Belarus’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, condemned as Europe’s last dictator, last Thursday took his youngest son Kolya, whom he calls his “talisman,” for his first day at a shinily renovated school.
The first item on state television news showed Lukashenko and his seven-year-old son walking hand-in-hand into the school in a village outside the capital Minsk, close to one of the president’s country houses.
Lukashenko has called the fair-haired boy — born in an extra-marital relationship — his lucky charm. “He is my talisman, my cross,” Lukashenko once said of the boy.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
The identity of Nikolai’s mother is not officially reported. Lukashenko himself has said in an interview that she is a doctor. Lukashenko’s wife is rarely seen in public.
Nikolai, known by his nickname Kolya, often accompanies Lukashenko to official events, sometimes wearing a miniature military uniform. He appeared at his father’s inauguration ceremony and even at a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
Lukashenko said last year that his son “would go to the most ordinary school,” but the school he picked was recently renovated at a reported cost of US$3 million (NT$87.05 million) and equipped with a modern gym and a swimming pool.
Kolya, dressed in a gray suit, gave his new teacher a bunch of flowers and sat with his classmates in 1B, while his father dropped in, telling pupils to “study hard and be cheerful and healthy.”
Lukashenko also gave a speech to the whole school and parents, saying that “children are our greatest treasure.”
The first day of school on Sept. 1 is marked with elaborate ceremony in the former Soviet Union, with children dressed in formal clothes and bringing huge bouquets of flowers for teachers.
(AFP)
白俄羅斯強人亞歷山大‧盧卡申科上週四帶著他的小兒子柯亞,首日到一所被翻修而光亮奪目的學校就學。盧卡申科被譴責為歐洲最後一位獨裁者,他則稱其小兒子為他的護身符。
國家電視新聞頻道的第一則新聞,即是盧卡申科與其七歲兒子手牽手,步行前往首都明斯克近郊,一座靠近總統鄉間別墅村落的學校。
盧卡申科稱這位備受寵愛的男孩─其私生子─為其護身符。他說:「他是我的護身符,我的十字架。」
尼可拉親生母親的身份並未正式被報導。盧卡申科已在一次訪談中親口透露,她是一位醫師。盧卡申科的妻子,也鮮少公開露面。
小名為柯亞的尼可拉,經常伴隨盧卡申科出席正式場合,有時會穿迷你版的軍服。他曾出現在父親的就職典禮,甚至現身教宗本篤十六世的會面場合。
盧卡申科說,去年他兒子「原本要去再平凡不過的學校」,但是他選擇的該所學校,直到最近才完成翻修,據報導耗資達三百萬美元(新台幣八千七百零五萬元),且校內有一座現代體育館與一座游泳池。
身穿灰色西裝的柯亞,獻給他的新老師一大束花,並且與同班同學一同坐在1B的教室,而他父親也順道進入該教室,勉勵學生要「用功念書,並且保持愉快與健康」。
盧卡申科也對該校師生與家長發表演說,他說:「孩童是我們最大的財富。」
這個前蘇聯盟國的白俄羅斯,以排場浩大的儀式慶祝九月一日開學日。當天學童穿正式服裝,並且帶大束鮮花獻給老師。
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
The human body was not built for spaceflight, with its microgravity conditions, exposure to high-energy radiation and other issues. As a result, trekking beyond the Earth’s confines causes many physiological changes that affect an astronaut’s health. The issue gained new currency with the March mission to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth after they were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. WHY IS SPACE TRAVEL TOUGH ON THE HUMAN BODY? The human body evolved over millions of years to function optimally in Earth’s environment, which includes its gravity, atmospheric composition and relatively low levels of
Indonesia is undertaking an ambitious project to relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city in the province of East Kalimantan. This bold endeavor aims to address the severe environmental challenges and urban congestion plaguing Jakarta. The current capital city struggles with acute air pollution, frequent flooding, and rapid land subsidence. Experts predict that by 2050, a third of Jakarta could be submerged. The primary causes include excessive groundwater extraction and rising sea levels attributed to climate change. Moreover, with a population of over 10 million, it’s very much the economic center of the country. Unfortunately, this
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 王老師很負責,每天都準時到學校。 √ Miss Wang is conscientious. She comes to school on time every day. χ Miss Wang is very responsible. Every day she goes to school on time. 註︰一個人很認真、負責、敬業,英文通常用 conscientious 來表達,它的名詞是conscience(良心)。responsible 接在 be 動詞之後是指對某事負責,也可指做錯事時該負的責任,因此“她該負責”英文是 She is responsible for it.。如果某人很負責、值得信賴,可以託付重任,可說 She / He is a responsible person.。 2. 他個子不高。 √ He is not tall. χ His body is not tall. χ He is not high. 註︰high 通常指「物」的高大,tall 則指「人或細長物」的「高」。但講人的高度,有數字時可以說: He is six feet high. He is six feet tall. 3. 我能占用你幾分鐘嗎? √ Can you spare me a few minutes? χ May I occupy you a few minutes? 註︰spare:騰出,省下。不顧句型及前後文,只把學過的英文詞彙的中文解釋任意還原為英文時很容易造出這種中式的英文句子。 4. 讓我想想看。 √ Let me think it over. √ Let