Bolivian bank robbers are being aided and abetted by an unusual accomplice — the swine flu virus. Now Bolivian banks have banned customers from wearing masks on their premises, in a bid to curb an epidemic of robberies by people taking advantage of A(H1N1) fears to hide their faces.
“We have decided that only staff can wear masks, while clients can no longer enter with masks,” Hoggier Hurtado, president of the federation of savings banks in the central city of Santa Cruz, told El Dia newspaper.
The decision came after a bank heist in broad daylight at the Family Cooperative by five people wearing masks commonly used in Bolivia to protect against the A(H1N1) virus.
Santa Cruz police have backed the decision and police chief Johnny Vargas said thieves are taking advantage of the precautionary measures advocated by health authorities against the pandemic to commit their crimes.
“Unfortunately, there are many people who commit crimes by using masks, which prevents us from identifying their faces despite the security cameras,” Vargas said.
Santa Cruz, located in the wealthiest region of the South American country, is the epicenter of the A(H1N1) outbreak in Bolivia, accounting for 70 percent of the 1,500 confirmed cases of infection.(AFP)
玻利維亞銀行劫匪現在多了一個不尋常的共犯──新流感病毒。民眾擔心感染新流感（H1N1）而戴起口罩，現在玻利維亞銀行為了防止搶匪趁機把臉遮住犯案，禁止客戶戴口罩進入銀行。
「我們已決定只有行員可以戴口罩，客戶則不得戴口罩進入銀行，」中部大城聖克魯斯的儲蓄銀行聯合會主席哈吉爾．賀爾塔多對《日報》表示。
這項決定起因於之前一起銀行搶案，五名搶匪在光天化日之下，戴著玻利維亞民眾一般用來預防新流感的口罩，搶劫了「家庭合作社」。
聖克魯斯警方對這項決定表示支持，警察局長強尼．瓦葛斯說，衛生部門為預防疫情擴大而倡導的預防措施，竟被盜賊利用來犯案。
瓦葛斯說：「很遺憾地，有許多人利用戴口罩犯案，即使透過監視器畫面，警方也難以辨認其身份。」
位於南美洲玻利維亞最富裕地區的聖克魯斯，是新流感群聚感染爆發之所在，該市的感染人數就佔了玻國一千五百例確診病例的七成。（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
Have you ever dreamed of using an entire city as your training ground, effortlessly moving across walls, buildings, stairs, and obstacles? This is not just a fantasy from the movies. In cities around the world, a group of enthusiasts practice this seemingly impossible sport — “parkour.” The origins of parkour can be traced back to 20th-century France. A military officer named Georges-Hebert witnessed the incredible physical abilities of local residents in Africa, which inspired him to create the Methode Naturelle, or natural method. This training method cleverly combined climbing, running, and swimming with artificial barriers to mimic nature. Later, David Belle
Street lights are often taken for granted until a power outage plunges the world into darkness. When that happens, the value of these lighting installations becomes evident as the world turns into a more dangerous place for pedestrians and motorists alike. The Chinese could claim to be the first to have constructed a crude type of street light. Around 500 BC, residents of Beijing employed a type of street lamp that used hollow bamboo pipes and natural gas vents to create burning torches. Later, ancient Romans adopted lamps fueled by vegetable oil, which relied on slaves to light and
A: Who else is on Billboard’s list: “The 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st Century?” B: No. 15 to 6 are: Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Usher, Adele, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and Britney Spears. A: I can’t believe that Adele’s only at No. 10. B: No. 5 to 1 are: Lady Gaga, Drake, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Beyonce. A: Well, they surely deserve the honor. A: 《告示牌》雜誌的「21世紀最偉大的25位流行歌手」，還有誰上榜啊？ B: 第15至6名是：麥莉希拉、大賈斯汀、妮姬米娜、阿姆、亞瑟小子、愛黛兒、亞莉安娜、小賈斯汀、肯伊威斯特、小甜甜布蘭妮。 A: 真不敢相信愛黛兒只排第10名。 B: 第5至1名是：女神卡卡、德瑞克、蕾哈娜、泰勒絲、碧昂絲。 A: 這幾位真是實至名歸！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: The 21st Century is now entering its 25th year. B: So Billboard has released a list: “The 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st Century.” A: Who are the greatest pop singers? B: No. 25 to 16 are: Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Bad Bunny, One Direction, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, BTS, The Weeknd, Shakira and Jay-Z. A: Wow, my favorite K-pop supergroup BTS has made it to the list. A: 21世紀正在邁入第25個年頭了。 B: 《告示牌》雜誌特別公布：「21世紀最偉大的25位流行歌手」。 A: 最偉大的歌手有哪些？ B: 第25至16名是：凱蒂佩芮、紅髮艾德、壞痞兔、1世代、小韋恩、火星人布魯諾、防彈少年團（BTS）、威肯、夏奇拉、Jay-Z。 A: 哇，我最愛的韓流天團BTS也上榜了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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