French automaker PSA Group says it will evacuate its employees and their families from Wuhan in central China, quarantine them in another major Chinese city and then bring them back to France. The Foreign Ministry said French officials were studying “eventual options” for all its nationals to leave if they wish. However, French medical experts have said the incubation period for the virus appears to be 14 days. PSA also said it is working with Chinese partner DFM and authorities to take care of Chinese employees. French authorities have cautioned against panic at home, but were concerned about the country’s citizens in Wuhan and those arriving in France, which has direct flights to China.

BloombergAs Goldman Sachs Group Inc moves to increase diversity on corporate boards, the investment bank is not extending the initiative to a particularly challenged region: Asia. A Goldman spokeswoman said that the bank will consider implementing the plan in Asia and other regions over time after consulting with its clients, as diversity awareness improves in those areas. Public companies with all-male boards based in California now face a US$100,000 fine under a new state law. It had a more modest market share in Asia, coming in 19th, according to Bloomberg league tables. Goldman was an adviser on 86 IPOs last year, ranking sixth globally among underwriters.

By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterCPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday said they would lower domestic gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.3 per liter this week on the back of continued decreases in global crude oil prices amid concerns that a spreading virus from China would curb travel and hurt market demand. Crude oil prices also fell last week as tensions continued to ease in the Persian Gulf and the International Energy Agency forecast an oversupply of crude oil in the first half of this year, the companies said in separate statements. Based on CPC’s weighted oil price formula — 70 percent Dubai crude and 30 percent Brent crude — the refiner’s average crude oil costs fell to US$63.32 per barrel last week, from US$64.66 a week earlier. After factoring in the depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, which was down by NT$0.036 against the US dollar last week, domestic gasoline prices should be reduced by 1.56 percent this week, it saidEffective today, fuel prices at CPC gas stations would drop to NT$26.8, NT$28.3 and NT$30.3 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while premium diesel would fall to NT$24.7 per liter, it said. Prices at Formosa Petrochemical’s pumps for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded would decline to NT$26.8, NT$28.2 and NT$30.3 per liter respectively, with premium diesel moving down to NT$24.5 per liter, the company said.

Reuters and AFP, BAGHDADIraqi security forces yesterday advanced toward Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the main protest camp in the capital, firing tear gas and live rounds at protesters, witnesses said. Clashes between protesters and police injured at least 19 demonstrators as authorities began to remove concrete barriers erected for months near a main anti-government demonstration site, medics and eyewitnesses said. Their protesters’ tents were burned down and municipal staff could be seen clearing the charred remains to reopen the square. The anti-government protesters have long feared that if al-Sadr withdrew his support, they would lose political cover. The city’s military command also announced it had retaken control of Ahrar Bridge, a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and demonstrators for months.

The GuardianThree days of sitting quietly and listening is a tall order for anyone — even for senators attending US President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial this week. US Senator James Risch, a Republican, drifted off to dreamland during Tuesday’s nearly 13-hour session, captured in a moving illustration by a New York Times sketch artist. Senators who avoided the beckoning of sweet slumber maintained lucidity in a variety of ways. “The candy desk is bipartisan,” a spokesman told the New York Times. US Senator Rand Paul was reportedly seen drawing a picture of the Capitol, doing a crossword paper airplane.

AFP, LOS ANGELESKawhi Leonard on Friday recorded his first career triple-double with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Clippers handed the Miami Heat a rare home loss with a 122-117 victory. He now has seven straight 30-point-plus games. Clippers guard Landry Shamet had 22 points as Los Angeles went from six points down to 15 up in the game-changing third quarter. Williamson had 15 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes two nights after scoring 22 points in his long-awaited NBA debut. Porter had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Craig had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who had a 56-45 rebounding advantage.

AFP, BERLINTeenager Erling Braut Haaland on Friday scored twice more off the bench as Borussia Dortmund moved up to third in the Bundesliga with a 5-1 thumping of Cologne. Having claimed a hat-trick as a replacement on his Dortmund debut on Saturday last week to inspire a 5-3 win away at Augsburg, Haaland, 19, again showed clinical finishing. “For Erling, it’s simply wonderful — five goals, two games, there are worse starts,” Dortmund captain Marco Reus said. Dortmund coach Lucien Favre explained why Haaland was again only a second-half replacement. The Germany winger showed great timing to sweep the ball into the net on 29 minutes.

By Sean Lin / Staff reporter“To save others, you must save yourself first,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday as he defended the government’s decision to ban exports of N95 respirators and other masks for one month. The ban came in the wake of the worsening 2019n-CoV outbreak, as China first tried to conceal the disease, and has performed poorly in trying to contain it, Su said. The government’s decision has drawn criticism, with media personality Joyce Huang (黃智賢) calling Su “inhumane” on Facebook for formulating the ban. As disease prevention knows no boundaries, Beijing’s boycott is wrong, regrettable and exposes China’s willfulness and irrationality, he added. The other case confirmed on Friday is a Chinese woman who is part of an 18-person tour group from Wuhan.

AP, LAHORE, PakistanShoaib Malik on Friday made an impressive return to Twenty20 cricket with a half-century, carrying Pakistan to five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first clash of a three-match series. Malik, who scored 58 not out off 45 balls with five fours, was brought back after Pakistan last year lost six of seven completed Twenty20 internationals without him. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 batsman, was out for his first career duck when he was caught behind off the second ball, but Malik carried the home team to 142-5 in 19.3 overs. “The wicket was surprising, and it was hard to play shots once the ball got older and softer,” Mahmudullah said. Young pacemen Shaheen Afridi (1-23) and debutant Haris Rauf (1-32) bowled well in the late overs and never allowed Bangladesh to accelerate.

AFP, ADELAIDE, AustraliaDefending champion Daryl Impey yesterday took the overall lead in the Tour Down Under from chief rival Richie Porte as Italy’s Giacomo Nizzolo won the fifth stage after a bunch sprint. South Africa’s Impey takes a two-second advantage over Porte into today’s final stage up Willunga Hill as he chases his third straight victory in the UCI World Tour season-opener. The Mitchelton-Scott rider finished second and first at two intermediate sprints, collecting enough time bonuses to supplant overnight race leader Porte of Trek-Segafredo. “It’s fantastic to lead the race going into Willunga,” Impey said. “If we can win the stage, we can win the race.

By Sean Lin / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday became the fourth entry to the party’s chairperson by-election. If the KMT again allows calls for reforms to be just slogans, it could suffer more defeat and become history, he said. If elected, he would push reforms based on the KMT’s core values: democracy, justice and innovation, the lawmaker said. “To the KMT, any discussion on its cross-strait stance must be based on acknowledgement of the fact that the ROC exists. KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), KMT Central Committee member Sean Lien (連勝文) and former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) attended the party.

AFP, MILAN, ItalyZlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday set up Ante Rebic to score the only goal as AC Milan beat Brescia 1-0 to claim a third consecutive Serie A victory for the first time this season. Milan have taken 10 points from four games since Ibrhimovic’s return to the club this month. Stefano Pioli’s side moved up to sixth, in the UEFA Europa League berths, and seven points adrift of the Champions League spots. Brescia had their chances with Sandro Tonali and Ernesto Torregrossa threatened Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Milan goal. Samu Castillejo had a goal ruled out with seven minutes to go because Ibrahimovic was offside during the buildup.

Root scored 59 and Pope 56 as England moved quickly on from their overnight score of 192-4 before three quick wickets for Anrich Nortje slowed the march. Pope’s third Test half-century came up in 61 balls before he played on to a delivery from Nortje. Witnesses told the Guardian that a middle-aged man had targeted Stokes, allegedly calling him a “ginger c**t” and likening him to pop star Ed Sheeran. I should not have reacted in that way,” Stokes said in a statement released on Twitter. “As I was leaving the playing area, I was subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd.

People in 2,001st to 3,000th place in the line each also received a “mother coin,” Chuang said. In other news, several politicians yesterday visited temples where they handed out hongbao (紅包, red envelopes containing money) to temple-goers. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) visited five temples in northern Taiwan and gave out red envelopes, which each symbolically contained a NT$1 coin for good fortune. Vice president-elect William Lai (賴清德) also visited five temples across southern Taiwan and distributed red envelopes. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) itinerary included visits to 15 temples to pray and hand out red envelopes to worshipers.

AP, BERLINThe German soccer federation (DFB) says it has a “special responsibility” to support Holocaust Memorial Day as its former president Felix Linnemann was directly responsible for sending victims to be murdered at the Auschwitz extermination camp. “This year, since more than 20,000 Sinti and Roma murdered in Auschwitz are also being commemorated in addition to the many Jewish victims, we feel a special responsibility,” DFB president Fritz Keller said, referring to Linnemann’s actions. “That’s why it is our special duty to ensure that these crimes are never forgotten. Especially today, because not everyone in Germany wants to remember them anymore. “It is an exemplary and important signal, how Eintracht Frankfurt is facing up to this responsibility this weekend,” Keller said.