AP, UNITED NATIONSThe UN General Assembly on Friday approved a resolution strongly condemning human rights abuses against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims and other minorities, including arbitrary arrests, torture, rape and deaths in detention. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long considered the Rohingya to be “Bengalis” from Bangladesh, even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless, and they are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. The long-simmering Rohingya crisis exploded on Aug. 25, 2017, when the Burmese military launched what it called a clearance campaign in Rakhine in response to an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group. The campaign led to the mass Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh and to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings, and burned thousands of homes.

The siren at Camp Casey, which is near the border with North Korea, went off by “human error” at about 10pm on Thursday, said US Army Lieutenant Colonel Martyn Crighton, a public affairs officer for the US Second Infantry Division. The operator immediately identified the mistake and alerted all units at the base of the false alarm, which did not interfere with any operations, Crighton said in an e-mail yesterday. The incident came after Japan Broadcasting Corp caused panic early on Friday by mistakenly sending a news alert saying that North Korea had fired a missile over Japan that landed in the sea off Hokkaido. There are concerns that Pyongyang could do something provocative if Washington does not back down and relieve sanctions imposed on North Korea’s broken economy. North Korea fired two missiles over Japan during a provocative run in weapons tests in 2017, which also included three flight tests of developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which demonstrated potential capabilities to reach the US mainland.

By Peng Chien-li and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerMiaoli County on Friday announced the implementation of an autonomous ordinance for the protection of leopard cats that would accompany other conservation measures to help protect the animal. The new bill passed a third reading on Dec. 10, and was signed into effect by Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) on Friday, the county said. The county is an important breeding area for leopard cats. Two previous bills on leopard cat conservation had been proposed by the county’s government, but were sent back for revision by the Miaoli County Council. Separately, the county is to establish a group of conservationists to patrol communities looking for leopard cats and ensure their protection, Hsu said.

AFP, UNITED NATIONSThe UN on Friday approved a Russian-led bid that aims to create a new convention on cybercrime, alarming rights groups and Western powers that fear a bid to restrict online freedom. The panel is to set up “a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes,” the resolution said. Russia has opposed the Budapest Convention, saying that giving investigators access to computer data across borders violates national sovereignty. The Budapest Convention was drafted by the Council of Europe, but other countries have joined, including the US and Japan. A new UN treaty on cybercrime could render the Budapest Convention obsolete, further alarming rights groups.

By Chiu Chih-jou / Staff reporterThe number of documented black kites in Taiwan has reached 709, a seven-year high, which is exciting news for conservationists, the Raptor Research Group of Taiwan said yesterday. Since the group took over the work in 2013, it has mobilized volunteers nationwide in the fall and winter each year to count the birds in their nighttime habitats, she said. A total of 555 black kites were recorded by volunteers in September and the count rose to 709 this month, with the greater figure used to represent their findings for the year, she added. The species had been facing extinction over the past several years. The group has teamed up with the university and the Wild Bird Society of Keelung to establish guidelines for black kite protection.

AP, MELBOURNE, AustraliaNew Zealand were bowled out for 148 as Australia’s pace attack exposed a struggling middle order on day 3 of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday. New Zealand pace bowler Neil Wagner pitched short and Steve Smith was caught at backward square-leg for 7 at 110-4 as Wagner (4-83 and 2-39) continued his dominance in this series over the No. In a further blow to New Zealand, pace spearhead Trent Boult was struck on his right hand, his non-bowling hand, while batting on Saturday. New Zealand resumed on Saturday on 44-2 and lost eight wickets for 104 runs in response to Australia’s 467. Watling all failed to reach double figures, before Colin de Grandhomme fell for 11 as New Zealand wobbled to 102-6 at lunch.

By Pankaj Mishra / Bloomberg OpinionAs the year ends, a partial and brief ceasefire seems imminent in US President Donald Trump’s trade dispute with the world. According to the ideological prejudices of the present, built up over nearly four decades of globalization, free trade and deregulation represent the natural order of things. Notwithstanding Britain’s rhetoric, which periodicals such as The Economist amplified, it had arrived at free trade after a successful policy of tariffs. Even Britain, following its settler colonies Australia, Canada and South Africa, came to abandon free trade by 1932. The US moved swiftly to embrace free trade after World War II only because its manufacturing industries, dominant over the world’s war-ravaged economies, needed access to international markets.

AP, FLOWERY BRANCH, GeorgiaDan Quinn cannot wait for the chance to prove that he has learned from mistakes made this year. Blank on Friday announced that Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff are to return next season. “Not every coach gets to see his team fight for him and say they are and I thought that’s very humbling for sure,” Quinn said. “I’m grateful coach Quinn is coming back,” Allen said. Last year, the Falcons’ hopes of a third straight playoff season under Quinn were devastated by a 4-9 start.

The tech bubble was even more troubling, because many observers had warned of a bubble for years before the crash, to no avail. Researchers have developed a large and diverse array of theories about why asset prices suddenly rise and crash. Looking at housing prices during the bubble, they compared US states based on how much they changed their capital gains tax rates. However, when the researchers show people data on recent prices, they start to believe that current trends will continue for the next five years. Obviously, investors do not always expect recent trends to continue forever.

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA remark by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, about the number of deaths from lung adenocarcinoma rising significantly last year was misleading, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. However, Chen said that 9,338 people last year died of lung cancer, with lung adenocarcinoma accounting for 70 percent. “The figure that Han cited in the policy presentation was almost twice the actual number — a complete error,” Chen said. “The five-year survival rate significantly increased and the mortality rate is falling, so where did the claim of ‘a 7 percent annual increase in the mortality rate’ come from?” Chen said. The prevalence rate of smoking has also dropped, from 14.5 percent in 2017 to 13 percent last year, he added.

AFP, WOLVERHAMPTON, EnglandPep Guardiola said that Manchester City’s faint hopes of retaining the Premier League title were in tatters as they blew a two-goal lead after having goalkeeper Ederson sent off in a dramatic 3-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. Raul Jimenez equalized with eight minutes remaining and Matt Doherty hit the winner to send the Molineux Stadium wild in the 89th minute. It’s a lot of minutes to defend with 10 men,” Guardiola said. “No regrets, they did absolutely everything to defend a result for 80 minutes, but it was difficult,” he said. It’s not a race if you think about it,” Guardiola said.

AFP, WELLINGTONNearly 2,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters and one man was missing after being swept away in floodwaters as Tropical Cyclone Sarai yesterday pounded Fiji, causing widespread damage. Thousands of vacationers were stranded with flights to and from Fiji either canceled or rescheduled. The resort is providing packed meals and water direct to rooms when they can,” she told the New Zealand Herald. “Wind is howling and tree debris flying about, doors and windows shaking, huge waves rolling into shore. Acting Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said it was disappointing that some people had disregarded the weather warnings.

These demands are just the ABCs of democracy, but when the dangwai movement made these fundamental democratic demands, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime slandered them and accused them of using the law to break the law, using freedom to destroy freedom and using bogus democracy to destroy democracy. Without freedom, how could the dangwai movement use freedom to destroy freedom? Without democracy, how could they use bogus democracy to destroy democracy? Still, in Taiwan, with its high level of freedom, some people are beginning to use freedom to destroy freedom and bogus democracy to destroy democracy. They all belong to a blue political clique that used to accuse people of using freedom to destroy freedom during the time of the one-party state.

By Wen Yu-te and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei District Court yesterday ordered Radio Corp of America (RCA) and its affiliates to pay NT$2.3 billion (US$76.15 million) to 1,120 former employees and family members over exposure to toxic materials. The ruling, which could still be appealed, follows a separate judgement last year by the Supreme Court, which upheld a previous order for General Electric (GE) and Thomson Consumer Electronics (TCE) to pay 262 former employees and affected family members NT$564.45 million. The plaintiffs in yesterday’s ruling were not a part of that lawsuit, choosing instead to file their own complaint. Former employees said that more than 200 people have died due to exposure to toxic chemicals. The RCA Self-Help Association, made up of former RCA employees and family members, started protesting in 1998 and filed a lawsuit in 2004 after more than 1,300 were diagnosed with various types of cancer.

She reiterated that Taiwan would not accept China’s proposed “one country, two systems” framework. In defending her administration’s policies, Tsai said that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administrations long focused on providing financial support and infrastructure development to northern Taiwan, particularly Taipei and New Taipei City, while mostly neglecting central and southern Taiwan. Listing the programs in her Great South, Great Development policy, Tsai said that residents of southern Taiwan would benefit significantly from the initiatives, which would create jobs and prosperity. In the previous policy presentations, Tsai said that Han had no evidence to support such claims, and that he has consistently used incorrect figures and misinformation to mislead the public. Aside from shouldering the responsibility of national security, the nation’s leader must also protect human rights, Soong said, explaining his opposition to the DPP-proposed legislation.