European leaders under pressure from a far-right revival at home hoped to avoid a difficult debate about immigration when they met their African counterparts in Ivory Coast on Wednesday.
Reports last month of abuses against African migrants who were reportedly being sold as slaves in Libya have sparked anger across the continent however, threatening to drive migration to the top of the summit agenda and shine a spotlight on an issue fraught with political risk.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who head the Franco-German axis at the heart of the European Union, would have had their next major political test in mind when they sat down with African Union heads of state.
Photo: AP
照片：美聯社
Italy, on the frontline of the campaign to slow illegal migration to Europe, holds elections early next year and the populist 5-Star Movement is leading opinion polls. The anti-immigrant, eurosceptic Northern League is also gaining support.
“We all have our own interests in not turning this into a migration conference,” one EU official said ahead of the meeting held in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan.
The summit was meant to focus on development, long the cornerstone of EU policy in Africa and tangentially related to migration. The theme of investing in youth, though, was a nod to the rampant unemployment and poverty that drives many young Africans to leave home in search of a better life.
港。Photo: AP
照片：美聯社
(Reuters)
歐洲領導人在其國內極右翼勢力復興的壓力下，希望週三起在象牙海岸與非洲領導人的高峰會中，可以避免討論移民這個難題。
非洲移民在利比亞被當作奴隸買賣的情形，在上月見諸報導，並在整個非洲大陸引起憤慨，揚言要讓移民議題成為歐盟─非盟高峰會首要議程，讓這個充滿政治風險的問題備受關注。
身為歐盟核心「德法軸心」的領導人，德國總理梅克爾和法國總統馬克宏在與非洲聯盟各國領導人同席於會議桌時，將面臨又一重大政治考驗。
在減緩非法移民湧入歐洲的陣營中，義大利位居前線。義大利明年初將舉行選舉，民粹主義的五星運動黨在民調中領先，反移民、疑歐的北方聯盟也獲得不少支持。
此峰會在象牙海岸商業首府阿比讓舉行，一位歐盟官員在會前表示：「我們都不希望把這個峰會變成一個專門討論移民問題的會議。」
這次峰會旨在聚焦發展問題，這向來是歐盟非洲政策的主軸，與移民問題的關係不大。然而，此次峰會將觸及投資青年的議題，因其攸關嚴重的失業和貧困問題，這些問題導致許多非洲青年為了尋求更好的生活而離鄉背井。
（台北時報編譯林俐凱譯）
A: Wow, singer Bruno Mars will be visiting Kaohsiung for the first time. B: Really? Where will he be performing? A: He’s going to hold a concert at the National Stadium on Sunday. B: Why do the Taiwanese like to call him the “Martian” in Chinese? A: Because his last name “Mars” is the same word as the planet Mars. A: 哇！火星人布魯諾將首度唱進高雄。 B: 真的嗎？在哪裡？ A: 他將於本週日，在國家體育場開唱唷。 B: 但是為什麼台灣人喜歡叫他火星人呢？ A: 因為他的姓氏「Mars」這個字剛好是「火星」的意思啊。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: Bruno Mars is definitely one of today’s most popular singers. B: He has even won 14 Grammy Awards. A: I love all his megahits, like “Just the Way You Are.” B: And his new song with Lady Gaga “Die with a Smile” has a caused worldwide sensation. A: I wonder if we’ll hear the new song at his Kaohsiung concert? A: 火星人布魯諾是近年來最受歡迎的流行歌手。 B: 對啊他還曾榮獲14座葛萊美獎。 A: 他所有的金曲我都愛，像《Just the Way You Are》。 B: 最近他和女神卡卡合唱《Die with a Smile》更造成大轟動！ A: 不知道在高雄有沒有機會聽他演唱這首新歌呢？ (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
The Lord returned home after a long day of hunting, a deer on his horse and a bow on his back. His apprentice had stayed behind, feeling unwell. He rode slowly through the forest, closed his eyes, and felt the warm sunlight on his face. He opened his eyes to a full moon rising. Time to make offerings and pray for peace, good weather, a bountiful harvest. And a child with his beloved wife. He smiled. As he approached, the house was quiet. Too quiet. He dismounted in the empty courtyard. “Feng Meng?” he called. Silence. He went to his apprentice’s
You can’t help but notice the woman’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and bizarre outfit. She’s in a white dress that reaches below the knee and a Prussian blue jacket highlighted by a brooch on a ribbon at the collar. Together with her leather boots and the brown suitcase in hand, her overall look gives her an air of mystery. This distinctive appearance isn’t merely for style; it’s her way of embracing cosplay. Combining the words “costume” and “play,” cosplay is an art form in which participants dress up as specific characters, usually at anime conventions. It not only involves
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