BloombergOil on Friday posted the biggest weekly gain in New York since June after Saudi Arabia surprised the market with a significant supply cut beyond what was agreed to with fellow OPEC+ members. West Texas Intermediate settled 1.3 percent higher after Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the country would continue its voluntary cut of 400,000 barrels per day. That brings total cuts by OPEC and its allies to 2.1 million barrels per day, he said. West Texas Intermediate for delivery next month settled up US$0.77 to US$59.20 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, rising 7.3 percent for the week. The global benchmark traded at a US$5.29 premium to West Texas Intermediate for the same month.

By Cheng Yu-fu, Peng Wan-hsin and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday condemned Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers for allegedly pushing a police officer at a protest on Friday, and accused it of using excessive violence against civil servants and officers. Footage shared by DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday appeared to show KMT Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民) asking a police officer which unit she belonged to and knocking off her hat before pushing her. The DPP condemns the KMT for using violence against civil servants for political purposes, DPP spokesman Ho Po-wen (何博文) said. The DPP legislative caucus agreed to file a complaint against Chen with the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The KMT legislative caucus told a news conference that the National Police Agency’s Special Police Sixth Corps was committing slander against legislators.

The Kaohsiung Incident, also known as the Formosa Incident, refers to a police crackdown, under the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, on a rally held by Formosa Magazine and opposition politicians on Dec. 10, 1979, to mark Human Rights Day. Former premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) — who provided legal counsel for several victims following the incident — and human rights activists from Taiwan and abroad attended the parade, which also featured speeches by a number of victims of the incident. Although the incident is now a distant memory, the people of Taiwan today should cherish their hard-won democracy, freedom of speech and human rights, Chang said. Other participants included representatives from Amnesty International, and human rights activists Klaus H. Walter from Germany, and Masahiro Watarida and Takayuki Munakata from Japan. She also thanked the attorneys who defended for the victims, and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and several human rights groups who helped victims of the incident.

ReutersEuropean shares on Friday closed higher, extending gains after impressive US jobs data bolstered sentiment buoyed by positive statements from Washington regarding trade talks with China. Stocks swung wildly this week on conflicting statements and reports regarding the progress of US-China trade negotiations, as well as some weak economic indicators from Europe. That helped quell some fears of a negative rub-off on growth from a trade war with China. However, on the week the FTSE posted its worst loss in two months, falling 1.5 percent from 7,346.53 on Nov. 29. The DAX on Friday rose 111.78 points, or 0.9 percent, to 13,166.58, a drop of 0.5 percent from 13,236.38 a week earlier.

Reuters, LONDONA senior British diplomat in Washington has resigned, saying she did not want to “peddle half-truths” over Brexit for a government she did not trust, CNN reported on Friday. Britons head to the polls on Thursday for an election that would decide the fate of the UK’s exit from the EU. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives have said they would deliver Brexit by the end of next month, while the opposition Labour Party, which is trailing in the polls, plans to renegotiate the exit deal and put it to another referendum. The office confirmed that Hall Hall had resigned, but a spokeswoman said it would not comment on the detail of an individual’s resignation. CNN said Hall Hall’s role involved explaining the UK’s approach to Brexit to US politicians and that she felt her diplomatic role had been co-opted to deliver messages that were “neither fully honest nor politically impartial.”It said she had filed a formal complaint about being asked to convey overtly partisan language on Brexit in Washington.

The option for on-demand intimacy has gained popularity among China’s middle-income young women, who are often focused on careers with no immediate plans to marry and start a family. Shops selling virtual friends and partners can be found on Chinese messaging app WeChat (微信) or on an e-commerce site like Taobao.com (淘寶). Several virtual boyfriends told reporters that most of their customers are single women in their 20s with disposable income. Pursuing romance had not been available to many Chinese women in the past. Parents of the female children “raised them as sons,” said Roseann Lake, author of a book on China’s unmarried women, Leftover in China: The Women Shaping the World’s Next Superpower.

By Aishwarya Kumar / AFP, NEW DELHIThe hunt for work becomes more desperate every day on Delhi’s street corner labor markets as India’s economic slowdown bites deeper, piling pressure on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi just half a year into his second term. Modi’s right-wing government is struggling to convince the public that it has the answers to the economic slowdown. We have to bear the brunt now.”Raju, a labor market carpenter for 20 years, said that he now goes for days on end without a job offer. “The work and the money are 50 percent down on what I used to get,” he said. “Consumption has fallen because of the breakdown of the labor market,” the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ Ram Kumar told reporters.

BloombergUS President Donald Trump’s latest target for deregulation is Americans’ toilets. The US president on Friday said he ordered a federal review of water efficiency standards in bathroom fixtures and complained that “people are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times as opposed to once” in homes with low-flow appliances. The US president said it was “common sense” to review standards he said resulted in showers with water “quietly dripping out” and toilets that “end up using more water” because of repeat flushing. Trump has championed rolling back regulations since taking office in 2017, with a focus on environmental rules imposed or proposed during the administration of former US president Barack Obama. The US president mentioned that effort during Friday’s event, complaining that energy-efficient light bulbs made him appear orange.

AFP, RIYADHSaudi Arabia yesterday sought to distance itself from a student who carried out a fatal shooting at a US naval base as it seeks to repair its image of being an exporter of Muslim extremism. The Saudi Arabian military student reportedly condemned the US as a “nation of evil” before going on a rampage on Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three people and wounding eight. The hashtag “Saudis stand with America” gained traction on social media after Saudi King Salman telephoned US President Donald Trump to denounce the shooting as “heinous” and pledge cooperation with US officials to investigate the incident. Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir also expressed his “deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences” over the shooting. The incident is unlikely to affect Washington’s close relations with Riyadh, with both governments seeking military and diplomatic cooperation to counter Shiite power Iran.

By Chiu Chih-jou, Hsu Li-chuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that being “unafraid to make sacrifices” and dedicated to “the protection of the nation” were qualities she shared with an 18th century Hakka martyr. The temple is dedicated to Zhong Yonggong (忠勇公), a Hakka martyr who helped Qing Dynasty officials quell a rebellion led by Kaohsiung peasant Zhu Yigui (朱一貴) in 1721. As a fellow Hakka, Tsai said that she shares Zhong’s spirit of sacrifice for the nation. Taiwan has undergone many revolutions and is always improving, part of that being the elevation in status of Hakka culture and language, she said. Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, attended a religious ceremony in Miaoli County.

AP, NASSAU, BahamasTwo big birdies from Gary Woodland on Friday gave him the lead in the Hero World Challenge. A closing birdie on a hole that has vexed Tiger Woods put him in range of a third victory this year. The end of an entertaining round in this holiday event in the tropics set up what figures to be a lively conclusion. Woodland’s final two birdies gave him a four-under-par 68 and a one-shot lead over Henrik Stenson. “I just have to focus on going out there and making birdies,” Woods said.

Staff writer, with CNA and ReutersThe New Taiwan dollar on Friday remained unchanged against the US dollar, closing at NT$30.500, and mostly flat from NT$30.513 a week earlier. Elsewhere on Friday, the euro was steady against the US dollar, which was headed for its worst week since mid-October due to concern over US-China trade relations and hints of weakness in the US economy. The New Zealand dollar rebounded amid renewed risk appetite and encouraging domestic factors. US President Donald Trump said US-China trade talks were “moving right along” and that “we’ll have to see” about an increase in tariffs scheduled for Sunday next week. Risk sentiment recovered, pushing the New Zealand dollar to a four-month high of US$0.6569.

In particular, less-prestigious private universities in more remote areas are at a loss over what to do. Besides, enrollment numbers have already been approved by the ministry. In compliance with the government’s New Southbound Policy, private institutions have instead turned to Southeast Asian nations in their search. However, the hypocritical government imposes strict controls on the working status of foreign students, complicating things for education providers and companies. Today, many private universities are operating at a loss, but are still unwilling to dissolve and liquidate.

The footage, shared by DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), appears to show KMT Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民) asking the policewoman what her unit is and knocking her cap off before pushing her. The video appeares to show another ministry official being confronted by Taipei City Councilor William Hsu (徐弘庭) and New Taipei City Councilor Lin Chin-chieh (林金結). The National Police Agency’s Special Police Sixth Corps on Friday said it would bring charges against Arthur Chen for obstruction of official duty, adding that the officer is a member of the corps. Arthur Chen later that night said on Facebook that he was “caught up in the moment” and called on the officer to provide video evidence of the altercation. Although the report was later proven to be false, it sparked criticism of perceived inaction by the ministry to help Taiwanese stranded at the airport.

Led by KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗), a group of KMT legislators and Taipei city councilors yesterday visited the ministry, demanding a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). After trying in vain to enter the building for 90 minutes, the politicians left. On Sept. 6, Tsai allegedly defended Hsieh in an online post and blamed the Osaka branch, headed by Su. Later yesterday, KMT legislators Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) and Chen Yu-chen (陳玉珍) said that their hands were injured during the fracas at the ministry, adding that they had to seek treatment at a hospital. The president was asked about her relationship with Yang after she was shown a 2008 photograph in which she was talking to a group of people that included Yang.