Gou yesterday issued a statement apologizing to Hung and all women, saying his remarks were not meant to be derogatory, and were just a careless slip of the tongue. His comments reflected the opinions of some Taichung residents, Gou said, adding that he was sorry if he offended Hung or any other woman. Given his proposed policy of childcare subsidies, Gou should care about the nation’s declining birthrate and love children, she said, asking why he would attack a political rival’s choice to give birth. Meanwhile, Yang thanked Gou for his assistance in her campaign. Gou has accounted for himself, while the DPP should not distort his remarks by quoting him out of context just to reap political benefits, she added.

AFP, HANOIA court in Vietnam yesterday sentenced a former communications minister to life in prison for receiving millions of dollars in bribes, as the hardline administration presses its anti-graft drive against once-powerful figures in the communist state. The two-week trial in Hanoi for the men — once members of the powerful Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee — ended yesterday, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. Son, a minister from 2011 to 2016, was sentenced to life in prison, while Tuan — who took over as minister until he was fired in July last year — got 14 years in prison. “The defendants’ behavior caused bad opinions in society, resulting in especially huge losses for the state,” state media quoted the verdict as saying. It also “caused US$300 million in losses to state coffers,” the verdict said, although the transaction was never fully completed.

Pinera’s comments were first screened by CNN on Dec. 15, but only gained widespread renown on Thursday, when they became the subject of intense debate. Manuel Jose Ossandon, a senator for the center-right National Renewal party, told newspaper La Tercera: “Enough. The report highlighted that one in five tweets about the unrest was generated outside of Chile, and among the most active accounts were fans of South Korea’s K-pop culture. Friday’s call for a “K-pop rally” in Santiago included the ambitious promise of a closing concert by South Korean mega band BTS. There were widespread claims on social media that the fire was started by a police tear gas canister, although firefighters said that they could not confirm the cause of the blaze and police did not respond to a request for comment.

“Seeing the zoo become a center of tourism again has always been a dream of mine, and now I have seen that dream fulfilled,” Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said. Lin, whose mayoral campaign platform last year centered on renovating the zoo, presided over the reopening with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). He said that he hoped the zoo would usher in a new period of prosperity for the city. The zoo has also reduced the number of animals it cares for, from 70 species to 44, to make sure each group has ample space, zoo director Yang Chia-min (楊家民) said. The Hsinchu zoo also kept the pen of an elephant that was gifted to the zoo, the city government said, adding that its preserved bones would be displayed in the building, along with historic photographs of the zoo.

Staff writer, with CNAAmong universities nationwide, National Taiwan University (NTU) has enrolled the most international students for the 2019 academic year, a Ministry of Education report released on Friday said. NTU topped the enrollment list of national universities with 2,970 international students, followed by National Cheng Kung University with 1,899, National Chengchi University with 1,581, National Taiwan Normal University with 1,476 and National Tsing Hua University with 1,440. Among private higher education schools, Ming Chuan University came first with 1,957 international students, closely followed by Tamkang University with 1,868, I-Shou University with 1,480, Feng Chia University with 1,425 and Chinese Culture University with 1,326. For local technical colleges, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology has the most international students with 1,515, followed by Minghsin University of Science and Technology with 1,247 and National Taipei University of Technology with 1,045. The ministry defines international students as foreign nationals, people from Hong Kong, Macau and China, and overseas compatriot students.

The US space agency on Friday showed off its Mars 2020 rover, whose official name is to be chosen early next year. NASA would in February ship the rover to Florida’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, where its three sections are to be fully assembled. A July launch would send the rover to a dry lake bed on Mars that is bigger than the island of Manhattan. The findings of the rover’s research would be crucial to future human missions to the red planet, including the ability to make oxygen on the surface of Mars, Wallace said. The rover is to carry equipment that can turn carbon dioxide, which is pervasive on Mars, into oxygen for breathing and as a propellant.

AFP, BANGKOKA Thai Navy SEAL who aided with the rescue of a youth soccer team trapped in a flooded cave last year has died from an infection that he contracted during the dramatic recovery mission. Thai Navy Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara fell ill with a blood infection while working to retrieve the 12 young boys and their coach, the Thai Navy said in a statement on Friday. “His condition worsened and he died from the blood infection,” the navy said, expressing “profound sadness” to his family. Another rescuer, former Thai Navy SEAL diver Saman Gunan, also died during the rescue mission when he ran out of oxygen while attempting to establish an airline to the children and their coach. The rescue mission — which included foreign expert divers and the Thai Navy — drew extraordinary global interest to the mountainous district of Mae Sai.

AFP, LONDONRunaway leaders Liverpool are surging toward the Premier League title as the season reached the half-way point on Friday, but Leicester City are a surprise package, outdoing the rest of the traditional “big six” teams. LIVERPOOLIn May, Liverpool painted Madrid red as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League final to secure a sixth European Cup. That continental conquest eased the pain of being pipped to the Premier League by Manchester City and Klopp’s troops have been on a mission to recapture domestic bliss ever since. MANCHESTER CITYGiven the sky-high standards set by Manchester City over the previous two seasons, their failure to keep pace with Liverpool ranks as a disappointment for Pep Guardiola’s men. Kevin de Bruyne has been excellent and inspiration could come in the Champions League, a competition City have never won and Guardiola has not conquered since 2011 with Barcelona.

AP, NEW YORKNew York City is increasing its police presence in some Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Jewish populations after a string of possibly anti-Semitic attacks during Hanukkah, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday. Besides making officers more visible in Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg, police are to boost visits to houses of worship and some other places, the mayor said on Twitter. We will not accept it,” the Democrat said during a visit later Friday to Crown Heights, where he met with some representatives of the local Jewish community. “It’s something that’s very alarming and we treat it very seriously,” New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison told at a news conference. Tiffany Harris, 30, was arrested on a hate crime harassment charge.

AFP, LOS ANGELESThe Feb. 22 rematch between World Boxing Council heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury is to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, promoters announced on Friday. “I’m happy and I’m excited that the rematch is finally happening,” said Wilder, who is to make his 11th title defense. The American is coming off a seventh-round knockout of Luis Ortiz on Nov. 23 in Las Vegas, a victory that saw him improve to 43-0. Wilder and Fury fought to a split decision draw in Los Angeles December last year. Former world champion Fury was leading on the scorecards before he was knocked down by the American in the 12th round.

“The package contains a notice about disagreement with WADA sanctions.”However, Ganus, who has long argued for a major crackdown by Russia against doping cheats, warned that the legal challenge could backfire. The formal statement of disagreement with WADA will trigger an appeal process against the ban at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA this month banned Russia for four years from major global events, including next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, over manipulated doping data. Ganus warned that contesting the ban could make matters worse, because CAS could make sanctions against Russia more severe. He referred to the position of US Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart, who has called for a blanket ban on Russian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.

By Chen Yu-fu / Staff reporterStudents at National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday called on the school to turn over documents signed by Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) during the White Terror era to the Transitional Justice Commission. By refusing to turn in the files, the school is obstructing a government agency in the course of discharging its duties, the association said. The school is also denying Taiwanese the right to understand atrocities committed during the White Terror era, it added. Chen, an NTU mathematics graduate and an assistant professor of mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University, returned to Taipei on May 20, 1981, to visit his parents. Transitional justice is political, and a party dating back to the White Terror era is still alive and well in Taiwanese politics due to a reluctance to criticize the authoritarian period, the association said.

Frk scored his first goal early in the third, cutting the Sharks’ lead in half. “Nice to see Marty Frk come up and contribute, use his tools,” Kings coach Todd McClellan said. The 26-year-old Frk, who signed with the Kings as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, was recalled from Ontario of Canada’s Western Hockey League on Monday. He was playing in his 101st career NHL game (98 with the Detroit Red Wings, two with the Carolina Hurricanes). Frk scored both goals from the slot.

AFP, LOS ANGELESMiami’s Goran Dragic drained the game-winning basket with 6.8 seconds remaining as the Heat edged the Indiana Pacers 113-112 in a wild NBA finish on Friday. The Heat took their league-best home record to 14-1, but the injury-hit Pacers made them work every step of the way. “I like this one,” said Butler, who led the Heat with 20 points and nine rebounds. “The ball didn’t want to go in, but we came up with two huge offensive rebounds, first Jimmy, then Bam,” Dragic said. The Celtics led 84-62 midway through the third quarter, but some defensive lapses let Cleveland trim the deficit to single digits.

The targets of the vehicle ban — China’s CRRC Corp (中國 中車) and BYD Co (比亞迪) — are two “name cards” representing Beijing’s Go Out policy, which encourages Chinese companies to invest overseas. By taking aim at these two companies, the ban is an extension of the trade and technology dispute between the US and China. Green vehicles and railway equipment are listed among the 10 key industries in Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” strategy. The US is also concerned that as BYD evolves into a global electric vehicle giant, Beijing could dominate traffic and transportation technology. Rouda and Cornyn’s proposal was backed by interest groups such as the Alliance for American Manufacturing and the Rail Security Alliance, with assistance from the US national security system behind the scenes.