her territory through borders.
“I am also calling for the creation of a Ministry of Homeland Security where all para-military organisations and agencies, excluding the police, are merged and coordinated to provide maximum internal security for the country. This would make the running of the country even cheaper in the face of a battered economy caused by the crashing prices of crude oil all over the world.” | http://thenationonlineng.net/journey-pathways-fuel-smugglers/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/3b4152b38d39333a44ad3d0938b8a6c6c53401e02bef1a753a178cb16b548234.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:48:11 | null | 2016-08-27T12:17:19 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fsadiq-umar-join-bologna-permanently%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/themes/thenationonlineng/images/default-img-big.png | en | null | Sadiq Umar to join Bologna permanently | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | null | http://thenationonlineng.net/sadiq-umar-join-bologna-permanently/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/ea369ebb53350ec9630ea44c999d397d80f02e9789bd9b6842e7efa555327aab.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T02:47:46 | null | 2016-08-27T01:28:48 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Ffg-constitutes-boards-npa-nimasa%2F.json | http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/President-Muhammadu-Buhari-e1471116429573.jpg | en | null | FG constitutes boards for NPA, NIMASA | null | null | thenationonlineng.net | President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the governing boards of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
A statement by the Director (Press) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Bolaji Adebiyi, disclosed that Emmanuel Olajide Adesoye is the Chairman of the NPA, while Major General Jonathan India Garba is the Chairman of the NIMASA.
Other members of the NPA Board include Supo Shasore, Suleiman Ibrahim Halilu, Constance Harry Mashal, Umar Shu’aibu and Charles Efe Emukowhate Sylvester.
Also on the board are Hadiza Bala Usman, Mohammed Bello Koko, Dr. Sekonte Davis, Professor Idris Abubakar and Mrs. I. J. Uche-Okoro.
The board members of the NIMASA include Asekomhe Oaakhia Kenneth, Mohammed Gidado Muazu, Hon. Barrister Ebele Obi, S. U. Galadanchi, Ms Nene Betty Dike and Dakuku Peterside.
Other members are Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo,
Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, Joseph Oluwarotimi Fashakin and Gambo Ahmed. | http://thenationonlineng.net/fg-constitutes-boards-npa-nimasa/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | thenationonlineng.net/25ce0e30ce8d506354d050a230e592c64cf814ce2690f88289e974c48574c883.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:04 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fmondays-high-school-softball-scores-7.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Monday's High School Softball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/mondays-high-school-softball-scores-7 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/b0e2d00d17ad10739b90b2c73fcf0dcd0e89dd550bd236459cc7f4c87b5f6d95.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T22:51:05 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Ffridays-high-school-softball-scores-3.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Friday's High School Softball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Pocola 6, Howe 0
Arkoma 9, Haworth 3
Cameron 5, Crowder 2
Dale 11, Spiro 3
Smithville 2, Stringtown 1
Smithville 12, Tupelo 0
Editor's note: Kinta did not have enough players top make the Haworth-Arkoma game into a three-way. Also, Whitesboro's game at Leflore was canceled with no make-up date set. Red Oak's three-way at Caney with Turner was rained out with no make-up date set.
— Compiled by PDN Sports Editor David Seeley | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/fridays-high-school-softball-scores-3 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/de11578d63b385d10f1c7a7244a3e7c1352d556da9f136128ec55b205b30c182.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:30 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fballoon-fest-meeting-today-aug-25.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Balloon Fest meeting today [Aug. 25] | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/balloon-fest-meeting-today-aug-25 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/f86ff8df3d46a78c59a91a0ff2993a92bd65c13f4cd4a040c2dd8ce30b35752c.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:51:24 | null | 2016-09-01T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fweeks-high-school-softball-schedule-5.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | This Week's High School Softball Schedule | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Today
Fort Gibson at Poteau, 4:30 p.m.
Wilburton at Heavener, 5 p.m.
Leflore and Keota at Howe, 4 p.m. (Leflore vs. Howe, 4 p.m.; Leflore vs. Keota, 5:30 p.m.; Keota vs. Howe, 7 p.m.)
Roland at Cameron, 4 p.m.
Stigler at Panama, 4:30 p.m.
Red Oak and Beggs at Spiro, 4 p.m. (Red Oak vs. Spiro, 4 p.m.; Red Oak vs. Beggs, 5:30 p.m.; Beggs vs. Spiro, 7 p.m.)
McCurtain and Broken Bow at Wister, 5 p.m. (McCurtain vs. Wister, 5 p.m.; Broken Bow vs. McCurtain, 6:15 p.m.; Broken Bow vs. Wister, 7:30 p.m.)
Arkoma and Gore at Sallisaw-Central, 4 p.m. (Arkoma vs. Sallisaw-Central, 4 p.m.; Arkoma vs. Gore, 5:30 p.m.)
Pocola at Vian, 4:30 p.m.
Panola at Buffalo Valley, 4 p.m.
Tuesday
Poteau at Spiro, 4 p.m.
Howe and Red Oak at Wister, 4 p.m. (Howe vs. Wister, 4 p.m.; Howe vs. Red Oak, 5:30 p.m.; Red Oak vs. Wister, 7 p.m.)
Hartshorne at Heavener, 4 p.m.
Sallisaw-Central at Pocola, 5:30 p.m.
Clayton and Panola at Whitesboro, 4 p.m. (Clayton vs. Whitesboro, 4 p.m.; Clayton vs. Panola, 5:30 p.m.; Panola vs. Whitesboro, 7 p.m.)
Leflore at Buffalo Valley, 5 p.m.
Cameron at Gore, 4:30 p.m.
Panama at Roland, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday
Poteau at Broken Bow, DH, 5 p.m.
Cameron at Keota, 5:15 p.m.
McCurtain at Arkoma, 5:30 p.m.
Wilburton at Pocola, 4:30 p.m.
Clayton at Talihina, 4:30 p.m.
Kinta at Whitesboro, 4 p.m.
Heavener and Sallisaw-Central at Warner, 5:15 p.m. (Heavener vs. Sallisaw-Central, 5:15 p.m.; Heavener vs. Warner, 6:30 p.m.)
Howe at Hartshorne, 4 p.m.
Panama and Wister at Tushka Tournament, TBA [If available, the bracket will appear on our sports page later this week].
Spiro at Erie [Colo.] Tournament of Champions, TBA [If available, the bracket will appear on our sports page later this week].
Buffalo Valley at Smithville, 4:30 p.m.
Friday
Red Oak at Whitesboro, 1 p.m.
Panama and Wister at Tushka Tournament, TBA.
Spiro at Erie [Colo.] Tournament of Champions, TBA.
Saturday
Panama and Wister at Tushka Tournament, TBA.
Spiro at Erie [Colo.] Tournament of Champions, TBA. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/weeks-high-school-softball-schedule-5 | en | 2016-09-01T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/ec0696b739f4db91725ba226ee0da295940705c2b546a33ece9dbe073b4e4156.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:52:16 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fpro-medical-marijuana-group-plans-rally-oklahoma-capitol.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Pro-medical marijuana group plans rally at Oklahoma Capitol | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A group that supports a state question to allow the medicinal use of marijuana in Oklahoma is planning to rally at the state Capitol.
The group Oklahomans for Change plans to rally Tuesday at 4:20 p.m., a numerical reference that symbolizes support for marijuana. Organizers say they are hoping hundreds of supporters show up for the event.
The group wants elected officials, including Gov. Mary Fallin and Attorney General Scott Pruitt, to know there is widespread support for legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Supporters also have been critical of Pruitt's rewrite of the language that will appear on the ballot.
A pro-marijuana group gathered more than 67,000 signatures within 90 days to qualify the medical marijuana question for the ballot, although the proposal likely won't appear until 2018. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/pro-medical-marijuana-group-plans-rally-oklahoma-capitol | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/67a233bb8c673fe9b4c93ef08ac5703e973ec06facd6f554d7b42339733f514c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:50:07 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fballoon-fest-volunteers-sought.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Balloon Fest volunteers sought | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | The Poteau Chamber of Commerce is looking for volunteers to help with this year's festival.
The festival is Oct. 14-15.
Volunteer registration is available at http://poteauchamberofcommerce.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=7088.
Volunteers are needed for attendants at events Cockrill's Critters, Derek Cook FMX, Famous Flying Dogs, Mud Pit Races, the balloon field, main gate vendor entrance and parking on the main grounds. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/balloon-fest-volunteers-sought | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/1d4ac8f21baf5c036185de22d63ca2c9abe339ea46c4b9941a429ca4f3caaf3f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:25 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fweeks-high-school-baseball-tournament-brackets.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | This Week's High School Baseball Tournament Brackets | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/weeks-high-school-baseball-tournament-brackets | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/5b5d0ccf9a94e1b9b52f68232d28faf93c4a3d7675eab1adf90534e518eacf84.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:50:04 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fwhitesboro-softball-tournament-not-starting-until-1-pm-saturday.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Whitesboro Softball Tournament Not Starting until 1 p.m. Saturday | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/whitesboro-softball-tournament-not-starting-until-1-pm-saturday | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/0aa087d88311ee4399dbb79765225698e201f0eaf8fd366ddbd1f00bf3b1cded.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:25 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Ftuesdays-high-school-baseball-scores-5.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Tuesday's High School Baseball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/tuesdays-high-school-baseball-scores-5 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/cc2fa4efb4e399b48055a27260f710976b8b67c6ba95035334e1fac3c0ebf111.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:49:44 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fzero-week-football-starts-friday.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Zero Week football starts Friday | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Zero Week football games will start tonight.
All games start at 7 p.m.
This includes Atoka at Talihina, Haskell at Heavener and Panama at Warner.
You can see the Gridiron Preview section in today's [Aug. 26] print edition. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/zero-week-football-starts-friday | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/b4133dff1b826c073a3f2c027fef0a6437271e70c279b62bd5ebd7de58acbc8d.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:49:55 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Ffriday-nights-high-school-football-zero-week-scores.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Friday Night's High School Football Zero Week Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/friday-nights-high-school-football-zero-week-scores | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/83103003cd6fe168463c271e5f3c137538c9db97804832363f2f3a725014ebd2.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:52:00 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fmondays-high-school-baseball-scores-10.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Monday's High School Baseball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/mondays-high-school-baseball-scores-10 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/7bc2f26770d7f1e89a4c8f03dbd35db54067c9ed0610ab84b458177d598dbb9b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:56 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Ftoby-keith-headline-choctaw-labor-day-festival.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Toby Keith to headline Choctaw Labor Day Festival | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Oklahoma's own country superstar, Toby Keith, has been announced as the top headliner at this year's Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival.
The festival officially opens Thursday, Sept. 1, with the Choctaw Princess Pageant and continues until noon Sept. 5.
Keith released his first album in 1993 .
In total, he has released 17 studio albums, two Christmas albums and four compilation albums. He has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
A further detailed article is available in today's [Aug. 25] print edition of the Poteau Daily News. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/toby-keith-headline-choctaw-labor-day-festival | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/def40b7ce6c8bb038a65c5df8415458ac49138632f2db74f4f8c30e94f29a8c1.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:51:38 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fweeks-high-school-fall-baseball-schedule-2.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | This Week's High School Fall Baseball Schedule | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Today
Cameron at Wister, DH, 4 p.m.
Smithville at Howe, 4:30 p.m.
Red Oak at Whitesboro, 4 p.m.
Oktaha at Leflore, DH, 4:30 p.m.
Buffalo Valley at Indianola, 4 p.m.
Tuesday
Kinta at Howe, 5:30 p.m.
Tushka at Wister, 4:30 p.m.
Smithville at Red Oak, 4:30 p.m.
Stuart at Buffalo Valley, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Buffalo Valley at Wister, 4 p.m.
Smithville at Whitesboro, 5 p.m.
Howe at McCurtain, DH, 4 p.m.
Oktaha at Red Oak, 4:30 p.m.
Friday
Red Oak at Coleman, 1 p.m.
Smithville at Haworth, 4 p.m. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/weeks-high-school-fall-baseball-schedule-2 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/b16e0008ab8fe6d6d87c6a2393eb4424ba6603a49a69eb2cf3b32e61188a4929.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:36 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Faaa-offers-back-school-tips-motorists.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | AAA offers back to school tips for motorists | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Summer is drawing to a close across Oklahoma as schools go back in session. Many will soon return to the classroom; many already have. With thousands of school children walking or biking to and from school, AAA warns drivers to be especially alert and watch for pedestrians before and after school.
The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous for walking children. Over the last decade nationally, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Distraction has become an everyday problem on the road. Last year, Owasso Mid-High teacher Bobbi White was killed in an automobile collision when a distracted driver crashed into her car.
This year, Bobbi’s mother, Gail, is using back to school as a way to bring awareness to distracted driving. In cooperation with the Owasso Police Department, Gail is placing signs near schools urging motorists to “Drop It & Drive.”
In 2015, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued more than 150 citations for texting while driving.
“More than 1,200 children lost their lives in crashes during after-school hours between 2000 and 2010 nationwide,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma, “and although we’ve seen a steady decrease in the number of tragedies each year, it’s important to remember that it’s up to adult drivers to watch out for children walking and biking to and from school.”
AAA offers six tips to help keep kids safer this school year:
1. Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
2. Eliminate distractions. Children often cross the road unexpectedly and may emerge suddenly between two parked cars. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing. Put down the phone.
3. Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, driveway and around your vehicle before backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under or around vehicles, especially those that are parked.
4. Talk to your teen. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens across the U. S., and more than one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occurs between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Get evidence-based guidance and tips at TeenDriving.AAA.com.
5. Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones and neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.
6. Watch for bicycles. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and the bicycle. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that they wear a properly-fitted bicycle helmet on every ride.
Visit www.AAA.com/Safety for more information. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/aaa-offers-back-school-tips-motorists | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/be837031c4c138d8fcfcaa6ba926da356e06e5495931a88da916cb5d9171b466.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:01 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fgas-prices-steadily-increasing.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Gas prices steadily increasing | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | The average price of self-serve regular gasoline spiked nearly 7 cents over the past week, GasBuddy reports.
The average rose 6.7 centers per-gallon over the week to give Oklahoma a $2.03 per-gallon average as of Sunday. GasBuddy performs a daily survey of 2,294 gas stations in Oklahoma.
"With the benchmark WTI crude climbing more than $8 per barrel since the beginning of the month to $48 per barrel and Brent above $50, we should not be surprised to see the average price of gas in many areas nearly 5 cents than it was a week ago," said Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.
Despite the increase, the gas prices source said prices on Sunday were 44.7 cents per gallon lower than they were a year ago. However, they're 12 cents higher than a month ago.
Local Poteau gas prices for regular per-gallon included on Tuesday afternoon:
• E-Z Mart: $1.93.
• Walmart: $1.93.
• Choctaw Travel Plaza: $1.94.
• Tote-A-Poke: $2.23 (no ethanol).
• Bud's: $1.93.
• KP's: $1.93.
"While wholesale gasoline prices reflect the run-up for crude, it may be short-lived since the clock is ticking on the rally for retail prices with just two weeks left before the Labor Day weekend and summer's official end," Laskoski added.
"So consumers should be prepared for modest increases this week that may actually taper off as we approach the holiday weekend."
Historical average prices for Monday's date show a vast different compared to today's gasoline prices in Oklahoma: $2.47 per gallon in 2015, $3.24 in 2014, $3.39 in 2013, $3.58 in 2012 and $3.43 in 2011.
The national average increased 3.7 cents to $2.16 per-gallon. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/gas-prices-steadily-increasing | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/49d7d57dbb4846ed727e09e00fb8ed96c4afe01d9af9d23bf5b807e890d96b2e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:40 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Ftuesdays-high-school-softball-scores-4.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Tuesday's High School Softball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/tuesdays-high-school-softball-scores-4 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/730cc45184663a77d7110e4eeb68fcb0cdae8acddd3f1bfe62a71ec6f994bb11.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:16 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fsports-photo-week-67.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Sports Photo of the Week | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/sports-photo-week-67 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/195f236f7324af50f821051c56c72e11c583b0486a6a162ba7b86ba04d995f21.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:52 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fmondays-high-school-baseball-scores-9.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Monday's High School Baseball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/mondays-high-school-baseball-scores-9 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/ccd8d3b2019321633ee1e335f7e57d82aa81164b742be03bcb2a046b2bb48216.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:50:20 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fwhitesboro-tournament-day-1-scores.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Whitesboro Tournament Day 1 Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/whitesboro-tournament-day-1-scores | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/ec0d9a859ce860c08fc0d64a8857e1658c467fcbab83ae284f6ad1cd4b893ab9.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:50:12 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Ffridays-high-school-baseball-scores-2.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Friday's High School Baseball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/fridays-high-school-baseball-scores-2 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/1ea708f65071fc0715784d68a696d033ebe1975b04733007b41891f6d8d621aa.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:50:09 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fthursdays-high-school-softball-scores-5.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Thursday's High School Softball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | Sequoyah-Tahlequah 5, Poteau 4
Heavener 6, Leflore 3
Heavener 6, Battiest 3
Battiest 3, Leflore 2, 6 inn.
Panama 3, Pocola 2
Pocola 5, Oktaha 3
Oktaha 8, Panama 0
Cameron 13, McCurtain 2
Antlers 15, Talihina 1
Porum 3, Arkoma 2
Prague Tournament
Spiro 6, Prague 5
Latta 3, Spiro 1
Editor's note: Whitesboro's game at Panola was canceled due to Panola High School having an academic meet. No make-up date has been set by press time.
— Compiled by PDN Sports Editor David Seeley | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/thursdays-high-school-softball-scores-5 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/69d9b58f5eaee2399acb9d53760abda1a4bd5c0edea2db235a282209a99bc18b.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:52:03 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fmondays-high-school-softball-scores-8.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Monday's High School Softball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/mondays-high-school-softball-scores-8 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/40fb4b4b68cb1d49e3a4bd3c0245a74be5d869f64ea481209ccbbdff34cae97e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:49:56 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fvideo-%25E2%2580%2594-ap-poll-anomaly-starting-finishing-no-1.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | VIDEO - AP poll: the anomaly of starting, finishing No. 1 | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | It happens about as often as an eclipse. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. In this stat-astic video, see how often a college football team has started the preseason number one and finished the season with a ticker tape parade. | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/video-%E2%80%94-ap-poll-anomaly-starting-finishing-no-1 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/aeaf95def43a4c30650e90c0d3dfd87e8b1d1d7ec8d7f0f27b276ec8d1df481b.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:50:55 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fsaturdays-high-school-softball-scores-1.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Saturday's High School Softball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/saturdays-high-school-softball-scores-1 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/61e57d06843e9697627b5db77bfcaabe4f69bb0c631470e91bfa2dc2ce90f7f7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T18:50:16 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fcasc-fall-classic-day-1-scores.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | CASC Fall Classic Day 1 Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/casc-fall-classic-day-1-scores | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/1614e93c9219270eb1275e9453c86edd6fcf6c639e283dfee67d43b59610ee1d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:50:44 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.poteaudailynews.com%2Fcontent%2Fsaturdays-high-school-baseball-scores.json | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | Saturday's High School Baseball Scores | null | null | www.poteaudailynews.com | I approve of it
I don't like it
We don't need a new plate
We need a different design
No opinion | http://www.poteaudailynews.com/content/saturdays-high-school-baseball-scores | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.poteaudailynews.com/6a37b3f17269faf734e5f8229d33ef3eacf5ea51ee2ab015a9f3a1eec566dd01.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:51:27 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Emerging market currencies and stocks fell yesterday, halting a two-day advance, after comments by the US Federal Reserve signaling that interest rates could rise this year damped demand for riskier assets. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654125.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Developing nation assets decline | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Bloomberg
Emerging market currencies and stocks fell yesterday, halting a two-day advance, after comments by the US Federal Reserve signaling that interest rates could rise this year damped demand for riskier assets.
The South Korean won and Malaysian ringgit led losses among Asian currencies and the rand weakened after US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday said that the case for tightening had strengthened, a message later reinforced by US Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, who said a rate increase next month is possible. Russian stocks slid, heading for their steepest decline in more than three weeks, while Turkish shares fell.
“Asian currencies are starting off the week on a weaker note as markets now assign higher odds of a September hike from the Fed — quite a big change from a few weeks ago when hikes were not being contemplated till late 2017 or early 2018,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd in Singapore.
The remarks by Yellen and Fischer were “consistent with a possible hike in September,” he said.
CURRENCIES
The MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index dropped 0.7 percent as of 9:25am in London. The won fell 1 percent after hitting the lowest level in a week, the ringgit retreated 0.7 percent and South Africa’s rand slid 0.4 percent, falling for a seventh day.
China’s yuan traded near a five-week low. The exchange rate fell as much as 0.24 percent as the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the US dollar against 10 peers, rose 0.2 percent, after gaining 0.8 percent on Friday, the steepest advance since June 27.
The odds that US rates will climb next month, as indicated by futures prices, jumped to 42 percent as of Friday from 22 percent a week earlier.
STOCKS
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.9 percent, after touching its lowest level since Aug. 8. All 10 industry gauges in the benchmark measure dropped, led by healthcare companies and materials stocks.
Celltrion Inc slid 3.1 percent in Seoul, LG Chem Ltd fell 1.9 percent and Korea Electric Power Corp dropped 1.7 percent.
Taiwan’s TAIEX index fell 0.02 percent, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index of Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong fell 0.6 percent, and the Jakarta Composite Index dropped 1.5 percent and.
RUSSIA, TURKEY
Russia’s Micex index dropped 0.8 percent, set for its steepest decline since Aug. 2, while Novatek OJSC fell 2 percent. The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index fell 1 percent as Akbank TAS retreated 1.5 percent.
Equity markets in India, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam saw a combined net foreign outflow of nearly US$842 million last week, as Fed officials ratcheted up hawkish rhetoric. The Indian stock market had its first week of net foreign selling in nine, while Philippine equities had a back-to-back weekly net outflow after 12 weeks of net foreign buying.
“In the short term, the latest hawkish comments from senior Fed officials are not positive for emerging market fund flows,” said Chung Sung-yoon, a currency analyst at Hyundai Futures Corp in Seoul. “For instance, we are probably going to see foreign money outflows from South Korea this week, as investors turn more cautious before the US job data.”
The US economy added 180,000 jobs this month, according to the median estimate of a Bloomberg survey before Friday’s payrolls data. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/30/2003654125 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/61c5b0c763911357565d6e13e4ad7a725ab915791ad652b3d235af487c3b22ea.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:01 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Spanish rider David de la Cruz won stage nine and claimed the overall lead of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday with a decisive attack 500m from the line. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654150.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/30/thumbs/P16-160830-317.jpg | en | null | De la Cruz takes stage nine and Vuelta lead | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, OVIEDO, Spain
Spanish rider David de la Cruz won stage nine and claimed the overall lead of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday with a decisive attack 500m from the line.
De la Cruz beat out Belgian Dries Devenyns and Italy’s Moreno Moser in a time of 3 hours, 47 minutes, 56 seconds on the 164.5km stage from Cistierna to Oviedo.
The general classification favorites, including overnight leader Nairo Quintana and Tour de France winner Chris Froome, finished 2 minutes, 56 seconds back.
That gap allowed De la Cruz to jump to the top of the standings, 22 seconds clear of Quintana with his Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde 19 seconds further back.
Froome slips to fourth, eight seconds further adrift, in his quest to become the first man in 38 years to win both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana in the same year.
Despite another punishing category-two climb to the finish over the Alto de Naranco, a 12-man breakaway was never reeled in by the peloton after building up a five-minute lead.
That sparked a series of attacks from the strong breakaway group, but it eventually came down to a clash between De la Cruz and Devenyns for the stage win.
However, when De la Cruz kicked for the line in the final kilometer, Devenyns could not live with him.
“I was not thinking about the lead at the end. I was so close to winning the stage, that was my main objective,” De la Cruz said. “It was very hard to ride with Devenyns because he was hard to beat, but I am the leader as well, I cannot believe it.” | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/30/2003654150 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/4b4cc77c65cdf14466afeeac745594b7e1cd0d7d9013dcabfaee120f760a7305.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:11 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The Taiwan Medical Association (TMA) yesterday urged police to catch the person who attacked a Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital urologist on Wednesday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2F2003653896.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Medical group condemns attack on Taipei urologist | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Medical Association (TMA) yesterday urged police to catch the person who attacked a Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital urologist on Wednesday.
Huang Chung-yen (黃中研), the director and attending physician in the department of endocrinology and metabolism, was seeing a patient at the morning outpatient clinic at the hospital in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) when a man burst into his office and attacked him with an iron rod.
Huang sustained injuries to his left arm and right leg.
Although the patient tried to detain the attacker, the man fled and escaped in a taxi.
According to witnesses, the attacker appeared to be in his twenties, was about 1.7m tall and was wearing a white sports jacket, the police said.
They said they have contacted the taxi driver who drove the attacker to Taipei Railway Station.
The taxi driver was quoted by police as saying that the suspect had said he was going to take the high-speed rail south.
The hospital said the attack was immediately reported to the police, and emphasized that it would “not tolerate violence,” adding that it planned to take legal action against the attacker.
The association also criticized the attack.
“One of our colleagues was violently attacked as he was providing medical care. We are extremely angry and distressed,” the association said in a statement.
“We hope the doctor can recover soon, and the association will do its best to provide the necessary support and assistance,” it said.
The incident demonstrated that violence to medical personnel can occur anywhere, not just in emergency rooms, so violence prevention measures need to be improved in outpatient clinics, wards, operating rooms and nursing stations.
Hospitals and clinics, and all healthcare practitioners, should emphasize how to handle these situations to reduce damage and to prevent them, the association said.
“The association strongly condemns any type of violence to healthcare practitioners and demands that authorities cooperate with related facilities, groups or civil forces to do what must be done to create a medical environment in which healthcare practitioners and the public feel safe,” it said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/26/2003653896 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/d4b98660e8f7d5a6fd265d279e02139f1aed5cf0f442af986d703b9c83012b9d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:27 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Students and netizens have ridiculed National Taichung First Senior High School’s ambitious new gatehouse, saying the NT$9.6 million (US$303,107) structure is “ugly” and looks like it fronts a brothel. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654099.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | School’s new gatehouse ridiculed | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter
Students and netizens have ridiculed National Taichung First Senior High School’s ambitious new gatehouse, saying the NT$9.6 million (US$303,107) structure is “ugly” and looks like it fronts a brothel.
The gatehouse replaces a 40-year-old building that was said to be unsafe.
Apparently inspired by “modernist” aesthetics, the new gatehouse boasts reflective metal surfaces and neon lights, which the school lit up on Saturday evening.
Its first day of use is scheduled to be today.
However, the response of netizens was less than enthusiastic.
A picture of the structure was uploaded to Professional Technology Temple (PTT) — the nation’s largest academic online bulletin board — the same evening.
Most PTT users commenting on the photo criticized the gatehouse as ugly.
One said: “Why the hell does this thing have lights? It is beyond garish.”
Another said: “It looks like the entrance to one of those ‘eight major special establishment categories (八大特種行業),’” a slang term referring to seedy karaoke bars, saunas, massage parlors and semi-regulated brothels.
“As a former student, I say it is superlatively ugly,” another critical PTT user said.
National Taichung First Senior High School secretary-general Chen Yu-ke (陳余各) was quoted in the Chinese-language Apple Daily as saying that the gatehouse was designed by the Da-Yeh University College of Design and Arts and was approved after “about a dozen” school meetings, adding that the novelty of its appearance and the bright lights might be responsible for its inadvertent impact on the public. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/29/2003654099 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/b8a7eb512cc25ad091d6e5599e9f00890447e3b9133cf9967257337157741385.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:53:52 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | A wealthy tycoon who was a chief financier for Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party could be executed in days after losing his final appeal yesterday against a death sentence from a controversial war crimes tribunal. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654234.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/31/thumbs/P05-160831-302.jpg | en | null | Bangladeshi tycoon loses final appeal | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, DHAKA
A wealthy tycoon who was a chief financier for Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party could be executed in days after losing his final appeal yesterday against a death sentence from a controversial war crimes tribunal.
The Bangladeshi Supreme Court rejected Mir Quasem Ali’s last attempt to overturn the death sentence handed down two years ago by the domestic tribunal for murders committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence conflict.
“Now he has a chance to seek presidential clemency. Or else the verdict could be executed any time whenever the state wants,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after the verdict was handed down.
Five opposition leaders have already been executed for war crimes since 2013. They were all hanged just days after their appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court.
Their families said they had refused to seek a presidential pardon as they did not want to legitimize the whole trials process.
Ali, who became a shipping and real-estate tycoon, was convicted in November 2014 of a series of crimes during Bangladesh’s war of separation from Pakistan, including the abduction and murder of a young independence fighter.
Yesterday’s decision is considered a major blow for the Jamaat-e-Islami party, which the 63-year-old Ali had helped revive by setting up charities, businesses and trusts linked to it after it was allowed to operate in the late 1970s.
His son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, who was part of his legal defense team, was allegedly abducted earlier this month, which critics say was an attempt to sow fear and prevent protests against the imminent execution.
Security was tight in Dhaka yesterday, even though the party has in recent months eschewed violent protests in reaction to war crimes verdicts and there was no immediate sign of unrest.
The war crimes tribunal set up by the Bangladeshi government has divided the country, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party branding them a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.
The executions and convictions of Jamaat officials plunged Bangladesh into one of its worst crises in 2013 when tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police, with about 500 people killed.
In the same year the government launched a nationwide crackdown of Jamaat activists in which tens of thousands were either detained or sued over the protests.
Jamaat was briefly banned by newly independent Bangladesh after its leaders became key organizers of the notorious pro-Pakistani militia al-Badr during the nine-month war of independence.
Before he was arrested in 2012 on 14 war crimes charges, Ali headed Diganta Media Corp, which owns a pro-Jamaat daily and a television station that was shut down in 2013 for allegedly stoking religious tensions.
Defense lawyers have said the charges against him were “baseless and false” and that he was not at the scene of the crimes for which he has been convicted.
The court ruling came a day after a visit to Dhaka by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said the best way to combat extremism was “to live up to the core values of democracy.”
Rights groups have also criticized the trials, saying they fall short of international standards and lack any foreign oversight.
A group of UN human-rights experts last week urged Bangladesh to annul Ali’s death sentence and to retry him in compliance with international standards. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/31/2003654234 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/01756a865f24f163ecf953e60c976eccbf99d244e080968c6f6b1d57e7c3c779.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:58 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska put on a dominant performance against double defending champion Petra Kvitova to ease into the final of the Connecticut Open with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph on Friday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003654027.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/28/thumbs/P10-160828-323a.jpg | en | null | Radwanska beats Kvitova to reach Connecticut final | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters
Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska put on a dominant performance against double defending champion Petra Kvitova to ease into the final of the Connecticut Open with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph on Friday.
Kvitova, who also won the event in 2012, was looking to join Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki as four-time winners of the tournament, but the sixth-seeded Czech was completely overwhelmed by the Polish world No. 4.
The two-time Wimbledon champion committed 17 unforced errors in the first set and never got into the match, which was completed in 77 minutes.
The fast-starting Radwanska won the first five games of the match and then reeled off the opening four of the second set to stay in control throughout.
The Pole next faces Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who overcame Johanna Larsson 6-4 6-2 to reach the final. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/28/2003654027 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/347505355efe3da77a08f7d3d8d8e2df14ca18e9efd7d29eba75822a83e48acd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:51:12 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | An association of former policy advisers who served during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) term in office yesterday said that it will strive toward winning the Nobel Peace Prize for Ma and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the historic meeting that took place between the two in November last year, adding that it will formally submit the nomination at the end of October. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653959.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Ex-advisers say Ma, Xi merit Nobel Peace Prize | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter
An association of former policy advisers who served during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) term in office yesterday said that it will strive toward winning the Nobel Peace Prize for Ma and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the historic meeting that took place between the two in November last year, adding that it will formally submit the nomination at the end of October.
Former national policy adviser Lin Shui-chi (林水吉) and association chairman Liu Shen-liang (劉盛良) visited Ma last month and brought up the plan, Lin told a news conference.
“The former president, upon hearing it, was all smiles and looked full of expectation,” Lin said.
When asked why Ma was not invited to the news conference, Lin said Ma wanted to keep the plan low-key.
“He certainly would have a lot to say when he wins the prize,” Lin added.
“You might wonder why we held this conference when Ma said he wants to keep it low-key. The reason is that we want to promote the value of peace. No leader, no matter how aggressive or barbaric, would dare say that they are against peace. Wars and invaders also claimed to pursue peace,” he said.
Liu, who was chosen as the convener of a committee to promote the nomination, said Ma contributed to cross-strait peace during his eight years in office, “which was also a great contribution to Asia’s peace and world peace.”
“The handshake between Ma and Xi has turned a new page for the two sides after 66 years,” Liu said, adding that as the cross-strait peace has set a paradigm for world peace, “Ma’s and Xi’s endeavor for peace deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.”
If the leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait could win the prize, “it would be more meaningful than signing a cross-strait peace agreement,” the association said in a statement.
However, Military Civil Faculty Alliance Party chairman Chang Tzu (張賜) said he is worried about the timing.
Chang said that the controversy over Mega International Commercial Bank, whose New York branch was handed a US$180 million fine by a US regulator for violating money laundering laws, might implicate people who served in the Ma administration.
“We can put the nomination issue off a bit,” he said.
Ma’s office later yesterday issued a statement, saying that Ma had not been notified about the news conference.
The office said that several former national policy advisers, including Liu and Lin, did visit Ma and expressed their wish to push for his nomination, but Ma, while expressing his gratitude, clearly told them that it “was not appropriate and did not encourage them to go forward with it.” | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/27/2003653959 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/da67790031a68f897706e57c92841f5bef06812070ecf7c231973b213b4ac5dd.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:51:04 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | In a melee of hooves and hands, a scrum of horse riders on the plains of Central Asia wrestle to get control of the ball — or in this case the carcass of a freshly slaughtered goat. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003654023.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/28/thumbs/P10-160828-301a.jpg | en | null | FEATURE：Goat polo, tug-of-war as Nomad Games approach | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, SUUSAMIR, Kyrgyzstan
In a melee of hooves and hands, a scrum of horse riders on the plains of Central Asia wrestle to get control of the ball — or in this case the carcass of a freshly slaughtered goat.
After several minutes of shrieks and equine snorts, a rider from ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan’s national team emerges clutching the carcass, triggering a frantic pursuit.
The game — called kok-boru (“gray wolf”) in Kyrgyzstan and buzkashi (“goat grabbing”) in Afghanistan — is a warm-up for the second edition of the World Nomad Games to be held in September.
Organizers say the Games — first staged by impoverished Kyrgyzstan in 2014 — are aimed at boosting nomadic traditions threatened by globalization and should draw competitors from about 40 countries this year.
Events include age-old versions of wrestling, hunting and horse racing and of course the eye-catching kok-boru.
“Some might say this is a cruel type of sport, but for us, it is something national, something that is ours,” Kyrgyz player Temir Moldokulov, 31, said of the sport, likened by some to an ultra-violent version of polo.
“At the Games we will be representing not just our country, but our ancestors,” he said.
PRESERVING CULTURE
For a poor country like Kyrgyzstan that has faced two revolutions and oscillated between democracy and authoritarianism in its 25 years of independence, the Nomad Games have become a point of national pride.
This time round the number of nations sending competitors for the two-week event beginning on Saturday on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul has nearly doubled since the first Games two years ago.
The state has already released special edition coins and stamps to commemorate the Games, whose logo is being worn on custom-made broaches by state television presenters.
Organizers cite a mission to “revive and preserve the culture, identity and ways of life of nomadic peoples in the era of globalization,” but many have aired concerns about cost overruns.
Recently the cash-strapped government admitted that the cost of rebuilding the stadium where many events will take place had ballooned from about US$7 million at the start of the year to more than US$16 million.
World Nomad Games secretariat head Nurdin Sultambayev said the event is part of a “long journey” and that the government would claw back its investment in future tourism revenues.
“This is a brand that can take our country forward,” Sultambayev said, adding that some expenses would be met by sponsors including Russian energy firm Gazprom, while declining to state the Games’ total cost.
COMPELLING SPECTACLE
The Games will not stay in Kyrgyzstan forever — Turkey is to host the 2018 version — but traditionalists are optimistic that the buzz they create can help tweak sporting tastes in the country.
Overlooking a mixed training session for Kyrgyzstan’s national team of mas-wrestling — a stick-pulling competition whose origins can be traced to Russia’s Turkic-speaking Yakutia Province — coach Talaibek Janybayev said sports such as his can be “unifying.”
“This is not boxing or wrestling, no one is beating anyone up,” Janybayev said. “There is just a 50cm stick and simple competition — who is stronger? What is more, it is a very economical form of sport to develop.”
Watched up close in a sweaty gym in the capital Bishkek, a mas-wrestling duel — full of grunts and often lasting less than a minute — is a compelling spectacle. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/28/2003654023 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/301aaaa4b7de8503af5ff48e5c917587b03bab17a477e002469f825143779ce2.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:27 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Green government too blue | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Feditorials%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654138.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Taipei Times | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Green government too blue
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) honestly fulfilled her campaign promise of “not to take away the whole bowl” — meaning her Cabinet ministers and other government officials would not entirely come from her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
However, Tsai and Premier Lin Chuan (林全) have overdone it. Most of their appointees and many government corporation heads are loyal Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members including some retirees. KMT members, especially former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), must feel happy — as if they are still in power. Insiders are not necessarily better than outsiders.
If a KMT flavor is needed, Tsai’s administration should only consider those who have been discharged by the KMT. In general, former officials in former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration are preferred. More young people and women should be considered.
As a result of the strong blue tinge of the green administration, Taiwanese feel blue and Tsai’s and Lin’s approval ratings are lower than their disapproval ratings (the so-called “death cross”). In the recent seven local by-elections, KMT candidates won three, non-partisan candidates won four, and DPP candidates won none. These are warning signs.
Also, there have been numerous unfortunate accidents and scandals in the armed forces as well as transportation and finance sectors. The alleged money laundering by the state-run Mega Financial Holding Co is a “mega” problem.
It is a bad decision that Taiwan will not try to join the UN next month. Some government policies and investigations are often impeded by internal inertia and resistance. The “status quo” is a dynamic state, and should not be misunderstood as a stagnant state.
In celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first direct presidential election by Taiwanese, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) pointed at the long-term Taiwanese wish of making Taiwan a normalized state. As a start, all Taiwanese netizens should sign an ongoing petition to change “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan.” Hopefully, Taiwan will try again to join the UN under the name of “Taiwan” — a clear, simple name known and accepted virtually all over the world.
Within 100 days, the Tsai Administration has made some historical breakthroughs that are impressive beyond description and deserve our applause.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
High taxes are not punitive
Martin Feldstein is wrong about universal basic income (“US must aim to reduce poverty, not penalize earned success,” Aug. 28, page 7).
First, “penalizing success” is a code phrase that says rich people should not pay higher taxes. Rich people paying higher taxes is not punishing success. Canada, Europe and Japan all tax their rich more than the US and use that money to give their people generous social welfare benefits such as public transportation, education and healthcare.
Canadians, Europeans and Japanese are all healthier and more educated than Americans and their public transportation is better than the US’.
Second, he says universal basic income is impossibly expensive.
Not true. They already have universal basic income in Canada and are planning it in Scandinavia.
Furthermore, in the future there will be no jobs as humans will be replaced by technology. If we have no jobs, how can we have money? Universal basic income. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/08/30/2003654138 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/55eba80c0f212e2954af3d79c08e67f346ddfbefc19f3c48139800e1da96ea9b.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:51:53 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The beer ran out in some sections of the Olympic stadium, but most of the 61,247 spectators at Saturday’s US college football opener in Sydney between California and Hawaii appeared to be enjoying their American “gridiron” experience. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654076.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/29/thumbs/P10-160829-327.jpg | en | null | Australia hosts college football season opener | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AP, SYDNEY
The beer ran out in some sections of the Olympic stadium, but most of the 61,247 spectators at Saturday’s US college football opener in Sydney between California and Hawaii appeared to be enjoying their American “gridiron” experience.
The favored Pac 12 conference’s California Golden Bears from Berkeley across the bay from San Francisco were 51-31 winners. It was a midday start so that the game could be televised back to the US in prime time on Friday night, and was played under sunny skies and with light winds.
Tailgate parties were not a big part of the day — there are not a lot of ground-level parking lots close to the 83,500-seat stadium — but fans feasted on hotdogs and copious amounts of French fries and nachos. Asian and Middle Eastern food from nearby catering kiosks also featured, reflecting the multicultural makeup of the neighborhoods around the former Olympic precinct of Homebush in western Sydney.
The concession stands, however, appeared to be unprepared for the crowds. Stadium officials said 70,000 cups of beer were sold, but one spectator tweeted he waited in line for an hour, while another said the reason there were so many empty seats is that most of the fans were in a queue somewhere.
Many of the Aussie fans were “barracking” more for the underdog Hawaiians than the more-fancied Cal State side.
“Really, they were cheering for us more?” asked Hawaii’s first-year coach Nick Rolovich.
He even admitted to noticing some traditional stadium features like the Kiss Cam, supplemented often by Karaoke Cam and Dance Cam — the highlight of the last feature was a young boy with a Cal State T-shirt busting some Michael Jackson-like moves on the giant stadium scoreboard.
A local marching band provided halftime entertainment, supplemented by 30 members of the Hawaii marching band. Among the glitches was the person who sang The Star-Spangled Banner mistakenly replacing one word for another during the US national anthem. And one of the referees made a not-so-flattering remark about someone on the sidelines, but forgot his stadium microphone was turned on.
The star of the show on the field was California quarterback Davis Webb, who made quite an impression in his first game as a graduate transfer from Texas Tech.
Told he had 441 yards passing — 38 for 54, with no interceptions — Webb said dryly: “Yeah, it was OK, I’m just glad we got the victory. Hawaii threw a few blitzes at us and our offensive line played well.”
Hawaii were without three key players for unspecified disciplinary reasons. A Rainbow Warriors spokesman said just before the game began that safety Daniel Lewis Jr, linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams and tight end Metuisela Unga were not with the team on Saturday.
Cal coach Sonny Dykes said it was a good starting point for his team.
“There is still plenty of work to be done, but overall we played a very good game and never let them get back into it,” Dykes said.
Coach Rolovich also did his bit to enliven the contest for the new fan base. After losing the coin toss and Cal decided to receive, Hawaii tried an on-side kick that the Bears were able to recover at midfield. It was quite the way to start the new college season.
“I wanted to make sure Australian fans got to see an onside kick, and in my first game, too,” Rolovich said. “But seriously, I hope it sends a message that we are going to play aggressively and won’t back down.” | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/29/2003654076 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/65afce7d6c437f69bef574e5c6ef2634f9d3bda30302df46492082689ea428a8.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:51:56 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | Talks between the EU and the US over a free-trade deal are “bogged down” and there little chance of an agreement this year, French President Francois Hollande said yesterday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654198.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | No EU-US trade deal before Obama leaves office: Paris | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters and AFP, PARIS
Talks between the EU and the US over a free-trade deal are “bogged down” and there little chance of an agreement this year, French President Francois Hollande said yesterday.
In a speech to French ambassadors he added that he could not support an agreement that would be concluded before the end of US President Barack Obama’s mandate in January next year.
“The negotiations are bogged down, positions have not been respected, it’s clearly unbalanced,” Hollande said.
Earlier in the day, French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said that he make the case that the European Commission shouldhalt the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations when EU trade ministers meeting in Bratislava next month.
Fekl told told RMC radio that the talks are weighted in favor of the Americans.
“The Americans give nothing or just crumbs ... that is not how negotiations are done between allies,” he said. “We need a clear and definitive halt to these negotiations in order to restart on a good foundation.” | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/31/2003654198 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/33259c019ce54c7ef923ba4da50b2ecbebbc905d0d380f7cf6176ee471064d48.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:06 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | New Zealand were plunged into deep trouble yesterday when they lost three wickets before lunch on the third day of the second Test against South Africa. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654151.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/30/thumbs/P16-160830-314.jpg | en | null | Kiwis slip in second Test | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, CENTURION, South Africa
New Zealand were plunged into deep trouble yesterday when they lost three wickets before lunch on the third day of the second Test against South Africa.
New Zealand were 118-6 at lunch, 363 runs behind South Africa’s first innings total of 481-8 declared at Centurion’s SuperSport Park.
Fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander picked up a wicket apiece.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was the only batsman to look comfortable against the South African attack. He was on 40 not out at lunch.
On Sunday, patience paid off for South African captain Faf du Plessis as he was rewarded with three quick wickets after grinding out a century.
New Zealand finished day two of the second Test on 38-3.
Du Plessis made 112 not out off 234 balls and said he had stuck to a plan.
“There is a lot happening in the wicket and we just needed one guy to anchor the innings and keep them out there as long as possible,” he said. “The plan right from the beginning was to try to get to 400, which is a good score on this wicket, and then have a little dip at them at the end of the day.”
Du Plessis said he and JP Duminy had found batting in the last hour on the first day to be particularly difficult.
His declaration was therefore geared to having New Zealand bat when it was most likely to be tough for them in South African winter conditions, with the close coming near sunset.
“The grass stands up a little more toward the end of the day and because of the light you can see the little indentations on the pitch which you don’t see when the sun is shining brightly in the middle of the day,” he said. “It plays on your mind a bit.”
In an era of rapid scoring in Test cricket, much of South Africa’s innings was a return to a more attritional age, with the run rate hovering at around three an over.
Du Plessis was particularly cautious as he tiptoed to a fifth Test century off 225 balls.
However, it paid off as reunited fast bowling pair Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander ripped out both openers before Ross Taylor was run out. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/30/2003654151 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/2f506b97300c14ac1c1226029206244fdd820c41fa9f7eb90172e92ff1a881d1.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:38 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The Kaohsiung City Government has sent blood and tissue samples from dead Formosan macaques to the Council of Agriculture after the Bureau of Agriculture last week received reports of more than 15 deaths of the protected species. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654098.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/29/thumbs/P02-160829-2.jpg | en | null | Bureau suspects poison in death of 15 macaques | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Tsai Ching-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Kaohsiung City Government has sent blood and tissue samples from dead Formosan macaques to the Council of Agriculture after the Bureau of Agriculture last week received reports of more than 15 deaths of the protected species.
One young macaque that was found alive is receiving medical treatment, the bureau said, adding that the macaque was not in a life-threatening condition.
The bureau said it received reports of the deaths over a six-day period between Aug. 18 and Wednesday in the Shoushan (壽山) area.
The bureau said preliminary autopsies showed that the macaques might have died from blood loss due to an inability to sustain blood coagulation, adding that they suspected the macaques were poisoned.
The bureau has sent samples to the council and has stepped up patrols in the Shoushan area, adding that it has also asked Kaohsiung police to aid in the investigation.
The bureau said it would be in close contact with police and Shoushan National Natural Park (壽山國家自然公園) authorities in the hope of catching any individual or group that might have harmed the animals.
Any action to harm, poison or kill a protected species is a violation of the the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) and could result in a prison sentence of between six months and five years and a fine from NT$200,000 to NT$1 million (US$6,315 to US$31,574).
The bureau said that since 1989, when Chaishan (柴山) was first opened to the public, macaques have become accustomed to humans.
Macaques now descend from Chaishan to look for food, often from humans, and they have been known to attack if they are not given food.
The bureau called on visitors not to feed any wild animals, not to touch macaques, to refrain from making any threatening gestures or attacking them, to keep a close eye on children and pets and to help the bureau by reporting any inappropriate behavior.
The bureau has offered a reward to anyone who reports inappropriate behavior, with those who provide tip-offs eligible for up to 20 percent of any fines issued if a report is substantiated.
The bureau said it was still waiting on test results to determine a cause of death for the macaques. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/29/2003654098 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/a62c2ec9018f5c454107d6ad74c47249ecf4e584a91b7090c15e5e3457dcafb7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:15 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | When the gates of the netherworld close and Ghost Month draws to a close on Wednesday night, the people of Toucheng Township (頭城) in Yilan County will gather by the sea and appease the “wandering ghosts” (孤魂), who perished during the Han Chinese migration into area, before they return to the land of the dead. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffeat%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2F2003653876.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/26/thumbs/p14-160826-grappling01.jpg | en | null | Highlight: Toucheng Ghost Grappling Festival 頭城搶孤 | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
When the gates of the netherworld close and Ghost Month draws to a close on Wednesday night, the people of Toucheng Township (頭城) in Yilan County will gather by the sea and appease the “wandering ghosts” (孤魂), who perished during the Han Chinese migration into area, before they return to the land of the dead.
There will be two competitions — beginning with an easier fanpeng (飯棚) challenge to provide rice to the ghosts, followed by the main gupeng (孤棚) event with duck, fish, pork and other offerings. For the main challenge, teams of five people will race to climb 13m-tall greased poles with the help of ropes and make their way up to the main platform, where offerings can be obtained on 30m-tall structures located above the platform. To win, they must obtain the flag on the very top. About 120 gallons of butter is reportedly used that night to grease the poles.
Festivities will begin on Sunday morning with a welcoming the gods ceremony, with other rituals and performances through Tuesday, when a water lantern ceremony will be held at the mouth of the Chuan River (竹安河) at 7pm. The lanterns will be set off at 8pm.
The main show takes place Wednesday night, when a ceremony to appease the wandering spirits will begin around 8pm. Once the ceremony ends at around 11pm, the grappling begins.
■ The majority of the festivities will be held at 71, Kailan E Rd, Toucheng Township, Yilan County (宜蘭縣頭城鎮開蘭東路71號) | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/08/26/2003653876 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/93930cb9ef49929c0f0a77de6e0fc39a6c0f8eef25c611ffbf0fd2456381b47d.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:36 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | European stocks climbed for a fourth day on Friday after comments by US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen spurred optimism about the economic recovery, while she reiterated that the central bank would take a gradual approach to raising borrowing costs. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003653998.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | European equities advance as Yellen spurs optimism | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Bloomberg
European stocks climbed for a fourth day on Friday after comments by US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen spurred optimism about the economic recovery, while she reiterated that the central bank would take a gradual approach to raising borrowing costs.
The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.5 percent, erasing a decline of as much as 0.3 percent and taking its weekly advance to 1.1 percent.
Yellen said the case to raise interest rates is getting stronger as the US economy approaches the central bank’s goals, though she did not discuss the specific timing of a move.
Traders now see a 34 percent chance that the Fed will raise borrowing costs next month.
“The economy has strengthened in a way that is following the path of the Fed,” said Guillermo Hernandez Sampere, head of trading at MPPM EK in Eppstein, Germany. “A possible September hike is off the table, but for sure they will start the hiking process quite soon, so chances are the bets will be on December if we totally don’t get disappointing data in Q3. I think we will see higher markets at the end of the year.”
While European equities advanced, they have alternated between weekly gains and losses all month, with the STOXX 600 trading in a tight range and struggling to find a direction after a rebound of as much as 12 percent following the aftermath of Britain’s secession vote.
On Friday, the volume of shares changing hands was about a third lower than the 30-day average ahead of a UK holiday tomorrow.
The STOXX 600 rebounded after falling the most in three weeks on Thursday, when a report showed German business confidence unexpectedly weakened to the lowest level in six months. That renewed concerns about the efficiency of European Central Bank stimulus to spur growth amid political turmoil.
Managers have withdrawn money from the region’s stock funds for a record 29th straight week, a Bank of America Corp report dated Thursday said.
Still, almost all the industry groups in the STOXX 600 advanced following Yellen’s comments, with miners and energy producers leading gains as commodities climbed amid a slide in the US dollar.
France’s CAC 40 Index rose 0.8 percent for one of the biggest increases among Western European markets. Benchmark gauges of Spain and Italy advanced more than 0.7 percent.
Among stocks moving on corporate news, Gemalto NV jumped 6.5 percent after the software firm posted an increase in net profit and confirmed its gross margin forecast for the year.
French media company Vivendi SA fell 1.7 percent after reporting quarterly earnings that missed analysts’ estimates. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/28/2003653998 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/99f2f7dc53735a7c4f8e2cb4c14aa36bdc7e11cf6dc0415c9e8538d959cbcb8b.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:53:03 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday urged KMT members not to revel in their joy over the party’s victory in the Hualien City mayoral by-election on Saturday, saying the road ahead for the party would be arduous following the passage of the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654155.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Stay alert, despite Hualien win: Hung | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday urged KMT members not to revel in their joy over the party’s victory in the Hualien City mayoral by-election on Saturday, saying the road ahead for the party would be arduous following the passage of the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例).
“While the party’s winning of the by-election was a minor consolation, it does not mean we should be overjoyed by the victory,” Hung said during a swearing-in ceremony for the new director of the KMT’s Taoyuan branch in the county yesterday morning.
Hung said the KMT should remain vigilant despite the triumph and not mistake it for a sign that the party is going to enjoy an easy ride going forward.
There are numerous challenges facing the KMT, Hung said, adding that the legislature’s passage of the ill-gotten assets act last month would only make the party’s predicament even more complicated.
KMT candidate Wei Chia-hsien (魏嘉賢) won the by-election against his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) opponent, Chang Mei-hui (張美慧), by a comfortable 17,923 votes to 13,958.
The by-election was held to fill the mayoral position left vacant after the DPP’s Tien Chih-hsuan (田智宣) died of lung cancer in May aged 56.
Hung said that the KMT is determined to do everything in its power to protest the ill-gotten party assets act, which she said is illegitimate and unconstitutional and would only aggravate social divisions.
“Nevertheless, the KMT must not become mired in the issue. We will put up a fight while listening to the voices of the public,” Hung said, adding that a political party should also be equipped with the ability to steer public opinion and use valid reasons to convince voters.
Hung also urged KMT members to remember that the party is devoted to Taiwan and to bear in mind the fact that Taiwan and the nation have breathed and grown together. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/30/2003654155 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/107216409045ba17e160c3efe44fd837362bac5326733412f05780d1289ba6f5.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:51:20 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Robert Lewandowski claimed a hat-trick as defending champions Bayern Munich brushed Werder Bremen aside with a 6-0 win in Friday’s opening match of the new Bundesliga season. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003654016.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/28/thumbs/P10-160828-302.jpg | en | null | Bayern rout Bremen in season opener | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, BERLIN
Robert Lewandowski claimed a hat-trick as defending champions Bayern Munich brushed Werder Bremen aside with a 6-0 win in Friday’s opening match of the new Bundesliga season.
Lewandowski, the league’s top-scorer last season with 30 goals, could have finished with five as Bayern ran riot.
“I am just happy I scored and that we got the win,” Lewandowski said, adding that he finished the game with a hole in his goal-scoring right boot.
After Xabi Alonso scored the first goal of the season at Munich’s Allianz Arena, Lewandowski netted either side of the break before Bayern captain Philipp Lahm added a fourth.
It was no more than shooting practice for Bayern by the time Franck Ribery fired home, with Lewandowski then converting a penalty to claim his third and Munich’s sixth.
Having also hammered Hamburg 5-0 in last season’s opening game, this was another emphatic win as Bayern look to win a fifth Bundesliga title in a row.
They were 2-0 at the break, but could have doubled that as Lewandowski and then Thomas Mueller both hit the woodwork in the opening 45 minutes.
Bayern won last season’s German league title by 10 points, making history with their fourth straight Bundesliga title.
They picked up under new coach Carlo Ancelotti where they left off under Pep Guardiola, who left in May to coach Manchester City, with long periods of possession.
“I am very happy. That was a very good performance from my team,” Ancelotti said after his first Bundesliga game.
“We got off to a good start and took control of the game early on,” he said.
Bayern’s win came with Germany defenders Jerome Boateng and Holger Badstuber, plus Dutch winger Arjen Robben all recovering from injury.
New signing Renato Sanches from Benfica, a Euro 2016 winner with Portugal, started on the bench.
Germany defender Mats Hummels, their other new arrival from Borussia Dortmund, partnered Javi Martinez at centerback.
The defending champions needed just nine minutes to take a spectacular lead.
Alonso’s volley from just outside the area found the top right-hand corner and flew past Bremen goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald.
The hosts doubled their lead just four minutes later.
Ribery’s long-range pass down the left put Lewandowski in behind the defense and the Poland hot-shot tucked his shot past Wiedwald from the tightest of angles.
He could have claimed a first-half hat-trick.
Muller’s long-range shot slammed off the post, then Lewandowski hit the crossbar and had a shot saved before the break.
The pair combined for Bayern’s third goal, which arrived just 39 seconds into the second half.
Mueller’s curling cross was met at the far post by Lewandowski for his second on 46 minutes.
Bremen’s last win over Bayern in Munich was back in 2008 and they were barely in it as Bavarians enjoyed about 70 percent possession.
Lahm grabbed Bayern’s second when he converted Mueller’s final pass before Ribery blasted home their fifth with the Frenchman unmarked in the area.
Rafinha came on for Lahm and when the Brazil defender was fouled in the area, Lewandowski drilled home the resulting penalty on 77 minutes.
It was his second hat-trick in exactly a week after he netted three in Bayern’s 5-0 romp at Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the German Cup on Friday last week. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/28/2003654016 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/7e1c8e23e63c27ed86a258b40376543226b40df1d6a0164e2cc7bc704df4df3f.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:09 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | When Yuki Kai dropped her baby son off at nursery on her way to work, he was his usual bright, exuberant self. Just hours later the 14-month-old was dead. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003653996.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/28/thumbs/P15-160828-308.jpg | en | null | Death in day care: Japan’s parents face nursery lottery | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Kyoko Hasegawa / AFP, TOKYO
When Yuki Kai dropped her baby son off at nursery on her way to work, he was his usual bright, exuberant self. Just hours later the 14-month-old was dead.
Kai remains tortured by the questions surrounding her toddler Kento’s final hours and her decision to leave him at an unofficial facility.
“Kento was found dead when a staff member went into the room to wake him from a nap. He was in a room separate from where the other infants were sleeping because he had cried,” she said.
The case caused national outrage and fueled fears Japan’s working parents face a childcare lottery: Legal expert Toko Teramachi said accidents are “30 times more frequent” for children at non-official centers.
However, the entire system is underfunded and government-approved nurseries are oversubscribed, leaving many parents to rely on other options, where rules dictating class size, staff training and space are less strict.
Last year, 14 children died in childcare facilities nationwide — 65 percent of these incidents happened in unofficial nurseries.
Experts said that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to tackle the nation’s daycare shortage by loosening requirements — such as those limiting class sizes — for even official nurseries, will simply make more facilities dangerous.
Child welfare specialist Hiroko Inokuma said deregulation plans were “a reckless move... which could lead to more accidents,” with too many children crammed into nurseries.
“You can’t put your child’s life in someone’s hands if quality is not guaranteed,” said Renho, a leading member of the Democratic Party, who goes by one name.
Abe has come under fire for his call for the nation’s women to both bear more children to stem a falling population and to keep working to boost the struggling economy, without providing proper childcare facilities to support this dual demand.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare ministry estimated at least 23,000 children were unable to find an official daycare place last year.
“I couldn’t get a slot in a certified facility ... I had no choice at all,” Kai said from her home in Ichikawa, her living room decorated with Kento’s photos, toys and a Buddhist memorial altar.
Her baby was left unattended for 50 minutes when he was found face down in the bed. Government regulations dictate children need to be placed to sleep on their backs — to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome — and checked every 10 minutes. An autopsy proved inconclusive, but she is considering legal action. The local government has launched an inquiry into the case and conducted on-site inspections. Lawyers for the school did not respond to requests for comment made through the facility.
Kai is furious that instead of increasing spending in childcare provision, Abe is opting for a cheap fix.
“It’s unbelievable that deregulation is taking place despite the frequency of fatal accidents,” she said.
Last month, the Supreme Court upheld an earlier ruling that a one-year-old girl died from suffocation after sleeping face down at an unapproved nursery in Fukushima. It said staff were insufficiently trained and ordered it to pay ￥57 million (US$570,000) in compensation to her parents.
Poor provision of childcare is an issue that has festered for decades, but Abe’s government, overwhelmed with public debt and a demographic time bomb, is facing renewed scrutiny because of its dual push to raise fertility rates and to propel more women into the workforce. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/28/2003653996 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/988c32fe59c8ca64c9d12f5daf2f60c6dcd9801174c9a3d7c4372a21a2a89f3d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:51:05 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The nation’s electrical engineering and machinery industry could consider Southeast Asia as a market for new demand, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) said last week. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654048.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Machine exporters told to ‘look south’ | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter
The nation’s electrical engineering and machinery industry could consider Southeast Asia as a market for new demand, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) said last week.
Given the region’s stable economic growth, demand from Southeast Asian countries would be more favorable in the long term, TIER senior analyst Wang Chung-ching (王忠慶) told a seminar organized by Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp (台灣證券交易所) on Wednesday.
As demand in Taiwan is unlikely to increase significantly in the near future, manufacturers need to seek new sales drivers in emerging markets while the government could help manufacturers find new buyers via existing channel networks, as many Taiwanese companies have operated in Southeast Asia for years, Wang said.
Taiwan’s exports of machinery equipment dropped 6.9 percent to US$19.4 billion last year from a year earlier, the fourth consecutive year of decline, data compiled by the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI, 台灣機械工業同業公會) showed.
Shipments to China and the US, the top two markets for local machinery makers, declined by 12.7 percent and 0.6 percent year-on-year last year respectively, TAMI’s data showed.
China was the destination for about 26 percent of all Taiwanese machinery exports last year, followed by the US, with 17.9 percent, while Southeast Asia accounted for 16.7 percent or US$3.24 billion, the TAMI data showed.
“The machinery industry’s exports have been stagnant since 2011, mainly dragged down by the sluggish demand after the global financial crisis [2008 to 2009],” Wang said, adding that challenges also comes from the supply side.
Local manufacturers face a rising competition from their global peers, such as Germany and China, who have used new technologies to enhance their capabilities.
Germany, which initiated the idea of “Industry 4.0” in 2011, has extended its focus to the computerization of manufacturing process in all its industrial sectors, Wang said.
Foreign exchange fluctuation is another drag on Taiwan’s exports, he said.
The dramatic depreciation of China’s yuan against major global currencies significantly hurt the industry last year, he added.
Local manufacturers should boost their niches in the global market through product differentiation, he said.
“Most machinery companies only provide individual machines or components. They should try to develop total solutions for end-market customers,” he said.
To raise the competitiveness of the nation’s traditional industries, the Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders’ Association (台灣工具機暨零組件工業同業公會) has said that it is seeking to cooperate with companies in different fields, including the semiconductor industry, to differentiate their products from those of their rivals. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/29/2003654048 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/66de2f69343de4deee90cba78d4c9c795d738704fe8f1a81f2879d2fa6bbf100.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:10 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | US Olympic teammates Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed were yesterday to have one eye on victory and another on the Ryder Cup in the final round of The Barclays on New York’s Long Island. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654087.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Fowler leads Reed at The Barclays | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, NEW YORK
US Olympic teammates Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed were yesterday to have one eye on victory and another on the Ryder Cup in the final round of The Barclays on New York’s Long Island.
Fowler has a one-stroke lead over his compatriot after Saturday’s third round in the first of four events making up the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoff series.
Extending his bogey-free streak to 45 holes, Fowler sank a four-foot birdie at the last to edge ahead with a three-under 68 on the tough Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale.
He posted a nine-under 204 total, while overnight leader Reed carded a 71 to sit alone in second place. Australia’s Adam Scott (65) was a further shot adrift on seven-under after finding his putting touch to post the lowest round of the tournament.
Scott was also helped on his way when he holed out for an eagle from 95 yards at the first hole.
As well as the victory here, Fowler and Reed are vying for Ryder Cup selection. The top eight on the points list yesterday night would automatically make the US team to face holders Europe in five weeks.
Reed is currently eighth, with Fowler four places below.
Fowler probably needs a top-three finish to lock down a spot and avoid having to sweat out banking on being called up as one of captain Davis Love’s four wild-card picks.
“I think it’s pretty simple. We’ve just got to go take care of business tomorrow,” Fowler told reporters. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this position... I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a long time coming.”
Fowler’s long game has been far from perfect this week, but he acknowledged his short game had allowed him to move ahead.
“It was nice to see some putts go in. Short game has definitely been nice this week to save me at times,” he added. “Sometimes hitting good putts, but also hitting good pitch shots. Good combination, but nice to have the putter finally working a bit.”
Meanwhile, Reed battled a wayward driver on the front nine, but did enough to stay well in contention.
“My tee shots were off, hanging right,” he said. “Felt like I got absolutely nothing out of my round.”
“Anytime I tried to hit my draw, seemed like it went right. That’s really the only thing I feel like I need to fix,” he said. “You can’t play out of the rough here and I felt like I was playing out of the rough all day. Shooting even par isn’t that bad of a score.”
Reed finished in a tie for 11th behind Briton Justin Rose as golf marked its return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence in Rio earlier this month. Fowler was back in a tie for 37th.
Third-placed Scott decided late in the second round to putt more aggressively and it paid off on Saturday, as he sank a couple of long ones.
“I just thought: ‘What difference does it make if I hit this past the hole, because I’ve left every putt short?’ And if it goes past, it might go in,” he said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/29/2003654087 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/bf31383e83167fd86119670db28e2f3d3d95ccfadfb546b73043858056fc1a77.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:00 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | You can’t escape it — almost every mainstream Taiwanese movie has to come with the trademark characteristics of cuteness, sappiness and over-the-top absurdity. Those ingredients are clearly present in Ace of Sales, complete with the ubiquitous flamboyant gangster (Jack Na, 那維勳) who inexplicably finishes his sentences in poor English — but somehow it is bearable here; perhaps even endearing ... nah, we won’t go that far. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffeat%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2F2003653873.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/26/thumbs/p13-160826-ceofsales02.jpg | en | null | Movie Review: Ace of Sales | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
You can’t escape it — almost every mainstream Taiwanese movie has to come with the trademark characteristics of cuteness, sappiness and over-the-top absurdity. Those ingredients are clearly present in Ace of Sales, complete with the ubiquitous flamboyant gangster (Jack Na, 那維勳) who inexplicably finishes his sentences in poor English — but somehow it is bearable here; perhaps even endearing ... nah, we won’t go that far.
But perhaps because Ace of Sales is a heartwarming comedy not about the fire of youth (it features live, working, married adults), the screenwriters could not simply run amok with gimmicks presumably targeted toward the 15-and-under crowd. There has to be some substance in a film dealing with life in the workplace, and while the result is nothing groundbreaking, it makes a “well-balanced” mainstream film — in that it provides as many chuckles as cliches and as many heartfelt smiles as cringes. But most of all, the subject material is fresh — it actually takes the viewer through a maybe exaggerated but still interesting look into the world of the television shopping industry.
We’ve all seen on television the weirdly enthusiastic people selling once-in-a-lifetime-deal jewelry, invisible bras and magical sports equipment that can give you a flat belly. This film delves into the heart of it as protagonist Sue (Bianca Bai, 白歆惠) loses her job as a marketing and communications specialist and ends up working as a salesperson at Carrefour. Shy and awkward in the beginning, Sue learns how to make people buy things through a series of bizarre events and eventually becomes the alpha on a television shopping channel.
Bai does a pretty nuanced job with her role, especially playing the awkwardness and introversion well, and you can still see traces of it even as she transitions into success. She enters a rivalry with Mei-hsiu (林美秀, Lin Mei-hsiu), who, despite being older, unattractive and loudmouthed, is also a wildly successful salesperson in her own right. Although their interaction is pretty formulaic as far as workplace battles go, Mei-hsiu provides a contrasting counterpart to Sue that does result in some laughs.
Film Notes Ace of Sales (銷售奇姬) Directed By: Cho Li (卓立) Starring: Bianca Bai (白歆惠) as Sue, Nadow (納豆) as Kai, Lin Mei-hsiu (林美秀) as Mei-hsiu, Jack Na (那維勳) as Jack and Jacqueline Zhu (朱芷瑩) as Rose Language: Mandarin and Hoklo with Chinese and English subtitles Running Time: 129 minutes In Theaters: Sept. 2
The plot itself flows well, with enough ups and downs and tension to keep the viewer engaged throughout the 129 minutes of running time — but the relationship development between the characters is pretty weak. For example, while Sue’s ridiculously sweet yet timid husband Kai (Nadow, 納豆) plays an important part in the first part of the film, there is almost no interaction to show between the two for a long stretch as their relationship supposedly deteriorates. Other characters go through abrupt attitude or personality changes that are crucial for the story but are simply hard to believe. Even the way Sue finds her final catharsis feels forced and unnatural. And the side love story between Jack, the gangster, and the person who turns out to be the villain resolved and explained in a disappointingly lazy fashion
Using a niche industry as a main theme is a good idea for a movie, but it seems that the production team put too much effort into stuffing too much into a film in an attempt to make it appealing on all fronts. That is the pitfall of trying to please all audiences — you often end up with a slickly-produced film that really is not bad — and while it is indeed enjoyable to watch, you can’t help but walk out thinking that it could have been much better. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/08/26/2003653873 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/5049ce5c7cb2a79bf3a526d3f4abd09457e28a3db80117d85aa121f1a9b353df.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:53:43 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | In July, 619,000 smartphones were sold in Taiwan, a 1.9 percent increase on the previous month. Samsung took the crown for both highest overall sales volume and the best-selling single handset, with Apple falling to fourth place, losing out to rival manufacturers Samsung, Asus and HTC. The Amazing X3s handset, sold by Taiwan Mobile, was the sixth best selling handset in July. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Flang%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654116.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/30/thumbs/P15-160830-602.jpg | en | null | Samsung dominates smartphone market in July | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | In July, 619,000 smartphones were sold in Taiwan, a 1.9 percent increase on the previous month. Samsung took the crown for both highest overall sales volume and the best-selling single handset, with Apple falling to fourth place, losing out to rival manufacturers Samsung, Asus and HTC. The Amazing X3s handset, sold by Taiwan Mobile, was the sixth best selling handset in July.
According to market research, the top five smartphone manufacturers in Taiwan during July — by total sales volumes — were: Samsung, 25 percent; Asus, 15.8 percent; HTC, 15 percent; Apple, 14.2 percent and Sony, 8.9 percent. Samsung and Sony’s sales volumes and market share increased slightly over June, while HTC’s market share remained stable. However both Apple and Asus lost ground during July.
In terms of Apple’s sales figures and market share for July, the company is currently gearing up to release new models and, although it is still able to rely on its premium iPhone brand to hold on to its leading position in terms of sales revenue, its market share has now sunk below the 40 percent mark to 36.8 percent.
(CNA, translated by Edward Jones)
台灣七月智慧機銷售量六十一萬九千支，月增百分之一點九，三星奪銷量和單機雙冠王，蘋果退居第四名，輸給三星、華碩、宏達電，而台灣大哥大推出的Amazing X3s則打入單機銷售第六。
市調機構指出，台灣七月智慧機銷售量排名，前五大依序為三星百分之二十五、華碩百分之十五點八、宏達電百分之十五、蘋果百分之十四點二、SONY 百分之八點九。其中，三星、SONY銷量市占和六月相比微幅成長，宏達電市占持平，蘋果、華碩市占則下滑。
七月銷售金額市占率方面，蘋果處於新機空窗機，雖然仍靠著高階iPhone坐穩銷售額冠軍，但銷售額市占已到百分之三十六點八，跌破四成。(中央社) | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2016/08/30/2003654116 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/7f08dce7cbacec7de3ec209105c5082e9be773c46bee9121396265d38c48d83a.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:53:27 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | The Taiwan High Court’s Tainan branch yesterday upheld the guilty verdict of suspended Tainan City Council speaker Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) for vote-buying, on charges that stemmed from the city’s 2014 councilor elections. The ruling means Lee is stripped of his seat on the council, and thus of his position as speaker. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffront%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654208.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/31/thumbs/P01-160831-1.jpg | en | null | Lee Chuan-chiao appeal dismissed by High Court | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Jason Pan / Staff reporter
The Taiwan High Court’s Tainan branch yesterday upheld the guilty verdict of suspended Tainan City Council speaker Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) for vote-buying, on charges that stemmed from the city’s 2014 councilor elections. The ruling means Lee is stripped of his seat on the council, and thus of his position as speaker.
The High Court rejected Lee’s appeal against a lower court ruling, finding that there was sufficient evidence that Lee was guilty of vote-buying during the campaign.
Evidence showed that during the election, Lee’s campaign manager, Huang Teng-ching (黃澄清), had a list of voters’ names and addresses, and planned to distribute NT$5,000 to each of them so that they would vote for Lee.
Huang and two other senior campaign staff, Lee Li-hua (李麗華) and Kang Ching-liang (康清良), were found guilty of buying votes by a district court in July last year, with Huang given a five-year prison term, while Lee Li-hua and Kang were given suspended sentences of two years and 19 months each.
Lee Chuan-chiao is a long-time member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and was a KMT legislator for three terms from 1999 to 2008. He has been a member of the KMT Central Standing Committee, and has also served as secretary-general of the KMT legislative caucus.
After yesterday’s ruling, Lee Chuan-chiao did not appear in public, but issued a written statement that said: “Political bickering is harmful to Taiwan, and excessive politicizing of the judiciary will do even greater harm to Taiwan’s democracy and the rule of law. The aim to strip the council speaker post from me has been achieved, so please leave the voters alone, because they are innocent.”
“In the current political atmosphere, I was prepared for the court’s ruling, so please allow me some time for reflection,” Lee Chuan-chiao said.
Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) convened a news conference after the verdict.
“The ruling is proof that ‘evil cannot triumph over good,’ and it signals the end of Lee [Chuan-chiao]’s orchestrated farce, which had long tormented Tainan,” he said.
“The case shows that anyone using devious means to achieve their ends will reap what they have sown. I hope this odious attempt to subvert democracy can serve as a warning to everyone, and I hope it will be the last of such cases,” Lai said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/08/31/2003654208 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/b54bbd854a0b42f327acc918a293d89c18fc7ad48770974a08a2c4dde8e5239c.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:52:16 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | EU antitrust regulators yesterday ordered Apple Inc to pay up to 13 billion euros (US$14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government, after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654193.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/31/thumbs/P10-160831-317.jpg | en | null | Apple must pay Dublin up to 13bn euros | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, BRUSSELS
EU antitrust regulators yesterday ordered Apple Inc to pay up to 13 billion euros (US$14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government, after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.
The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the US tech giant.
Apple, which with Ireland said it will appeal the decision, paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the commission said.
“Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years,” said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly US multinationals has angered Washington, which accuses Brussels of protectionism.
Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonald’s Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros to the Dutch state.
A bill of 300 million euros this year for Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB to pay Belgian tax is the current known record. Other companies ordered to pay back taxes in Belgium, many of them European, have not disclosed figures.
For Apple, whose earnings of US$18 billion last year were the biggest ever reported by a corporation, finding several billion dollars should not be an insurmountable problem. The 13 billion euros represents about 6 percent of the firm’s cash pile.
LOADED WITH CASH
As of June, Apple reported it had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of US$231.5 billion, of which 92.8 percent, or US$214.9 billion, were held in foreign subsidiaries. It paid US$2.67 billion in taxes during its latest quarter at an effective tax rate of 25.5 percent, leaving it with net income of US$7.8 billion according to company filings.
The European Commission in 2014 accused Ireland of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs.
Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation.
IRELAND REACTS
“I disagree profoundly with the commission,” Irish Minister of Finance Michael Noonan said in a statement. “The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal.
“This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation,” he said.
Ireland also said the disputed tax system used in the Apple case no longer applied and that the decision had no effect on Ireland’s 12.5 percent corporate tax rate or on any other company with operations in the country.
APPLE’S VIEW
Apple said in a statement it was confident of winning an appeal.
“The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple’s history in Europe, ignore Ireland’s tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The commission’s case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it’s about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe,” the company said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/31/2003654193 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/cec66d23f0f1c0c06ceeb9c4af8a048b24d3dae571a1e94b93dd17e5f47c2fd4.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:49 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | A militant yesterday rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruitment center in Aden, killing 60 people in the deadliest extremist attack to hit the city in more than a year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffront%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654146.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Bomber kills at least 60 at Yemen recruitment center | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, ADEN, Yemen
A militant yesterday rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruitment center in Aden, killing 60 people in the deadliest extremist attack to hit the city in more than a year.
Yemen’s army, supported by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, is training young recruits to join its nationwide war against Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, as well as Sunni militants.
Aden is the temporary base of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which was forced into exile after Iran-backed insurgents seized Sana’a and other parts of the war-torn country.
Security officials told reporters that the attacker drove a car bomb into a gathering of army recruits at a school in northern Aden early yesterday.
Although the school was locked as recruits registered inside, the attacker drove in when the gate was opened for a delivery vehicle, officials said.
Witnesses said some recruits were buried when a roof collapsed over them following the blast, which also damaged buildings close to the recruitment center.
The assault killed at least 60 people and wounded about 30 others, medical sources from three hospitals where victims were taken told reporters.
They could not immediately verify if all who were killed were army recruits.
Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Twitter that their hospital in Aden “received 45 dead and at least 60 wounded” from the explosion.
Aden has seen a wave of bombings and shootings targeting officials and security forces.
Attacks in the port city are often claimed by militants from either al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, which have both taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to make gains in southern and southeastern regions.
The Islamic State claimed yesterday’s bombing on its propaganda outlet, Amaq News Agency, saying the blast had killed about 60 people.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a large group of army reinforcements sent from Aden to fight extremists in neighboring Lahj, killing five soldiers, according to military officials.
No group has claimed that attack.
However, on July 20, four policemen were killed in an Islamic State-claimed bomb attack in Aden. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/08/30/2003654146 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/731c0f7b89a7fc0fd7f8e0c4512f8476d76acdf1637e83007f263250c57111b7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:49:20 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Signs of life returning to Asian trade have stirred up some optimism of a recovery, but a closer look at the data coming out of the region indicates the malaise is far from over. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653927.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Asia export data point to enduring downturn | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Bloomberg
Signs of life returning to Asian trade have stirred up some optimism of a recovery, but a closer look at the data coming out of the region indicates the malaise is far from over.
While export figures from Malaysia and Thailand showed surprising strength in June, trade continues to contract across most of Asia in the face of sluggish global growth, lower commodity prices and weaker demand from China.
“There is hardly any room for cheer,” Taimur Baig, a Singapore-based Deutsche Bank AG economist, said by e-mail. “Substantial recoveries in price and demand, both for commodities and electronics/machinery, are necessary for regional exports to return to trend levels, an outcome that is very unlikely.”
Malaysian exports rose 3.4 percent in June from a year earlier, while merchandise shipments from Thailand gained 1.9 percent. That was in contrast to elsewhere in the region, where exports are still posting declines of more than 10 percent.
Singapore’s non-oil exports — the most commonly-used gauge for trade performance — dropped 10.6 percent last month from a year earlier.
Japan last week said shipments fell 14 percent in the period, the biggest drop since 2009, while in the Philippines, exports declined 11.4 percent in June.
Customs data for Thailand released yesterday showed a 4.4 percent contraction in exports last month.
According to Deutsche Bank’s calculations, Malaysian and Indonesian merchandise exports in the first half of this year were down more than 20 percent compared with two years ago. China and Thailand, with declines of more than 5 percent, were the best performers under this metric, while exports in Singapore and Japan were about 10 percent lower.
China, like every other major economy in Asia aside from Japan and Vietnam, posted a double-digit export contraction last year, according to estimates from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ).
“After what can only be characterized as a dreadful performance over 2015, the cumulative trade performance for 2016, based on year-to-date exports, looks like it could be even worse,” Singapore-based ANZ economist Weiwen Ng (安魏文) said in an e-mail.
The UK’s decision to leave the EU and a global rise in protectionism does not bode well for the trade outlook, while in Japan, a stronger yen is wreaking havoc on the economy.
Credit Suisse said in a report yesterday that global growth will remain lackluster next year at 2.6 percent, compared with an estimated 2.4 percent in this year.
“Without a rebound in private capital expenditure across the world, of which there is little sign as of now, and with Brexit ripples yet to fully unfold, any bounce from trade will likely prove short-lived,” Hong Kong-based HSBC Holdings PLC economist Frederic Neumann said in a report. “That’s especially problematic for Asia: with local demand growing tired, stronger exports are urgently needed.”
Meanwhile, if US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins the White House in November, the global economy could slip into recession, according to a forecast from Citigroup Inc on Thursday.
In a research note, a team led by the US bank’s chief economist Willem Buiter said the election was a major source of uncertainty in the global economy.
Presuming increases in global uncertainty and tightening of US financial conditions, “a Trump victory could lower global GDP growth by around 0.7-0.8” percentage points, “pushing GDP growth easily below our benchmark for a global recession,” the note said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/27/2003653927 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/d66e54ec294f0854455d5c7d7d6adfec7f25429a87dfe3cce3f5c3949aadd06c.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:53:18 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | The Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) transport service crew is planning to protest outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei on Monday next week against what they say is a “twisted” work schedule and deteriorating work environment. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654162.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | TRA facing more labor unrest over ‘twisted’ schedule | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) transport service crew is planning to protest outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei on Monday next week against what they say is a “twisted” work schedule and deteriorating work environment.
Yesterday’s announcement came one day after the TRA said it would soon add 1,650 new employees who were recruited through a special exam for railway workers.
It also came after TRA train drivers threatened to go on strike during the long holiday weekend for the Mid-Autumn Festival next month if their appeal for a reasonable amount of rest time is not met.
The transport service crew, which includes conductors, station staff and other on-board workers, said they formed their own union earlier this month.
They said the rally outside the ministry would petition for a change in work environment and work hours.
The preparatory committee for the new union said that the TRA’s workforce has gradually shrunk from about 20,000 employees 20 years ago to about 13,000 last year.
Yet the TRA has also seen a rise in passenger volume as well as the number of train services, thereby increasing the average workload of each employee, the committee said
A three-shift work schedule and an increase in complaints from passengers have made the workload even heavier, they said.
The preparatory committee said more than 1,009 TRA employees have signed up with the union over the past week. Each signature represents a voice that has been repressed for too long, it said.
The petition is a way for the employees to fight for the things they have lost for themselves and their families, the committee said.
The TRA said that the planned protest should not disrupt operations, as it has enough personnel for the shifts.
In related news, the TRA said its intensive negotiations with train drivers to avoid a strike during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday have led to it agreeing to stop operating 14 passenger train services, many of which operate at night.
The rest time for train drivers who have to spend the night outside their hometown would also be increased from five hours to at least six hours, the TRA said.
The schedules for at least 120 cargo and passenger trains would be adjusted when the new timetable is published in October.
Although no official agreement has been signed with the train drivers, the TRA said that their union appears to have agreed to treat the personnel shortage and the execution of a plan to transport homebound passengers during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday as separate issues. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/30/2003654162 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/328daf0365c8d887dd234a10abcde4f1acb3b80e776b5692ae0624effeb3a502.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:30 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Trees Party Chairman Sheng Yi-che’s (冼義哲) car was yesterday allegedly vandalized in Penghu by supporters of legalizing gambling in the outlying county ahead of its second casino referendum in October. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654094.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/29/thumbs/P03-160829-2.jpg | en | null | Party head’s car defaced ahead of gambling vote | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
Trees Party Chairman Sheng Yi-che’s (冼義哲) car was yesterday allegedly vandalized in Penghu by supporters of legalizing gambling in the outlying county ahead of its second casino referendum in October.
Sheng, a vocal opponent of a plan to allow casinos in the county, said his grandmother found the car painted with the words: “More opposition [brings] death to the whole family,” which he said is aimed at the party’s campaigning against a casino.
“I take any threat to my family very seriously, but such a move will not affect our beliefs or actions,” Sheng said. “The Trees Party and I will not surrender to violence and will continue to campaign against plans for a casino.”
Police have launched an investigation, he said, urging police to increase patrols and prevent violence.
Gambling is illegal in Taiwan proper, but in January 2009 the legislature passed an amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act (離島建設條例), allowing outlying islands to establish tourist casinos if their residents agree to it in a referendum.
Penghu County held the first casino referendum in September 2009, with 56.44 percent of the votes against the proposition.
Penghu County Election Commission on Monday last week announced a second referendum on Oct. 15, after advocates of legalized gambling collected enough signatures to launch a referendum.
The Trees Party has been vocal against casino plans since its founding in 2014, and has lobbied the legislature to abolish the amendment, giving rise to mixed reactions, Sheng said.
However, it was the first time that criticism of the party has turned into an actual threat, he said.
“The referendum is tainted by this threat. It shows contempt for people’s right to engage in public discourse,” he said.
Although opponents still outnumber supporters, the gap is narrowing, which might be due to organized efforts and effective public relations campaigns by legalization advocates.
The Trees Party had expected a second referendum, but elderly members of an opposition alliance were not prepared, so it did not react promptly, Sheng said.
The alliance and the party is to launch a series of campaigns aimed at village residents.
The campaign is to be fashioned after election campaigns and alliance members are to canvass the nation prior to the referendum, he said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/29/2003654094 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/3180aa55322f6cfd74569d6128e4f90683f561e313b491cbb484223643c0926d.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:53:12 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | The overall percentage of women in high-ranking business and government positions has reached a record high, according to figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Labor. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654158.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Record number of women in top posts, data show | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter
The overall percentage of women in high-ranking business and government positions has reached a record high, according to figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Labor.
Ministry statistics indicate increases in female participation across a range of positions since 2005, although percentages for higher-ranking positions lag behind those for low-level jobs.
The data showed that there were about 98,000 female elected representatives, supervisors and managers last year, comprising 25.3 percent of the nation’s total, up from 16.3 percent in 2005.
The ministry also found that the percentage of female professionals — a category that includes positions such as engineers, doctors, lawyers and analysts — has remained flat over the past decade at slightly more than 50 percent, while the percentage of female technical personnel showed modest gains, rising from 41 percent in 2005 to 49 percent last year.
Ministry data also showed substantial increases in the representation of women at different levels of the government, with more than half of mid-level officials now female, up from 42.5 percent in 2005.
The percentage of female senior officials increased from 18.8 percent in 2005 to 30.6 percent last year, while among appointed officials the percentage of women increased from 12 percent in 2005 to 19.7 percent last year. The percentage of women heading government agencies and departments — from borough wardens to city mayors — increased from 6.7 percent to 15.8 percent over the same period.
“These figures reflect the greater educational opportunities for women now as the ‘glass ceiling’ crumbles,” Ministry of Labor Department of Statistics Director-General Lo Yi-ling (羅怡玲) said.
“The difference among [elected representatives, supervisors and managers] is quite large, because regulation has helped us achieve an extremely high percentage of women among elected representatives. This pulls up the average even though the percentage of women in other positions is quite low,” Awakening Foundation secretary-general Chyn Yu-rong (覃玉蓉) said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/30/2003654158 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/499726e0c97beb29be87d66a0fe071e53895b9b246d38ca117a4dbdce4fa9609.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:53:04 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | Wouldn’t it have been nice, I was thinking to myself at the end of a day at the Nanyuan Land of Retreat and Wellness (南園人文客棧), if we had been completely free to walk among the traditional southern Chinese Jiangnan-style architecture, roaming at our own leisure through the rooms tastefully decorated with carved scenes of folk tales and auspicious emblems, in buildings constructed of native Taiwan cypress wood. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffeat%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654206.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/31/thumbs/p13-160831-roof.jpg | en | null | Far from the madding crowd - almost | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Paul Cooper / Staff reporter
Wouldn’t it have been nice, I was thinking to myself at the end of a day at the Nanyuan Land of Retreat and Wellness (南園人文客棧), if we had been completely free to walk among the traditional southern Chinese Jiangnan-style architecture, roaming at our own leisure through the rooms tastefully decorated with carved scenes of folk tales and auspicious emblems, in buildings constructed of native Taiwan cypress wood.
We could easily have spent a large chunk of the day wandering the 27-hectare site of landscaped gardens, with the arched bridges traversing sculpted ponds, passing the white painted walls punctuated with window openings fashioned in auspicious shapes.
The setting is certainly there in the Nanyuan resort, which is run by “lifestyle brand” The One out in remote Sinpu in Hsinchu County. The kicker is, why couldn’t we just be left to it?
To be fair, I should start with what The One gets right, because we really did enjoy the day spent there.
Even before you arrive, The One has sent you messages confirming your booking with detailed directions to get there (if driving), together with a weather report (slight chance of rain) and recommendations on what to wear (sensible shoes).
Should you be coming by train, they have also provided the contact number of a taxi driver who will meet you at the station. We booked him, and found him to be polite, punctual, helpful and well-informed.
It’s also worth considering arranging for him to pick you up at the end of the day. The location is quite remote and finding return transportation might be difficult.
When we arrive, we are led into a reception area with the others in our scheduled group, our designated companions for the day, waiting before being treated to an introduction to the tour, with tea and biscuits — which are quite good — and then taken off for a look at the premises.
The tour — also available in English, if booked in advance — is divided into two manageable parts, before and after lunch. The tour through the rooms was well-presented, informative and engaging: enough that my friend wanted to join the second instalment, which took the group out into the sprawling 27-hectare grounds. We were shown a statue of United Daily News Group founder Wang Ti-wu (王惕吾) and a pleasantly bizarre open-air art installation consisting of free-standing doors placed in seemingly random formation in a field.
At this point we drifted away from the group, and finally managed to spend some time walking around the gardens by ourselves — feeling strangely naughty for doing so, like we were somehow playing truant.
A bit of background
The Nanyuan resort, with its landscaped gardens and southern Chinese Jiangnan style architecture, was constructed as a retirement home for Wang. It was overseen by the renowned Shandong-born architect Han Pao-teh (漢寶德), who moved to Taiwan in 1952. Construction on the site started in October 1983 and was completed in September 1985.
The resort was officially opened to the public in March 2007, and soon after The One was commissioned to reinvent the area as a leisure retreat. It was officially opened to that purpose in December 2008.
Wang passed away in 1996, but during the time he spent here he received many illustrious guests from overseas, including former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1992 and former former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev in 1994. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/08/31/2003654206 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/45863b2d4c3fea1cec44fb83d4e86c9a953e279f8e682075d80c3d7baf776818.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:45 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The government is proactive about resolving the issues facing the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT line, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said yesterday, adding that the line will not begin operations until it is certified to be safe. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654096.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | MOTC says settling issues facing airport MRT line | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
The government is proactive about resolving the issues facing the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT line, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said yesterday, adding that the line will not begin operations until it is certified to be safe.
The ministry made the statement after a committee it formed last month announced on Saturday that most problems facing the line have been addressed and it can begin operations soon.
Before President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration took office on May 20, Taoyuan Metro Corp had identified 4,522 abnormalities that occurred during the tests conducted by the Bureau of High Speed Rail and Marubeni Corp, the Japanese contractor in charge of building the line’s signaling system.
The metro company was at the time headed by Ho Nuan-hsuan (何煖軒), now the chairman of China Airlines.
A suggestion that the ministry launch the line under safety conditions while contractors gradually meet contractual standards has drawn skepticism.
The same suggestion was allegedly made by the previous administration, but it was rejected by Ho and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), as the two insisted that contractors meet operations standards stated in the contract before inspection and acceptance of the system.
The committee’s announcement caused some people to question how the administration was able to address the large number of problems in such a short time, with some saying that the Taoyuan City Government accepted the proposal that it previously denied because it can launch the system and claim the public construction as its own accomplishment.
MOTC Deputy Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said the administration was simply more active in addressing the problems.
The ministry had failed to resolve the dispute between Marubeni and its subcontractor Siemens, Wang said.
As Siemens was not able to enter the construction site to address the system’s errors due to the dispute, the system’s reliability was less than 70 percent, he added.
The committee has been engaged in professional discussions of the problems, Wang said, adding that the number of abnormalities was reduced from 4,522 to 25.
He also said that reliability was raised to 98 percent.
The line would be launched after its reliability reaches 99 percent and its safety is certified by a third party, Wang said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/29/2003654096 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/f876c3d1e84697039cbd938db0da7e1a8a051653a39dea57e829f18d0a6b14b1.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:20 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | This month, I completed a two-week, six-stop tour of the Pacific, beginning with a visit to the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. It was a fitting way to start the trip, a reminder that the US Army is critical to forming the foundation for security in the Pacific. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Feditorials%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653942.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | US Army is laying the foundations of stability in Asia-Pacific | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Eric Fanning
This month, I completed a two-week, six-stop tour of the Pacific, beginning with a visit to the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. It was a fitting way to start the trip, a reminder that the US Army is critical to forming the foundation for security in the Pacific.
The division, which in its early years earned the nickname “Tropic Lightning,” marks its 75th anniversary this autumn. The men and women stationed there — and, indeed, all US soldiers in the Asia-Pacific region — have been working to secure regional stability for much of the past century. Since US President Barack Obama’s strategic rebalance to Asia, they have been doing even more.
Today, the US Army has a lot on its plate outside the region. It is at the forefront of the US-led coalition’s campaign against the so-called Islamic State group, as well as efforts to support the people of Afghanistan.
Yet it also continues to play a critical role in maintaining peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Though security in the Pacific is often associated with the efforts of the US Air Force and Navy, the Army is assuming an increasingly important role in strengthening regional partnerships. At a time when six of the world’s 10 largest armies are located in the Pacific theater of operations, and 22 of the region’s 27 countries have army officers as their defense chiefs, the need to invest in the US Army’s mission in the region is clear.
A key component of that mission is the Pacific Pathways program, which involves “joining multinational partners to conduct a series of military exercises intended to increase army readiness through additional training and strengthened partner-force relationships.”
Engaging with US soldiers participating in Pacific Pathways exercises in Hawaii, Malaysia and Alaska, I saw firsthand how these efforts advance regional security.
In Hawaii, US and Singaporean soldiers participated in their 36th year of joint exercises. From the newest privates to the most experienced generals, US soldiers have developed strong ties with their counterparts and deep pride in their shared security mission. In this sense, these soldiers are also serving as important ambassadors in the region.
The US Army’s partnership with Malaysia is more recent. During an annual joint exercise, I witnessed our forces improving familiarity and interoperability, and noted growing satisfaction with the strengthening of ties. In the event of, say, a natural disaster in the Pacific, the bonds that the US and Malaysia have fostered could help save thousands of lives during a combined crisis response.
We know that we must continue working to sustain and strengthen our engagement in the Pacific, even as US soldiers continue to carry out diverse and demanding missions in other parts of the world. One way we can help to meet this need is through the use of rotational brigades.
At Camp Casey in South Korea, I had lunch with soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division, who had trained for nine months at Fort Hood, Texas, before embarking on a nine-month rotation to the peninsula. Over the course of the deployment, the readiness of these forces actually increases because of the quality and rigor of the training they undertake with partners from the Republic of Korea’s Army.
Another way the US Army is maintaining flexibility, resiliency and depth in the Asia-Pacific region is by placing pre-positioned stocks — strategic stockpiles of critical combat equipment — on allies’ territory. In Japan, for example, the US Army stores more than 100 watercraft that can be used to deliver supplies quickly in the event of a natural disaster or other contingency. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/08/27/2003653942 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/fe984c2d15920c2052fbb78672565556e3a180edc20b326433540260f2834c46.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:51:34 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | NBA | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003654028.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | SPORTS BRIEFS | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Agencies
NBA
Wade’s cousin shot dead
NBA star Dwyane Wade’s cousin was shot and killed in Chicago while pushing her baby in a stroller near a school where she intended to register her children. Wade lamented on Twitter what he called another “act of senseless gun violence.” Nykea Aldridge, 32, had recently relocated to an area on the city’s South Side, her family said. On Friday, Aldridge was near the school, which is close to the University of Chicago, when two males walked up and fired shots at a third man, but hit Aldridge in the head and arm. She was not the intended target, police said. Police are questioning witnesses in the shooting, but had no suspects in custody. Wade, a native of Chicago who signed with the Chicago Bulls in July after 13 years with the Miami Heat, posted on Twitter: “My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughISEnough.”
NFL
Dispensary visit ‘not good’
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has voiced dismay after the emergence of a video appearing to show rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott visiting a marijuana dispensary ahead of his team’s pre-season loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Elliott, picked fourth overall by the Cowboys in the 2016 draft, was caught on film inside the store in Seattle, but did not make any purchases. Marijuana use is strictly prohibited under NFL rules, but is legal in Washington state. Jones, however, was unimpressed at seeing the Cowboys’ star signing visiting the store. “Well, I think that in and of itself the reason we are talking about is in a way part of the learning process,” Jones said. “But it’s not good. It’s just not good. It’s just not good.” Elliott, 21, signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys in May worth an estimated US$24.9 million, with a US$16.3 million signing bonus.
CRICKET
Anderson, Broad ruled out
England’s new-ball Test duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad will both miss the final few weeks of the domestic season through injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said yesterday. However, they are expected to be fit for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, requires what an ECB statement said was “ongoing rehabilitation” of his right shoulder and will not now feature again for Lancashire in the remainder of the county season. Broad, who last played for Nottinghamshire in their Twenty20 Blast semi-final defeat by Northamptonshire at Edgbaston on Saturday last week, is recovering from an ankle problem. Both bowlers are expected to be fit for the Test leg of England’s tour of Bangladesh, which gets underway in October.
OLYMPICS
Russia to appeal ban
Russia will appeal in the Swiss Federal Court tomorrow against the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to uphold a blanket ban on their athletes from competing in next month’s Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. “The appeal has been launched in the Swiss court,” the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) president Vladimir Lukin as saying on Friday. Earlier this week the Lausanne-based CAS, sport’s highest tribunal, rejected an RPC appeal against the suspension that was handed out by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) because of a state-sponsored sports doping program. The Federal Court can only overturn the CAS ruling on the basis of a procedural mistake. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/28/2003654028 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/cbba4d5aabcc8c555d9bfddbb615f79c1755452aafdda834d89e338b52c3fc44.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:24 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | UEFA yesterday announced changes to their flagship Champions League, saying they had managed to “keep it in the family” after staving off the threat of a breakaway league by Europe’s top clubs. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653954.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Top leagues win big in Champions League shake-up | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, MONACO
UEFA yesterday announced changes to their flagship Champions League, saying they had managed to “keep it in the family” after staving off the threat of a breakaway league by Europe’s top clubs.
From the 2018/2019 season, the top four European leagues — currently Spain, Germany, England and Italy — will each be guaranteed four places in the group stage, UEFA competitions director Giorgio Marchetti said.
Stung by criticism that the competition has become too predictable, UEFA emphasized that it would continue to be open for teams from Europe’s smaller national leagues, although the number of places set aside for them would drop from five to four.
Europe’s top clubs had discussed the possibility of forming a breakaway Super League, but UEFA’s acting general secretary Theodor Theodoridis played down the threat.
“From the very beginning, the feeling was the ideal solution for everybody would be a solution in the family,” he said.
UEFA also stopped short of guaranteeing captive places for certain big clubs, another possibility which sources said had been discussed privately in meetings over the past few months.
Under the present system, the top three leagues have three places each while their fourth-placed teams must play off over two legs for a place in the group stage.
The fourth ranked league, currently Italy, have only two guaranteed places plus one in the playoff round.
UEFA uses a complicated coefficient to determine the rankings of the national leagues.
Marchetti said the format itself would remain the same with a qualifying stage, followed by a 32-team group stage and then a knockout contest.
The biggest losers were the 11th and 12th ranked leagues, currently Switzerland and the Czech Republic, who will lose their guaranteed places in the group stage.
They will now compete in a qualifying competition with national champions from all other European leagues for four places. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/27/2003653954 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/d6d205053dca9f35cf73b991798f1cff9f7dea8ed0a61b4ce3dc4aea0efaef22.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:14 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | In 1950 psychoanalyst Erik Erikson proposed that we tender, fallible humans pass through eight stages of development, each defined by a different conflict. The final stage: Ego Integrity Versus Despair. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffeat%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653945.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/27/thumbs/p14-160827-book.jpg | en | null | Book review: A life lived, and sometimes regretted | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Jennifer Senior / NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
In 1950 psychoanalyst Erik Erikson proposed that we tender, fallible humans pass through eight stages of development, each defined by a different conflict. The final stage: Ego Integrity Versus Despair.
Cheering terminology, I know.
The idea is that when we’re older, we face an existential reckoning: We can either make peace with our choices, dunderheaded as some might have been, or we can spend our final years in a hair shirt of our own regrets.
Though Ian Brown never says it outright, this struggle lies at the heart of Sixty: A Diary of My Sixty-First Year, a great, fat rosebush of a book that’s beautiful and pungent and, at moments, deceptively prickly.
In his preface, Brown says that he wrote this book — which is exactly what the subtitle declares, a diary starting on the day of his 60th birthday and concluding on his 61st — because “original, truthful, sad but amused, authentic writing on the subject of getting older is in quite short supply.”
He’s right. As I read Sixty, I kept thinking, why have so few people done this well? It really is a splendid idea, a frank account of getting older. (There was Nora Ephron’s delightful I Feel Bad About My Neck, but she turned aging into a comedy of manners, for the most part.) Brown, a highly regarded journalist in Canada and author of The Boy in the Moon — a moving, unsparing memoir about his disabled son — is well suited to the task, taking a microscope to his grizzling soul and reporting everything he sees, even the bacteria crabbing along its surface.
THE BAD BITS OF BEING 60
He writes about sex. His fantasies, jealousies, occasional combustive failures: “The engine’s turning over, but the alternator won’t catch.” He writes about memory, particularly the middle-age brain termites that make you scramble dates, grope for words, delay your departure from the house: “Clothes. Wallet. Keys. Phone. Phone? Keys? Wallet? Book bag. Yes. Out the door. Forgot the car keys. Back in.”
Publication Notes Sixty: A Diary of My Sixty-First Year. The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning? By Ian Brown 299 pages The Experiment Hardback: US
He writes about his newfound neuroses, which he knows are not becoming. “I spend an embarrassing amount of time every single day,” he writes, “thinking about who is younger than me, and who is older.” The preoccupation drives him to Web sites that compile names of fellow 60-year-olds. When he discovers that Vladimir Putin is one, he’s no longer impressed. “Hitler,” he writes, “was only 49 when he invaded Poland.”
And his body! Brown has plantar fasciitis, which means his heels hurt a lot. He takes eyedrops to prevent glaucoma. He develops rashes easily (“I look like Spider-Man’s costume”); he wears hearing aids (“appallingly unsexy”); his skin blooms with age spots, which appear “with such speed and frequency I feel like a special effect — the man who is turning sepia before his photograph can.”
But the questions he really addresses — the substantive, tricky ones that give this book both its prickle and its pith — are Eriksonian in nature. “At 60, after all,” Brown writes, “you are suddenly looking into the beginning of the end, the final frontier where you will either find the thing your heart has always sought, which you have never been able to name, or you won’t.”
Mistakes at this stage seem devilishly hard to reverse. It jars Brown to realize that he may no longer have time to get around to everything he wished to do, a notion his young self blithely took for granted. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/08/27/2003653945 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/e3ac3b4a4f349d5074330da460636d3f426fa939241087d5c51177ac5282a4cc.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:51:41 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | NASA on Thursday conducted a second-to-last splashdown test for its Orion spacecraft as the agency prepares to eventually send humans to Mars. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653975.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | NASA nears end of Mars craft tests | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AP, HAMPTON, Virginia
NASA on Thursday conducted a second-to-last splashdown test for its Orion spacecraft as the agency prepares to eventually send humans to Mars.
Scientists at NASA’s Langley facility used a pendulum and explosives to vault a test capsule into a pool of water at about 40kph. The 3.35m craft disappeared behind a bowl-shaped splash before bouncing buoyantly against safety netting.
The last time a NASA spacecraft parachuted into the ocean with astronauts on board was in the 1970s during the Apollo missions. The rules of physics have not changed, but the technology has grown dramatically, NASA officials said.
The capsule’s heat shield is no longer steel, but carbon fiber and titanium, making it stronger and lighter. Instead of a couch-like seat to hold all of the astronauts, each will have their own custom-made chair to better protect the spine.
Computer simulations have shrunk the number of actual splashdown tests from 100 to 10.
“A capsule hitting the water hasn’t changed, but what we know about it has,” said Mark Baldwin, an analyst with Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor behind Orion.
During Thursday’s test, more than 500 instruments gauged aspects of the impact, including the level of strain on heatshield and the aluminum cabin. Crash test dummies were also inside to measure safety designs. The speed of the craft simulated the failure of one of its three parachutes.
Splashdowns are back because they require fewer instruments than touching down on land, and more space can be dedicated to supplies and other equipment, said Ronny Baccus, Orion’s structure system manager.
Orion is meant to expand human exploration in space, principally Mars. It will blast off atop a so-called “megarocket” still under development by NASA called SLS for Space Launch System.
Orion sailed through its first uncrewed test flight in 2014, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Another uncrewed launch is scheduled for 2018. The agency hopes Orion will carry astronauts into space by 2023. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/27/2003653975 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/2b74995adf8697c97c3065c6f6f855eea3999b32e199dd0e5b8ba588886d87d9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:49:45 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Home appliance maker Airmate International Co (艾美特) yesterday said it is counting on sales of ventilation systems to boost revenue growth next year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653924.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Airmate expects weak second half, recovery next year | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter
Home appliance maker Airmate International Co (艾美特) yesterday said it is counting on sales of ventilation systems to boost revenue growth next year.
“We have confidence in the revenue growth for next year, as our new ventilation products have received a positive response from clients,” Airmate chairman Cheng Li-ping (鄭立平) told investors.
Ventilation systems are an energy-efficient mechanical system for providing fresh air in buildings.
Cheng said that Airmate has already launched medium-size ventilation systems for classrooms and is working on smaller models for homes, as it seeks to expand its market share in Chna.
Founded in Tainan, the company moved its headquarters and production base to China in 1991.
The company supplies products for its own brand, Airmate, and other international vendors, such as Sanyo Electric Co and Toshiba Corp.
The company reported sales of NT$6.77 billion (US$213.8 million) in the first half, but gave a conservative forecast for the rest of the year.
“Sales in the second half might be flat compared with the same period last year,” because of a capacity shortage, Cheng said.
Sales in the second half of last year reached NT$4.08 billion.
Sales of ventilation systems are forecast to surge in the second half next year, he said.
“Dehumidifiers could also help the company’s sales to grow, especially in the first quarter of next year, which is the rainy season in China,” he said.
Airmate is focused on sustaining its gross margin and digesting excess inventories, Cheng said.
The company also plans to renovate its plants in Shenzhen, China, in line with the local government’s urban renewal projects, it said, without elaborating.
The company’s net profit reached NT$272 million in the first half, up 87 percent form a year earlier.
Earnings per share during the same period were NT$2.22, compared with NT$1.18 a year ago, company data showed.
The company attributed the growth to the colder weather in China earlier this year and better production efficiency, especially for its Jiojiang plant in Jiangxi Province.
Given lower operating expenses at the Jiojiang plant, the company saw its gross margin improve to 21.19 percent during the first half, data showed.
Airmate shares closed unchanged at NT$28.75 yesterday on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/27/2003653924 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/53062a47013c0c8ef124acced33c87f4c65e2f0aba340e9be405db0bfd888374.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:51:43 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) has won approval from its listing advisory committee to allow dual-class shares, as it seeks to lure international businesses. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654128.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Singapore gets approval to allow dual-class shares | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Bloomberg
Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) has won approval from its listing advisory committee to allow dual-class shares, as it seeks to lure international businesses.
Companies will be permitted to have weighted voting rights, subject to various corporate governance safeguards to mitigate the inherent risks of such structures, according to a report by SGX’s committee.
The move might help narrow the city-state’s gap with Hong Kong, Asia’s biggest market for new listings, where minority-control voting structures are not permitted.
Hong Kong lost Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s (阿里巴巴) US$25 billion initial public offering to the US after regulators rejected the Chinese e-commerce company’s governance structure. Singapore paved the way for dual-class shares by amending laws governing companies earlier this year.
“The envisaged dual-class share structure listing framework is intended to enhance SGX’s attractiveness as a listing venue and to broaden and deepen Singapore’s capital market,” the listing advisory committee said in its report published yesterday.
Singapore has been introducing rules to try to attract more public companies, including allowing the listing of resource firms without an earnings track record, and dual-currency trading for stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The listing group’s approval ends a debate over whether such structures compromise the city-state’s levels of corporate governance. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/30/2003654128 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/7c509dd21df1ade7a0dae210eeff00505e40af55de8bbe5ca9a3f021a704d6e2.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:55 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday released the results of its investigation into an accidental missile launch last month, saying a series of missteps and procedural violations caused the mishap. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffront%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654143.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/30/thumbs/p01-160830-aa2.jpg | en | null | MND explains cause of missile incident | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday released the results of its investigation into an accidental missile launch last month, saying a series of missteps and procedural violations caused the mishap.
A Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missile was accidentally launched from a Kaohsiung-based Chinchiang-class corvette ahead of a training exercise on July 1. The missile ripped through a fishing boat, killing the boat’s captain, Huang Wen-chung (黃文忠), and injuring three crew members.
The missile was launched because Petty Officer Second Class Kao Chia-chun (高嘉駿) accidentally connected unnecessary fire plugs — a connector assembly used to send launch orders, to a missile launcher — Navy Command Headquarters Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) said.
Kao was supposed to connect only two fire plugs, because safety devices were installed on only two of the ship’s four missiles, but he connected four, Mei said.
Kao’s supervisor, Chief Petty Officer Chen Ming-hsiu (陳銘修), should have requested only two fire plugs instead of four, while the ship’s weapon systems officers should only have given him two, Mei said.
Chen misunderstood orders for the drill, believing that all four missiles were to be prepared for the training exercise, but the exercise was only to simulate the launch of one missile, Mei said, adding that during a pre-drill rehearsal, Chen left the operations room after ordering Kao to establish two sets of firing solutions.
According to protocol, Chen should have supervised Kao throughout the entire process, but Kao was left alone in the operations room as he went through the entire pre-launch process while rehearsing for the exercise, when he accidentally hit the launch button, Mei said.
“There were too many oversights and too much negligence. We are deeply distressed [by the incident], but we have made efforts to improve [launch procedures],” Mei said.
Asked how Chen could have misunderstood orders for the exercise, Mei said instructions were ambiguous, adding that the navy would make improvements.
“The missile system will also be redesigned to prevent accidental launches,” Mei said.
Ministry Inspector General Wu Pao-Kun (吳寶琨) said that the July 1 training exercise should not have been scheduled, because the ship’s commander had only been in command since April 11, while operational rules stipulate that such high-level drills are not allowed until a commander has been in charge for more than three months.
The ship was scheduled to begin a patrol mission immediately after the drill, and its commander, Major Lin Po-tse (林伯澤), had attended a pre-patrol meeting earlier that day, Wu added.
The tight schedule might have been a contributing factor to the accident, Wu said, adding that the ministry would prevent such scheduling issues.
“In addition to the navy’s previously announced disciplinary action, the ship’s executive officer and officers who approved the drill are to be punished for procedural violations and failing to provide proper supervision,” Wu said.
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday charged Kao, Chen and Lieutenant Hsu Po-wei (許博為), the ship’s weapon systems officer, with causing the incident.
Kao was charged with negligence resulting in the death of the fishing boat’s captain, which could result in a five-year jail term if he is found guilty. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/08/30/2003654143 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/eb9e81b852e1983e183bb133c7db62cd89ddf8a2ac10584e4448e7e7bdcbd021.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:53 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | Four of Iran’s Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) vessels “harassed” a US warship on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, a US defense official said, amid Washington’s concerns about Tehran’s posture in the Persian Gulf and in the Syrian civil war. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2F2003653913.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/26/thumbs/P07-160826-317.jpg | en | null | Iranian vessels ‘harassed’ US warship: US official | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, WASHINGTON
Four of Iran’s Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) vessels “harassed” a US warship on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, a US defense official said, amid Washington’s concerns about Tehran’s posture in the Persian Gulf and in the Syrian civil war.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, on Wednesday said that two of the Iranian vessels came within 270m of the USS Nitze in an incident that was “unsafe and unprofessional.”
The vessels harassed the destroyer by “conducting a high-speed intercept and closing within a short distance of Nitze, despite repeated warnings,” the official said.
The IRGC, the Islamic Republic’s praetorian guard, is suspicious of US military activity near Iran’s borders and appears to be sticking to a familiar posture in the Gulf that predates last year’s nuclear accord between the nation and six world powers, including the US.
The US and other countries are concerned about Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its ballistic missile program and its backing for Shiite militants that have abused civilians in Iraq.
The US defense official said that in Tuesday’s incident the USS Nitze tried to communicate with the Iranian vessels 12 times, but received no response. It also fired 10 flares in the direction of two of the Iranian vessels.
“The Iranian high rate of closure ... created a dangerous, harassing situation that could have led to further escalation, including additional defensive measures by Nitze,” the official said.
The US warship had to change course in order to distance itself from the Iranian vessels, the official said, adding that the incident could have led to a diplomatic protest, but the US does not have diplomatic relations with Iran.
It remains to be seen whether these actions were carried out by rogue Revolutionary Guard commanders or sanctioned by senior officials in Tehran, said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“For four decades the Revolutionary Guard have been told that America is the greatest threat to the Islamic Revolution,” he said. “This institutional culture hasn’t changed after the nuclear deal.”
In January, 10 US sailors aboard two patrol craft were detained by the IRGC when they inadvertently entered Iranian territorial waters. They were released the next day after being held for about 15 hours. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/26/2003653913 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/5949afcb57c6a4d025efc12c4653d1cdd9393ca0529145ce2c75de9467cdc2a3.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:52:45 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | A travel agency catering specifically to Chinese tourists ceased operations last week. With the number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan expected to keep falling, other businesses are likely to follow. The situation has prompted travel, hotel and tour bus operators to plan a protest for Sept. 12 to ask the government to come up with a solution for the shrinking number of Chinese tourists. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Feditorials%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654200.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | EDITORIAL: Tourism rally barking up wrong tree | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | A travel agency catering specifically to Chinese tourists ceased operations last week. With the number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan expected to keep falling, other businesses are likely to follow. The situation has prompted travel, hotel and tour bus operators to plan a protest for Sept. 12 to ask the government to come up with a solution for the shrinking number of Chinese tourists.
This is quite odd. The number of Chinese tourists is declining not because Taiwan is barring their entry, so why protest against the government? Everyone knows the problem is that Beijing is cutting the number of tour groups it allows to visit Taiwan. If people want to protest, they should go to Beijing.
If President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) follows in the footsteps of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and kowtows to the so-called “1992 consensus,” Beijing might relent and reverse its policy on travel to Taiwan. However, people voted to kick out the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which promoted the “1992 consensus,” so even if Tsai were willing to accept it, the question is whether the 6.89 million people who voted for her would agree just because a few tour operators closed shop.
China is using tourist travel to Taiwan as part of its “united front” strategy and the “peace dividend” that Beijing used to co-opt the Ma administration. From a political perspective, this allows the Chinese government to decide when, how, and how many Chinese tourists should be allowed to travel abroad, as well as when and how it will withdraw these “travel benefits” to put pressure on a country and achieve its political goals.
Economically speaking, it allows Chinese travel agencies to control how tours are distributed, thus creating a buyers’ market, where they can push down tour service prices and even appoint tour operators, hotels, tour bus operators and shopping centers, creating what the Chinese call a “one dragon” business model that maximizes profits for China.
Socially speaking, this business model gives Beijing control over Chinese tourists, making sure that they have as little contact with local societies as possible so they would not be “polluted” by the country they visit.
Chinese tourism does more harm than good, as its large, authoritarian economy uses market mechanisms to wheedle its way into a smaller, democratic society. It begins with what at first seems to be a mutual, voluntary business transaction, but then changes into dependence, so the cost of Taiwan pulling out of the relationship continually increases. This makes it difficult to reverse the process, as individual and short-term benefits turn into a collective and long-term disadvantage.
Business investment is always risky, so as firms welcomed the explosion in Chinese tourism, expanded hotels and bought new tour buses, it raises the question whether they considered what would happen if Beijing changed its mind.
Beijing holds all the chips, so it does not care. A businessperson who does not even possess this level of risk awareness and demands that the government take responsibility when things go awry is naive.
Furthermore, according to the Tourism Bureau, while the number of Chinese tourists who visited Taiwan last month shrank 15.03 percent from a year earlier, the overall number of foreign tourists grew 1.88 percent. It is obvious that this is the result of companies choosing their customers. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/08/31/2003654200 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/d41e0338e41687283bdf40d21bd3d76a9e5044082d09434129401990617f312f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:30 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Britain’s Simon Yates claimed stage six of the Vuelta a Espana with a gutsy solo attack in the final 3.5km for his first Grand Tour stage win as Colombia’s Darwin Atapuma maintained the leader’s red jersey. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653955.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Britain’s Simon Yates attacks to win Vuelta stage six | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, LUINTRA, Spain
Britain’s Simon Yates claimed stage six of the Vuelta a Espana with a gutsy solo attack in the final 3.5km for his first Grand Tour stage win as Colombia’s Darwin Atapuma maintained the leader’s red jersey.
Yates made the decisive break in the closing stages of the 163.2km stage from Monforte de Lemos to take victory in a time of 4 hours, 5 minutes from Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez and Italian Fabio Felline.
“We set it up pretty well in the beginning. I managed to take my opportunity in the finale, it wasn’t planned,” Yates said. “It was a pretty crazy day with a lot of twists and turns. I timed my attack to perfection.”
Yates seemed determined not to be overshadowed by his brother’s success as the best young rider at the Tour as he judged his attack perfectly on another hilly stage with three climbs in the final 50km.
Yates neutralized attacks from Mathias Frank and Dani Moreno in the final 10km before upping the pace to the finish line.
Behind him the general classification leaders stayed together in the peloton, finishing 29 seconds back.
Atapuma maintains a 28-second lead over Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, while Chris Froome is four seconds further back in third as he attempts to become the first man to win the Tour of France and Vuelta back-to-back for 38 years.
However, Astana, who won the race last year with Fabio Aru, lost their main candidate for the overall win when Miguel Angel Lopez retired three days after crashing and breaking teeth.
Earlier in the day, race director Javier Guillen met with leaders of the LottoNL-Jumbo team to apologize for the events that forced Steven Kruijswijk to withdraw from the race with a broken collarbone in Wednesday’s fifth stage due to an unprotected traffic bollard.
Addy Engels, director of the Dutch team, refused to rule out taking legal action for the incident that left them without their main contender for the overall win.
“The Tour of Spain has acted well and taken responsibility for their error. Their apologies do not fix, nor are they going to change what happened,” he said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/27/2003653955 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/0714bf400b913d92e9c0c90b13f58ff9d3b7f526561c59d9f311dbd7a1eb7c2e.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:53:41 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | AUSTRALIA | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654180.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | World News Quick Take | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Agencies
AUSTRALIA
Man charged over acid lube
A 62-year-old man who allegedly put highly corrosive acid inside a lubricant dispenser at a gay nightclub has been arrested and charged, reports said yesterday. The Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) said it understood the incident occurred on Saturday at Aarows bar, which describes itself as “Sydney’s gay and bi social club.” New South Wales police confirmed a man was arrested and charged. “Following a number of similar incidents, items in the room had been alarmed to alert security officers if they were tampered with,” they said in a statement. It added that an alarm sounded and security detained the man before police showed up. The man, who has not been named, was charged with administering poison intended to injure, cause distress or pain. He has also been charged with entering a building with intent to commit an offense and malicious damage.
CHINA
Guangxi bus crash kills 10
Authorities said 10 people were killed and dozens injured when a bus overturned on a highway. The government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said the accident occurred on Sunday when the bus flipped over as it was approaching its final stop in the regional capital, Nanning. Another 32 people aboard the 47-seat bus were injured, five of them seriously. The bus driver was among those killed and the cause of the accident remains under investigation. Driver fatigue and poor vehicle maintenance are the usual causes of such accidents, although a greater emphasis on safety has greatly reduced road accident death tolls. Bordering Vietnam, Guangxi is among the country’s poorer and less-developed regions.
JAPAN
Police search for gunman
A man who allegedly shot dead a construction worker and wounded three at their office in Japan is on the run, police said yesterday, in a rare incident of gun violence. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the man, who is yet to be identified, was an acquaintance of the victims and is believed to still be armed. He opened fire inside the office of a construction company in the western city of Wakayama, a police spokeswoman said, adding that 45-year-old Junsuke Ishiyama died after being sent to a hospital for a bullet wound to his stomach. The three wounded were also sent to the hospital, the spokeswoman added, one of them unconscious. The city of Wakayama issued a warning, asking residents to stay in their homes, NHK said.
JAPAN
Abe support rating tops 60%
Support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe edged above 60 percent for the first time in almost two years, and nearly the same percentage want him to stay in the top job until Tokyo hosts the Summer Games in 2020, a media survey showed yesterday. However, voters were split over the prime minister’s “Abenomics” growth recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy, fiscal spending and promised reforms, with 47 percent giving a thumbs down to the Bank of Japan’s negative interest rate stance, the poll showed. Support for Abe’s Cabinet hit 62 percent in the survey by the Nikkei business daily, conducted from Friday last week to Sunday, up four points from earlier this month. The newspaper suggested the rise could be due to Olympics fever, after a closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro where Abe appeared dressed as popular video game character Super Mario.
BELGIUM
Brussels building set on fire | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/30/2003654180 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/38702f3b5fa01939441096cc1f0452cb978e56f7f5a912dcc2d669f00b4ca6f4.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:54 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump linked illegal immigration and employment on Saturday, pledging to start deporting offenders as soon as he is sworn in should he become the White House’s next occupant. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654114.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Trump pledges to begin deportations if sworn in | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, WASHINGTON
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump linked illegal immigration and employment on Saturday, pledging to start deporting offenders as soon as he is sworn in should he become the White House’s next occupant.
Trump all the while courted the black vote, claiming that the shooting of basketball star Dwyane Wade’s cousin would make African-Americans support him, but the move instead triggered a firestorm of criticism.
“On day one, I am going to begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country — including removing the hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal immigrants that have been released into US communities under the [US President Barack] Obama-[Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Rodham] Clinton administration,” Trump told supporters in Des Moines, Iowa.
Clinton served as US secretary of state during Obama’s first term in office. The next US president is to be sworn in on Jan. 20 next year.
“I am going to build a great border wall, institute nationwide e-verify, stop illegal immigrants from accessing welfare and entitlements and develop an exit-entry tracking system to ensure those who overstay their visas are quickly removed,” Trump said.
“If we don’t enforce visa expiration dates, then we have an open border. It’s as simple as that,” the billionaire real-estate magnate and former reality TV host said
“A vote for Trump is a vote to have a nation of laws, a vote for Clinton is a vote for open borders,” he added.
Details of Trump’s immigration policies remain scant. He rallied much of his primary support with a controversial hardline tone against illegal immigrants and his plan to build a wall on the Mexican border. Some of his advisers are reportedly urging him to tone down his signature policy priority.
Trump also made appeals to black voters, promising to help African-Americans find jobs.
When “an African-American citizen, or any citizen, loses their job to an illegal immigrant, the rights of that American citizen have been totally violated,” he said.
Hours before, Trump said on Twitter: “Dwayne [sic] Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago,” initially misspelling the basketball player’s first name before correcting it later. “Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!”
He was referring to the shooting death on Friday of Nykea Aldridge during an exchange of gunfire between two men as she pushed a baby stroller in Chicago.
Trump’s comments unleashed a torrent of criticism spearheaded by actor Don Cheadle, who has starred in such films as Hotel Rwanda, denouncing the bombastic billionaire for trying to score political points on the back of a murder.
“He doesn’t give a fkk. More red meat to his alt-right troglodytes,” Cheadle said on Twitter, referring to an ultra-conservative movement largely seen as white supremacist and anti-Semitic. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/29/2003654114 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/d32b3e22d496718ba85c98f1f1680e7a313dc1f721025382ec41fe26f5b90374.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:49 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The South Korean government said it would introduce risk management practices for some types of real-estate loans as household debt has climbed to a new record. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2F2003653865.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | As household debt soars, South Korea urges loan scrutiny | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Bloomberg
The South Korean government said it would introduce risk management practices for some types of real-estate loans as household debt has climbed to a new record.
The government is to encourage banks to impose stricter loan screening for so-called collective loans by buyers of new apartments, which have led to recent mortgage growth, according to a joint statement from government ministries yesterday.
The pace of household debt has accelerated in recent years as the Bank of Korea lowered rates to unprecedented levels and the government eased property regulations to support the economy. The booming property market has played a key role in sustaining the economy, yet mounting debt is a risk if households are unable to repay the loans.
Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol said at a news conference this month that the central bank is monitoring debt growth as it raises risks to financial stability and that previous measures on stricter loan screening have not yet had meaningful results.
Household debt including credit purchases rose by 33.6 trillion won (US$30.1 billion) in the second quarter to 1,257.3 trillion won, the central bank said yesterday in a separate statement.
The government said it would manage the supply of housing on lands offered by Korea Land & Housing Corp to maintain an appropriate level and encourage borrowers of long-term jeonse rentals to take out amortized loans.
An increase in the supply of new homes can lead to oversupply, raising concerns about deterioration in quality of debt if risks to the housing market grow, the government said, adding that supply needs to be managed. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/26/2003653865 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/5b47fb50162099b7c3f8163233d86389fa8708892b00ef9387cce3b18ce1b309.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:53:04 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Gabon on Saturday voted in a presidential election pitting Gabonese President Ali Bongo against a veteran politician running on a promise to end a 50-year-old family dynasty. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654106.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Gabon polls could oust 50-year family dynasty | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, LIBREVILLE
Gabon on Saturday voted in a presidential election pitting Gabonese President Ali Bongo against a veteran politician running on a promise to end a 50-year-old family dynasty.
The election in the oil-rich central African country followed an acrimonious campaign and persistent social unrest, but was carried out in a calm atmosphere with no reports of major incidents.
By evening both parties were claiming victory.
“We can confirm that our candidate, Ali Bongo Ondimba, will win... we are already on our way to a second mandate,” Bongo’s spokesman Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze said.
However, a spokesman for the main opposition candidate Jean Ping said he had more than 57 percent of the vote against less than 40 percent for Bongo, according to an incomplete early estimate by his team.
Shortly after voting began, Ping — a former chairman of the African Union Commission — said that his rival was trying to steal the election.
He alleged that a decision by Gabon’s Constitutional Court on Friday allowed soldiers, who traditionally support Bongo, to “vote several times in several polling centers.”
“We know the other side is trying to cheat. It is up to you to be vigilant,” he told reporters.
However, Bongo’s spokesman said that some of Ping’s supporters in one district of the capital had prevented voters casting their ballots.
“Jean Ping is foolishly not respecting Gabon’s institutions and is preparing to announce false results,” Bilie-By-Nze said on Twitter, using a hashtag which translates as “Shame on Ping.”
Bongo, 57, came to power in a contested election in 2009, following the death of his father Omar Bongo, who was president of Gabon for 42 years.
Polling stations began closing from 6pm, with results expected today.
Campaigning was marked by months of bitter exchanges, including accusations — and strenuous denials — that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.
Until recently, Bongo was the clear favorite, with the opposition split and several prominent politicians vying for the top job. However, earlier this month, the main challengers pulled out and said they would all back Ping.
Both candidates have promised to break with the past.
Faced with repeated charges of nepotism, Bongo says that he owes his presidency to merit and years of government service.
One third of Gabon’s population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa’s highest per capita incomes of US$8,300 thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil per day.
There has been growing popular unrest in recent months, with numerous public sector strikes and thousands of layoffs in the oil sector.
After Bongo’s 2009 victory, several people were killed, buildings were looted and the French consulate in Port Gentil set on fire. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/29/2003654106 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/f45e8e75cbde87c78ef7e9404c13455c94010046cdbc1d57c90007bff1719b5d.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:52:11 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | Safety concerns over the long-awaited metro rail line between Taipei and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have been addressed and operations could start in the near future, an independent committee said yesterday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffront%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2003654012.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/28/thumbs/P01-160828-2.jpg | en | null | Airport line safe, ready for operations: committee | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Huang Li-hsiang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA
Safety concerns over the long-awaited metro rail line between Taipei and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have been addressed and operations could start in the near future, an independent committee said yesterday.
However, it added that other non-safety-related standards stipulated in the contract have yet to be met, including travel time, train speed and intervals.
The line, which has been under construction since 2006 and is to serve 22 stations, was originally scheduled to open in 2010, but has been delayed six times, largely due to signal problems and a lack of coordination between contractors.
Under then-president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in March postponed this year’s opening date indefinitely, saying there was no timetable for the line to begin operations.
After the Democratic Progressive Party took office in May, Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) formed a nine-member committee of industry experts to investigate the delays and facilitate the opening of the line.
The task force on July 4 announced the commencement of its investigation, which formally ended with yesterday’s meeting.
The committee found that 25 problems remain unresolved: 13 engineering-related issues, nine track-related issues and three automatic ticketing system issues, none of which affect the safe operation of trains, it said.
It takes a train 36 minutes to travel between Taipei Main Station MRT station and the airport’s Terminal 1, one minute more than contract requirements.
The committee said express trains average 57kph and regular trains 39kph, less than the contracted speeds of 60kph and 45kph respectively. Subsequently, the time between trains also needs to be adjusted from 10 minutes to 12 minutes, and 15 minutes in off-peak hours.
The Bureau of High Speed Rail, the agency overseeing testing of the system, said operations are to commence at current speeds, but it would require the contractor to increase speeds in accordance with the terms of the contract.
“We have already solved many engineering and power-related issues and achieved system stability,” committee convener Chiang Yao-chung (江耀宗) said. “We have also coordinated with Taoyuan Metro Corp on operational tests, conducted drills, completed control measures at every point along the line, confirmed the initial operations schedule and completed stability tests and simulation exercises.”
“After several meetings with manufacturer Marubeni Corp, the Bureau of High Speed Rail and Taoyuan Metro, as well as investigations and surveys of the facilities, we have seen a steady improvement in the stability of the line’s power systems and greater cooperation on the part of the bureau and Taoyuan Metro.”
Chiang said that the committee supports the commencement of operations and that it hopes authorities will be pragmatic and flexible with future safety tests. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/08/28/2003654012 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/17dbae0931272a4f1ced3b0e18de81bb12782828a7d988ce637d50c923b4fdd1.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:53:25 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday announced it had expelled Macau-born student Chan Ho-yeung (陳皓揚) for allegedly killing cats. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654227.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Student accused of killing cats expelled by university | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Wu Po-husan and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday announced it had expelled Macau-born student Chan Ho-yeung (陳皓揚) for allegedly killing cats.
Chan has been accused of kidnapping and killing a pet cat, nicknamed Ban Ban (斑斑), which was owned by the proprietor of a local establishment, the second cat Chan is accused of killing, following the alleged slaying last year of a local stray nicknamed “Big Orange.”
Chan previously received two major and two minor demerits from a university disciplinary committee over last year’s incident — for which he has also been indicted — while this year’s incident triggered another disciplinary hearing last week that resulted in his expulsion, which was finalized on Monday, the university said.
It said that Chan was expelled according to Clause 6, Article 10 of the NTU Code of Student Conduct, which authorizes the expulsion of a student who has been convicted by a court of law of a crime defined in the Criminal Code, or found by a university investigation to have committed such a crime.
NTU expressed remorse over the cat-killing incidents and said that it would assist Chan’s parents in their efforts to care for him after his expulsion and to provide psychological counseling if he requests it.
The university said it hopes Chan will submit to therapy and take responsibility for his actions.
Chan completed the coursework and credits required to graduate, but his expulsion took place before he completed the application process for graduation, although he can transfer the credits if he enrolls in another university or graduate studies institution, NTU secretary-general Lin Ta-te (林達德) said.
Chan asked the disciplinary committee to give him a second chance, but it rejected that request, Lin said.
Lin said that the committee is a separate authority from the courts and the decision to expel Chan remains valid even if the courts do not indict him.
Earlier this month, Chan went on trial, which is ongoing. He faces up to a year in jail or a fine if he is found guilty.
Chan has argued in court that he has psychological problems and is unable to control his urge to kill cats. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/31/2003654227 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/486f51155e5bc1069bfa79378763687498e1bb6ce500384824c20e9b6f31a3b7.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:46 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | In a trial run of a cognitive test designed for drivers aged 75 and older who want to renew their driver’s license, 68 percent of the participants received passing marks. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654167.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Most elderly drivers pass trial runs of cognitive skills test | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Staff writer, with CNA
In a trial run of a cognitive test designed for drivers aged 75 and older who want to renew their driver’s license, 68 percent of the participants received passing marks.
The government is to start implementing the test next year, but it has been running trials since May, and as of late this month, 2,718 elderly people, some of whom are no longer driving, have taken the test, according to data compiled by the Directorate-General of Highways.
The test examines the ability to tell the time correctly, recall memories and make judgements, as well as hand-eye coordination, Motor Vehicle Division Director Chen Tsung-chien (陳聰乾) said.
Many people who failed the test were frustrated by the requirement to draw a clock, Chen said, adding that some people were unable to position the numbers within the circle while others drew the clock hands with the wrong proportions.
Those who failed the test will not have their driving licenses revoked, because the measure is being carried out on a trial basis, Chen said, but suggested that they undergo examinations at a hospital.
Once the measure is implemented in January next year, those who fail the test will not be able to have their licenses renewed, he added.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) made the test a major policy after assuming office on May 20.
Statistics from the highway authority show that the number of motorists and motorcyclists aged 75 and older has surpassed 580,000.
Last year, 1,696 people died due to injuries within 24 hours of a traffic accident, 533 of whom were more than 65 years old, and were mostly drivers and pedestrians, the data showed. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/30/2003654167 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/0e978909a641e02cfdbee03db147951e3a0a384a51ad60e817e02f77b61899d2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:17 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | By most metrics, Taiwan appears to have transitioned from a democratizing state to a “mature democracy,” a term that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), among others, has used with great frequency when talking about the nation this year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Feditorials%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653937.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | EDITORIAL: It is time to grow up | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By most metrics, Taiwan appears to have transitioned from a democratizing state to a “mature democracy,” a term that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), among others, has used with great frequency when talking about the nation this year.
The phrase, which is attributed to Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington, is often defined as two handovers of power from one legitimately elected leader to another, although his formulation actually requires a double alternation, meaning that the candidate of the ruling party is defeated in an election by the candidate of another party.
Yet democracies are imperfect states, and Taiwan is no exception, something its politicians of all stripes and voters seem loath to recognize.
Even the US, which is so often held up as the model, in US President Barack Obama’s two terms in office and its presidential campaign season, has become as rigidly divided along a color spectrum and politically logjammed as Taiwan was during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) two terms, when the party in control of the legislature specialized in opposition for opposition’s sake, not for the benefit of voters or the nation.
Which brings us to the darlings of the media and political pundits the world over: opinion polls and the idea that the first 100 days of a new administration are important and defining.
Much has been made of polls that show approval ratings for Tsai and her administration have plunged, with some analysts gloomily predicting that she is losing the hearts and minds of the public and others leapfrogging ahead to predict disaster for the Democratic Progressive Party in the 2018 elections for special municipalities, county commissioners and local councils.
It is worth remembering that surveys taken as former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) neared or passed his first 100 days in office in 2008 saw his approval ratings plummet, just as they had in 2000 for Chen. The Taiwan Society even organized a rally in Taipei to mark Ma’s first 100 days that drew an estimated 300,000 people to protest his performance and press demands for a stronger economy, a transparent judiciary and protection of national sovereignty. The participants also complained about his rush to open up to China.
That sounds eerily familiar to what we have heard this month, except Tsai is also being criticized for something she has no control over — Beijing’s petulance and bully tactics as exemplified by the cutting off of cross-strait communication channels and the flow of Chinese visitors to Taiwan.
However, in all three cases, the fault lies not so much in what Chen, Ma or Tsai did or did not do as its does with voters’ unrealistic expectations.
Translating the florid rhetoric of candidates’ speeches and campaign platforms into governmental reality is difficult, no matter the party, person or nation. Expecting a new president to accomplish anything really substantial overnight — which in the real world is what 100 days amount to — is foolhardy at best, and damaging at worst.
A prime example of the latter is former US president George W. Bush’s first tax-cut plan: the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Act of 2001, submitted to the US House of Representatives at the beginning of March 2001, which proved to be the first step in gutting the budget surplus he inherited from former US president Bill Clinton and becoming one of the main drivers of US budget deficits to this day. Yet Bush had campaigned on a platform that included substantial tax cuts and much was made of his early delivery on that promise. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/08/27/2003653937 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/c4ef38d07836a9ac234946747a82ba048183088815a48c1cd9ec1850157aa39f.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:53:09 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | A doctor at Changhua Christian Hospital has removed an 8cm parotid gland tumor from a patient, surnamed Park, while minimally damaging facial nerves, a feat Park had been told by doctors in South Korea and the US was impossible. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654166.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Doctor conducts surgery considered ‘impossible’ | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Chang Tsung-chiu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
A doctor at Changhua Christian Hospital has removed an 8cm parotid gland tumor from a patient, surnamed Park, while minimally damaging facial nerves, a feat Park had been told by doctors in South Korea and the US was impossible.
Park, 47, was diagnosed with a parotid gland tumor nine years ago, which was 2cm in diameter at the time, but he was unable to find time for treatment due to his heavy work load in the US, where he practices law, director of the hospital’s Center for Oral Cancer Chen Mu-kuan (陳穆寬) said.
Park said he was also afraid that he might lose the ability to move parts of his face after surgery, as numerous hospitals and clinics in South Korea and the US told him that the surgery is risky and could sever some facial nerves, causing local paralysis.
Even if the operation did not sever the nerves, it would still damage them, doctors told Park.
Park said he found on the Internet a paper that Chen published, titled Minimally Invasive Endoscope-assisted Parotidectomy: a Different Approach, and sent him an e-mail about his condition.
The two agreed for Park to come to Taiwan for the surgery and on Aug. 11, Chen applied his method to remove the tumor on Park’s parotid gland in an operation that lasted about two hours.
The tumor was almost entirely surrounded by facial nerves, Chen said, adding that such operations had a 90 percent chance of causing permanent paralysis and a 10 percent chance of causing temporary paralysis.
Chen said he was able to minimize the damage to facial nerves by using endoscopic magnification, adding that by undergoing surgery, Park rid himself of a potentially malignant tumor.
Park was released from a recovery room on Aug. 15 and was able to drink tea, chew soft food and even whistle, Chen said, adding that Park has praised Taiwan’s medical system. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/30/2003654166 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/f917af638d66f0f66dc4b4b4dd8d7ffafe0844d701a500593104e74c284d4842.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:51:17 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | South Africa’s wealthy Gupta family, which has been accused of holding undue political sway over South African President Jacob Zuma, on Saturday said it planned to dispose of all stakes it holds in businesses in the nation before the end of the year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654056.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Gupta family to sell S African holdings | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, JOHANNESBURG
South Africa’s wealthy Gupta family, which has been accused of holding undue political sway over South African President Jacob Zuma, on Saturday said it planned to dispose of all stakes it holds in businesses in the nation before the end of the year.
The Guptas have denied accusations that they have used their friendship with Zuma to influence his decisions or advance their business interests.
However, South Africa’s anti-corruption watchdog last month said it would get more funds to investigate whether Zuma allowed the family to make government appointments.
In a statement, the Gupta family said “we now believe the time is right for us to exit our shareholding of the South African businesses” and it believed the move would benefit current employees.
“As such, we announce today our intention to sell all of our shareholding in South Africa by the end of the year. We are already in discussions with several international prospective buyers,” the statement said.
The prominent business family is accused of being behind Zuma’s abrupt sacking of former South African finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December last year, a move that rattled investor confidence and triggered calls for the president’s resignation.
The scandal surrounding the Guptas took a dramatic turn earlier this year after Deputy South African Minister of Finance Mcebisi Jonas said the family had offered him his boss’ job.
Zuma has said that the Guptas are his friends, but denied doing anything improper. The Guptas have also denied making job offers to anyone in government.
The three Gupta brothers moved to South Africa from India at the end of apartheid rule in the mid-1990s and went on to build a business empire that stretches from technology to the media to mining.
A family spokesman told the Gupta-owned ANN7 news channel that the decision to divest from South Africa had “been on the cards” since April, when the brothers had resigned from the directorships of their companies.
He also said the family planned to stay in South Africa.
In a statement, the family said it “had been a victim of a political campaign... A narrative has been constructed against us, which has been perpetuated by many media titles, and that flawed perception has become the truth in the eyes of some.”
“We have no interest in politics, only business,” the statement said.
The Gupta family’s assets in South Africa include its holding company Oakbay Investments, which controls Johannesburg-listed Oakbay Resources. They also own the New Age newspaper and the ANN7 news network.
Oakbay Investments chief executive Nazeem Howa said the company would remain rooted in South Africa.
“Oakbay Investments will continue in South Africa, they [the Guptas] are just selling their shareholding,” he told the eNCA news channel.
The company does not have an easy operating environment in South Africa.
All four of the country’s major banks have severed links with it.
Analysts have said the banks were likely prompted by concerns about reputational risk and if the Guptas are no longer part of Oakbay, that risk may diminish.
South African markets were rattled again last week by news that South African Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan had been summoned by an elite police unit known as “the Hawks” over an investigation into a suspected rogue spy unit in the tax service. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/29/2003654056 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/df0254fac3441bb6902ac7deb0d2cc0e3a8a587f681c530643e485dadcb9ce97.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:51:22 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | A man was arrested after he stripped down to his boxer shorts, scaled a fence and rammed a pickup truck into a Southwest airplane parked at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday, police said. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653977.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Man in only underwear crashes car into airplane | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters
A man was arrested after he stripped down to his boxer shorts, scaled a fence and rammed a pickup truck into a Southwest airplane parked at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday, police said.
Two crew members suffered minor injuries on the Southwest Airlines flight, bound for Denver, Colorado, when the man drove the truck into the plane’s nose gear, Omaha Airport Authority Chief of Police said.
The unidentified man was taken into custody and there was no suggestion the incident was an act of extremism, police said.
Airport security personnel had noticed a man “acting in a bizarre manner” near the perimeter of the airport. The man then stripped down to his boxer shorts, climbed over a fence and ran onto an airport runway as officers gave chase, police said.
The man then jumped into a parked truck, which had its engine running, and drove it into the nose gear of the plane. He was apprehended by police, airport police said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/27/2003653977 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/69d9534d8a181937588cf87ab308ec1a942043cbe1a8b73e278a9284dc1e84b4.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:52:03 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | A late goal by Toni Kroos sealed victory as Real Madrid defeated an impressive RC Celta de Vigo side 2-1 to win their first home La Liga game of the campaign on Saturday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2F2003654082.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/29/thumbs/P11-160829-324.jpg | en | null | Kroos missile delights Real | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, BARCELONA, Spain
A late goal by Toni Kroos sealed victory as Real Madrid defeated an impressive RC Celta de Vigo side 2-1 to win their first home La Liga game of the campaign on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid were held to a goalless draw at newcomers Leganes and already trail Real by four points.
Alvaro Morata scored his first goal for Real since returning from Juventus to break the deadlock on the hour before Fabian Orellana levelled for Celta in the 67th minute.
Kroos then finished off substitute James Rodriguez’s cut-back with a low drive from the edge of the area in the 81st minute, giving his side six points from their two league matches.
“We were made to suffer against a team that were a lot better than I expected especially in attack,” Real coach Zinedine Zidane told a news conference.
“They caused problems for us on a few occasions, but that is normal ... it is never easy to win,” he said.
The return of prolific striker Antoine Griezmann could not help Atletico break down Leganes.
Home goalkeeper Jon Ander Serantes kept out efforts from the France international, Kevin Gameiro and Yannick Carrasco in an inspired display.
“We have to get our act together because if we keep going like this we’ll be fighting to avoid relegation,” Griezmann said.
Elsewhere, Real Sociedad won 2-0 at promoted CA Osasuna thanks to a strike from new signing Juanmi and an own-goal by Unai Garcia, while Sociedad Deportiva Eibar beat Valencia 1-0 as Pedro Leon scored the only goal on the rebound after his penalty was saved.
Valencia striker Paco Alcacer was left out and is now expected to sign for Barcelona.
“Today he was not in an ideal situation to compete and we will see what happens in the next few days,” coach Pako Ayesteran said. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/29/2003654082 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/8f32be5db484630762a103499fa28ac7f8892e37fde9bdb2402bec96223118ed.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:51:33 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | China officially launched a new multibillion-dollar jet engine conglomerate with almost 100,000 employees over the weekend, as Beijing seeks to become an aerospace power and compete with the likes of Rolls-Royce and General Electric Corp (GE). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654131.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | China launches Beijing-based jet-engine firm | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AFP, BEIJING
China officially launched a new multibillion-dollar jet engine conglomerate with almost 100,000 employees over the weekend, as Beijing seeks to become an aerospace power and compete with the likes of Rolls-Royce and General Electric Corp (GE).
The Aero Engine Corp of China (AECC, 中國航發) has registered capital of 50 billion yuan (US$7.5 billion), and previous reports said it would incorporate subsidiaries of a series of state-owned firms, including the Aviation Industrial Corp of China (AVIC, 中國航空工業集團).
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said founding the company was a “strategic move” to make China an aviation power and modernise the military, Xinhua news agency reported.
China does not make large commercial jet engines of its own and its narrow-body airliner, the C919, is powered by engines from CFM International, a venture between GE of the US and France’s Safran.
The best aircraft in China’s air force use engines built in Russia, Xinhua said.
Beijing is looking to change that with the creation of a new national champion in the field as it seeks the prestige of having its own aviation sector.
Leaders have targeted the manufacture of high-technology products such as jet engines as a means to transform the world’s second-largest economy and make its firms more competitive with advanced foreign rivals in aerospace, biotechnology, alternative energy and other sectors.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) said in written comments that making “breakthroughs” in advanced aircraft engines would have great value in strengthening the military and manufacturing ability of the country.
Xinhua cited him urging indigenous innovation to make AECC a world leader in aero-engines.
The new firm will employ 96,000 employees and be headquartered in the capital, reports said, with China’s State Council and the Beijing City Government investing in it.
However, industry executives say it could take years for the firm to develop the engines to power big commercial jets.
This summer China’s homegrown regional jet, the ARJ21, made by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (中國商用飛機公司), made its first commercial flight after years of delays, though its quality and reliability have yet to be established. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/30/2003654131 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/6ba2eaa437c635cec15846d24bd5a8bccb9a5c2f0bbb60c6dc1aec43c68ecf52.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:06 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Pakistan’s oldest red light district was for centuries a hub of traditional erotic dancers, musicians and prostitutes — Pigalle with a Mughal twist, deep in the heart of vibrant Lahore. But as an e-commerce boom revolutionizes how Pakistanis conduct the world’s oldest profession, locals say the historic Heera Mandi district is under threat. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffeat%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653944.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/27/thumbs/p14-160827-301.jpg | en | null | Dying of the light | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Gohar ABBAS / AFP, LAHORE, Pakistan
Pakistan’s oldest red light district was for centuries a hub of traditional erotic dancers, musicians and prostitutes — Pigalle with a Mughal twist, deep in the heart of vibrant Lahore. But as an e-commerce boom revolutionizes how Pakistanis conduct the world’s oldest profession, locals say the historic Heera Mandi district is under threat.
Balconies where beautiful women once stood are now empty, while rust eats away at the locked doors of vacant rooms. The only stubborn hold-outs are shops selling instruments that once facilitated the aperitifs of music and dance.
Men now can book a rendezvous online through escort Web sites or even directly with women over social media, instead of searching out streetside solicitation. With location rendered meaningless, prostitutes like Reema Kanwal — who says the business “runs in my blood” — have abandoned Heera Mandi. The district, whose name translates as “Diamond Market,” is close to the echoing, centuries-old Badshahi Mosque. During the Mughal era, the great Islamic empire that ruled most of India and Pakistan in the 15th and 16th centuries, Heera Mandi was a center for mujra, traditional singing and dancing performed for the elites.
The wealthy even sent their sons to the salons of tawaifs, high-class courtesans that have been likened to Japanese geishas, to study etiquette. Later, when the British came, distinctions between courtesan or mujra dancer and prostitute were blurred. Dance and sex became intertwined, and Heera Mandi began its long slide into sordidness — but even so, Reema remembers “glorious” days.
Reema’s mother and grandmother were also prostitutes, making her part of Heera Mandi’s generations of women who danced and pleased men in the market.
“People used to respect the prostitutes of Heera Mandi, we were called artists,” she says — but all has changed over the last decade. “Now we don’t have any honor.”
She blames the loss on a rush of girls without her family background taking up the profession who have not been taught “how to treat people” the way she has.
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
Such girls, she says, need nothing to market themselves but a mobile phone, with which they can advertise on Facebook or Locanto, some offering services over Skype for as little as 300 rupees (US$3).
Dozens of escort services with online bookings claim to serve thousands of clients in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad — some even in Dubai and Singapore. In a deeply conservative Muslim country where prostitution is banned and sex outside marriage is criminalized, one Web site says it caters to roughly 50,000 customers.
With the old traditions falling by the wayside, girls also no longer need an entourage of musicians and teachers, say the owners of the music shops that are the final remnants of old Heera Mandi. The intricate mujra dancing that was such a foundation of the red light district required years of teaching and live musicians. Now girls learn easy but provocative dance moves via YouTube.
“They take a USB or sometimes they don’t even need that, they have songs in their cellphones, they plug a cable and play the music,” laments Soan Ali, one of the music shop owners.
Like Reema, Ali’s family has also been in Heera Mandi for generations, and he proudly recalled his father’s “hospitality” as he attempted to lure clients for his mother. He takes a deep breath. “We are having a lot of difficulties,” he admits. “Whoever is in this field is going through hard days.” | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/08/27/2003653944 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/e44295179121cf132f16269348989a22652b99e84f687054c635b2f6d5e51ea4.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:52:05 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Patrick Reed survived a couple of late bogeys to clinch a one-stroke victory at The Barclays on Sunday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fsport%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F2003654149.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/30/thumbs/P16-160830-315.jpg | en | null | Reed wins Barclays to secure a spot on US Ryder Cup team | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Reuters, NEW YORK
Patrick Reed survived a couple of late bogeys to clinch a one-stroke victory at The Barclays on Sunday.
Reed carded a closing 70 to finish on nine-under 275 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale on New York’s Long Island.
Fellow American Sean O’Hair (66) and Argentine Emiliano Grillo (69) were joint second on eight-under.
With his fifth victory on the PGA Tour, Reed secured a spot on the US team for next month’s Ryder Cup.
He also vaulted to the top of the FedExCup points list after the first of the four playoff events.
Reed was delighted with his win, but acknowledged his game needed work after he recorded bogeys at the 16th and 18th holes.
“I have worked pretty hard with my coach for the past couple of weeks,” the 26-year-old said. “The game shows I’m moving in the right direction, but there are some things I need to work on. As the pressure started building I started going back to my old pattern, hit some shots left.” | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2016/08/30/2003654149 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/28c2add0faf500a0dc433197f9d71a9d79fb514d6c0e92a2d16ad603910ccfed.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:51:21 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | US government efforts to prevent violent extremism from taking root in the US are getting new, less polarizing names. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653973.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | US government renames counterterrorism efforts | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | AP, BOSTON
US government efforts to prevent violent extremism from taking root in the US are getting new, less polarizing names.
Massachusetts this month recast its controversial Countering Violent Extremism, or CVE, program in Boston as Promoting Engagement, Acceptance and Community Empowerment, or PEACE.
The move comes after Minneapolis, Minnesota — another city where such efforts are underway — last year rebranded its program as Building Community Resilience.
The US Department of Homeland Security also created the Office of Community Partnerships to advance CVE efforts.
Pilot programs in Boston, Minneapolis and Los Angeles were launched to fanfare by US President Barack Obama in 2014 as a modest part of his administration’s broader strategy to combat extremist thinking before it results in violence.
George Selim, who heads the Office for Community Partnerships and an interagency CVE task force, said that the federal government is not shying away from the CVE moniker and that he is fine with local efforts adopting names they feel best reflect their intentions.
“I don’t think that waters down the CVE mission, because, at the end of the day, CVE is largely a Beltway Washington term,” he said. “What Boston is doing is a good progression of what they set out to do a couple of years ago.”
Experts said the name changes are in part recognition that CVE and other similarly named programs in the UK and elsewhere have generated strong opposition among some civil rights activists who feel they unfairly target Muslims.
“The term CVE has become a distraction, a catchall phrase that is defined by both sides of the debate as either the cause of or solution to all society’s problems,” said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
The changes also show how counter-radicalization efforts in the US are gradually evolving from a criminal justice question to one focused on public health, said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council.
“The name change reflects a significant shift in the policy from a ‘rooting out radicals in communities’ frame to an ‘empowering communities’ frame,” he said. “Government has heard our concerns.
“Non-law-enforcement agencies are taking the lead. It’s about civic engagement, honest conversations in communities and providing mental health support where needed,” he added.
However, other Muslim activists worry the programs — whatever their names — are still too focused on Muslim extremists.
Shannon Erwin, director of the Boston-based Muslim Justice League, said the programs will still lead to profiling, monitoring and intelligence gathering of Muslims.
The PEACE moniker only obscures how controversial the program is, she said.
Michelle Hillman, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Executive Office for Health and Human Services, which is overseeing Boston’s PEACE project, declined to respond to Erwin’s comments or say how the agency came up with the new moniker.
However, the program’s intent to address violent extremism as a public health issue has not changed, she said.
PEACE’s central aim is to “prevent people from joining organizations that promote, plan or engage” in violent extremism, according to project proposals.
Boston, like the other two pilot cities, was given about US$220,000 in federal money to help launch local CVE-related efforts. Proposals for using the money are due in the middle of next month. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/27/2003653973 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/0070c62d266ca027c22c975200cdbdf18b8f5e34003222230ab9a5285e9dbb66.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:08 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | One year ago, my idea of good alcohol was Taiwan Beer, or a Singapore Sling, if I wanted to be classy. A craft beer-loving friend from Michigan visited and I wracked my brain trying to figure out where in Taipei to bring him. I inadvertently stumbled into a growing craft beer scene when I discovered 55th Street. I’ve been drinking my way through northern Taiwan since — ales, stouts, porters — anything that wasn’t Taiwan Beer. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ffeat%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2F2003653943.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2016/08/27/thumbs/p13-160827-4a.jpg | en | null | Drinking Taipei: 3000 glasses of beer on the wall | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Dana Ter / Staff Reporter
One year ago, my idea of good alcohol was Taiwan Beer, or a Singapore Sling, if I wanted to be classy. A craft beer-loving friend from Michigan visited and I wracked my brain trying to figure out where in Taipei to bring him. I inadvertently stumbled into a growing craft beer scene when I discovered 55th Street. I’ve been drinking my way through northern Taiwan since — ales, stouts, porters — anything that wasn’t Taiwan Beer.
This is my last story in the “Drinking Taipei” series. Ironically, I decided to head down to Pingtung County (屏東) earlier this week to find out how southerners drink their beer.
Chung Wen-ching (鍾文清), the founder of Hengchun 3000 Brewseum (恆春3000啤酒博物館), laughs at me.
“There is no craft beer culture in the south,” he says.
He’s bewildered as to why I would make the four-hour trek down here. Though it’s located in an industrial district — laws confine breweries to industrial districts — the brewery/museum is shrouded in palm trees and banana trees. The Pacific coastline near the southernmost tip of Taiwan is a 20-minute drive away, but I can almost smell the saltwater.
It’s a weekday afternoon. Me, two little girls, a couple and a grandma are in the ground floor tasting hall which is a long and narrow space with wooden chairs and tables. They are taking selfies and sipping water. I down my pint of IPA.
3000 beer mugs and glasses line the two-story high steel wall of the tasting hall. They were all purchased on e-Bay, Chung tells me.
From 1946, during the Chinese Civil War, to 2002, when Taiwan joined the WTO, Taiwan Beer held a monopoly.
“Beer to Taiwanese meant Taiwan Beer,” says the bespectacled, smiling Chung.
Hengchun 3000 Brewseum 恆春3000啤酒博物館 Address: 29-1 Chaopu Rd, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣恆春鎮草埔路29-1號) Telephone: (08) 888-1002 Open: Daily from 11am to 10pm drinks: NT$150 to NT$180 for a pint On the net: www.facebook.com/3000Brewseum
“It meant sitting around a rechao (熱炒), talking really loudly with friends and clinking glasses and saying ‘bottoms up!’” he adds, referring to the roadside restaurants which serve copious amounts of fried meat and veggies.
Chung was part of the first wave of Taiwanese brewers to open craft breweries after 2002. These breweries were mostly unsuccessful because local palates weren’t quite ready for the bitter brews. It wasn’t until the second wave, post-2012, when younger brewers, including Taiwanese who had lived overseas and expats, that craft beer started to become popular.
“I’m just a bit older than the young brewers up north,” Chung chuckles.
Chung first learned about craft beer in 1996, when he read about microbreweries in the US. In 2003, he completed a six-month apprenticeship with the American Brewers Guild in California and worked in a couple of brewpubs before returning to Taiwan to open his own brewery in Kaohsiung in 2005.
During his time in the US, Chung drank mostly lagers. It wasn’t until a few months into working at a San Francisco brewpub that he started to enjoy pale ales.
“It’s really an acquired taste,” he says.
The Kaohsiung brewery ran for four years. After it closed down, Chung never stopped collecting beer-related trinkets and antiques from e-Bay. His collection includes replicas of beer recipes from Mesopotamia chiseled on stone and translated hieroglyphics from ancient Egypt, which describe the joys of intoxication.
The idea to open a brewery/museum — a “brewseum” as he calls it — came to him quite suddenly. He packed up his memorabilia and relocated from Kaohsiung to Hengchun where skies are clearer and the surf beckons. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/08/27/2003653943 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/273f3937735707891f705152b98faa8ef6c36529d6d5f04b498626fadd7c3ef6.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:54:13 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | CANADA | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654247.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | World News Quick Take | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Agencies
CANADA
Crossbow attack probed
Detectives investigating a triple homicide in which two men died of crossbow bolt and arrow injuries and one woman was strangled are trying to determine what motivated the attack at a Toronto home. Brett Ryan, 35, has been charged in the killings. Police on Monday asked to speak with anyone who had contact with Ryan in the hours before the incident on Thursday last week. The identities of the victims and their relationship to the accused, who was due to be married soon, cannot be reported due to a court publication ban. Detective Sergeant Mike Carbone said autopsies showed that the woman died from ligature strangulation, one man died from a crossbow bolt stab wound to the neck and a man found in the driveway died from a single arrowhead stab wound to the neck.
UNITED STATES
Asylum teen talks
The Honduran teenager who spent about seven months in federal custody under threat of deportation said it is difficult to explain what he went through while he was kept away from family and friends in North Carolina. Nineteen-year-old Wildin Acosta said the beds at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia were narrow and small and detainees could watch, but not listen to, television. However, he did make friends and said he learned a lot from his experience. Acosta gave one of his first interviews on Monday since his release on Aug. 13. The teen fled his country in 2014 to escape a gang member who he says threatened to kill him. He is awaiting a ruling on his request for asylum.
UNITED STATES
Turbine divides neighbors
Even as Rhode Island makes history as the first US state with an offshore wind farm, its people are not so fond of wind turbines sprouting up on land near where they live. Town leaders in North Smithfield are proposing a ban on any new wind turbines in the rural community near the Massachusetts border. However, it might be too late to stop a 125m high turbine that Ruth Pacheco has a permit to build on her 21 hectare farm property. The 86-year-old proprietor of the Hi-on-a-Hill Herb Farm says a 25-year-old lease agreement with a wind energy developer will help her preserve the land she has tended all her life.
UNITED STATES
Suspect claims royalty
A man jailed in Las Vegas ahead of three court appearances this week on charges that could put him in prison for up to 14 years said that he holds a British royal title, police said on Monday. Alexander Montagu-Manchester identified himself to detectives as the 13th Duke of Manchester, Las Vegas Police Department spokeswoman Officer Laura Meltzer said. The royal title dates back 950 years in Britain, to the time of William the Conqueror. Montagu-Manchester, 53, was to face a judge yesterday on a burglary charge stemming from a break-in at a home last month. Police said he was found shirtless about 2:30am in a neighboring home shortly after the burglary was reported, and said he lived there. Montagu-Manchester is also scheduled in court today in a separate felony false police report case that led to his arrest on Aug. 12. He has been jailed since then. He is to face another judge tomorrow in a misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs case from last year. Prosecutor Eric Bauman said he is accused of having high levels of the muscle-relaxant benzodiazepine in his system at the time. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/31/2003654247 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/3359bb8dede4baf62a991dba64ca9aa7005003ea4a13681b60bd31afd0b3c2b6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:20 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | The government has plans to set up more offshore wind farms to increase capacity to 3 gigawatts by the end of 2025 from this year’s 666 megawatts, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) said at the Green Energy Expo yesterday in Taipei. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2F2003653854.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Official touts commercial wind farms at ‘green’ expo | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | By Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter
The government has plans to set up more offshore wind farms to increase capacity to 3 gigawatts by the end of 2025 from this year’s 666 megawatts, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) said at the Green Energy Expo yesterday in Taipei.
To replace nuclear power and diversify the nation’s energy sources, the government aims to increase power contribution from renewable energy sources from last year’s 4 percent to 20 percent by 2025.
However, land for onshore wind farms is becoming scarce because of high population density, affecting plans for more wind power.
“We have to change the wind farm strategy from land to sea,” Yang said, adding that the Taiwan Strait is seen as one of the best sites for developing offshore wind power.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to build offshore wind farms in stages, because the nation has little experience in wind energy development.
The government is encouraging companies to invest in demonstration projects during the first phase, before moving to the development of large-scale commercial wind farms, Yang said.
“We need help from international companies to develop offshore wind farms, because local financial institutions might not be able to finance the projects,” Yang added.
Taiwan’s experience could be duplicated in other Asian countries if the government successfully establish offshore wind farms in the Taiwan Strait, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday at the expo.
Formosa I Wind Power Co (海洋風力發電), a subsidiary of resin maker Swancor Industry Co (上緯), is now constructing the nation’s first two offshore wind turbines, which are scheduled to begin operations in the second half of this year.
The company plans to install another 30 turbines over the long term.
Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) said the county is perfect for investment in wind farms, given the shallow waters off its coastline.
Wei said 21 of 36 sites listed by the ministry as excellent wind farm sites are located off Changhua on the west coast.
Last month, the Environmental Protection Administration approved a strategic environmental assessment on offshore wind energy development.
The three-day expo concludes tomorrow at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Exhibition Hall 3. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/08/26/2003653854 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/0296a532bd8366ff0121f3df40d63ff6243cf54e760de966eb258b410be40531.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:53:48 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | The number of migrant workers in Taiwan in June surpassed 600,000 for the first time, despite a recent slowdown in the pace of recruitment, the Ministry of Labor said on Monday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Ftaiwan%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654233.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Migrant workers top 600,000: ministry | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | Staff writer, with CNA
The number of migrant workers in Taiwan in June surpassed 600,000 for the first time, despite a recent slowdown in the pace of recruitment, the Ministry of Labor said on Monday.
As of last month, 603,109 foreigners were employed as construction workers, factory workers, domestic helpers or in other manual labor, the ministry said.
These migrant workers, who come primarily from Southeast Asia, recorded the most rapid growth during the eight-year administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), exceeding 400,000 and 500,000 for the first time in June 2011 and April 2014 respectively.
However, the rate of increase slowed during the first half of this year, probably due to Taiwan’s economic slowdown, the ministry said.
From January to last month, the number of foreign workers rose by just 15,000 people, compared with 36,000 for all of last year, 62,000 in 2014 and 40,000 in 2013, the ministry said.
On the issue of absconding workers, the ministry said that the number of migrant workers who are unaccounted for has not seen any significant increase, remaining stable at between 3 percent and 4 percent over the past 10 years. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/31/2003654233 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/401165e1564e39fe9c794b984aa378053c17dd725b212bbd068a0550a34cba50.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:54:18 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | Democratic US presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton’s advisers are talking to Republican US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s ghostwriter of The Art of the Deal, seeking insights about Trump’s deepest insecurities as they devise strategies to needle and undermine him in four weeks at the first presidential debate, the most anticipated in recent political history. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fworld%2Farchives%2F2016%2F08%2F31%2F2003654244.json | http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/logo.gif | en | null | Clinton gears up for Trump face-off | null | null | www.taipeitimes.com | NY Times New Service
Democratic US presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton’s advisers are talking to Republican US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s ghostwriter of The Art of the Deal, seeking insights about Trump’s deepest insecurities as they devise strategies to needle and undermine him in four weeks at the first presidential debate, the most anticipated in recent political history.
Her team is also getting advice from psychology experts to help create a personality profile of Trump to gauge how he might respond to attacks and deal with a woman as his sole adversary on the debate stage.
They are undertaking a forensic-style analysis of Trump’s performances in the Republican primary debates, cataloging strengths and weaknesses as well as trigger points that caused him to lash out in less-than-presidential ways.
As Clinton pores over this voluminous research with her debate team, Trump is taking the opposite tack. Although he spent hours with his debate team the last two Sundays, the sessions have been more freewheeling than focused, and he can barely conceal his disdain for laborious and theatrical practice sessions.
Clinton’s and Trump’s strikingly different approaches to the Sept. 26 face-off are more revealing about their egos and battlefield instincts than most other moments in the campaign.
Clinton, a deeply competitive debater, wants to crush Trump on live television, but not with an avalanche of policy details; she is searching for ways to bait him into making blunders.
Meanwhile, Trump, a supremely self-confident communicator, wants viewers to see him as a truth-telling political outsider and trusts that he can box in Clinton on her ethics and honesty.
In compiling research to help Clinton prepare, her advisers have cast a wide net. They contacted Tony Schwartz, the Art of the Deal coauthor, to give them advice about Trump this summer.
Schwartz, in an interview, declined to comment about any conversations with the Clinton campaign, but he said Trump would be vulnerable if Clinton proved to be calm, deliberate and relentless in attacking Trump’s character, volatility and readiness to be commander-in-chief. | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/31/2003654244 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.taipeitimes.com/e60dcde97ac8999c960ab468d130a131bf4ed1434405785f440991e24d164c77.json |
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