AFP, JAKARTAIndonesian rescuers yesterday mounted a desperate search for those missing after flash floods and landslides sparked by torrential rains killed at least 43 people across the Jakarta region while health authorities raced to prevent disease outbreaks. Using inflatable boats to evacuate residents trapped in their homes, including children and seniors, rescuers said they were targeting the hardest-hit areas of the city. Shelters filled up with many refugees, including infants, resting on thin mats as food and drinking water ran low. In Lebak, residents started the slow process of cleaning up their deluged homes. However, this week’s disaster marked Jakarta’s worst flooding since 2013 when dozens were killed after the city was inundated by monsoon rains.

AFP, PERTH, AustraliaEmerging youngster Casper Ruud yesterday notched the biggest victory of his career after beating big-serving John Isner to spearhead Norway’s stunning upset over the US on the first day of the inaugural ATP Cup. He saved two match points in the second set and weathered 33 aces from Isner, after Taylor Fritz thrashed Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-2 in the opening match in Perth. He saved two match points in a see-sawing set before finally converting on his fifth attempt to keep Norway alive. 32 Fritz gave the heavily favored US a perfect start with a commanding victory over Durasovic in 61 minutes. The match was played under the roof due to unusually cool and damp morning conditions in Perth.

Eight, including Chief of the General Staff General Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴), died in the crash. Yen then gave a briefing on the crash and the reaction of China’s People’s Liberation Army. The public should remain assured of the safety of the Taiwan Strait and that the authorities were looking into the cause of the crash, sources said. The president instructed the Taipei Guest House to make an area available for the public to pay their respects to the deceased officers, they said. Ministry spokesman Shih Shun-wen (史順文) yesterday evening confirmed that the Taipei Guest House would be open from 9am to 9pm over the weekend for the public to pay tribute to the deceased officers.

“Ma and then-KMT spokeswoman Sisy Chen (陳文茜) were the first to say that the shooting was staged and that I played along, faking a wound,” Chen Shui-bian said. Earlier yesterday, Chen Shui-bian attended a media event in Taipei where alliance officials and candidates presented their policies and canvassed for votes. By appearing at the event, Chen Shui-bian risked breaking a condition of his medical parole that he not engage in political activity. Chen Shui-bian has maintained that he is a victim of political persecution by Ma and the KMT. Asked if the government might return him to prison, Chen Shui-bian said: “I am not scared”“I do not even fear the Chinese Communist Party… Now I do not fear death, so what is there to fear?” he said.

AP, BILLINGS, MontanaOne of the largest coal-fired power plants in the western US is to close two of its four units in the next few days as the Montana facility edges toward an eventual total shutdown. Colstrip Units 1 and 2 — built in the 1970s when massive strip mines were being developed across Montana and Wyoming — will close by Sunday or as soon as they run out of coal to burn, Talen Energy spokeswoman Taryne Williams said on Thursday. The two closing units are operated by Pennsylvania-based Talen, which co-owns them with Puget Sound Energy of Washington State. However, there are no plans to dismantle them, because of their proximity to the two remaining units, Williams said. That would boost South Dakota-based NorthWestern’s ownership interest in the power plant to 55 percent even as many other utilities across the US have been getting out of the coal power market in recent years.

The ban is to take effect next month, outlawing cartridges with fruit, mint and candy flavors, which are popular among young people. E-cigarette industry leader Juul had anticipated the decision and has withdrawn those flavors from sale in the US, leaving only tobacco and menthol. However, the ban exempts large, tank-based rechargeable vaping devices which are primarily sold in shops that cater to adults. His announcement triggered a pressure campaign from the tobacco and vaping industries for the administration to reverse its decision. The US Congress last month voted to ban both e-cigarette and tobacco sales to those under 21.

By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterVoters should support political parties that agree to help protect algal reefs in Taoyuan’s Guantang Industrial Park (觀塘工業區), the Rescue Datan’s Algal Reefs Alliance said yesterday, as it evaluated parties’ responses to the issue. The alliance sent letters to several parties asking if they would promise to demand that the central government extend legal protection to the reefs. Pan also expressed disappointment about the Green Party Taiwan, which replied with revised letters, saying that the party should have demonstrated greater attention for environmental issues. Scientific evidence has shown that the biodiversity in the intertidal zone where the reefs grow is best along Taoyuan’s 27km coastline, Academia Sinica Biodiversity Research Center research fellow Allen Chen (陳昭倫) said. Separately yesterday, the Green Party Taiwan said on Facebook that it revised the letters because it only agreed with certain parts.

AFP, BUENOS AIRESNo one can escape Argentina’s biggest economic crisis in almost two decades — not even the dead. Juan Tapia runs the Cocheria Tacuari undertakers in Buenos Aires, which has been operating for 60 years. Young people want nothing to do either with graves, niches [cubbies for storing remains urns] or tombs,” Tapia said. Rents at public cemeteries in Buenos Aires, including maintenance, range from 400 to 2,000 pesos a month. In the private sector, plots sell for a minimum of 55,000 pesos with monthly maintenance from 500 pesos.

As with almost all new technology, installing such devices means balancing privacy risks with the conveniences they offer. Research firm International Data Corp has estimated that worldwide shipments of smart speakers, security cameras and other devices last year totaled 815 million, up 23 percent from 2018. SPEAKERS LISTENSmart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home let you check weather and appointments with simple voice commands. One more catch: Voice commands sent over the Internet are typically stored indefinitely and might include conversations in the background. SECURITY WITH CAMERASOnline security cameras let you check in on your pets or kids when you are not home.

By Davina Tham / Staff ReporterTwo weeks ago, I ate a duck’s foot for the first time at Ya Ge (雅閣), the Michelin-starred fine-dining Cantonese restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental. As the bird’s delicate bones clattered to my plate, I realized that despite never having eaten a duck’s foot before, there was something familiar and comforting about the way it tasted after all. A steamed dumpling stuffed with crab meat, shrimp, egg white and black truffle (NT$360) is an easy standout. Black truffle has become a lazy shorthand for luxury, indiscriminately deployed in marked-up versions of basic dishes — black truffle French fries or scrambled eggs, to name a few. Like its understated interior, Ya Ge knows how to produce a showstopper in the most unassuming places.

Tennis Australia also announced a “Rally for Relief” exhibition match at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Jan. 15 ahead of the Australian Open, with “the world’s top players” taking part. His Australian teammate at the inaugural ATP Cup, Alex de Minaur, went one better. Tournament director Tom Larner announced that each ace served at the 10-day event would deliver A$100 to bushfire relief. “During the Australian Open, we also plan to honor and recognize the incredible work of our firefighters, emergency services workers and volunteers who serve our communities so tirelessly,” he said. “Hey Guys, for every six I hit in this year’s Big Bash League, I will donate A$250 towards the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal,” Lynn tweeted.

That forced the Lakers’ starters back in and James steadied them with eight points to close out the win. The Lakers shot 70 percent in a ferocious opening quarter when they made their first 11 shots. James airballed a shot, but they snagged the rebound and Avery Bradley scored to salvage the possession. The Lakers put together a 25-4 run in which the Suns were limited to only free throws. Dwight Howard chipped in eight points and the Lakers shot 61 percent in taking a 74-41 lead into halftime.

By Diane Baker / Staff reporterLai Hung-chung (賴翃中) graduated from the School of Dance at Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA, 國立臺北藝術大學) in 2012, but just five years later he founded his own dance company, Hung Dance (翃舞製作) after racking the first of a series of wins at international choreographic competitions. Now Hung Dance can be added to that list, as the company premiers Gil’s latest work, Out of Elegant (優雅之外), at the National Experimental Theater in Taipei this weekend. Gil’s goal was to create a unique movement language specific to this piece that would allow each dancer to explore their body and physicality, Lai said. Gil’s choreography is known for its dynamic physicality and deep emotional impact. Lai said that he hoped Gil’s style of physical training and dance presentation would help his dancers gain a more multifaceted technique.

By Natasha Li / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday approved applications from nine small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest a total of NT$4.6 billion (US$152.8 million) in Taiwan through a government subsidy program. The new projects would generate 435 job opportunities, the ministry said. Kodak Pharmaceutical, the nation’s second-largest traditional Chinese medicine maker, would invest more than NT$900 million in setting up a new production facility, the ministry said. Eco Fin plans to invest more than NT$70 million to launch a smart manufacturing plant in Taoyuan’s Lujhu District (蘆竹) that would produce polypropylene and polylactic acid straws, the ministry said. Seeking to expand its production capacity in Kaohsiung’s Dafa Industrial Park (大發工業區) while adding a green touch, Shang Shun plans to invest NT$40 million to purchase environmentally friendly machinery for mixing construction materials, the ministry said.

AFP, JERUSALEMIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday asked parliament for immunity, weeks after the embattled leader was indicted on a range of corruption charges. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is fighting for his political survival on two fronts — the corruption allegations and stiff opposition from a new centrist party. The prime minister’s spokesman, Ofer Golan, later confirmed that the request had been submitted to the speaker of the Knesset. A sitting prime minister is only required to step down once convicted and after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted, but legal experts have asked the Israeli Supreme Court to rule on whether a prime minister can be tasked by the president with forming a new government while under indictment. The allegations against the prime minister include receiving thousands of dollars of gifts and offering to change regulations in exchange for positive media coverage.