Reuters, ATHENSClothes should be cherished, re-worn and even passed on to the next generation, Vogue editor Anna Wintour said, calling for more sustainability in the fashion world and less of a throwaway culture. Thanks in part to social media, who and what should be in fashion had radically changed in the past decade, Wintour said. “We are seeing a far more diverse and inclusive representation on the runway, on our social media channels and also in the pages of our different magazines,” she said. Asked about the growing influencers’ effect, Wintour said that they had “fun and varied” views, but could never match the reach of Vogue. I think that Vogue is the biggest influencer of them all, on a global scale,” she said.

AFP, WASHINGTONA US ambassador nominated by US President Donald Trump who provided key testimony in his impeachment hearings was accused on Wednesday of sexual misconduct by three women. One of the women, Jana Solis, said that she met Sondland in 2008 when she was seeking work in her position as a safety expert for hotels. Sondland met her for lunch and offered her a job as “my new hotel chick” before slapping her rear, Solis said. Another woman, Nicole Vogel, said that she met Sondland in 2003 over dinner to seek investment in a new magazine. Despite his support for Trump, Sondland, testifying last week under oath before lawmakers, said that he was following the president’s orders in demanding that Ukraine investigate former US vice president Joe Biden before Trump would agree to a White House summit.

Last week, Australian media reported that self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強) had defected and has been providing information to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Wang claimed that Xiang has a close relationship with Want Want China Times Group chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), which correlates with multiple reports of Taiwanese media organizations peddling pro-China propaganda. Want Want China Times Group in July became embroiled in controversy after the Financial Times reported that the China Times and CtiTV receive their daily editorial line from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office. Beijing has paid three Taiwanese news networks to broadcast news designed to negatively affect the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of the elections, Wang said. Han’s deputy campaign manager Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) went further, accusing Wang of collaborating with various foreign governments to “intervene in Taiwan’s elections.”

AFP, NEW DELHIThey train with swords and fighting fans after their prayers and morning chants. Meet the Himalayan kung fu nuns using their martial arts skills to challenge stereotypes about women’s roles in the region’s patriarchal societies. “Kung fu has helped us in taking a stand on gender equality, as we feel more confident, we feel strong physically and mentally. We are doing kung fu as an example for other girls.”The nuns are from the 800-strong Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery in Nepal and belong to the centuries-old Drukpa Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Most recently, they completed a three-month, 8,370km “bicycle yatra (journey) for peace” from Nepal to the mountains of Ladakh in northern India, where they passed through villages and spread their messages of gender equality and empowerment.

The one released by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been particularly contentious, to the extent that the commotion surrounding it nearly cost KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) his post. Former KMT legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) has made a habit of stirring up controversy and drama, and his so-called “scoops” have not always proven entirely accurate, ruffling more than a few feathers. Retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) won notoriety after he was filmed at a major event in Beijing in 2016. Wu Sz-huai has assured the Taiwanese public that he was merely following “international etiquette” when he stood for the Chinese national anthem. At least Tsai regards the ROC as being alive and well, albeit equating it with Taiwan.

AFP, BEIJINGAstronomers have discovered a black hole in the Milky Way so huge that it challenges existing models of how stars evolve, researchers said yesterday. “Black holes of such mass should not even exist in our galaxy, according to most of the current models of stellar evolution,” he added. Scientists generally believe that there are two types of black holes. Supermassive black holes are at least 1 million times bigger than the sun and their origins are uncertain. “That means that this is a new kind a black hole, formed by another physical mechanism.”LB-1 was discovered by an international team of scientists using China’s sophisticated LAMOST telescope.

By Joseph BoscoUS President Donald Trump’s latest declaration on the Hong Kong protests seeks to reconcile his earlier conflicting statements. In June, he said that Hong Kong, as a part of China, is an internal matter for those parties to resolve. “We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi. It suggested a possible reversal of his earlier position that the Hong Kong outcome took priority over a trade deal. Now, he was cautioning that the US position on Hong Kong should not be allowed to interfere with a good trade outcome.

The major reason for that deficiency is found in the composition of the team, which mainly consists of players from the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The US’ Major League Baseball has 30 teams and the Mexican Baseball League has 16. The last chance for the national team to secure a berth for the Tokyo Olympics is the final Olympic qualifying tournament to be held in Taiwan in April next year. Here are a few practical solutions to enhancing the power of Taiwanese baseball players. This way, the national team would gain practical experience, while the franchises could examine their foreign players’ skills.

By Yang Chun-hui / Staff reporter, with CNAThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) opposition of its anti-infiltration bill, saying that the pan-blue camp’s stance on the issue runs against the international community’s mainstream consensus. However, the KMT has been opposing the DPP’s efforts to counter Chinese infiltration, he said. While the DPP and the New Power Party have proposed three versions of anti-infiltration legislation since May, the KMT has not contributed any, Lin said. If the KMT considers it important to fight infiltration, it should submit its own version, he said. The legislation would provide important protection for Taiwan’s democracy and would require support from all legislators across party lines, Lin said.

BloombergBillionaire Mukesh Ambani is in talks to sell his news media assets to India’s Times Group, as Asia’s richest man plans to unload a business that has been losing money, people familiar with the matter said. Ambani is considering various options, ranging from an outright exit to a stake sale, one of the people said. Shares of Network18 yesterday jumped as much as 10 percent in Mumbai and were headed for their highest level in almost six months. Reliance Industries shares yesterday reached a record high, giving the firm a market value of about US$140 billion. Unlisted Bennett Coleman, also known as the Times Group, owns television channels, including Times Now and ET Now.

By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaipei’s top luxury home projects are about to sell out following years of inventory corrections and price concessions, a report by the Chinese-language Housing Monthly (住展雜誌) said yesterday. The magazine defines extravagant homes as those valued at NT$2 million (US$65,563) per ping (3.3m2) and up. “The luxury home market is running out of stock as years of price concessions and inventory adjustments pay off,” Ho Shih-chang (何世昌), the magazine’s research manager said, in the report. Peace Palace (和平大苑), an urban renewal project between Yuanlih Construction Enterprise Group (元利建設) and private owners, that launched in 2016 is 70 percent sold, Ho said. The slow, but gradual recovery in the luxury home market has led developers to be less flexible on pricing, Ho said.

By Natasha Li / Staff reporterNuvoton Technology Corp’s (新唐科技) announcement yesterday that it is buying Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co Ltd (PSCS) marks the end of Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp’s involvement in the semiconductor business. There are no plans to cut jobs and Nuvoton would integrate PSCS’ more than 2,000 employees, she said. Kadoma City, Japan-based Panasonic’s move to sell its semiconductor unit to Nuvoton came after it revealed a three-year-plan to exit the semiconductor business earlier this year. It has faced rising competition in the semiconductor business from Taiwanese and South Korean rivals, which has been aggravated by a US-China trade spat. Panasonic sold part of PSCS’ diode and transistor business to Kyoto, Japan-based Rohm Semiconductor Co Ltd in April.

By Natasha Li / Staff reporterTaiwanese companies returning to the nation have pledged up to NT$703.4 billion (US$23.06 billion) in investments, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday, as it approved another two firms’ applications to take part in a government incentive program. The new plant would implement environmentally friendly manufacturing and smart production processes, and would create 245 job opportunities, it said. The plant would create 100 job opportunities, it said. The company would offer up to 588 job opportunities, it said. Companies participating in this program have pledged NT$66.1 billion in investments, which would create up to 4,630 job opportunities, the ministry said.

By Sean Lin / Staff reporterThe Executive Yuan yesterday denied that an online registration platform for students visiting China is “green terror,” saying that academic exchanges with China require special monitoring. The Ministry of Education on Wednesday unveiled the Registration Platform for Academic Exchanges in China, which is to take effect Sunday and apply to cross-strait exchanges at all education levels. The Chinese-language China Times on Wednesday said that the platform was “green terror” manufactured by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), referring to the party’s affiliation with the pan-green camp. At that time, she suggested establishing the platform to pre-empt events that might expose students to China’s “united front” tactics. Su Tseng-chang accepted the suggestion and instructed the ministry to create the platform.

BloombergGlobal trade might shrink through the end of the year as countries around the world continue to grapple with a manufacturing-led slowdown. An index by freight giant DHL fell to a four year-low this month, capturing the ongoing uncertainty for the global economy amid still-elusive negotiations on a US-China trade deal, a slowdown in China and an industrial slump in Germany. Of the seven countries in the index — including the US, Japan, China and Germany — all but one posted sub-50 readings. It is a “sobering picture of gloomy prospects for the world economy and global trade,” said Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy and economics at Cornell University in New York State. “Persistent trade tensions, elevated political instability and geopolitical risks, and concerns about the limited efficacy of monetary stimulus, continue to erode business and consumer sentiment.”