
Authentic Canada Goose brand parkas in a store in New York on Friday, December 18, 2015.[Photo/IC]
>Coats targeted in robberies 寒冷芝加哥頻現搶'鵝'案 Chicago has recently seen a rise in robberies targeting expensive Canada Goose coats as winter storms blanketed the US Midwest city. The robbers really want the status coats - they're using guns to get them, according to CBS. An average Canada Goose parka can cost about $1,000. "At least six times in just eight days, offenders have confronted victims and forced them to turn over their jackets. In each case, the victims were robbed at gunpoint," local police said. Canada Goose coats are marketed as lightweight coats with heavyweight warmth, and they have become a must-have item for celebrities and fashionistas. 美國中西部城市芝加哥近日遭遇冬季風暴,針對昂貴的加拿大鵝外套的搶劫案增加。據哥倫比亞廣播公司報道,劫匪們是真想要這些名牌外套,為此不惜持槍搶劫。加拿大鵝一件大衣的平均售價在1000美元左右。當地警方說:"在短短8天里,至少發生了6起劫案。罪犯面對受害者,迫使他們交出自己的外套。每起案件里受害者均遭到持槍搶劫。"加拿大鵝外套以輕盈保暖著稱,是各路名人和時尚達人的衣櫥必備品。

Gangtok is the capital of the mountainous northern Indian state of Sikkim. [Photo/IC]
>Basic income experiment 印度錫金試行普遍收入 High in the Himalayas, Sikkim is one of the tiniest states in India. But it is about to embark on an experiment of global interest. Sikkim's ruling party has announced an ambitious plan to implement a universal basic income for every one of its 610,577 citizens. A universal basic income is a regular, guaranteed income paid by the government, universally and unconditionally, to all citizens. It is a cash payment that aims to replace the often confusing array of assistance that states offer to citizens and place spending decisions in the hands of recipients. The tourism and power sectors will be tapped to raise the resources. If successful, the scheme would represent the largest trial run anywhere in the world. 位於喜馬拉雅山坡上的錫金是印度最小的邦之一,但這裡即將進行一項全球矚目的試驗。錫金的執政黨宣布了一項雄心勃勃的計劃:為其610577名公民提供普遍基本收入。普遍基本收入是政府無條件向所有公民定期發放的收入,用現金償付,旨在取代政府向公民提供的複雜的援助系統,將支出的決定權交給受助人。錫金將利用旅遊業與電力部門來籌集資金。如果計劃成功實施,那麼這將是迄今為止世界範圍內最大規模的試點。

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>Tissues to get you sick 美企賣'病原紙巾'引爭議 A company based in Los Angeles, the US, said it is offering used tissues to "train your immune system" to fight off illness. Vaev says its unusual offering allows users to catch a cold on their "own terms", therefore decreases the risk of catching that same strain of cold virus at a later date. Each tissue has been sneezed on by one of 10 sneezers the company recruited, and sell for a whopping $79.9 per box. However, specialists said that there is nothing positive that can come from this, only things that are adverse. There are more than 200 types of virus that cause what we call the common cold, and they're all constantly evolving - that's why there has never been an effective vaccine, according to Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona. "You're going to have to shove about 200 tissues up your nose each time to get a different one," Gerba added. 美國洛杉磯初創公司Vaev表示,正推出二手紙巾來"訓練免疫系統",從而戰勝疾病。Vaev稱,他們的紙巾不同凡響,能讓人們隨心所欲地感冒,從而降低以後被同一種感冒病毒侵襲的風險。每張紙巾都被公司僱傭的10個打噴嚏的人衝上面打過噴嚏,每盒售價高達79.9美元。但專家表示,這種紙巾只有壞處,沒有好處。亞利桑那大學微生物學教授查爾斯•格巴稱,有超過200種病毒會引起我們所說的普通感冒,而且它們全都在不斷變異,這就是永遠沒有一款有效疫苗的原因。他還說:"為感染一種不同的病毒,你每次需要使用約200張紙巾才行。"

An Apple company logo is seen behind tree branches outside an Apple store in Beijing, December 14, 2018. [Photo/Agencies]
>Apple sales in China drop 蘋果中國區銷售額跳水 Apple sales in China dropped 27% in the final quarter of 2018, with CEO Tim Cook admitting that higher iPhone prices are a "factor" in the decline. The US tech giant said it brought in $13.2 billion in China in the holiday quarter, down from nearly $18 billion during the same period in 2017. Apple registered shrinking sales revenue in China across all of its leading products, iPhones, Macs, and iPads, along with reduced footfall in its stores. Cook explained that foreign exchange issues have amplified price differences in international markets, in particular emerging markets, which tend to move more significantly versus the dollar. He said that Apple is emphasizing trade-ins and installment payments to revitalize iPhone sales. Earlier this month, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone XR and other iPhones for its channel partners in China, allowing third-party vendors to purchase cheaper iPhones and pass those savings to customers. 2018年第四季度,蘋果在華銷量驟降27%,蘋果首席執行官蒂姆•庫克承認,iPhone的定價較高是導致銷量下滑的因素之一。這家美國科技巨頭表示,去年第四季度,蘋果在華銷售額為132億美元,較2017年同期的近180億美元銷售額有所下降。包括iPhone、Mac、iPad在內的蘋果所有主要產品在華銷售額均出現萎縮,門店客流量減少。庫克解釋說,匯率問題放大了蘋果在國際市場,尤其是新興市場上的價差,美元走強導致產品在全球變得更貴。庫克表示,蘋果正在關注以舊換新和分期付款,以重振iPhone的銷售。本月初,蘋果下調了iPhone XR等多款iPhone在中國的渠道價,使第三方供應商可以更便宜的價格購進iPhone,從而使消費者最終得到實惠。
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來源:chinadaily.com.cn