Joseph Schooling is Singapore's first Olympic champion13 Aug 2016 

RIO DE JANEIRO: Joseph Schooling on Saturday (Aug 13) won Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal after winning the 100m butterfly event at Rio 2016.

The 21-year-old Singaporean touched the wall in 50.39s, nearly one second ahead of an extraordinary joint-silver finish of 51.14s shared by American great Michael Phelps, South Africa's Chad le Clos and Hungarian Laszlo Cseh.
Schooling's time smashed the Olympic Games record of 50.58s, clocked by Phelps at Beijing 2008. This is the first time at Rio 2016 that Phelps, who won the 100m butterfly at the past three Olympics, has been beaten.
This is also the first ever gold medal by a Southeast Asian male swimmer.

"It feels great, it kinds of feels surreal right now, it's crazy," said Schooling after the race. "I really can't describe how this moment feels. All the adrenaline is running through my veins right now. It's a dream come true."
"I'm really honoured and privileged to swim alongside some of these great names, people who changed the face of our sport," he added.
"I can't really tell you how grateful I am to have this chance to swim in an Olympic final and to represent our country."
"I'm just ecstatic. I need it to sink in."

"I WENT FOR IT"

Singapore's chef de mission Low Teo Ping told Channel NewsAsia: "When Joseph's lane showed 'No.1', that was it. One can't describe the ecstasy. It's all for Singapore."

"We are a small and young nation and with three other guys chasing him down while clocking the same time, it speaks volumes of what Jo has done for Singapore," he added.

"I think the world was expecting some of the other swimmers to be there, for example for Phelps to win his 23rd gold. But here we have this boy from Singapore who really disappointed them, and we are all ecstatic." 

"We are all ecstatic," repeated Mr Low.

Reflecting on his race, Schooling said: "I went for it and I didn't look back. I had some doubts. Everyone has doubts. It's all about how you turn those doubts into positive moments. And I'm really glad that I could do that."
"I'm going to have to pinch myself to see that I'm alive," said Colin Schooling, who watched his son make history from a viewing party in Singapore.

"Singapore, he did what you all wanted and he did it in style," he added, visibly overwhelmed with pride.

He said a world record could be next. "The most important thing is to be an ambassador for all our children in Singapore that gives them hope that they also can do it. There's nothing special about him, just a boy who is interested in the sport." 

Also celebrating Schooling's success was his mother, May Schooling, who said she had "no doubt that this day would come".

Mrs Schooling thanked those who supported him - including the Singapore Swimming Association, family friends, the Singapore Sports Institute and the Defence Ministry for allowing him to defer his National Service, so he could continue training for the Games.

"We were screaming,” said Mrs Schooling. “But I think it also shows that if we give Singaporeans the chance to pursue (their goals) and train properly, we can reach the top of the world. He has proven it - you can do it."

Schooling was the fastest semi-finallist a day earlier and had also won his heat on Friday, pipping Phelps in the process.

The 100m freestyle and 200m butterfly were Schooling's other events but he withdrew from the latter and missed out on the finals for the former.

The Singaporean's groundbreaking Olympic feat follows his bronze at the 2015 World Championships, which was also a first-ever podium finish for his nation.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/joseph-schooling-is/3037512.html
Structure of the Lead:
WHO-Joseph Schooling
WHERE-Rio
WHEN-Saturday (Aug 13)
WHAT-won Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal
WHY-not given
HOW-not given

Keywords:
1.joint: 接縫；接合點
2.smash: 擊潰
3.surreal: 不真實的
4.adrenaline: 腎上腺素
5.vein: 靜脈

How legal tide turned on same-sex marriage in the US26 June 2015

Same sex marriage is now legal in the entire US after a Supreme Court ruling striking down state marriage bans.The ruling means all US states must grant marriage licences to gay and lesbian couples and recognise marriages that have taken place in other states.
So how did we get to this point?
In 1996, the US Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages.In 2003, Massachusetts judges ruled the state constitution allowed gay marriage, and marriage licences followed shortly after that. In the following years, a handful of states passed gay marriage bans while others began working towards allowing same-sex unions - either by court order or legislation.One high-profile ban occurred by referendum in California in 2008 after courts had previously allowed same-sex marriage.This continued across the US until the Supreme Court heard a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013.

What did justices have to decide in this case?

The justices, who had previously stopped short of resolving the question of same-sex marriage nationally, had to consider whether or not states were constitutionally required to issue marriage licences and if states were required to recognise same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

How many states previously allowed same-sex unions?

Before the ruling, 36 states were issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples, as well as Washington DC, which sets its own marriage laws but is not legally a state.Prop 8 supporters hold signs
A critical turning point came in October 2014, when the Supreme Court chose not to hear appeals against lower court rulings that had overturned same-sex marriage bans - expanding the legality of gay unions to many more states.In other states, same-sex marriage has been approved either through legislation or voter referenda.Michigan couples were briefly able to marry before a court stayed a ruling overturning its ban.

What have been the key Supreme Court rulings?

On 6 October 2014, the court turned away appeals from five states with gay marriage bans on the books that had challenged court rulings overturning those bans.In challenging the gay marriage bans, proponents relied on a 2013 Supreme Court ruling in the case of United States v Windsor.
In that case, the court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (Doma), which barred the federal government from recognising same-sex marriages.Under Doma, for example, individuals in same-sex marriages were ineligible for benefits from federal programmes such as the Social Security pension system and some tax allowances if their partners died.Another key case, Hollingsworth v Perry of 2013, was filed by two lawyers, Theodore Olson and David Boies, working together on behalf of their California clients, Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier and another couple, Jeffrey Zarrillo and Paul Katami.They argued that the Supreme Court should strike down a state law, called Proposition 8, which stated that marriage is between a man and a woman. The law, approved by California voters in 2008, overrode a state Supreme Court decision that allowed for same-sex marriage.

What is next?

Marriages will continue as before in the 36 states. The remaining states will have to issue licences, although it is unclear how long they have to comply with the court's ruling. However, there were reports of court clerk offering licences only an hour after the Supreme Court decision.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-21943292

Structure of the Lead:
WHO-gay and lesbian couplesWHERE-USWHEN-not givenWHAT-Same sex marriage is now legalWHY-not givenHOW-not given


Keywords:
1.Supreme: 最高的，至上的2.federal:美國聯邦政府的，國家的3.referendum: 公民投票4.constitutionally: 憲法上5.proponent: 提議人；擁護者6.ineligible: 無被選資格的；不適任的

Military Concedes Election to Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar

By THOMAS FULLERNOV. NOV, 2015

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s military establishment on Wednesday acknowledged the victory of the country’s democracy movement led by the Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, raising hopes for a peaceful transfer of power after five decades of military domination.
President Thein Sein sent his congratulations to Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and her party for “gathering the support of the people.” The statement, delivered in a Facebook post, amounted to an admission of defeat by the president, a former general who has led the military-backed government for the past five years.
“The government will respect and follow the people’s choice and decision, and work on transferring power peacefully according to the timetable,” the Facebook message said.
Both sides agreed to hold negotiations after the election commission announces the final results of the vote, expected later this month.
Winning a majority in both houses of Parliament, as the National League for Democracy appears to have done in Sunday’s elections, would give the party control over both the legislative and executive branches of government — a breathtaking sweep of power for the democracy movement.
In a letter released by her party on Wednesday, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi asked to meet with Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander in chief of the military.
“It is crucial for the dignity of the nation that the people’s will, which was shown in the election of Nov. 8, be truly implemented in a peaceful and stable manner,” she wrote in the letter, which was dated Tuesday.
She sent similar letters to the president and the speaker of the lower house of Parliament.
The office of General Min Aung Hlaing responded Wednesday night that the military “congratulates the National League for Democracy in getting a majority of seats” in the official results released so far.
The departing speaker of the lower house of Parliament, Thura Shwe Mann, suggested that he was open to the meeting, saying on his Facebook page that he wished to “work together to build a stable, peaceful and developed country.”
Mr. Shwe Mann lost his seat in Parliament in the election.
Despite the democracy movement’s triumph, the police, army and large parts of the bureaucracy will remain under the military’s direct control.
Analysts say the key to a functioning government will be cooperation between Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and the military. The extent to which that is possible remains to be seen.
The new Parliament is expected to meet early next year and select a new president in March.
The military-drafted Constitution prohibits Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi from serving as president, but she has rankled the governing party, which is the political arm of the military, by saying she would serve above the president.
“The president will be told exactly what he can do,” she told a television interviewer on Tuesday. “I make all the decisions because I am the leader of the winning party.”
But she also sent signals that she was not out for revenge. She told another interviewer, “We are not going in for vengeance, and we are not going in for a series of Nurembergs.”
She added that she would “uphold the parts of the Constitution that are good.”
The Constitution was written by the generals, who have governed Myanmar in one form or another since 1962, and it was devised for them to retain significant power even in the case of electoral defeat.
By Wednesday evening, the commission had announced official results for 298 of the 491 seats contested in Sunday’s elections. Of those, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won 256, and the governing party won 21.
There are 664 seats in the two houses of Parliament; the military appoints 166 of them.
The commission also announced that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi had been re-elected to her seat, which was expected given the almost divine reverence that she commands across the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/world/asia/aung-san-suu-kyi-myanmar-elections-military.html?_r=0

Structure of the Lead:WHO-Aung San Suu KyiWHERE-MyanmarWHEN-Wednesday WHAT-Myanmar’s military establishmentWHY-a peaceful transfer of power after five decades of military domination.HOW-not given

Keywords:1.executive: 執行的；實施的2.dignity:  尊嚴；莊嚴3.triumph: 勝利4.bureaucracy;  官僚政治5.rankle: 仍然令人怨恨難消6.vengeance: 報復

Anger among the young on the streets of London after U.K. votes to leave the European Union

Jun 24, 2016

By Rick Noack

LONDON — A feeling of uncertainty and anguish hung over Friday's commute after Britian's historic decision to sever ties with the European Union, and many younger people seemed especially distressed.

"I think we made a very rash decision," said one young woman living in north London.

"My parents voted 'Leave' and I love them. But it's my future, and I'm scared now," said another young commuter who was on her way to work.

Most Londoners wanted to remain in the European Union, according to polling. With 11 million inhabitants, the capital has a significant electoral impact on British elections. More than 40 percent of all Londoners were not born in the city.

According to a survey conducted by YouGov on Thursday evening and published after polling stations had closed, 75 percent of those aged between 18 and 24 voted to remain in the European Union.

Researchers had expected such an outcome among younger Brits: A recent Pew Research Center survey had shown that only 38 percent of the British older than 50 view the E.U. favorably — compared to 57 percent of younger voters.

The generational split has become particularly defining in London. One London-based voter, who identified himself only as James, said on Friday that he had yet to find a party to celebrate the referendum outcome. "It's not that easy to celebrate this here in London," he said. "Many colleagues at work were rather depressed today."

The mood among younger British or migrants who moved to the U.K. from continental Europe was clearly visible on Friday: At Camden Market in northern London — where many younger E.U. migrants work — some people appeared to be depressed.

Recent polls had suggested that many voters had lost trust in their politicians over the course of the last months. The anger of many younger voters now targets those politicians who are believed to be responsible for leading the country out of the European Union.

When one of the leading pro-Brexit campaigners, Boris Johnson, left his house Friday, some protesters booed and shouted at the former London mayor.

Chaos as Boris Johnson is greeted by loud jeers and boos when he leaves his house—5News (@5_News) 4:54 PM - 24 Jun 2016

Chaos as Boris Johnson is greeted by loud jeers and boos when he leaves his househttps://t.co/iTiobFMTVS

Johnson can expect to play a major role in the next British government, after Prime Minister David Cameron announced his plans to step down.

Cameron — a staunch supporter of Britain remaining a member of the E.U. — had repeatedly said he would not resign in the case of a Brexit. However, his resignation had been widely expected following the "remain" campaign's loss.

One of his potential successors could be Johnson. His opponents, however, have argued that Johnson embraced the "leave" campaign mainly for his own career advantage.

That sentiment turned into aggression on Friday, as angry cyclists blocked Johnson's car.

Boris Johnson got blocked off by cyclists on the way to give his speech — Andrew Hart (@AndrewProjDent) June 24, 2016

Tensions had already risen on the streets of London ahead of the vote. Following the slaying of Labour Party politician Jo Cox last week, some Brexit-supporters in London said they had been asked to be more careful about their campaigning. Some canceled events, even after campaigning resumed last weekend.

Cox's killing forced the nation to reflect on the last months that were driven by a strong divide between Brexit supporters and opponents.

Those ideological clashes were reflected Friday morning, about six hours after polls had closed, when a group of about eight people were assembled around a TV screen at Leicester Square.

"I'm going to need a visa to visit my family in Spain," said an English-accented man in his 20s. He then turned to the others and demanded to know if they had voted "in" or "out," saying that he was going to punch the "outers."

All of those present said they had voted "in."

Karla Adam contributed to this report.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/24/anger-on-the-streets-of-london-after-u-k-votes-to-leave-the-european-union/?utm_term=.345996a2e4f9

Structure of the Lead：

    WHO-the young in the U.K.

    WHEN-Jun 24, 2016

    WHAT-They showed their anger and fear about their future by taking some activities against the politicians.

    WHY-the young wanted to stay in the EU 

    WHERE-London, the U.K.

Keywords：

   1. anguish：極度的痛苦；苦惱

   4. resignation：辭職；放棄

   5. ideological：意識形態的；思想體系的
   6. clash：砰地相碰撞；衝突

White Helmets backlash after Mannequin Challenge video

Nov 24, 2016

By Chris Bell, UGC and Social News team

It is an achingly familiar scene. An injured man lies in the rubble as two members of the Syria Civil Defence group - known as the White Helmets - come to his aid, another apparent victim of Syria's bloody civil war.
But all is not as it seems.
The man and the White Helmets appear frozen. The whole scene is in fact posed.
The men are performing their version of the Mannequin Challenge in a video released by activists from the Revolutionary Forces of Syria (RFS) "to raise awareness of the suffering of the Syrian people".
Nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the White Helmets comprise roughly 3,000 volunteer rescue workers in rebel-held areas.
Since 2013, they have searched for survivors in the aftermath of the deadly air strikes raining down on Syria's towns and cities, saving thousands of lives.
They say they are non-partisan and a regular source of video and eyewitness accounts from the thick of the fighting.
But critics, often pro-Assad or pro-Russia accounts on social media, allege links to jihadist groups and have long claimed that the organisation fabricates reports and rescues.
This latest video has seen those critical voices grow louder, while the stunt has left others bemused.

In a statement to the BBC, the White Helmets acknowledged the involvement of two of their volunteers but said the video had not been sanctioned by the group's leadership team.
"The video and the related posts were recorded by RFS media with Syria Civil Defence (White Helmets) volunteers, who hoped to create a connection between the horror of Syria and the outside world, using the viral Mannequin Challenge," the statement read.
"This was an error of judgement, and we apologise on behalf of the volunteers involved.
"The video was not shared on our official channels, and we took immediate action to discipline those involved and prevent incidents such as this from happening again.
"Our volunteers are committed to saving lives by responding to, and reporting, war crimes in Syria.
"This leaves us open to attacks, not just from the bombs but from those who seek to silence us for telling the truth."
A spokesman for the RFS told the BBC that the activist group occasionally used this kind of campaign to help shine a spotlight on the suffering of millions of ordinary Syrians.
He pointed out that in the past it had attempted to raise awareness of the conflict by leveraging the popularity of computer game Pokemon Go and comic-book heroes The Avengers.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38066791

Structure of the Lead：

    WHO-White Helmets

    WHEN-Nov 24, 2016

    WHAT-critics had long claimed that the organisation fabricates reports and rescues

    WHY-White Helmets wanted to raise awareness of the suffering of the Syrian people, while people thought that it was not appropriate for them to do so.

    WHERE-Syria

Keywords：

   1. fabricate：偽造

   2. stunt：(pull a stunt) 開玩笑; 耍花招

   3. sanctione：認可；批准

   4. discipline：紀律，風紀；懲戒

U.N. Climate Change Conference Turns to Implementing Paris Agreement

U.N. Climate Change Conference Turns to Implementing Paris Agreement

U.N. Climate Change Conference Turns to Implementing Paris Agreement

By 

BILL SPINDLE and AMY HARDER

Nov. 7, 2016 5:30 a.m. ET

A year after nearly 200 nations agreed to a global pact in Paris to combat climate change, a United Nations conference this week ushers in the hard work of turning the plan into action.

The conference, known as COP22, which kicks off Monday in Marrakesh, Morocco, benefits from the unexpectedly quick adoption of the Paris agreement. It entered into force Friday after at least 55 signatories representing more than 55% of global emissions previously ratified it, including the U.S., China, the European Union and India.

“The politically difficult step was Paris,” said Robert Stavins, an environmental economist at Harvard University. “The technically difficult steps now remain.”

The agreement is a collection of self-imposed national plans for holding emissions to a level scientists believe will prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). But the past year contained many reminders of how difficult implementing the agreement will be compared with the feel-good exercise of approving and ratifying it.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-n-climate-change-conference-turns-to-implementing-paris-agreement-1478514604

 Structure of the Lead：

     WHO- U.N.

     WHEN- Nov. 7, 2016

     WHAT- Implementing Paris Agreement

     WHY- U.N. Climate Change Conference

     WHERE- Marrakesh, Morocco

     HOW-not given

Keywords:

Usher in (phr.): 開始

Emission (n.): 發行

Ratify (v.): 批准

Taiwan embraces Matt Damon

Taiwan embraces Matt Damon

By Yu Sen-lun  /  STAFF REPORTER

With his "American boy-next-door" persona, always in T-shirts and jeans, Matt Damon has easily captivated the hearts of Taiwanese movie fans in just a four-day visit of Taiwan. Thousands joined the Taiwan premiere of his latest film, The Bourne Identity, on Thursday night, and hundreds of them have followed Damon for the past four days -- from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to the National Palace Museum -- and then waited for him at the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel.

Taiwanese media hasn't missed the chance to embrace this Hollywood golden boy and make him feel at home. The first step was to teach him to say a few Mandarin phrases to greet his fans. Then TV reporters presented him with a cup of pearl milk tea, asking him to drink it right in the middle of the interview. There were also female reporters asking Damon to give them a hug on behalf of their audience.

This kind of media zeal is no less than what it was when Tom Cruise came to visit Taipei. No wonder Damon teasingly told his audience "Da jia hao, I'm Tom Cruise!" on the night of the Taiwan premiere.

In response to the warm welcome, Damon expressed his appreciation several times at the premiere and press conference. "I will definitely come back," he said, adding that he'd tell his buddy Ben Affleck that he's "got to come to Taiwan!" Indeed, in his short visit, the 32 year-old actor and screenwriter has shown a kind of natural stardom with his constant smile, openness and cordiality under the unblinking gaze of the media.

Talking about his first action film, The Bourne Identity, Damon said the script was the main aspect that drew him to the role of a CIA special agent. "The script is always important to me," he said. Damon said he's always been an action film fan and had felt that many action films look all too similar in style and plot.

"I love the stories of novelist Robert Ludlum and Doug Liman is an independent filmmaker that I like a lot. The combination of the two makes a very different action film."

In order to portray Jason Bourne, the CIA agent in this spy thriller, Damon said he took three months to train in martial arts, boxing and weapons use. As a agent who loses his memory, Bourne discovers he posses superior fighting skills, sharp and precise observation and a cold heart for killing, but somehow cannot remember his name or what he has done. While searching for his identity wandering around the European cities of Zurich and Paris, he finds that there are always people trying to kill him wherever he goes.

This cool and tightly-paced film also has the impressive acting of Franka Potente, who played the wild girl in the stylish German film Run Lola Run. Together with Damon, they begin a breathtaking flee from the police and the CIA, which includes a long, fascinating car-chase.

The Bourne Identity has so far grossed more the US$100 million. For his part, Damon has also lifted his salary up to the US$10 million mark.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2002/08/24/0000165462

Structure of the Lead：

WHO- Matt Damon

WHEN- not given

WHAT- introduction of Matt Damon

WHY- not given

WHERE- not given

HOW-not given

Keywords:

Premiere: 初次演出