Obama nominates a career diplomat as ambassador to Cuba

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced career diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis as his choice to become the first US ambassador to Cuba in more than half a century, a move that sets up a possible fight with congressional critics of Obama’s overtures to the communist nation.
DeLaurentis currently is the top diplomat at the US embassy in Havana.
Senate confirmation is required, but will be tough for the White House to win before Obama’s term ends in January. Senators who argue that Cuba does not deserve diplomatic outreach from the US have vowed to block any ambassador nomination, citing lack of progress on democracy and human rights on the island.
Obama said on Tuesday that DeLaurentis’ leadership was “vital” throughout the normalization process.
Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro surprised the world in December 2014 by announcing that the one-time foes had agreed, after secret negotiations, to restore diplomatic relations, including reopening embassies. The US and Cuba severed diplomatic ties in 1961 amid the Cold War.
Obama called the naming of an ambassador a “common-sense” step toward more productive relations between the US and Cuba, and said DeLaurentis is the best person for the job.
“Having an ambassador will make it easier to advocate for our interests and will deepen our understanding, even when we know that we will continue to have differences with the Cuban government,” Obama said in a statement that called attention to DeLaurentis’ extensive experience in Cuba and Latin America.
“We only hurt ourselves by not being represented by an ambassador,” he said.
Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington, Jose Cabanas, was given the rank of ambassador last year.

Senator Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the US Department of State and foreign operations, argued for DeLaurentis’ confirmation.
“The Cuban people have their ambassador in Washington. The American people need their ambassador in Havana,” Leahy said in a statement.
Since diplomatic relations were re-established on July 20 last year, DeLaurentis has led a series of negotiations with Cuba on topics ranging from human rights to the billions of dollars of US claims against Cuba for properties that were confiscated during the nation’s revolution in 1959.
Even if ultimately unsuccessful, the nomination of a US ambassador could provide a boost to the Obama administration’s final months of negotiations with Cuba, a nation highly attuned to the degree of respect it feels it is receiving from the US.
Earlier this year, Obama visited Cuba with his wife and daughters.
During the brief visit, the first by a sitting US president in nearly seven decades, Obama met with Castro and attended a baseball game between the Cuba national team and the Tampa Bay Rays. He also addressed the Cuban people.

Who: Obama. Jeffrey DeLaurentis. Raul Castro
What: Obama nominates a career diplomat as ambassador to Cuba
When: 27, Sep,2016

1.diplomat: 外交官
2. overture: 建議
3. senator: 參議員
4. address: 致詞

How AlphaGo defeated a go master

When South Korean go champion Lee Sedol lost his first game to AlphaGo, the whole world was shocked. It was more than just a game of go: It was a milestone in the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Exactly how did AlphaGo do it? Why were the go programs that came before unable to do it? And how human-like is this AI? Cognitive psychology might offer some interesting insights on the issue.
Since the 1940s, psychologists have been studying people who excel in certain areas, hoping to understand their psychological structure and explain their development. The first research of this kind focused on chess experts, where cognitive psychologists compared chess experts and chess rookies, and were surprised to find they are not very different. Experts are just faster at finding the right move, and the reason has nothing to do with their intelligence or memory capacity, but their advanced ability to recognize patterns on the chess board.
When looking at the pieces in a game, those who excel at chess memorize the pattern they present, which includes the correlations between various pieces. These correlations can reveal the intentions and strategies of a chess player. As a chess player gains more experience, they also become better at reading and memorizing the patterns, so that when a familiar pattern shows up, an expert can immediately predict the ensuing development of the game based on experience. Rookies, on the other hand, cannot see the relations between the pieces in a game. To them, the way the pieces are placed on the board is random. As a result, they often misjudge a situation.
AlphaGo is different from AIs of the past in a number of ways. First, it uses neural networks to recognize patterns. Neural networks are superior to traditional AI, because they can accumulate and learn from their own experiences. In addition to remembering shapes, they can extract patterns from those shapes, and they can also use Monte Carlo methods — computational algorithms used to obtain results from random sampling — to assist their strategic choices. This means that AlphaGo can make decisions based on shapes and patterns to analyze the situation and make an assessment of which move would increase the possibility of victory.

These mechanisms are characteristics of human cognitive systems, but in addition to relying on these two mechanisms, AlphaGo also possesses computing power that far exceeds the human brain.
We have limited cognitive sources at our disposal. For example, “1+1=?” is a simple problem, but many people would find “12345+56789=?” to be a bit of a challenge. Working memory span — the longest list of items a person can remember correctly immediately after having been presented with the list — is an indicator of cognitive resources, and just like a computer’s random-access memory, this is the brain’s platform for processing information. It is limited in size, and the more complex a task, the more cognitive resources it uses up, and this has a direct effect on how fast and how accurate human calculations are. Compared with AlphaGo, Lee’s greatest weakness was that he is human, and thus is restricted by his working memory span.
Although Lee is also capable of analyzing a situation and then arriving at an estimate, his working memory span is limited, and that affects the number of moves available for him to choose from. From this perspective, AlphaGo is indeed different from humans, but in the field of AI, similarity to humans is not necessarily the main point. Instead, the goal is to create a robot capable of displaying intelligence.

Who: AlphaGo
What: It defeated a go master.

1. cognitive: 認知的
2. rookies: 新手
3. correlation: 關聯性
4. intention: 意圖
5. computational: 計算的
6. algorithms: 算法

SpaceX to reattempt landing rocket on ocean barge

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX is to attempt to land its next Falcon 9 rocket on a barge in the Pacific Ocean, seeking another milestone a month after landing a booster on the ground in a spaceflight first, the company said on Friday.

The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a NASA ocean-monitoring satellite, is slated to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sunday next week.

About two minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the rocket is expected to separate, flip around, fire engines to slow its fall, deploy landing legs and attempt to touch down on a floating landing pad in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX has tried ocean landings twice without success, but officials are optimistic after the company last month safely returned a Falcon 9 booster to a landing pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Accomplishing an ocean landing would give the California-based SpaceX flexibility to recover its boosters from a wider variety of space missions.

The firm, owned and operated by Musk, wants to refurbish and refly its rockets, potentially slashing launch costs.

Similar efforts are underway by fellow technology titan Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, as well as industry stalwart United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

For now, SpaceX is focusing on reusing just the first stage of its Falcon rockets, which sell for about US$61 million, the company’s Web site shows.

Of that, only about US$200,000 is for fuel, Musk said at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco last month.

“With reusable rockets, we can reduce the cost of access to space by probably two orders of magnitude,” or a factor of 100, Musk said at the conference.

The company eventually wants to return the rocket’s second stage for reuse in future launches as well.

The rocket slated to launch NASA’s Jason-3 satellite is an older version of the rocket that flew last month and does not have the power to attempt a touchdown on land, SpaceX said.

The booster that landed on Dec. 21 is to be test-fired in Florida, but probably not reflown, Musk told reporters after the landing. He said the company likely would attempt relaunch of another recovered rocket this year.

SpaceX has more than 60 missions on its schedule, worth about US$8 billion.

 

Who: technology entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX

What: They attempt to land its next rocket on a barge in the Pacific Ocean.

When: 1, Jan, 2016

 

1.      entrepreneur:企業家

2.      barge:大型平底船

3.      satellite:衛星

4.      refurbish:翻新

5.      liftoff:發射

High-level climate talks have begun in Paris, aimed at signing a long-term deal to reduce global carbon emissions.

More than 150 world leaders have converged to launch the two-week talks, known as COP21.

The last major meeting in 2009 ended in failure. But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who is chairing the meeting, said a deal was within reach.

Most of the discussions are expected to centre on an agreement to limit global warming to 2C (3.6F).

Assessments of the more than 180 national plans that have been submitted by countries suggest that if they were implemented the world would see a rise of nearer to 3C.

Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal declared this year's meeting open on Monday.

Strong action on carbon emissions is essential for multiple reasons, said Mr. Vidal, who hosted last year's UN climate conference in Lima.

Mr. Vidal said a deal would show the world that countries can work together to fight global warming as well as terrorism.

 

Who: more than 150 world leaders

What: sign a long-term deal

Why: climate change

When: 30, Nov, 2015

Where: Paris

 

1.      emission:排放

2.      converge:聚集

3.      chair:主持

4.      Peruvian:祕魯的

Leonardo DiCaprio wins best actor Oscar for ’The Revenant’

 

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar on Sunday, taking home the best actor statuette for his role in revenge movie "The Revenant".

DiCaprio, 41, had been nominated four times previously for an acting Oscar over a career spanning 25 years. He was the favorite to clinch the Academy Award this year for his grueling portrayal of a fur trapper left for dead in an icy wilderness after being mauled by a bear.

In a fight for survival, his "Revenant" character Hugh Glass treks through snow-covered forests, gets swept away in a waterfall, sleeps inside the carcass of a disemboweled horse and hungrily eats raw bison liver before making it back to his camp.

DiCaprio, a bachelor with a string of supermodel girlfriends, has matured into one of the world’s most admired and popular actors, as well as a champion of environmental causes ranging from marine reserves to the rights of indigenous people.

In his acceptance speech, DiCaprio, who received a standing ovation, said："Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted."

 

Who: Leonardo DiCaprio

What: He won an Oscar.

Why: He took home the best actor statuette for his role in revenge movie "The Revenant".

When: 13,Mar,2016

 

1.    clinch:贏得

2.      grueling:令人精疲力竭的

3.      portrayal:演出

4.      disembowel:去除…的內臟

5.      indigenous:本地的

Europe to return refugees to Afghanistan, where war awaits them

The EU and Afghanistan on Wednesday announced a deal that would send tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who had reached Europe back home to an increasingly hazardous war zone.

The agreement is the most specific effort yet by Europe to divert or reverse a wave of hundreds of thousands of refugees from war-torn countries, including Afghanistan and Syria.

However, unlike a major agreement with Turkey this year to have that country host more Syrian refugees, the new deal as worded would forcibly send Afghans whose asylum applications were rejected directly back to an intensifying war that has taken a severe toll on civilian life — seemingly at odds with international conventions on refugees.

“The EU and the government of Afghanistan intend to cooperate closely in order to organize the dignified, safe and orderly return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan who do not fulfill the conditions to stay in the EU,” the agreement read.

The repatriation deal was announced alongside an international conference in which governments pledged US$3.75 billion in annual development aid to Afghanistan over the next four years.

However, few of the keynote speakers even hinted at the worsening security in the country in recent weeks, and none publicly discussed the repatriation deal, which was reportedly signed on Sunday last week.

As speakers at the conference praised improvements in Afghanistan, the very idea that even important Afghan cities could be secured was under direct assault.

Taliban fighters on Wednesday attacked Afghan security forces who were fighting for a third day to maintain control of the main government buildings in Kunduz, a vital provincial capital that briefly fell to insurgents last year.

In southern Afghanistan, another of the few remaining government-held districts in Helmand province has been seized by the insurgents this week. At no time since before the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan have the Taliban controlled more territory in the country.

“While donors are preoccupied with deterring refugee flight, they should focus instead on security force and Taliban abuses and children’s lack of access to education, and address the reasons people are so desperate to leave,” said Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Last year alone, 213,000 Afghans arrived in Europe, with 176,900 claiming asylum that year, according to EU data. Fifty to 60 percent of such Afghan requests have been denied so far, meaning that tens of thousands of people could be returned to Afghanistan under the deal.

European officials denied that the repatriation deal was a condition for aid to Afghanistan.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini told reporters: “There is never, never a link between our development aid and whatever we do on migration.”

However, Ekram Afzali, head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan and part of the Afghan delegation meeting with the Europeans in Brussels, said delegates were told by both Afghan and international officials that the repatriation deal was a quid pro quo for European aid.

A leaked EU memo dated March 3 discussed openly making pledges of aid at this week’s conference conditional on Afghanistan’s agreement with the repatriation deal.

At the conference on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that US funding of civilian programs would continue “at or near current levels, on average, all the way through 2020.”

Who: The EU and Afghanistan

Why: the deal

 

Keywords

1.      hazardous:危險的

2.      zone:地區

3.      divert:轉移

4.      forcibly:強制地

5.      repatriation:遣送回國

6.      insurgent:叛亂者

PARIS ATTACKS: Government condemns ‘terrorism’

The government yesterday condemned the series of attacks in Paris on Friday and expressed condolences, with President Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） saying that Taiwan stands side-by-side with the people of France.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun （孫立群） said Premier Mao Chi-kuo （毛治國） has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to locate Taiwanese living, studying or traveling in France, as well as to provide assistance to Taiwanese tour groups if needed.

According to the Tourism Bureau, 145 tourists from five Taiwanese tour groups in France were all safe, adding that no Taiwanese travel agencies had reported being affected by the attacks.

The foreign ministry said it would not raise the travel alert level for France, but called for people to be alert to security problems and refrain from unnecessary travel to Paris.

The foreign ministry and its representative office in France are to continue observing developments after the attacks, which have claimed at least 128 lives.

Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） also expressed her sympathy for the French.

“The terrorist attacks in Paris are not only attacks on France, but also on the values of freedom and democracy shared by the international community,” Tsai said in a press release. “At a troubling time like this, we would like to extend our support to France and the French people to overcome the difficulties.”

She condemned the attacks, while extending sympathy to the people affected, adding that she gives her best wishes to the people of France that they might return to a normal, peaceful life as soon as possible.

“Acts of terror and violence that destroy people’s lives and threatens freedom are to be condemned by all,” Tsai said. “It’s something intolerable in a civilized society.”

Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Chairman Eric Chu （朱立倫）, who is in the US, expressed his “gravest protest” against the attacks.

The whole world is now on high alert over national security and public safety, which are every nation’s greatest concern, Chu said.

Chu said he hopes policies drawn up would aim for “better harmony” and “not allow terror attacks to happen in Taiwan.”

Security is the most vital aspect of a nation, he said, adding that every crisis would be costly for society.

The Taipei 101 skyscraper joined New York in putting on red, white and blue lighting displays to show solidarity with people affected by the attacks.

The lighting — turned on at 5:30pm — symbolized the French national flag, while elsewhere six games of baseball’s Premier 12 competition across the nation observed minutes of silence to honor those who lost their lives.

 

Why: Paris attack

What: Paris attack

When: 14, Nov, 2015

Where: Paris

 

Keywords

1.      condolence: 慰問

2.      ministry: 部 ( 政府的 )

3.      solidarity: 團結

4.      premier: 總理

5.      silence: 默哀