AP, CARACASVenezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido faced an internal test of his authority in a key vote yesterday as he campaigns to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and end the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis. The opposition-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly was to decide whether to keep Guaido as its leader for a second year. Guaido would also come under pressure to articulate a fresh vision for removing Maduro — something he has not been able to accomplish. The US and more than 50 other nations declared Maduro’s leadership invalid and endorsed Guaido. Maduro, who took over after the 2013 death of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, has said Guaido is a puppet of the US.

Cable assemblies contributed 74.02 percent of the company’s total sales last month, while connectors and other components and accessories made up 25.98 percent, Sinbon said in a statement. For the whole of last year, accumulated sales rose 14.9 percent annually to NT$18.172 billion, an all-time record for the company. “Even though the world economy in 2019 was in an unstable status due to the US-China trade war, Sinbon has generated a good record for the year,” the company said. Last year’s sales figure was comparable to Yuanta Securities Investment and Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of a 15 percent increase to NT$18 billion and Jih Sun Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (日盛投顧) estimate of a 14.44 percent rise to NT$17.9 billion. About 70 percent of the company’s production capacity is in China, but Sinbon has built manufacturing sites in Taiwan, Hungary and the US.

BloombergChina’s financial regulator said it would implement a series of measures to shore up the nation’s troubled smaller banks and insurers, while continuing a clampdown on shadow financing and property speculation. Other steps include setting up a resolution fund and bridge banks, while introducing new investors and allowing market-oriented exits, it said. Many of China’s 3,000 small banks are coping with a mountain of bad loans, prompting the government to crack down on risky funding practices. Small, troubled banks pose a risk to the Chinese economy, which is already growing at its weakest pace since the early 1990s. Authorities would make it easier for them to gain access to financing through targeted reserve cuts, relending and rediscounting, among other policy tools, it said.

Imagine, for a moment, if human beings had evolved to be able to read each other’s minds. The first stage has taken place in social media. Today, in our much more complicated multipolar and asymmetric-threat-driven world, social media offers all who are willing a giant, unedited megaphone. Social media has become a tool that can undermine democracy; and yet it is mere child’s play compared to what is now barreling our way. Elon Musk’s company Neuralink is seeking approval for human trials of a device implanted in users’ brains to read their minds.

AFP, TEHRANA tide of mourners flooded the Iranian city of Ahvaz yesterday, weeping and beating their chests in homage to top general Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad. They chanted “Death to America” as they packed the streets and filled a long bridge spanning a river in the southwestern city, where Soleimani’s remains arrived from Iraq before dawn. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that “targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME” and a red line in international law. For Iran’s army chief, the threat was an attempt to distract the world from Soleimani’s “unjustifiable” assassination. “I doubt they have the courage to initiate” a conflict, Iranian Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said.

At stumps, Australia were 40 without loss after dismissing New Zealand in the final hour of the day. Glenn Phillips made a skillful, but at times fortunate, 52 on debut to lead New Zealand’s innings. Lyon then bowled Greg Somerville and Neil Wagner for ducks in the same over to reduce the visitors to 237-9. Lyon will also likely benefit during New Zealand’s second innings as the pitch further deteriorates. “I don’t know if it’s going to spin, if it hits the rough, or go straight,” Lyon said.

AP, BRISBANE, AustraliaJohn Millman got a late call to fill in for Nick Kyrgios yesterday and got Australia off to a winning start on his home court against Canada. 48-ranked Millman stepped in to win 6-4, 6-2. In Sydney, Bulgaria made it two wins from two in Group C, following up their opening 2-1 win over Britain with a more comfortable result against Moldova. Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, the 2015 Australian Open doubles champions, combined to beat Casper Ruud and Viktor Durasovic 6-3, 7-6 (7/3). Albot led Moldova to a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win in the doubles to make the final margin 2-1.

Officials told residents and others in the New South Wales (NSW) town of Eden to leave immediately and head north if they did not have a bushfire response plan. “If your plan is to leave, or you are not prepared, leave toward Merimbula or Pambula,” the NSW Rural Fire Service said in an alert. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said he learned of the deployment through media reports. Massive bushfires have flared up in the vast country’s southeast in a months-long crisis, killing nearly half a billion native animals in NSW alone, scientists have estimated. Others have been left with no habitat to go back to, so starvation will be an issue in coming weeks.”

Second, Taiwan relations with its most critical friend — the US — are closer than any time since 1979. Third, there is a truce in the US-China trade war. The trade war, however, has hurt Americans — businesses, consumers, farmers, and workers. And as far as Taiwanese are concerned, even if there are some who benefit from US-China trade tensions today, more will prosper from their resolution. With USMCA, the US-Japan Trade Agreement and phase one of the US-China trade talks done, the decks at USTR are clear.

By Chien Hui-ju and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwanese astronomers who named an exoplanet and the star it orbits have been listed as being from “China Taipei” by the Paris-based International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Astronomical Society of the Republic of China (ASROC) said on Friday. The IAU said the designation was the result of discussions it held in 1979 with Chinese authorities, which concluded with Chinese astronomers working under the title “China Nanjing” and Taiwanese astronomers as “China Taipei.”After it announced its intent to participate in the event and opened up entries to Taiwanese astronomers, ASROC received 128 submissions, which received 6,101 votes, it said, adding that it chose the winning entry last month. Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics director Chu You-hua (朱有花) said this was the first time Taiwanese astronomers had named an exoplanet, and it was a proud moment for Taiwanese that the nation’s name could spread to the far reaches of the universe. Recounting the history of Taiwan’s title at the IAU, Chu said the Republic of China joined it in 1935, but after China joined in 1959 as the People’s of Republic of China conflicts arose over two “China” member countries within the organization. “This name we are listed as now was hard won, and affords Taiwanese astronomers a legal basis for participation,” she said, stressing that on the IAU’s Web site, Taiwan is placed under the category titled “national members.”

AP, OWINGS MILLS, MarylandThe Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 29 last year gave up 30 points in the second half of a 40-25 loss at home to the Cleveland Browns that dropped their record to 2-2. Flash forward to last Sunday, when Baltimore completed the regular season with a 12-game winning streak by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-10. The Ravens rested seven starters, because they had already clinched the top seed in the American Football Conference playoffs for the first time in franchise history. “And boy, did we ever find out — 12 wins later.”The Ravens enter the post-season with a first-round bye. Backup running back Gus Williams rushed for 711 yards and the Ravens finished with more yards rushing (3,296 yards) than any other team in NFL history.

By Sean Lin / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of silencing critics by having law enforcement agencies monitor people’s online activity and summon them for questioning. Chou is the deputy chief campaign officer for Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the KMT’s presidential candidate. Some district prosecutors reportedly overstepped their jurisdictions, summoning people from other cities or counties, Chou said, urging agencies to confess to the public if they had ordered prosecutors to target the DPP’s critics. If Han is elected on Saturday, he would redress the injustices perpetrated against these people, Chou said. A woman from Kaohsiung said she had to appear in court later this month because she unwittingly shared a false news report.

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterTaipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday urged Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如) to publicly explain subsidies that her company had received from the central and city governments. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month indicted Yang, a former campaign aide to Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), for allegedly hiring people to influence public opinion and attack or deride opponents. The Taipei City Government said that it would forward the report to prosecutors for further investigation. “The easiest way to solve the problem is for Yang Hui-ju to come out and explain the everything in detail,” Ko said. “Stop hiding, come out and explain it to the public.”Ko said that as he does not expect the central government to publicize details about subsidies it gave the company before the elections on Saturday, the best solution is for Yang to explain everything.

AFP, LOS ANGELESJapanese pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani should bat more often for the Los Angeles Angels when he returns from two major operations, new Angels manager Joe Maddon said. Maddon, who in 2016 guided the Chicago Cubs to their first Major League Baseball title since 1908, spent 31 seasons with the Angels before taking manager jobs in Tampa Bay and Chicago. In October last year, he inked a three-year deal to rejoin the Angels. Ohtani has not typically batted on the days before or after he pitches, but Maddon is looking to change that in the 2020 campaign. “Wouldn’t the fans dig on that?”Ohtani has batted .286 with 40 home runs and 123 runs batted in more than 210 career MLB appearances as a designated hitter.

AFP, SYDNEYTop Poland player Hubert Hurkacz yesterday stunned pocket-rocket Diego Schwartzman at the ATP Cup, with the Argentinian blaming searing heat for his defeat. Guido Pella, ranked 25, had earlier battled past Kamil Majchrzak 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to give Argentina the edge in their Group E tie at the 24-nation event. 4 Dominic Thiem at the Miami Open, again proved he has the ability to beat high-ranked players. Pella beat Majchrzak in front of a noisy Argentinian contingent at the Ken Rosewall Arena. With ice towels out at the breaks to cool him down, he broke serve five times before triumphing in 2 hours, 4 minutes.