people: 賴清德 蔡英文

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In a bid to boost the nation’s low birthrate, then-premier William Lai (賴清德) announced at a media event on May 16, 2018, that the government would provide a monthly allowance of NT$2,500 (US$83.47) for households for each of their first two children up to the age of four, and an additional NT$1,000 for a third child.

This program was implemented in August last year, but Taiwan’s birthrate continues to decline, while the rate of deaths is increasing.

The National Development Council said that Taiwan is, at the current pace, likely to reach a negative growth rate by 2022, faster than the World Population Review’s forecast of 2031.

Taiwan has been an aged society since April 2018, as more than 14 percent of the nation’s total population is older than 65.

An aging population combined with a low and declining birthrate constitutes a national security problem, because economic growth is not sustainable with an inadequate workforce.

At a campaign event in Taitung on Nov. 22 last year, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) promised to increase the monthly allowance from NT$2,500 to NT$5,000, and also to extend the coverage from four-year-olds to six-year-olds, indicating that the new measure had been unable to increase the birthrate.

To effectively increase the birthrate and tackle child poverty, the government must substantially expand the existing program. The child benefit must be a tax-free monthly payment to eligible households to help them with the cost of raising children up to age 14, rather than to age six.

The age of 15 is the threshold for labor force participation in Taiwan, which means that children aged 15 can start to work to support themselves.

Therefore, the benefit per child must be expanded from four years old to 14, which would provide enough incentive for families to increase the birthrate.

The Report on the Survey of Family Income and Expenditure 2019 said that the average annual disposable income for the lowest 20 percent of the nation’s population, about 1,728,628 households, was NT$344,948 in 2018, less than their expenditures of NT$363,158, implying negative annual savings of NT$18,210 per household.

Negative savings have existed since 2007 for the lowest 20 percent of households, suggesting that these households will have, for a long time, insufficient resources to raise their children.

Therefore, the child benefit must be targeted to those who need it most. Low and middle-income households should get higher payments, those with higher incomes less, and the highest income groups should not be subsidized.

Following Tsai’s re-election, the proposed monthly allowance increase should be implemented.

The basic child benefit for children younger than seven should be NT$5,000, and for children aged seven to 14 it should be NT$4,200, with a larger benefit per child younger than seven.

As the child benefit must focus on low and middle-income households, for those with an annual income of less than NT$385,000, the amount should be NT$5,000 per month or NT$60,000 annually for children up to the age of six, and NT$4,200 per month or NT$50,400 annually for children aged seven to 14.

For example, a single mother of two children, aged five and seven, with an income under NT$385,000 this year would have received NT$110,400 in child benefit payments.

For households with an annual income between NT$385,000 and NT$833,850, the child benefit should be reduced based on progressive rates and number of children.

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title: Expand the child benefit program


title: TPP aims to form ‘people’s alliance,’ Ko Wen-je says

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Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je poses near the Powder Tower in Prague, Czech Republic, yesterday.Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is also the chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), yesterday in Prague, Czech Republic, said that TPP legislator-at-large-elect Tsai Pi-ju’s (蔡璧如) remark that the party would form an alliance of opposition party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan is inaccurate, as it intends to form a “people’s alliance.”

The TPP won 11.2 percent of party votes in Saturday’s legislative elections, passing the 5 percent threshold and securing five legislator-at-large seats.

Tsai on Monday said that the party plans to form an alliance with other opposition parties — the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the New Power Party (NPP) — in the Legislative Yuan to closely monitor the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) on Tuesday said that the KMT is open to the idea, but cooperation with the TPP would depend on whether the two parties agree on certain issues, adding that they could start from economic issues.

“Chickens and rabbits cannot share the same cage,” NPP Chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said on Tuesday, adding that cooperation should be based on sharing similar ideals and values, but the NPP and the KMT do not share the same fundamental values, and the NPP does not know the TPP’s direction yet, so it is too soon to speak about the possibility of forming an alliance.

Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) said the TPP was formed last year and is about to enter the Legislative Yuan, but it does not have a clear stance regarding its main ideals as well as many issues, such as national security and foreign relations, adding that forming an alliance without shared ideals would amount to political manipulation.

Ko, speaking with Taiwanese reporters in Prague, said that the term “an alliance of opposition parties” is inaccurate, because the TPP wants to avoid conflict between ideologies and focus on solving people’s livelihood issues, so it should rather be called a “people’s alliance.”

Asked about speculation that the TPP is apparently a member of the pan-blue camp, Ko said the party does not want to be categorized by the blue-green divide, and that it would discuss issues that are beneficial to the public, adding that it can cooperate with the KMT, the DPP or any other party as long as the proposals are reasonable.

Tsai and TPP legislators would bring the experience they gained in the Taipei City Government, as well as their credo that the government should be open and transparent, to the Legislative Yuan, Ko said.

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people: 柯文哲 林昶佐 曾銘宗 徐永明


title: Yuan deposits up last month, but down from 2018

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Yuan deposits held by local banks gained 0.42 percent, or 1.09 billion (US$158.22 million), to 261.03 billion yuan last month, as clients increased holdings to meet cash flow needs at the beginning of the year, the central bank said yesterday.

However, the year-end balance represented a decline of 12.53 percent from December 2018, shrinking for the third consecutive year, as the US-China trade dispute further dampened interest in the Chinese currency, the bank said.

For last month, yuan deposits by domestic banking units rose 0.02 percent to 229.01 billion, while rising 3.38 percent to 32.02 billion at offshore banking units, it said.

The yuan supply became tighter last month, driving up short-term borrowing costs and allowing the currency to recover some popularity, the central bank said.

That explained why three-month interest rates on yuan deposits stood at 3 percent at Bank SinoPac (永豐銀行), higher than 2.65 percent for 12-month yuan deposits at Sunny Bank (陽信銀行), it added.

Last month’s increase in yuan deposits was also related to Taiwanese electronics firms wiring money to support operations in China, shooting up remittances by 28.3 percent to 77.35 billion yuan, the central bank said.

However, yuan remittance through offshore banking units dropped 7.75 percent to 45.7 billion yuan, as cross-strait trade settlements lost steam, the bank said.

Still, Taiwan has the second highest yuan deposits in the world, after Hong Kong’s 637.8 billion, but ahead of Singapore’s 122 billion and South Korea’s 9.6 billion, it said.

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Tai Tong Food & Beverage Group (TTFB, 瓦城泰統集團) has said that it operated 129 stores in Taiwan and 11 in China as of the end of last month.

The total number of 140 stores for last year was up 15 percent from a year earlier, the nation’s largest Thai and full-service restaurant chain operator said in a statement on Wednesday last week.

The company said it expects to enter the US market this year, while the accelerated rate of store openings is expected to lift its sales and profit to new record levels.

TTFB operates six restaurant chains — Thai Town Cuisine (瓦城泰式料理), Very Thai Restaurant (非常泰), 1010 Hunan Cuisine (1010湘), Very Thai Noodles (大心新泰式麵食), Ten Ten Hunan Bistro (十食湘) and Shann Rice Bar (時時香) — as well as new cuisine brands Yabi Kitchen and Thai BBQ.

The company opened 19 stores last year, it said.

Last year, TTFB generated consolidated sales of NT$4.9 billion (US$163.6 million), up 13.92 percent from NT$4.3 billion in 2018 and setting a new record for the eighth consecutive year.

Commenting on the sales growth, the company said it has been accelerating store openings since 2018, which has successfully driven an increase in the number of overall visitors and revenue growth.

The firm’s food delivery business, which launched in the second half of 2018, also contributed to revenue growth last year, TTFB said.

Analysts are positive about the company’s business outlook, given its established back-end support on food materials, training systems for chefs and standardized management of kitchen work.

In addition, there is still room for the company to expand in light of an increasing number of department stores and shopping malls in Taiwan, they said.

About 75 percent of TTFB’s stores are located in department stores and shopping malls.

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title: TTFB stores increased to 140 last year, eyeing US


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Bank working on forex concerns

CURRENCY INTERVENTION?Taiwan and the US have a communication channel to give the US a better understanding of Taipei’s forex market, the central bank said
The central bank on Tuesday said that it would continue to communicate with US authorities after a US Department of the Treasury report showed that Taiwan is close to being placed on its currency monitoring list.

The central bank said that Taiwan and the US have already established a communication channel to ensure that Washington has a better understanding of Taipei’s foreign-exchange market.

In the semiannual Report on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States released on Monday, Taiwan stayed off the US currency monitoring list, but it said that Taipei is “close to triggering key thresholds” to be put on the list.

Taiwan was removed from the list in October 2017, which the bank attributed to its efforts to reduce currency intervention.

However, the US Treasury report said that Taiwan “may have engaged in substantial undisclosed foreign exchange intervention in the swap market,” referring to an analytical report from the US Council of Foreign Relations.

According to the US Treasury report, Taiwan has conducted about US$130 billion — and perhaps as much as US$200 billion — in undisclosed foreign-exchange intervention in the swap market.

Moreover, Taiwan is the only major Asian economy that does not published data on the full details of its international reserves consistent with IMF standards.

Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) said the bank has never intervened in the swap market.

The bank added that it would continue to communicate with the US to make clear its position on the foreign-exchange market.

Since the US Treasury has clear definitions on currency manipulation, Taiwan has closely followed that criteria to ensure it stays off the monitoring list, it said.

The US uses three criteria to determine currency manipulation: economies that have a significant bilateral trade surplus with the US, a material current account surplus and are persistently involved in one-sided currency intervention.

An economy is removed from the monitoring list when it meets just one of the three criteria in two consecutive US currency reports.

The bank said it respects market mechanisms for determining the local currency’s value, but when a sudden massive inflow of foreign funds causes havoc in the market, it would step in to maintain order.

With more foreign funds entering the local market, the US dollar has been on a downtrend against the New Taiwan dollar over the past few months.

On Monday, the greenback fell below the NT$30 mark to close at a 19-month low of NT$29.952.

On Tuesday, it dropped further to NT$29.942 against the NT dollar before recovering to close at NT$29.950 yesterday.

The US Treasury report reviewed and assessed the policies of Washington’s 20 major trading partners.

After the review, the US Treasury dropped China as a currency manipulator, saying Beijing has made “enforceable commitments” not to devalue the yuan and has agreed to release exchange-rate data.

China had been placed on the currency monitoring list along with nine other economies: Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and Vietnam.

The report came just before Washington and Beijing were scheduled yesterday to sign a “phase one” trade deal to resolve their disputes.

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title: Bank working on forex concerns


title: Act not to affect legal exchanges: Tsai

content_text:
Act not to affect legal exchanges: Tsai

GUIDELINES:An Executive Yuan task force would provide examples of actions that contravene the Anti-infiltration Act to clarify doubts, President Tsai Ing-wen said
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) would not affect Taiwanese conducting legal exchanges with Chinese, after officially promulgating it earlier in the day.

Addressing the nation from the Presidential Office, Tsai said that the act prohibits only a handful of actions — including making political donations, engaging in electioneering, sabotaging legal assembly, and lobbying and interfering with elections — carried out under the instruction of China, or commissioned or funded by it.

The act would not affect normal cross-strait exchanges, she added.

Amid concerns regarding the new law, the president said that she has asked the Executive Yuan to make clarifications and explain it to the public to avoid causing unnecessary panic.

The Executive Yuan has also been asked to establish an ad hoc task force to provide the public with examples of actions that contravene the act, so that people can have clear guidelines to follow, Tsai said.

The Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official body that deals with cross-strait affairs, has also been tasked with answering questions about the act and collecting public opinions so that the government can make adjustments if necessary, Tsai said.

Despite Tsai’s repeated assurances, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Tseng Ming-chung (曾銘宗) yesterday said that a lack of contingency plans represented a threat to people’s basic rights.

The act, which comprises 12 articles, does not specify which government agency is responsible for its implementation, Tseng said.

It also does not provide legal remedy for people accused of contravening its provisions, he added.

A lack of contingencies shows that the act had been rushed through the legislature without careful assessment, Tseng said, adding that the KMT would soon request a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices as a last resort to overturn the act.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said the act had to be passed first before the government could introduce contingency plans.

The KMT, the People First Party and Taiwanese business groups based in China have been vocal in their criticism of the act, which was passed by the DPP-controlled legislature on Dec. 31.

They have said that the act, which was initiated in late November last year with little cross-party discussion, lacks a concrete definition of what constitutes “infiltration,” giving authorities the freedom to interpret it when deciding whether the act has been contravened.

They have expressed concern that the act could be used by the government to arbitrarily suppress those who hold different political views and hinder cross-strait exchanges.

The government has said that the act complements existing laws to prevent hostile forces from intervening in the nation’s democratic political system or influencing national security through “infiltration sources.”

“Infiltration sources” are defined in the act as organizations or institutions affiliated with the government, political parties or other political groups of a foreign hostile force, and individuals dispatched by those entities.

A hostile force is defined as a country or group at war or in a military standoff with Taiwan that upholds the idea of jeopardizing the nation’s sovereignty by non-peaceful means, which clearly refers to China, although Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said it applies to all foreign hostile forces.

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people: 曾銘宗 陳明通 蔡英文 李俊俋


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Taiwan already ‘independent,’ Tsai warns China

UNIFICATION:China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman reaffirmed its adherence to the ‘1992 consensus,’ and said that Taiwan’s future should be decided by all Chinese
President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
China must rethink its hardline stance toward Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a BBC interview that aired yesterday, adding that the nation is already independent and that any invasion would be “very costly” for Beijing.

Tsai on Saturday last week won a second term with a record 8.2 million votes, an outcome that was seen as a forceful rebuke of China’s ongoing campaign to isolate the nation.

In her first interview since her re-election, Tsai told the BBC that there was no need to formally announce independence because the nation already runs itself.

“We don’t have a need to declare ourselves an independent state,” she said. “We are an independent country already and we call ourselves the Republic of China, Taiwan.”

“We have a separate identity and we’re a country of our own. We deserve respect from China,” Tsai said.

In the interview, which came as the nation held annual military drills in southern Taiwan, Tsai warned Beijing against sending in troops.

“Invading Taiwan is something that is going to be very costly for China,” she said.

Critics accuse Tsai of being needlessly antagonistic toward Beijing, but Tsai said that she had resisted pressure from within her own party to be more forceful on the issue of independence.

“There are so many pressures, so much pressure here that we should go further,” she said.

“Maintaining a ‘status quo’ remains our policy... I think that is a very friendly gesture to China.”

Tsai has repeatedly said that she is willing to talk to Beijing as long as there are no preconditions.

However, Beijing has refused, cutting off official communication with her administration.

Over the past four years, China has also has ramped up economic, military and diplomatic pressure, hoping it would scare voters into supporting the opposition, but its strong-arm tactics backfired with voters resoundingly backing Tsai for another four more years.

China yesterday responded to Tsai’s proposal for positive cross-strait interactions by reaffirming its adherence to the “1992 consensus.”

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said at the first news conference held by the office since Tsai was re-elected that the “1992 consensus” must be adhered to for the development of cross-strait relations.

“Shaking a mountain is easy, rocking the ‘1992 consensus’ is difficult,” Ma added.

In her acceptance speech on Saturday night, Tsai said that peace, parity, democracy and dialogue are the key to positive cross-strait interactions and long-term stable development.

In response, Ma yesterday said that when the Democratic Progressive Party took office in 2016, it refused to recognize the consensus.

This is the root cause of the deterioration in cross-strait relations, he said.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party had since 2005 insisted on bolstering exchanges to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations based on the political foundation of the consensus and opposition to Taiwanese independence, and have achieved good results in this regard, Ma said.

Taiwan’s future lies in unification with China and the well-being of its people in national rejuvenation, Ma said, adding that Taiwanese compatriots are part of the Chinese people and Taiwan’s future should be decided by all Chinese.

The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted to making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

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title: Port of Keelung passenger volume increased last year

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More than 1 million passengers passed through the Port of Keelung lat year thanks to an increase in ferry services and international cruise ship arrivals, Taiwan International Port Corp said yesterday.

Statistics from the state-run company showed that 1.09 million people used the port, including about 946,000 cruise ship passengers, up from the 941,000 cruise ship passengers in 2018.

The port hit the 1 million milestone in 2018, with 1.064 million travelers using the port, the company said.

A total of 110,000 people last year took the ferries between Keelung and Lienchiang County (Matsu), the first increase in ferry traffic since 2016 and beating a record of 104,000 passengers set in 2012, it said.

The port provides cross-strait ferry services to Xiamen and Taizhou in China, and handles cruise ships going to Japan, specifically Naha, Okinawa, and Ishigaki and Yonaguni in the Yaeyama Islands.

The company has attributed the increase in passengers to an upgrading of the port’s infrastructure, including the installation of an electronic passport inspection system and the expansion of the port’s passenger terminals.

To help promote the port as a cruise ship destination, the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Incheon in South Korea, and is working with the Port of Hakata in Japan in organizing joint marketing events.

Hong Kong-based Genting Cruise Lines has also announced that it would increase the service runs of its World Dreams liner and launch a new ship service under its Crystal Cruises brand this year, the Port of Keelung said.

Genting on Tuesday activated 12 self-help check-in kiosks at the Port of Keelung, the company said.

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National daily newspapers hang on a rack in an office in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Liu Li-jen, Taipei Times
The Taipei Newspapers Association yesterday decried draft enforcement rules to the Suicide Prevention Act (自殺防治法) that prohibits newspapers from printing stories about suicide on the front page, saying that the rule has overstepped the act’s jurisdiction and risks curtailing freedom of the press.

The act, passed in May last year and promulgated in June, includes provisions on regulating media regarding reporting that could “teach, cause or entice people to committing suicide.”

The association stated that, despite the good intention, items No. 6 and 8 of Article 13, which covers reporting on suicides, could contradict the act’s purpose.

Item No. 6 states that the media should not “post/print pictures, illustrations or videos of suicides or pass/show media Web site links to content about suicides,” while item No. 8 states that such stories “should not be used for front-page material, listed on Web site homepages or be repetitively reported on.”

For example, media organizations could face a fine if it includes photographs on the deaths of foreign officials, domestic or foreign celebrities, news flash incidents, social movements, victims of terrorist attacks or deaths by suicide on the front page or home page, the association said.

Follow-up news stories on incidents could also be subject to fines, the association added.

The ministry should include a clause stating: “Except social welfare, or important domestic or foreign news,” it said.

The association expressed support for self-regulation by the media, saying that members of the media should follow the guiding principles jointly recommended by the Taiwanese Society of Suicidology and the Taiwanese Suicide Prevention Center when reporting suicides.

It is not appropriate to impose regulations on the media that tell them what news stories should go on what pages, as media organizations have the right to determine how to present a story and what page to put it on based on the nature of the news event, it said.

The association said that it ask the ministry to consult with experts and review the draft with care.

Department of Mental and Oral Health Director Chen Li-chung (諶立中) told a news conference yesterday morning that the ministry had consulted with suicide prevention experts, but not the media.

A source in the news industry said that it was regrettable that the ministry did not consult with the media or understand how it operates when drafting the enforcement rules.

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title: Association slams ban on front page suicide reports


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Researchers from National Central University’s College of Health Sciences and Technology who helped develop a wearable monitor that can test a wearer’s heart function and analyze it via cloud-based artificial intelligence pose for photographers at a news conference in Taipei on Monday last week.Photo: CNA / National Central University
National Central University researchers have developed a wearable smartwatch device that can check heart function through an electrocardiogram (ECG) test and determine whether the user has an irregular heartbeat or could be at risk of a stroke.

A team from the College of Health Sciences and Technology developed the device as part of the “AI-realized fenceless hospital” program.

The wearer needs to press on the device’s surface with their index finger for one to two minutes to perform an ECG test, team member Lin Chen (林澂), an assistant professor in biomedical science and engineering, told a news conference on Monday last week.

Using real-time analysis provided by an artificial intelligence-based cloud ECG reading system, the device can determine whether the user has atrial fibrillation (AF) or an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), which could lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other complications, Lin said.

The data collected by the smartwatch, which can detect AF with 97 percent accuracy, can be used to monitor chronic disease or identify high-risk patients, he added.

While AF is a common form of arrhythmia clinically, only about one in 100 people has the condition, placing them at high risk of a stroke, Lin said.

The device can help identify those most at risk so they can seek immediate medical treatment, he added.

The US Food and Drug Administration in 2018 certified the device for medical treatment, the team said.

Taiwan Landseed Hospital physician Lin Ying-kuang (林盈光) said that people’s heart rates change continuously, so arrhythmia cannot always be detected at hospitals, so it is vital for people to be able to monitor their health at home.

With the smartwatch, people can have their heartbeat measured whenever they feel unwell and physicians can monitor the measurement using the data uploaded by the watch to the cloud system, Lin Ying-kuang said.

Since June 2018, the team has worked with health authorities in Taipei and Taoyuan, and Cathay General Hospital Hsinchu to perform AF screening through ECG tests conducted using the device, the university said.

In May last year, the screening was expanded to communities in Hsinchu, Tainan and Pingtung County with local health departments’ assistance, the team said, adding that as a result of the mass screening, it has so far acquired ECG data on more than 10,000 people.

The tests found that about 15 percent of the people have arrhythmia, with 2 percent of those over 65 developing AF, it said.

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title: Smartwatch can monitor stroke risk


content_text:
Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Lo Celso, second left, heads the ball over Middlesbrough’s Dael Fry in their FA Cup third-round replay in London on Tuesday.Photo: Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday edged into the FA Cup fourth round as Giovani Lo Celso bagged a rare goal in their 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough, while much-maligned Newcastle United striker Joelinton scored for the first time since August last year in a win against Rochdale AFC.

Jose Mourinho’s side almost killed off second-tier Middlesbrough within the first 15 minutes of the third-round replay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Lo Celso, on loan from Real Betis Balompie, got Tottenham up and running with only his second goal of the season and his first since a UEFA Champions League strike against Red Star Belgrade in November last year.

It was an encouraging moment for the Argentine midfielder, who has endured a difficult season in north London.

However, Mourinho still made five changes from last weekend’s defeat against Liverpool, with Christian Eriksen, linked with a move to Inter, starting despite the Dane’s form being affected by the transfer talk.

A gift from Middlesbrough goalkeeper Tomas Mejias helped Tottenham open the scoring in the second minute.

Mejias tried to play a quick ball out and ended up passing straight to Lo Celso, who ran across the area before firing into the bottom corner.

Tottenham’s second came when Argentina winger Erik Lamela sliced through the Middlesbrough defense before slotting home in the 15th minute.

George Saville got one back for Middlesbrough in the 83rd minute as Tottenham survived a tense finale to earn a trip to Southampton.

At St James’ Park, Newcastle wasted little time putting third-tier Rochdale to the sword as they booked a home date with League One side Oxford United in the last 32 with a 4-1 win.

Newcastle’s FA Cup form is so bad that they have not gone beyond the fourth round in 13 years, have not won the competition since 1955 and last reached the final in 1999.

They were never in danger of an embarrassing exit after Rochdale defender Eoghan O’Connell turned Matt Ritchie’s cross into his own net in the 17th minute.

Matty Longstaff doubled Newcastle’s lead with a close-range finish three minutes later.

Miguel Almiron had put Newcastle in front in the 1-1 draw at Rochdale and he bagged the Magpies’ third goal this time, seizing on a misplaced pass from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and slotting home in the 26th minute.

In the 82nd minute, beleaguered Joelinton converted a cross from debutant Tom Allan and showed his relief as he sprinted to hug manager Steve Bruce on the touchline.

That ended the Brazilian striker’s 20-game goal drought and gave him a first goal at St James’ Park since his move from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim last year.

Third-tier Shrewsbury Town earned a home tie against Premier League leaders Liverpool as Aaron Pierre’s 89th-minute strike clinched a surprise 1-0 win against Championship side Bristol City.

Coventry City’s 3-0 win against Bristol Rovers set up the unusual prospect of the League One side being the “home” team against Birmingham City in the fourth round — even though they are currently tenants of their local rivals at St Andrew’s.

Watford’s trip to Tranmere Rovers was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch caused by Storm Brendan.

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title: Tottenham reach FA Cup fourth round, Toon cruise


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SOUTH KOREA

Ex-president’s retrial starts

The retrial of former president Park Geun-hye began yesterday over the sprawling corruption scandal that saw her impeached, convicted and jailed, only for the hearing to end after five minutes. Park, the nation’s first female president, boycotted the session, Yonhap news agency reported. She has refused to take part in the judicial proceedings against her for more than two years. As a result, the Seoul High Court adjourned and scheduled another session for Jan. 31, when it is to move straight to closing arguments, Yonhap reported.

SYRIA

Israel attacks base: army

Israeli jets attacked the main T4 air base in Homs province, the army said on Tuesday, adding that its air defenses downed several missiles in strikes that caused only material damage. An army spokesman told state media that four Israeli missiles did reach the base, but said air defenses intercepted several others. State television earlier did not say who was behind the attack on the major air base, which Israel accuses of hosting an Iranian military presence and has attacked several times in recent years. The army statement said that the Israeli jets flew from Tanf to the southeast, where the US has set up a base near the Iraqi-Jordanian border.

UNITED STATES

Flynn seeks to retract plea

President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn on Tuesday asked a judge for permission to withdraw his guilty plea in the Russia election interference probe. In a big reversal, Flynn’s lawyers argued that prosecutors contravened a plea agreement that he struck with them, because they demanded he give false testimony. Flynn, a retired US Army lieutenant general, lasted only 22 days in the job in the early days of Trump’s administration. He was being investigated for his contacts with Russians when he was removed and eventually pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. His lawyers claimed that after Flynn changed his legal team in June, prosecutors demanded that he admit falsely that he knowingly lied in filing forms with the Department of Justice that concealed work his lobbying firm did for the government of Turkey.

UNITED STATES

Teen shot dead in school

A 16-year-old student was on Tuesday night shot to death at a Texas high school, and a suspect was arrested hours later, officials said. Grenita Lathan, interim superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, confirmed that the shooting victim at Bellaire High School had died. She gave no other information and took no questions. A suspect and another person police said was connected to the case were arrested about three-and-a-half hours after the shooting, statements from the school district and Bellaire police said.

PERU

Iconic site ‘damaged’

One tourist is facing trial and five others are to be deported after being accused of damaging the nation’s cultural heritage and reportedly defecating in a sacred temple at the iconic Machu Picchu sanctuary, police said on Tuesday. The six were arrested by police on Sunday after being found by park rangers in a restricted area of the Temple of the Sun, an important site at the Inca sanctuary. Authorities said the four men and two women had damaged the 600-year-old temple and defecated on the site, which lies in the southern Cusco region.

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title: World News Quick Take


content_text:
Kerber retires injured from Adelaide

‘MENTAL CONFIDENCE’:Russia’s Andrey Rublev beat the US’ Sam Querrey in straight sets to advance to the quarters and extend his streak to five wins this season
Germany’s Angelique Kerber returns to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in their Adelaide International women’s singles second-round match in Australia yesterday.Photo: AFP
Angelique Kerber’s preparations for this year’s opening Grand Slam were dealt a blow yesterday when she was forced to retire from the Adelaide International with back pain.

The German former world No. 1, who won the Australian Open in 2016, pulled out when behind 6-3, 2-0 in her second-round clash with Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.

The ninth seed began showing serious signs of the back problem early in the second set, then stopped after two points in the third game on her own serve, calling for the trainer.

An on-court medical evaluation ended with the 31-year-old world No. 18 calling it quits against her teenaged opponent.

Yastremska kept calm during the delay, reading what she called “secret” notes.

“I didn’t want to lose focus,” said the world No. 24, who has won three titles over the past two seasons.

Women’s top seed Ashleigh Barty got an opponent for today after Marketa Vondrousova hammered Australia’s Arina Rodionova 6-0, 6-0 in 52 minutes.

Second seed Simona Halep is to take on Aryna Sabalenka after the Belarusian booked her spot 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 over American qualifier Bernarda Pera.

Swiss wild-card Belinda Bencic, the fourth seed, struggled with frustration, but emerged a 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) winner over Julia Goerges and next plays Danielle Collins, who put out seventh seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1.

Croatian Donna Vekic rallied past Maria Sakkari of Greece 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, winning in two hours and overcoming six aces to reach a quarter-final against Yastremska.

In men’s play, Russian Andrey Rublev, who won the Qatar Open over the weekend, beat American Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-3 to move into a last-eight clash against Britain’s Dan Evans.

Rublev, who missed six weeks last year with a wrist injury, improved to a perfect 5-0 for the season.

“It’s important that I have mental confidence,” Rublev said. “One day you still can play so good, the other day can be not that good.”

Rublev’s win in Doha moved him up to world No. 18.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be top 20 for the first time, but there are still so many things that I can improve,” he said.

In the men’s singles, second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime converted on the first of six match points, firing a service winner to complete a 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) victory over Australian James Duckworth.

The 19-year-old Canadian set up a quarter-final against a second straight Aussie wild-card, Alex Bolt, who defeated German seventh seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4.

“He pushed me to bring good shots when I needed them,” Auger-Aliassime said of Duckworth. “He had chances in the second set, but I got myself to the tiebreaker — from there I played fantastic tennis.”

Fourth seed Pablo Carreno Busta started with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. South African qualifier Lloyd Harris also advanced to the quarters with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win over Laslo Djere.

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title: Kerber retires injured from Adelaide


title: EVERYDAY ENGLISH

content_text:
A: I’m shattered. For the past two days I’ve been taking dance classes during my lunch break to prepare for tomorrow’s performance.

B: Hey, that’s not right: Employees have a right to a lunch break.

A: Actually, I practiced for another half an hour after work today and management said they would pay me overtime.

B: That’s better. You should go to bed early: Tomorrow’s the big day.

A: 我累壞了。這兩天我們中午休息的時候都在學舞，為明天尾牙演出做準備。

B: 嘿，這樣不對吧︰午休時間是員工的權益耶。

A: 其實，我今天下班後又練了半小時，公司說會給我加班費。

B: 好吧。那你早點去休息︰明天就要上場了。

English 英文:

Chinese 中文:

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title: Police fire tear gas as Lebanese ‘week of wrath’ begins

content_text:
Protesters smash a window during an anti-government rally in Hamra Street in Beirut on Tuesday.Photo: EPA-EFE
Lebanese demonstrators have taken to the streets to demand an end to a months-long political vacuum, with police firing tear gas at the start of what protesters have billed a “week of wrath.”

Protesters on Tuesday resumed blocking major highways before anti-riot police armed with batons and shields charged hundreds of demonstrators outside the Lebanese central bank, a correspondent said.

The charge dispersed the crowd, some of whom smashed paving stones to hurl them at police, while others distributed onions to ward off the effects of the tear gas.

The Lebanese Civil Defence said it had treated civilians and members of the police for light injuries at the scene, without saying how many, while others who had been wounded were taken to hospital, it said.

On Twitter, the security forces denounced “attacks” led by “rioters” who had thrown stones and firecrackers at police. Although protests had declined in size in recent weeks, demonstrations have been ongoing since October last year, increasingly targeting banks and state institutions blamed for driving Lebanon toward collapse.

The cross-sectarian movement has been fueled by a crippling economic crisis, the worst since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war.

Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a government after Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister on Oct. 29, last year, as political parties fail to agree on the makeup of a new team.

“Rebel, Beirut,” dozens of protesters chanted as they marched to the sound of drums toward the home of Lebanese prime minister designate Hassan Diab, who has struggled to form a Cabinet since he was named on Dece. 19.

“I want a government that can resolve the economic crisis as quickly as possible,” said Nour, a 31-year-old marcher.

As a liquidity crisis grows and the cost of living rises, protesters have returned to the streets to urge politicians to swiftly form a Cabinet of experts to respond to their demands.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of protesters blocked key highways in and around Beirut with overturned garbage cans and burning tires.

Laila Youssef, 47, said she was taking part to call on politicians to wake up.

“We’ve gone back to closing down roads because we can’t stand it anymore,” the mother of three said. “What we earn today is not enough to buy the basics for home.”

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content_text:
BASEBALL

Red Sox dismiss Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox on Tuesday said that they were parting ways with manager Alex Cora in the wake of a sign-stealing scandal involving the Houston Astros, where Cora had been the bench coach, during their World Series-winning 2017 season. In its judgement on Monday, the league said that Cora had arranged for the installation of a monitor showing centerfield camera shots, giving players the ability to decipher the signs and alert batters. The Red Sox said that it would not be possible for Cora to remain with the team given the league’s findings. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that Cora “implicitly condoned” the Astros players’ conduct. The MLB would withhold any disciplinary action against him until the completion of a separate investigation of allegations the Red Sox engaged in sign-stealing in 2018, when they won the World Series in Cora’s first year as manager, he added.

GOLF

Slow players face more fines

PGA Tour players guilty of slow play are to face tougher fines and more frequent stroke penalties under tough new rules due to take effect in April, tour officials said on Tuesday. Maximum fines for slow play would be increased 10-fold from their current level, while players taking too long to play shots would be placed on an observation list, the tour said in a statement. Under the new slow-play policy, data from the PGA Tour’s Shotlink database would be analyzed to identify players guilty of slow play. Players would be placed on the tour’s observation list and subjected to warnings if they exceed 60 seconds to play a shot. A second breach of the time limit in a tournament would result in a one-stroke penalty. However, the list would not be made public. Players are to be notified if they are on the list on a week-to-week basis. Any player in a tournament — even if they are not on the observation list — would also be penalized if they are found to take longer than 120 seconds to play a single shot without good reason. Players will face a one-shot penalty for the second time breach in a tournament — rather than a round — while the maximum fine for cumulative bad times over a season has been raised from US$5,000 to US$50,000.

SOCCER

Inquiry launched into union

The Professional Footballers’ Association, the trade union for players in England and Wales, is facing a statutory inquiry into serious concerns about how the charity is run. The Charity Commission for England and Wales described the inquiry as the “most serious intervention” it can take, and would focus on the management of the union charity by its trustees, who include association chief executive Gordon Taylor. The inquiry is to focus on the charity’s relationship and transactions with other bodies and whether they are in the best interests of the charity, and whether its activities have been exclusively charitable and for the public benefit. “The public rightly expect charities to operate to the highest standards — across all they do,” said Stephen Grenfell, the commission’s head of investigations, monitoring and enforcement. “Serious concerns have been raised about the way the Professional Footballers’ Association charity is run. We will now examine what has happened at the charity through a full statutory inquiry and ensure, where necessary, action is taken.”

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title: SPORTS BRIEFS


content_text:
After he was struck down by malaria and typhoid, Togolese tailor Ayawo Hievi thought he was set to recover when he started taking drugs prescribed by his doctor.

However, far from curing him, the medication he was given at the neighborhood clinic made him far worse — eventually costing him one of his kidneys. The drugs were fake.

“After four days of care, there was no improvement, but I started to feel pain in my belly,” 52-year-old Hievi told reporters.

After two weeks of suffering he became unable to walk and was rushed to a university hospital in the West African nation’s capital, Lome.

“The doctors told me that my kidneys had been damaged... The quinine and the antibiotics used to treat me in the medical office were fake drugs,” Hievi said.

Now, more than four years later, he remains crippled by chronic kidney failure and has to receive dialysis regularly.

Hievi’s horror story is far from unique in a continent awash with counterfeit medicines.

The WHO has estimated that every year about 100,000 people in Africa die from taking “falsified or substandard” medication.

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2015 estimated that 122,000 children younger than five died due to taking poor-quality anti-malaria drugs in sub-Saharan Africa.

Weak legislation, poor healthcare systems and widespread poverty have encouraged the growth of this parallel — and deadly — market.

Since 2013, Africa has made up 42 percent of the fake medicine seized worldwide.

The two drugs most likely to be out-of-date or poor, ineffective copies are antibiotics and anti-malarials, experts said.

Bogus drugs not only pose a risk to the patient — they also play a worrying part in building resistance to vital frontline medications.

In a bid to tackle the scourge, presidents from seven countries — the Republic of the Congo, the Gambia, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Uganda — are to meet tomorrow in Lome to sign an agreement on criminalizing the trafficking of fake drugs.

The goal is to bolster cooperation between governments and encourage other African nations to join the initiative.

However, even if leaders put pen to paper, the task of stamping out the flows of counterfeit medication is huge. Medicines spread out on plastic sheets or offered at ramshackle stalls are for sale at markets across west Africa.

Those hawked on the streets are often a fraction of the price of what is available in more reputable pharmacies, where controls are stricter and supplies often have to come through official channels.

“It is very difficult to trace where the fake medicines come from,” said Innocent Kounde Kpeto, the president of Togo’s pharmacist association.

“The countries which are mentioned on the boxes are often not the countries of origin or manufacture of these drugs. The manufacturers cover their tracks so as not to be identified,” Kpeto said.

It is estimated that between 30 percent and 60 percent of medicine sold in Africa is fake, and Kpeto said that most of it comes from China or India.

Togo is one of the pioneer countries trying to stop the flow. It changed the law in 2015, and now traffickers can face 20 years in jail and a fine of about US$85,000.

In a show of force in July last year, authorities burned more than 67 tonnes of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

However, even given these successes, those in the industry like Kpeto insist that the threat is still grave and involves “highly organized criminal networks.”

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title: Africa battles deadly flood of fake medicine


title: Democrats release documents on eve of Trump trial

content_text:
Dusk falls over the US Capitol in Washington on Tuesday.Photo: EPA-EFE
Democrats in the US House of Representatives have released a trove of documents they obtained from Lev Parnas, a close associate of US President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, including a handwritten note that mentions asking Ukraine’s president to investigate “the [former US vice president Joe] Biden case.”

The documents, obtained as part of the impeachment investigation into Trump, show Parnas communicating with Giuliani before the removal of Marie Yovanovitch, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine.

A man named Robert Hyde disparaged Yovanovitch in messages to Parnas, and gave him updates on her location and cellphone use, raising questions about possible surveillance.

Democrats released the files on Tuesday as they prepared to send articles of impeachment to the US Senate for Trump’s trial.

The documents add new context to their charges that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Democrats as he withheld military aid.

Parnas was in frequent communication with Giuliani and with Ukrainian officials, the messages show.

He appeared to be pushing unsubstantiated allegations that Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, were somehow engaged in corruption in Ukraine.

Among the documents is a screenshot of a previously undisclosed letter from Giuliani to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dated May 10 last year, which was before Zelenskiy took office.

In the letter, Giuliani requests a meeting with Zelenskiy “as personal counsel to President Trump and with his knowledge and consent.”

In the letter, Giuliani said he would be accompanied at the meeting by Victoria Toensing, a Washington attorney and Trump ally.

One of the documents is a handwritten note on stationery from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Vienna that says “get Zalensky to Annonce [sic] that the Biden case will be Investigated.”

Trump asked Zelenskiy in a July last year telephone call to investigate his political rival Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden served on the board of a gas company based in Ukraine.

Democrats said that Parnas’ attorney confirmed that Parnas wrote the notes.

The documents — including phone records, texts and flash drives turned over by Parnas — were sent to the House Judiciary Committee by three other House panels “to be included as part of the official record that will be transmitted to the Senate along with the Articles of Impeachment,” a statement said.

Some of the materials were made public, while others were marked as sensitive.

Parnas and his business partner, Igor Fruman, both US citizens who emigrated from the former Soviet Union, were indicted last year on charges of conspiracy, making false statements and falsification of records.

Prosecutors have alleged that they made outsize campaign donations to Republican causes after receiving millions of US dollars originating from Russia. The men have pleaded not guilty.

In several of the documents, Parnas communicated with Giuliani about the removal of Yovanovitch.

The ambassador’s ouster, ordered by Trump, was at the center of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

Yovanovitch testified in the impeachment hearings that she was the victim of a “smear campaign.”

Trump on a July 25 call had promised Zelenskiy that Yovanovitch was “going to go through some things.”

About two months earlier, she was recalled from her diplomatic post.

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content_text:
Royal couple was meant to embody post-racial Britain

The marriage of Harry and Meghan was supposed to symbolize progression and a new era — then the tabloid onslaught began
It is the stuff romcoms are made of: beautiful young woman meets charming prince and, after a series of mild miscommunications, they live happily ever after.

Well, that is how it is supposed to go at least.

Meghan Markle, the much put upon protagonist of this Nora Ephron-meets-Get Out fairy tale, has gone off-script and attempted to create a different happy ending, and with good reason.

Everything that could have predicted the joint decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step back as senior royals can be directly traced back through all the sensationalist and derogatory headlines written about Markle. She could not even enjoy avocados without being framed as a drought and murder-fueling traitor, set on bringing down the monarchy.

Harry, to his credit, has been by her side every step of the way, challenging traditions by demanding an end to the abuse by tabloids, which sadly had little impact. If anything, it gave the news cycle more to talk about — but his actions were nonetheless commendable.

Harry has never been comfortable with his position as royalty, and as the burden of one day becoming king was on his older brother, he was given the opportunity to be more open about his world.

The death of Princess Diana was something her children never truly recovered from.

Growing up, Harry definitely committed his fair share of disturbing faux pas, but last week it has been hard not to root for him as a husband and father trying to protect his family from falling victim to the trauma of his own childhood.

When Markle stepped out of Hollywood and into the royal family, press coverage was awash with weak platitudes of progression: We were fed the idea that her move into the institution was a sign of “modern times” and that having a mixed-race woman in the royal family was a milestone in British history.

Their wedding, just a year-and-a-half ago, featured preacher Michael Curry and a black gospel choir; the media described it as a “modern, diverse wedding for a modern, diverse couple” — one that was “ nudging the British royal family into a new era.”

News outlets speculated on everything from whether the wedding would end prejudice against mixed-race relationships to whether it would boost business for black female entrepreneurs.

However, it did not take long for the tabloid onslaught, or for Markle’s mere existence to become a tokenistic rhetorical device for those who claimed the UK did not have a problem with race. How could we possibly be racist if we have a black princess?

As a successful, mixed-race woman from California, Markle became the media’s new punch bag, and her family were not spared media intrusions either.

However, the contrast in treatment toward each of her divorced parents was glaring: dog-whistles for her black mother and sympathy for her white father.

In her time in the public eye, Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, has been a picture of dignity, yet was still the constant victim of coded racism, in the form of inaccurate references to slavery and gang violence.

Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, was gifted a little more empathy by the tabloids, often portrayed as a lovable rogue disowned by his “heartless” daughter, even though he repeatedly betrayed and embarrassed her on the international stage. All the while, this racist and sensationalist reporting stoked tensions on social media, and bigots and trolls felt vindicated in their racism.

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content_text:
Vocalist silenced by sexual trauma sings again

Lucy Dhegrae rediscovers the voice that she lost after being assaulted in 2013
Just as her career as a vocalist began taking off in 2013, singer Lucy Dhegrae found herself silenced, physically unable to produce the notes she once delivered with ease.photo: AFP

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Just as her career as a vocalist began taking off in 2013, singer Lucy Dhegrae found herself silenced, physically unable to produce the notes she once delivered with ease.

Diagnosed with paresis of the vocal folds, a form of paralysis, the artist traced the condition threatening her future as a performer to a traumatic night a decade earlier, when she says she was drugged and raped as a first-year student at the University of Michigan.

“The moment of discovering that I couldn’t sing — it felt like a death,” Dhegrae said in an interview at her apartment in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood.

“It was just like my body saying, ‘Okay, now you really have to deal with this. We’re going to take away the one thing that you need, and that you use to make money, that you use to survive,’” she said. “It forced me to look at [the trauma], and honestly, I’m not sure I would have.”

Dhegrae, who had kept her assault private, poured herself into research of her mysterious condition that doctors were unable to explain.

She found articles that referred to sexual assault survivors who eventually lost their voices altogether after keeping silent for a period of time.

She became an active volunteer with the US anti-sexual violence organization RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and, through her research, learned survivors regained their ability to speak by starting to discuss their trauma. “I knew at that time, because I had lost my singing voice and not my speaking voice, that I would need to sing about it,” she said.

GOING BEYOND UNDERSTANDING

She employed a range of healing techniques including meditation, breath work, massage, self-defense training and holistic alternative therapies.

Dhegrae also developed The Processing Series”of experimental voice concerts — already under way at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust arts institution — that explore music’s ability to help the body and mind deal with the impact of trauma.

“To heal trauma, we have to go beyond understanding it. It’s beyond logic,” she said. “Your brain can’t make sense that all of a sudden, something horrible can happen to you at any time.”

“You have to find a way to unravel that and to make your body whole, because your brain learns ... to section off that memory.”

Advisors instructed Dhegrae to keep her vocal condition under wraps, saying it could “blacklist” her from getting hired, she said.

“Discovering that I had paresis really echoed the experience of being assaulted,” the 35-year-old said, saying she plunged into depression. “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

“That’s a lot like rape... you don’t know who to talk to about this deep shame.”

After years of therapy, Dhegrae hoped performing in her The Processing Series concerts based on her own healing journey could help other survivors feel less alone.

“I had these really powerful experiences of physical recovery, of physical cohesiveness — feeling like you’re separate and coming together again — that was something I wanted to share,” she said.

“I wanted to create a show that I would have wanted to see, that would have helped me in that moment, because in 2013 when I found out that I had paresis, I had no one to talk to,” she continued. “If I had had one person to talk to... that would have made that period of my life just infinitely easier.”

“I wanted to be that for other people.”

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title:
American & British English
美式英文&英式英文

countries: 英國 美國

content_text:
The UK system of roads includes major high-speed limited-access routes known as motorways, with a network of smaller A-roads — with traffic lights or intersections — radiating out of London to other parts of England and into Scotland and Wales. In American English, the equivalents of the British motorway are the highway (sometimes with tolls), the freeway (never with tolls, hence the name) and the interstates/interstate highways extending across state lines.

There are other differences in road vocabulary between British and American English. In the UK, they talk about a crossroads, in America an intersection; in the UK a flyover for a section of road over another section of road or a railroad, called an overpass in American English; and a transport cafe in which to take a break during a long journey, known as a truck stop in American English.

In British English, the railroad is called the railway, a train station is called a railway station and a train car is called a coach. If you want to know what time the trains depart, you consult a timetable, not the schedule as in American English. And the subway is called the Underground (or the “Tube”) in London, although they do use “subway” for the system in Glasgow, Scotland.

If you only want to go one way on the railway or underground in the UK, you buy a single ticket; if you want to go and return on the railroad or subway in the US you buy a round-trip ticket. In British English, this is called a return ticket.

(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)

英國的道路系統包括「motorways」，亦即高速行駛、車輛上路有限制的主要道路，以及較小的、以「A」編號的道路網（有交通號誌或十字路口），由倫敦向外呈輻射狀散出，通往英格蘭其他地區，以及蘇格蘭、威爾斯。相當於英國「motorway」的，在美式英文中有「highway」（有些設有收費站）、「freeway」（無收費站，因此而得名），以及跨越州邊界的「interstates」∕「interstate highways」（州際公路）等數種道路。

英、美式英文中有關道路的詞彙還有其他不同。「十字路口」在英國叫「crossroads」，在美國則稱做「intersection」；高架越過一段路或鐵路的「陸橋」，在英國叫「flyover」，美式英文稱做「overpass」；長途旅程中提供停歇處的「休息站」，在英國叫「transport cafe」（公路邊小餐館），美式英文則稱為「truck stop」（卡車停靠站）。

「鐵路」在英式英文中叫做「railway」，美式為「railroad」；「火車站」英式稱「railway station」，美式為「train station」；「火車車廂」英式稱「coach」，美式為「car」。若想知道火車何時發車，就查詢「時刻表」，英式英文叫「timetable」，美式則說「schedule」。「地鐵∕地下鐵」在美式英文叫做「subway」，倫敦的地鐵叫「Underground」（或稱「Tube」），雖然在蘇格蘭的格拉斯哥是稱做「subway」。

若搭火車或地鐵只坐單程，所買的「單程票」在英國稱「single ticket」，美式為「one-way ticket」；若亦需搭回程，則要買「來回票」，美國稱「round-trip ticket」，英式英文則叫做「return ticket」。

（台北時報林俐凱譯）

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content_text:
US moves to block more sales to Huawei: sources

EXPANDING POWERS:The US has drafted a rule that could restrict sales of high-tech products to China if US-made parts make up more than 10 percent of the value
The US government is nearing publication of a rule that would vastly expand its powers to block shipments of foreign-made goods to China’s Huawei Technologies Co (華為), as it seeks to squeeze the blacklisted telecoms company, two sources said.

The US Department of Commerce in May placed Huawei on a trade blacklist, citing national security concerns. That allowed the US government to restrict sales of US-made goods to the company and a small number of items made abroad that contain US technology.

Under current regulations, key foreign supply chains remain beyond the reach of US authorities, fueling frustration among China hawks within the administration and a push to expand US authority to block more shipments to Huawei.

However, US businesses say an effort to enable the government to regulate more sales to Huawei to include low-tech items made overseas with very little US technology could end up needlessly hurting US companies, while encouraging Huawei to source more goods abroad.

In November last year, the commerce department was considering broadening the de minimis rule, which dictates how much US content in a foreign-made product gives the US government authority to regulate an export.

Under current regulations, the US could require a license or block the export of many high-tech products shipped to China from other countries if US-made components make up more than 25 percent of the value.

Two people familiar with the matter said that the commerce department has drafted a rule that would lower the threshold only on exports to Huawei to 10 percent and expand the purview to include nontechnical goods, like consumer electronics including nonsensitive chips.

One of the people said the department sent the rule to the US Office of Management and Budget, following an interagency meeting last week.

If other government agencies sign off on the measure, the rule could be issued in a matter of weeks as a so-called final rule, with no opportunity for public comment before it goes into effect, the people said.

The department has also drafted a regulation that would expand the so-called Foreign Direct Product Rule, which subjects foreign-made goods that are based on US technology or software to US oversight. This would be broadened to include low-tech items made abroad that are based on US technology and shipped to Huawei, the people said.

Huawei, the world’s largest smartphone maker, last month reported an 18 percent jump in revenue for last year and a 20 percent increase in shipments of smartphones.

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taiwan-subdivisions: 恆春 綠島 琉球 蘭嶼

content_text:
Book review: Plunging into Taiwan’s deep blue waters

The first comprehensive guide on scuba diving in Taiwan is a joy to read
This is the first comprehensive guide to scuba diving in Taiwan ever published, and it has the feel of an instant classic. Taiwan is not one of the world’s premier scuba destinations, says Simon Pridmore, but it has many diving attractions and shouldn’t be ignored.

The book opens with an admirably comprehensive introduction to Taiwan’s geography, history, languages and access procedures. These sections couldn’t be clearer or more helpful. Consider this, for example, on driving a car on the island: “If you are in a car and you hit someone on a scooter, it will be your fault even if they crashed into you. This is not because you are a foreigner or a visitor; it is because you are in a car. This is just how it is.”

The reason Taiwan has spectacular diving sites, Pridmore explains, is the kuroshio, or “dark tide,” a Pacific equivalent of the North Atlantic’s Gulf stream. The name derives from the “deep, dark, clear ultramarine blue” of the affected oceans — a paradise, needless to say, for scuba divers — and it flows up the east coast of Taiwan towards Japan.

The first of the six diving sites Pridmore deals with is on the north-east coast, a mere hour’s drive from Taipei at Badouzi (八斗子). Notable here are the Wanghaixiang bay (望海巷) area (including Secret Garden and Secret Garden 2), the Longdong bay (龍洞) area (also popular with rock-climbers), and a site called 82.5km for its roadside marker number on the North Coast Highway. In addition, there’s Turtle Island off the coast of Yilan, an underwater volcanic vent and Taiwan’s only active volcano.

Next comes Penghu (澎壺). Most of the diving here is from a boat, and among the highlights are an underwater postbox and a sunken wreck. Also notable is Wolf East (東吉之狼), where “a giant school of very large, fat yellowtail barracuda” enjoy the current off the south of Dongjiyu (東吉嶼). Pridmore claims this may be one of your best diving experiences in Taiwan.

Also notable in this area are the Dongjiyu Lavender Fields (also attractive to snorkelers) and the Xijiyu Basalt Ridge. As always, the author is hugely informative on things to do above water in the islands’ towns and villages.

Then, very close to Kaohsiung, is the island of Siaoliouciou (小琉球), the only place in Taiwan’s waters, we’re informed, where you can enjoy warm-water diving all the year round. Here more shipwrecks and a “beauty cave” form the main attractions.

After surveying the diving attractions of Hengchun (恆春), close to Kenting (墾丁), plus a quick look at Taitung (not really a diving center), Pridmore moves on to Orchid Island (蘭嶼)and Green Island (綠島).

After summarizing Orchid Island’s flying-fish and nuclear waste phenomena, plus the history of the Tao Aborigines, the book goes on to look at the diving sites, choosing the Badai Bay wreck (八代灣) and the Airport Perimeter Reef (機場外礁) as the best two, both with excellent visibility. “On a blue-sky day,” the author writes, “from mid-morning onwards, these coral gardens will be glowing with clouds of small reef fish milling about and sparkling and shimmering in the sun.”

International divers, we’re told, will be pleased by the sight in Taiwan of species they have never encountered before, such as Shepard’s pygmy angelfish and firetail dottyback. And at Lady Rock (玉女岩) to the northwest of the island, where sea snakes are the main attraction, access is directly from the shore rather than by boat, as is common elsewhere in the area. The somewhat less dramatic Fire Reef is nearby.


people: 習近平 韓國瑜 曾銘宗 吳敦義

content_text:
2020 Elections: Wu quits over KMT election defeats

KMT REPORT:The party blamed ‘Internet armies,’ the party’s choice of legislator-at-large nominees and its inability to win over young people for it results the elections
Outgoing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih talks to reporters after chairing a meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday offered his resignation to the KMT Central Standing Committee, while the party listed in a report seven major reasons for its defeat in Saturday’s elections.

After Wu’s resignation, the committee appointed KMT Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) as acting secretary-general to oversee the party’s operations.

In the report, the KMT said the major factors in its defeat were that the “sense of the nation’s impending doom” (亡國感) was greater than “hatred toward the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP]”; the KMT could not control the discussion on cross-strait relations and respond to changes; “Internet armies” swayed public opinion, challenging candidates’ images and making it difficult for them to win over independent voters; the victory in Kaohsiung’s mayoral election could not be replicated and a mistake was made regarding the choice of campaign strategy; internal conflicts within the party, lack of unity and campaigning that could have been improved; the party’s list of legislator-at-large nominees did not meet public expectations; and the party was unable to win the favor of young people, who are highly engaged in politics.

The report said that because Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the party’s presidential candidate, announced his candidacy less than six months after becoming mayor, his trustworthiness was questioned.

Han’s “repetitive” responses at the Kaohsiung City Council and failure to follow through on policy proposals, such as bringing Disneyland to the city, also raised questions about his capabilities, the report said.

His private life was put to the test, the report said, listing his verbal gaffes, “discriminatory” comments, illegal farmhouse and real-estate investments, as well as a photograph of him playing mahjong and his relationship with a woman surnamed Wang (王).

His “everyman” image was hurt, it added.

While Han’s every word and action was scrutinized, his campaign team was unable to respond with strong evidence in a timely fashion, it said.

The imprecision of the responses made his campaign vulnerable to his opponents’ attacks, it said.

His campaign “avoided” scrutiny by broadly saying that he was being smeared or “painted red” or “painted yellow,” the report said.

The DPP, along with media outlets and “Internet armies,” ran a smear campaign and created an image of Han as a caobao (草包, “country bumpkin”), it said.

This damaged Han’s efforts to win over young and independent voters, it added.

Young people care about various social issues, but the KMT’s stance on many of those issues is either at odds with young people’s views or is seen as conservative, the report said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) proposal to impose a “one country, two systems” formula for Taiwan at the beginning of last year, as well as protests in Hong Kong, resulted in the success of the DPP’s strategic use of a “sense of the nation’s impending doom,” it said.

A case involving self-confessed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強) further increased concerns about Chinese interference in domestic affairs, it said.

Although the KMT has a clear cross-strait policy, it has been unable to “adjust its pace” to changing situations, the report said.

Revisions to the party’s nomination process meant candidates with political influence were unwilling to participate, the report said, adding that after the party’s primary ended not all candidates supported Han, despite promises to do so.


title: Brother in custody in Taoyuan after sibling’s slaying

content_text:
The younger brother of a 39-year-old man surnamed Hsu (徐), who was killed in Taoyuan on Sunday, is being detained in connection with his death, police said on Tuesday.

Hsu took his parents for lunch on Sunday, but when they returned they found that the metal door to his home was shut and they could not get in, a police report said.

Hsu climbed on top of a truck to reach a second-floor window and enter his home, leaving his parents outside, but when he did not reappear after more than a half an hour, his parents called a locksmith to open the door.

They found Hsu’s body in a pool of blood, with wounds to his neck, and a trail of bloody footprints leading to the back door.

Police and an ambulance were called, but Hsu could not be revived.

As there were no signs of forced entry to Hsu’s residence, police suspected that he might have known his attacker.

Hsu’s younger brother was taken into custody on Sunday night after he was found at a local motel, and reportedly had blood on his clothing.

He was questioned on Sunday and Monday, and the local district court approved his detention.

Meanwhile, Taipei police on Tuesday said they found traces of blood in the bathroom of a 45-year-old man surnamed Lin (林), the suspect in the killing of a 26-year-old Chinese-Malaysian woman surnamed Teng (鄧), whose dismembered remains were found by police in Keelung on Saturday last week.

A friend reported Teng missing earlier this month after she did not show up for work.

Investigators on Tuesday said they returned to the mountain area where Teng’s remains were found to look for missing parts of her body, as well as the tools used to dismember her body.

Lin was found dead on Sunday night in Keelung after allegedly committing suicide by burning charcoal in a sealed room.

Lin and Teng rented rooms on the same floor of a building in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華).

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content_text:
Amazon.com Inc CEO Jeff Bezos, second right, lights a traditional lamp along with Amazon India senior vice president and country manager Amit Agarwal, center, at the company’s annual Smbhav event in New Delhi yesterday.Photo: AFP
Amazon.com Inc chief executive officer Jeff Bezos faced a bitter welcome during his India visit this week, as the country’s antitrust regulator initiated a formal investigation just hours before his arrival and trader bodies comprising millions of infuriated small-store owners announced demonstrations.

Bezos is in New Delhi for the Smbhav summit, an Amazon India event for small and medium-sized businesses, where he announced Amazon is to invest a fresh US$1 billion to help bring such companies online. He also committed the retail giant to exporting a total of US$10 billion of made-in-India goods by 2025.

“The 21st century is going to be the Indian century,” the Amazon founder said. “This country has something special: its dynamism. I also predict that the most important alliance in the 21st century will be between India and the United States.”

Dressed in blue jeans and a vest echoing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s favorite garment, Bezos lifted a ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the summit. A day earlier, he put out a rare tweet to publicize his visit to the Mahatma Gandhi memorial, where he wore a white tunic and a rust-colored Indian vest.

However, the small businesses that Amazon’s CEO is hoping to endear himself to are organizing in opposition. The Confederation of All India Traders announced that members of its affiliate bodies across the country would stage sit-ins and public rallies in 300 cities to raise a war cry against the world’s largest online retailer.

In a letter to Modi last week, the confederation’s secretary-general Praveen Khandelwal alleged that Amazon, much like Walmart Inc-owned Flipkart, was an “economic terrorist” who engaged in predatory pricing that deprived the government of tax revenue and “compelled the closure of thousands of small traders.”

India’s e-commerce market is projected to grow to US$150 billion by 2022, according to a 2018 report by software industry group Nasscom and consulting firm PwC India.

Competition for this rapidly expanding sector is intensifying as Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, prepares to go live with JioMart, an online shopping platform challenging Amazon and Walmart directly. The latter’s Flipkart Online Services Pvt is also delving deeper into the countryside in its pursuit of more customers.

Amazon, for its part, opened a huge office complex in the southern city of Hyderabad in September last year, underscoring its commitment to the country.

The Competition Commission of India said it would probe the deep discounts, preferential listings and exclusionary tactics that Amazon and Flipkart are alleged to have used as anti-competitive levers. India’s trader bodies have long argued that both retail giants were flouting rules by promoting sales and discounts through their favored sellers, with many of whom they have pre-existing commercial arrangements.

The regulator has ordered that the investigation be completed within two months.

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title: Bezos’ India visit marked by inquiry and resistance


people: 謝龍介 韓國瑜 陳其邁

content_text:
CtiTV News fined for airing false statement

SPREADING RUMORS:A CtiTV News presenter failed to press for evidence when a KMT city councilor said that the government was monitoring Han Kuo-yu’s supporters
CtiTV News has been fined NT$600,000 (US$20,033) for broadcasting a false statement by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Tainan City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) in one of its political talk shows, the National Communications Commission said yesterday.

Viewers had complained about an episode of News Tornado (新聞龍捲風) aired on June 24 last year, the commission said.

According to the commission’s archival footage, the talk show host called Hsieh, who said that police could accurately count the number of people at a campaign rally in Hsinchu in support of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who was then the KMT’s presidential candidate, because the government was monitoring the whereabouts of Han’s supporters through their mobile phones.

Police could also determine the age group and gender of the supporters by examining the personal information registered to mobile phone numbers serviced by six to eight base stations surrounding the rally’s venue, Hsieh said.

Hsieh’s comments were determined to be rumors intended to cause panic, the commission said.

“In this case, the host should have pressed Hsieh for evidence to support his claims, but failed to do so,” it said.

“The channel was fined NT$600,000 for breaching Article 27 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), which stipulates that broadcast news media should not impugn on the principle of fact verification, and causing damage to the public interest,” Department of Broadcasting and Content specialist Chen Shu-ming (陳書銘) said.

CtiTV has been fined a total of NT$5.63 million for contravening the act 11 times since last year, he said, adding that seven of the infractions were related to coverage of Han.

As CtiTV is to renew its license at the end of this year, the commission would take all factors into consideration when reviewing its license renewal application, including its record of offenses, commission acting spokesman Hsiao Chi-hung (蕭祈宏) said.

The Taipei District Court on Jan. 2 overturned a NT$200,000 fine the commission last year imposed on CtiTV for failing to fact-check when reporting about a November 2018 rally in Kaohsiung’s Cishan District (旗山) by former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who was then the party’s Kaohsiung mayoral candidate.

Although the commission has vowed to appeal the court’s ruling, industry observers said that the verdict would likely goad the channel into pursuing another Han-related lawsuit.

Meanwhile, SET-TV News and Formosa TV News were asked to improve the quality of their news programming after they allegedly misquoted a question by Han to Chen Chi-mai, who had assumed the post of vice premier after losing the election to Han, during a joint inspection of the city last year.

Han had said: “Why did dengue fever spread from this particular borough to other boroughs,” but the two stations quoted him as saying: “Why would dengue fever spread?”

Both stations claimed that their reporters’ microphones failed to pick up the latter part of Han’s statement because Han and Chen Chi-mai were surrounded by too many reporters at the time, but the commission told them that they should not misquote statements and issue corrections if they do, Chen Shu-ming said.

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content_text:
Malaysia Airlines yesterday said it had suspended deliveries of 25 Boeing Co 737 MAX jets, citing the plane’s delayed return to service since it was grounded last year following two fatal crashes.

The decision represents another setback for Boeing, which on Tuesday reported its worst annual net orders in decades, along with its lowest number of plane deliveries in 11 years, as the grounding of the 737 MAX saw it fall far behind main competitor Airbus SE.

“In view of the production stoppage and the delayed return to service of the 737 MAX, Malaysia Airlines has suspended the delivery of its orders,” the airline said in an e-mail, without saying when it wanted the deliveries to resume.

“As there is no clarity yet from various authorities on its return to service, our technical due diligence is still ongoing,” Malaysia Airlines said.

The airline said it had previously planned to have five 737 MAX jets delivered this year, the first in July. Last year, its chief executive said it was possible the craft’s introduction to service could slide beyond July.

Boeing said it was sorry for the disruption the 737 MAX situation had caused Malaysia Airlines.

“We are working to support them and all of our customers in every way possible to ensure complete confidence in the 737 MAX and a safe return to commercial flight,” Boeing said in a statement.

The Malaysian government has been seeking a buyer for the airline, which is still recovering from two tragedies in 2014, when flight MH370 disappeared in what remains a mystery and flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

Analysts said cash-strapped carriers such as Malaysia Airlines that overordered planes could take advantage of the 737 MAX grounding to negotiate with Boeing to restructure their orders.

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd last year said it would delay taking the first deliveries of 737 MAX jets for nearly two years to reduce capital spending.

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA said last year its Dublin-based leasing subsidiary had reached an agreement with Boeing to postpone delivery of 14 737 MAX planes that were originally due this year and next year.

Boeing on Tuesday reported a net negative of 183 orders for the 737 MAX last year, including cancelations, but many were associated with the collapse of a major customer, India’s Jet Airways Ltd.

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title: Malaysia Airlines halts 737 MAX deliveries


people: 習近平 蔡英文 王浩宇

content_text:
From left, Cross-Strait Policy Association secretary-general Chang Pai-ta, Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu, association president Stephen Tan, National Taiwan Normal University professor Fan Shih-ping and association researcher Chang Yu-shao announce the results of a post-election opinion poll in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
A majority of respondents in a post-election opinion poll urged President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to initiate a cross-strait dialogue, while Beijing’s latest moves indicate that it might be considering softening its Taiwan policy, the pan-green Cross-Strait Policy Association said yesterday.

Asked about Tsai’s speech after winning the presidential election on Saturday last week, 66.1 percent of respondents said they were satisfied, while 16.2 percent were not, association secretary-general Chang Pai-ta (張百達) told a news conference in Taipei.

Up to 78 percent said they support Tsai’s call for “peace, reciprocity, democracy and dialogue” across the Taiwan Strait in her speech, he said.

Asked if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should start a dialogue with Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after the latter won a landslide victory, 59.8 percent said it should, while 20.5 percent said it should not, he said.

A dialogue between the pan-green and pan-blue camps might pave the way for a new cross-strait dialogue, association researcher Chang Yu-shao (張宇韶) said.

Radical advocates of unification and independence have lost support as demonstrated by the defeat of the pro-unification New Party and the pro-independence Taiwan Action Party Alliance in the presidential and legislative elections, he added.

For a cross-strait dialogue to happen, leaders from the two sides must agree on certain political bases, association president Stephen Tan (譚耀南) said, urging Beijing to acknowledge the existence of the Republic of China (ROC).

The so-called “1992 consensus” has been rejected by Taiwanese, as the election results showed, while the ROC has become the common denominator of Taiwanese society, he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) might be considering softening Beijing’s Taiwan policy, as protests in Hong Kong against a proposed extradition bill, which has since been scrapped, and the results of the Taiwanese elections showed that Chinese officials have made wrong political judgements, National Taiwan Normal University political science professor Fan Shih-ping (范世平), said

The Chinese government on the eve of the elections made an unusual announcement that Chinese central inspection officers had visited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs three or four months ago, and berated TAO Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), he said.

Editorials published by the Chinese-language China Times and China Review (中評社) indicate that Xi might be thinking of adopting a milder approach to deal with Taiwan and Hong Kong, he said, adding that Beijing might contact the Tsai administration.

US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said at an event in Washington on Friday last week that the US plans to deploy two specialized task forces to the Pacific in two years to counter the Chinese threat.

Islands east of Taiwan and the Philippines are likely locations, McCarthy later said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Asked about the planned US deployment, Tan said that Taiwan-US ties are in a dynamic balance and would change in correlation to cross-strait relations.

The task forces are more likely to be deployed on a Philippine island, as Taiwan is in a sensitive location, Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇) said.

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title: 2020 Elections: Majority favors cross-strait dialogue: poll


title: Leisure good for post-election blues: doctor

content_text:
By Tsai Shu-yuan and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer
The nation is seeing a 20 percent surge in the number of people experiencing post-election stress disorder given the number of people reporting ailments believed to be linked with last week’s elections, said Lee Chun-te (李俊德), director of Chungshan Medical University Hospital’s Division of Psychosomatic Medicine.

People who deeply invest in elections and project their hopes onto a candidate to an excessive degree can suffer emotionally if the elections do not go the way they expected, Lee said.

Such people feel stress when they are unable to accept election results and frequently exhibit symptoms such as unease, anxiety, despondency, irritability, difficulty sleeping, headaches, tightness of chest and dizziness that can affect their life and work performance, Lee said.

A 62-year-old woman surnamed Chen (陳) came to the hospital this week for treatment, Lee said.

Family members said that Chen, who has high blood pressure and diabetes, was very involved in politics for the two to three months before the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday last week, Lee said.

She experienced some insomnia and muscle tenseness before the election, and despondency, insomnia and an inability to control her emotions afterward, Lee said, adding that these emotions led to a spike in Chen’s blood sugar level and blood pressure.

The hospital urged Chen, who was put on an anti-depressant and given a muscle relaxant, to change her daily habits, Lee said.

People so affected by the elections should distance themselves from the news in the post-election season and divert their attentions elsewhere, Lee added.

“Take a walk, go on a trip or begin exercising,” Lee said, adding that people will hopefully arrive at the point where they can respect, and perhaps empathize, with the choices of others once their emotional state has stabilized.

People experiencing difficulty sleeping should exercise in the morning and avoid topics that might upset them up to two hours before bedtime, Lee said.

If they fail to fall asleep within 30 minutes, people should try activities that will help them relax and become drowsy, but people should seek medical treatment if they have difficulty sleeping for two weeks in a row, Lee added.

Listening to soft music or taking a bath can often help people relax, said Tsai Hui-chun (蔡惠君), a traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Taichung.

Avoiding caffeinated beverages in the afternoon and evening also helps, Tsai said, adding that having eggs, milk or other foods rich in calcium and protein can aid sleep.

Drinking a brew of poria (fushen, 茯神), blighted wheat, lily bulbs (baihe, 百合), licorice and ground, dried date pits can also help, Tsai added.

Avoiding election-related information, staying calm, sticking to routines, interacting with family and friends — if politics can be kept out of conversations — and finding new goals in life can also benefit people experiencing the disorder, Chungshan Medical University Hospital psychiatrist Hsu Kai-hui (徐開慧) said.

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