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People line up to ride a circular line train at the Banqiao MRT Station in New Taipei City yesterday.Photo: CNA
The first section of the Taipei MRT circular line might officially begin operations before the end of this month, although a date has yet to be determined, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday.

A launch date would be decided when Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) returns from Europe on Wednesday, Hou said.

He made the remarks during an inspection tour of the first section of the line, which began free trial runs yesterday.

The line is to serve Taipei and New Taipei City when all sections are completed.

The circular line would help commuters save time, as people in New Taipei City would be able to travel around the city without having to transfer in Taipei, Hou said.

“For instance, it takes 39 minutes to travel from Touqianzhuang MRT Station in Sinjhuang District (新莊) to Banqiao MRT Station, but on the new line it would take only five minutes,” Hou said.

People who wanted to try the new section formed long lines at MRT stations yesterday morning.

The free rides, which are available from 10am to 4pm daily, would continue for a month, even if the line officially opens during the period, Hou said.

During the trial month, passengers who use MRT payment cards would not be charged when accessing the 14 stations along the section, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.

However, if they transfer between MRT lines, they would be charged the regular fare, the company said.

The driverless trains would run every eight minutes during the test period, it added.

However, once official operations begin, trains would run every 10 minutes in off-peak hours and every four to seven minutes during rush hour, the company said.

The fares on the line would be similar to those on other MRT lines, ranging from NT$20 to NT$65 based on the distance, it said.

The 15.4km line connects Dapinglin (大坪林) to New Taipei Industrial Park through Sindian (新店), Jhonghe (中和), Banciao (板橋) and Sinjhuang districts.

The line is expected to ease congestion at transfer stations in the MRT network, as passengers traveling between stations in the southwestern area of greater Taipei would be able to bypass downtown Taipei.

Passengers would also be able to transfer to the Taoyuan Airport MRT at New Taipei Industrial Park Station, and to the Taiwan Railways Administration and Taiwan High Speed Rail lines at Banqiao Station.

The first section, also called the Zhong Huan (central circle) section, or Yellow Line, is the only elevated segment of the circular line. The other three sections are to be built underground.

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people: 柯文哲 侯友宜

taiwan-subdivisions: 板橋 新莊 新店 中和 坪林

title: New line might officially begin service this month


content_text:
North Korea named a former army officer who led military and high-level dialogues between the two Koreas as its top diplomat, Yonhap News reported, in a move that can change the course of the stalled nuclear negotiations between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

Foreign envoys in Pyongyang were notified late last week that Ri Son-gwon, the former chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification, replaced Ri Yong-ho as the North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap said, citing various sources.

The move, which is yet to be verified by the North’s state media, is likely to be confirmed to resident diplomats at an event scheduled for Thursday in Pyongyang, NK News reported separately.

The apparent replacement of the top diplomat came days after the isolated nation publicly declared that it would not rely on its leader’s personal relationship with Trump, as it does not intend to trade its nuclear weapons for a halt in sanctions.

“There will never be such negotiations as that in Vietnam, in which we proposed exchanging a core nuclear facility of the country for the lifting of some United Nations sanctions,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency cited the minister’s adviser Kim Kye-gwan as saying earlier this month. “There is no need for us to be present in such talks, in which there is only unilateral pressure.”

Since the failure in October last year of the working-level denuclearization talks in Stockholm, Pyongyang has not responded to Washington’s continued demands for another talk and instead stepped up tensions verbally and with weapons tests.

It said late last year that it successfully conducted a “crucial” test at a long-range projectile launch site and had boosted its nuclear-deterrent capabilities.

Kim declared in a speech at the start of the year that a lack of US response in nuclear talks meant he was no longer bound by his pledge to halt major missile tests and would soon debut a “new strategic weapon.”

Declining to go into detail, Kim also left the outside world guessing what “new path” he will take, and how he will deal with the US this year.

The replacement of Ri Yong-ho also coincides with Seoul’s sudden turn to warm inter-Korean ties as the Kim-Trump talks for denuclearization remain in deadlock.

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title: North Korea names army officer foreign minister


content_text:
Protesters are pictured taking part in the Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 17, 2017, in a photograph by Mario Tama. The US’ National Archives on Saturday said it had blurred the word “Trump” in a placard that reads “God Hates Trump,” left, and from one that reads “Dump Tump & GOP” “Hands Off Women,” lower right. Placards referencing female anotomy were also altered.Photo: AFP
The US’ National Archives on Saturday said it made a mistake when it blurred images of anti-US President Donald Trump signs used in an exhibit on women’s suffrage.

The archives, an independent agency, is charged with preserving government and historical records and said it has always been committed to preserving its holdings “without alteration,” but “we made a mistake.”

The statement came one day after the Washington Post published a report about the altered images.

The archives said the photograph in question is not one of its records, but had been licensed for use as a graphic in the exhibit.

“Nonetheless, we were wrong to alter the image,” the agency said.

The display has been removed and would be replaced as soon as possible with one that uses the original, unaltered image, it said.

The exhibit about the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, blurred some anti-Trump messages on protest signs in a photo of the 2017 Women’s March in Washington.

Signs that referred to women’s private parts, which were widespread during the march held shortly after Trump took office, were also altered.

The archives said it will immediately begin a “thorough review” of its policies and procedures for exhibits “so that this does not happen again.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for a more detailed, explanation.

“Apologizing is not enough,” ACLU deputy legal director Louise Melling said in a statement. “The National Archives must explain to the public why it took the Orwellian step of trying to rewrite history and erasing women’s bodies from it, as well as who ordered it.”

Archives spokeswoman Miriam Kleiman told the Post that the agency blurred the anti-Trump references “so as not to engage in current political controversy.”

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title: Archives apologies for altering Trump protest photo


people: 馬英九 蔡英文

content_text:
Outgoing Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng speaks at an event in Taipei on Aug. 17 last year.Photo: Chiang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Outgoing Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) in a detailed post on his Pointed Pigtail (尖尾週記) blog on Saturday explained his reasons for resigning.

Chen announced his resignation on Thursday, after Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) on Tuesday accused him of interfering in the judicial system.

While President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had asked him to stay on until his term ends on July 31, Chen said that he would not change his mind.

Chen had sparked controversy with a plan to investigate allegations of misconduct, personal bias and abuse of power by judicial officials, including judges and prosecutors.

He had cited the allegedly unfair prosecution and unequal treatment of the nation’s two previous presidents in corruption cases, as well as their alleged misuse of “slush funds” when in office.

On his blog, Chen said that when he assumed the position in January, 2018, he had given his assurance and made a public declaration that his work would focus on investigating “dinosaur judges” — a term used to describe them as being out of touch with society.

“My contribution was to be to clean up the accumulated muck in the justice system. It was in accord with calls by President Tsai [Ing-wen (蔡英文)] to prioritize judicial reform at the start of her first presidential term,” Chen wrote. “My confidence in judicial reform came from our nation’s Constitution, which grants the Control Yuan the power to balance the power of the judiciary.”

Chen said that his confidence waned over time due to a lack of progress with regard to judicial reform.

He said he went to the Judicial Yuan several times to check up on an issue, but Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) brushed him off by saying that the push for judicial reform would be perceived as “taking revenge” and would “have a chilling effect” on judges.

“It seems Hsu treated the more than 2,000 court judges like baby silkworms, attentively treating them with care, but a Control Yuan member is the natural enemy of baby silkworms,” Chen wrote.

Hsu overly protected the judges, shielding them from investigations by the Control Yuan, Chen said.

“The only person who has the power to put an end to this farce has clearly chosen not to get involved,” Chen said, without giving a name.

“If this Control Yuan member continues to struggle on, I would get nowhere and we would be back to square one, so why should I go on fighting this battle?” Chen asked.

Chen said that his resignation was not because he was caving in to pressure from the media or public, nor because he was frightened by Hsu accusing him of interfering in the judicial system, nor because he was surrendering to the more than 80 percent of judges who petitioned against his proposed plan to question the judge who had acquitted former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in a retrial.

He resigned because he no longer knew why he was still fighting, and he could no longer push for judicial reform, Chen said.

Separately yesterday, the Presidential Office said that the Control Yuan and Judicial Yuan would able to resolve any dispute based on the nation’s constitutional framework.

“We believe the two bodies can comply with mechanisms under the constitutional framework, to verify the delineation of power between them,” Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) said. “There is no need for politicized consideration [of this dispute].”

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title: Chen Shih-meng explains resignation


content_text:
CZECH REPUBLIC

Eight disabled die in blaze

Eight people died and 30 were injured after a fire at a home for people with learning disabilities early yesterday, rescuers said. Emergency services spokesman Prokop Volenik said 30 people were taken to hospital — one in critical condition and three with serious injuries. “The fire broke out in the boys’ section of a home for the mentally handicapped,” Vejprty Mayor Jitka Gavdunova said, adding that it was too early to talk about the cause of the blaze.

IRAN

Satellites pass tests

Minister of Telecommunication Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi yesterday said that two new satellites have passed pre-launch tests and would be transported to the nation’s space center for eventual launch. In a tweet, Jahromi said it was an “important research step.” State-run media say the 90kg Zafar satellites have four high-resolution cameras each and are to monitor natural resources and environmental developments.

SWEDEN

Chinese envoy called in

The government has summoned Chinese Ambassador Gui Congyou (桂從友) to discuss his comments that compared media coverage of China to a lightweight boxer who starts a feud with a heavyweight. “It’s like a 48-kilogram lightweight boxer who provokes a feud with an 86-kilogram heavyweight boxer, who out of kindness and goodwill urges the [smaller] boxer to take care of himself,” Gui said on Saturday to public broadcaster SVT, after saying he believed Swedish journalists have interfered in China’s internal affairs with their reporting. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ann Linde said the envoy’s statement was an “unacceptable threat.”

THE NETHERLANDS

National Tulip Day marked

Tulip growers beat back winter — if only for a day — on Saturday with a riotous explosion of color as they turned an Amsterdam square into a multi-colored feast to mark National Tulip Day. Several thousand people converged on Dam Square in front of the Royal Palace to enjoy and pick the 200,000 free tulips. Each person was limited to 20 free flowers. National Tulip Day marks the opening of the tulip season for the nation’s flower industry.

BRAZIL

Indigenous manifesto issued

Leaders of native tribes issued a rallying call to protect the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people from what they called the “genocide, ethnocide and ecocide” planned by President Jair Bolsonaro. A manifesto signed on Friday at the end of a four-day meeting in the Xingu reservation said Bolsonaro was threatening the survival of indigenous people with plans to allow commercial mining and ranching on their protected lands. “We do not accept mining, agribusiness and the renting of our lands, nor logging, illegal fishing, hydroelectric dams or other projects that will impact us directly and irreversibly,” it said.

CANADA

Help for Newfoundland

The federal government will help Newfoundland dig out in the wake of a massive winter blizzard that buried cars and left thousands without power, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan said on Saturday. The storm dumped as much as 76.2cm of snow on St John’s, the capital of Newfoundland. St John’s Mayor Danny Breen said that a state of emergency declared on Friday remained in effect, with businesses and the airport closed.

SRI LANKA

India ties to be improved

Colombo and India vowed to strengthen military ties and widen maritime links with neighboring countries after security talks, the president’s office said yesterday, to counter growing Chinese influence in the region. Indian National Security adviser Ajit Doval on Saturday met with newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and discussed setting up a maritime coordination center, the office said in a statement. It did not give details of the proposed center, but said other nations in the region should be included as observers. It said the two countries also discussed closer military and coast guard cooperation.

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title: World News Quick Take


content_text:
Virus that killed millions of China’s pigs poses global threat

Governments around the world are scrambling to protect against African swine fever, with travelers transporting meat representing the biggest danger
Bettie the beagle, a detector dog for US Customs and Border Protection, picked up the scent of pork on a woman arriving from China at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Soon the dog’s handler discovered and confiscated a ham sandwich in the purse of a passenger who had flown on a China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai.

The danger? That the food might be contaminated with African swine fever and spread the disease to the US.

China has lost millions of pigs in outbreaks of the disease, pushing its pork prices to record highs, forcing purchases of costly imports and roiling global meat markets.

“It’s very likely it may come here if we aren’t more vigilant,” said Jessica Anderson, the handler for the pork-sniffing dog and an agricultural specialist for the border protection agency.

Bettie is among an expanded team of specially trained beagles at US airports, part of a larger effort to protect the nation’s US$23 billion pork industry from a disease that has decimated China’s hog herd, the world’s largest.

Governments worldwide are scrambling to shore up their defenses as the disease spills over China’s borders. Their efforts underscore the grave threat to global agriculture.

African swine fever has spread to Southeast Asia and eastern Europe, with cases found in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, North and South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Poland and Vietnam.

Around the globe, those countries and others that have so far sidestepped the epidemic are cracking down on travelers, increasing cargo screenings and banning meat imports.

Pork-producing countries stand to lose billions of dollars if the disease infects their industries, because outbreaks devastate farms and shut export markets. African swine fever does not threaten humans, but there is no vaccine or cure for infected pigs.

If the disease enters the US, the top pork-exporting nation with 77.3 million hogs, the government would struggle to protect the industry, participants in a four-day drill in September last year told reporters.

“If this gets in, it will destroy our industry as we know it,” said Dave Pyburn, the US National Pork Board’s senior vice president of science and technology.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) simulated an outbreak in Mississippi that spread to the nation’s top pig-producing states, including North Carolina, Iowa and Minnesota. Veterinarians, farmers and government officials gathered at command centers where they tested their capacity to swiftly detect, control and clean up after an outbreak.

The experience showed that the US needs to increase its capacity to quickly test pigs for the disease and to dispose of the animals without spreading it, said Pyburn, who participated in the drill.

In China, the top global pork consumer, the disease has been devastating. The exact number of hog deaths is not known.

Rabobank estimated that the country lost up to 55 percent of its pig herd last year, but the Chinese government has reported smaller losses in the country’s US$1 trillion hog sector since the first case was reported in August 2018.

The US government is fielding dogs at airports and seaports, conducting outbreak-response drills and adding capacity to test pigs, while France and Germany are killing hundreds of thousands of wild boar that might carry the disease.

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title: Saracens relegated to second division over salary breach

content_text:
In one of the most spectacular downfalls in the history of rugby union, English and European champion Saracens will be relegated at the end of the season for breaching salary-cap rules.

The dramatic development leaves the future of some of the world’s most high-profile players — including England captain Owen Farrell, and international teammates Maro Itoje and brothers Billy and Mako Vunipola — up in the air.

Premiership Rugby, which runs the English top tier, on Saturday said that Saracens will finish the current season before being dropped down to the second tier.

The club from north London has won four of the past five English titles and three of the past four European Cup titles, one of the most dominant reigns in the history of European club rugby. However, those victories were followed by allegations of avoiding the English league’s salary-cap rules by making payments to companies owned by Saracens players.

Saracens were deducted 35 points ahead of the start of the English league season and fined more than ￡5 million (US$6.5 million) for three seasons’ spending above the cap.

They could not prove that they were compliant with the salary cap, having failed to release any of their high-earning players from the squad, and have chosen to accept relegation.

“I acknowledge the club has made errors in the past and we unreservedly apologize for those mistakes,” Saracens chairman Neil Golding said in a statement released by Premiership Rugby. “I and the rest of the board are committed to overseeing stringent new governance measures to ensure regulatory compliance going forward.”

Premiership Rugby also said it would commission a review of the salary cap system to ensure what Premiership Rugby chief executive officer Darren Childs called “a level playing field for all clubs in the future.”

The Exeter Chiefs were beaten by Saracens in the past two Premiership finals and Exeter chief executive Tony Rowe told the BBC that he was relieved the champions have been strongly punished.

“Let’s be very honest about this before people have sympathy with Saracens,” Rowe said. “They had two choices: They could either open up their books so that Premiership Rugby could do a forensic audit of exactly what has gone on, or they could take relegation. So it was their choice not to open up their books.”

It was not immediately clear whether Saracens would be allowed to keep the trophies they won while in breach of the cap.

Saracens have won six of their first eight league games, but are still in last place on minus-7 points.

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title: IMF urges equality in financial sector

content_text:
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva in Washington on Friday speaks about research on the financial services sector.Photo: AFP
The financial sector should take rapid steps to address record or near-record inequality levels within countries that new research shows could be a harbinger of a new financial crisis, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.

Georgieva issued what she termed a “call to action,” urging a shift to facilitate more lending to small and women-led businesses, which in turn would help bolster resilience in the event of a future crisis.

“Our new research shows that inequality tends to increase before a financial crisis, signaling a strong link between inequality and financial stability,” she said, citing parallels to 1920s boom years that led to the Great Depression.

A report by IMF staff showed that expanding financial services to more low-income households, women and small businesses could serve as a powerful lever in creating a more inclusive society, but the increasing complexity of the financial sector often wound up benefiting mainly wealthy people.

“If we act, and act together, we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the 1920s in the 2020s,” Georgieva told an event at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

The IMF would apply the lessons of the new research to its assessment and surveillance of financial sector stability, while focusing on bolstered financial literacy among less “sophisticated” populations, she said.

It is important to maintain high lending standards and good supervision, but work was needed to reverse widening gaps between rich and poor people, Georgieva said.

Unlike the 1920s, climate change was a huge factor exacerbating inequality today, she said, citing a World Bank estimate that 100 million people could be living in extreme poverty by 2030 if current policies were not changed.

The IMF in November last year called for central banks to develop stress tests for climate risks and Georgieva said it would seek to incorporate them into its assessment instruments this year.

Governments should continue using fiscal policies to address growing rates of inequality, and avert the populism and political upheaval it could spawn, she said.

However, the financial sector also had a key role to play, she said, citing research by IMF staff that showed a 2 to 3 percentage point difference in longer-term GDP growth between financially inclusive countries and their less inclusive peers.

Georgieva also said the signing of a “phase one” trade agreement between the US and China will reduce — but not eliminate — uncertainty that has dampened global economic growth.

Georgieva declined to give an adjusted global economic forecast, saying that would be released today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

However, she said the IMF expected the trade deal would ensure that China’s GDP expands by 6 percent this year and she had shared that forecast with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (劉鶴) at a meeting last week.

“It brings China in the parameters of around 6 percent growth for 2020, rather than below,” she said.

Georgieva said the IMF had previously estimated that global trade tensions would shave 0.8 percent, or US$700 billion, off international economic growth. Only about one-third of that was due to tariffs, with the larger share resulting from a slowdown in business investment.

Since the US-China trade deal was only an interim solution, the impact on investment would not be eradicated, she said.

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Taiwan’s two major fuel suppliers yesterday announced price cuts of NT$0.7 per liter for gasoline and diesel this week, due to a drop in international crude oil prices.

At state-run CPC Corp, Taiwan’s (CPC, 台灣中油) fuel stations, prices are to fall to NT$27.1 per liter for 92-octane unleaded, NT$28.6 per liter for 95-octane unleaded, NT$30.6 per liter for 98-octane unleaded and NT$25 per liter for premium diesel, effective today.

CPC said that international oil prices dropped last week as tensions eased in the Middle East.

CPC adjusts its fuel prices weekly based on changes in crude oil prices, using a weighted oil price formula composed of 70 percent Dubai crude and 30 percent Brent crude.

Based on that formula, the price of crude dropped US$3.18 over the past week, from US$67.84 to US$64.66 per barrel, it said.

To keep prices stable during the Lunar New Year holiday, CPC said that it would either retain or lower its fuel prices for the week starting on Monday next week.

CPC’s main competitor, Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化), announced identical price cuts, also effective today.

Privately run Formosa said that prices at its gas stations are to be NT$27.1 per liter for 92-octane unleaded, NT$28.5 per liter for 95-octane unleaded, NT$30.6 per liter for 98-octane unleaded and NT$24.8 per liter for diesel.

The company cited lower crude oil prices as a result of the US and China signing a “phase one” trade deal, higher commercial oil inventories in the US and abating tensions in the Middle East.

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title: CPC, Formosa to lower fuel prices


content_text:
Medical staff on Saturday carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan, China, where patients infected with the 2019-nCoV virus are being treated.Photo: EPA-EFE
Seventeen more people in central China have been diagnosed with a new form of viral pneumonia that has killed two patients and placed other countries on alert as millions of Chinese travel for Lunar New Year holidays.

In total, 62 cases of the 2019-nCoV virus have been identified in the city of Wuhan, where the virus appears to have originated.

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported the new cases in a statement yesterday.

Nineteen of those individuals have been discharged from the hospital, while two men in their 60s — one with severe pre-existing conditions — have died from the illness. Eight are in critical condition.

Those infected range from 30 to 79 years old.

The commission’s statement did not say whether these patients had visited the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which has been suspended after many infected individuals reported having either worked at or visited the venue.

Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention director and chief physician Li Gang (李剛) told state broadcaster China Central TV (CCTV) that “the infectivity of the new coronavirus is not strong.”

Infectivity refers to how rapidly a virus might spread between individuals.

Most patients are experiencing mild symptoms, Li said, and no related cases have been found in more than 700 people who came into close contact with infected patients.

This “does not rule out the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission, but the risk of continuous human-to-human transmission is low,” Li said. “With the implementation of our various prevention and control measures, the epidemic can be prevented and controlled.”

Although China has not yet reported cases outside of Wuhan, discussion about the coronavirus spreading to other Chinese cities has swelled on social media.

Last night there were more than 400 million views of the hashtag “Shanghai pneumonia” on Sina Weibo (微博), while “Shenzhen pneumonia” garnered at least 340 million views.

Although there has been no official announcement of screening measures, Wuhan Deputy Mayor Chen Xiexin (陳邂馨) said on CCTV that infrared thermometers had been installed at airports, railway stations and bus stations across the city.

Chen said passengers with fevers were being registered, given masks and taken to medical institutions, while CCTV said that nearly 300,000 body temperature tests had been carried out.

TAIWAN’S CDC

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said onboard inspection for respiratory symptoms has been conducted on 32 flights from Wuhan — including 3,693 passengers and crew — between Dec. 31 last year and Saturday.

A teenage male passenger with severe special pneumonia was reported on Saturday, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.

The teen had not visited the Huanan seafood market or been exposed to livestock recently.

The result of a preliminary test result yesterday afternoon was negative for the 2019-nCoV virus, but showed that he had type A (H3N2) influenza, but a second test was scheduled for today, Chuang said.

Additional reporting by Lee I-chia and AFP

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title: Wuhan confirms 17 new 2019-nCoV cases


content_text:
Weak sales growth hits Makalot profit

NO CHINA BOOST?Revenue for this quarter could be flat from a year earlier, as there are no obvious signs that Makalot will add to its orders, Yuanta Securities said
Apparel maker Makalot Industrial Co (聚陽) on Friday reported weaker-than-expected pretax profit for last quarter, dragged by weak sales growth and gross margin contraction.

The manufacturer of ready-to-wear apparel and functional clothing reported revenue grew 5.7 percent annually to NT$6.45 billion (US$215.29 million) in the October-to-December quarter, but pretax profit was NT$497 million, 0.2 percent lower than a year earlier.

Gross margin dropped by 1.8 percentage points to 19.2 percent, mainly due to the New Taiwan dollar’s appreciation against the US dollar, a slowdown in sales growth and rising wages for workers in Vietnam, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said in a note.

Makalot operates factories in Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The company counts GAP Inc, Fast Retailing Co’s GU sub-brand, Kohl’s Corp, Target Corp, Walmart Inc and Hanesbrands Inc among its major clients.

For the whole of last year, revenue increased 13.03 percent to a record NT$27.05 billion from NT$23.93 billion a year earlier, Makalot said in a regulatory filing.

Pretax profit grew 25.46 percent to NT$2.45 billion last year, the highest in four years and up from NT$1.95 billion in 2018, it said.

Earnings per share were NT$11.14, it said.

However, revenue for this quarter could be flat from a year earlier, as there are no obvious signs that Makalot will add orders from existing clients or see orders transferred from China before the Lunar New Year, Yuanta said.

Gross margin might face more pressure this quarter, mainly due to continued appreciation of the NT dollar and increasing operating expenses, Yuanta added.

Makalot has maintained high cash dividend payouts of more than 90 percent since 2016, so Yuanta said it expects the company to distribute cash dividends of more than NT$7.7 this year, which implies a yield of more than 5 percent and should support the company’s stock price, which has been trending downward since July last year.

Makalot shares closed 0.32 percent higher at NT$156 on Friday in Taipei trading.

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title: Weak sales growth hits Makalot profit


content_text:
A: It’s scary how time flies; another year bites the dust.

B: Don’t remind me, another year older: I don’t want to face up to the fact.

A: Last year, you told me that your family prepared a mountain of food including radish cakes and New Year cakes. Are you going to be as busy this year?

B: I think so. I’ll call home tonight to see if they need me to lend a hand.

A: 時間過得這麼快還真可怕，轉眼之間又要過年了。

B: 不要提醒我啦，我又老了一歲，真不想面對這個事實。

A: 去年你跟我說，你們家過年做了一大堆蘿蔔糕跟年糕等，今年也是這麼忙嗎？

B: 我想應該是吧，晚上我會打個電話回家問問有沒有需要幫忙的。

English 英文:

Chinese 中文:

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title: EVERYDAY ENGLISH


content_text:
Richard D. Fisher, Jr. On Taiwan: How China’s proxies threaten Taiwan

The January 11, 2020 election is over and democracy, again, is victorious in Taiwan, buoyed by a younger generation whose determination to remain free could sustain Taiwan’s democratic development for many decades. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), meanwhile, shows no sign of deviating from its Leninist core values demanding that it fear democracy on Taiwan and continue its longstanding preparations to murder it in order to achieve global hegemony.

But there is some debate over how long it will take CCP dictator-for-life Xi Jinping (習近平) to actually pull the trigger and invade Taiwan. One school of thought, led by retired United States Pacific Command intelligence chief and US Navy Captain James Fanell, is that 2020 commences the “Decade of Concern,” in which the domestic political demands of Xi and the CCP, combined with a Taiwan Strait balance of power increasingly favoring China, impels Xi to attack Taiwan during this decade.

Another view is that Taiwan remains in danger but does not face an imminent existential threat from China. Its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will continue to intensify military intimidation of the island democracy while its United Front organs foment constant political, economic, and cyber warfare. But the combined factors of Taiwan’s military preparations, myriad geographic challenges to invasion, and expectation that the US will come to Taiwan’s defense, will continue to provide the margin of deterrence against PLA attack.

In this mix, it is the American contribution that will remain decisive. It is only the US military that can supply the decisive nuclear forces to deter the PLA, and the Trump Administration is now in the process of rebuilding US theater nuclear forces and the ballistic and cruise missiles that can deliver them. In addition the PLA has to consider, as in 1950 when Mao Zedong (毛澤東), Stalin and Kim Il Sung were shocked that Washington decided to fight a terrible war on the Korean Peninsula, whether President Trump or his successor will actually go to Taiwan to fight a Chinese invasion.

In the realm of military planning this is a basic contingency that the PLA would have been considering for decades. But it could be much worse. It is possible to conclude that the CCP’s devotion to sustaining its dictatorship without consideration for the cost in lives has prompted it to create a second string of “offense,” starting with the help of its three dictatorship allies or proxies, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan, to be able to wage nuclear terrorism or nuclear war.

China has tried mightily to hide or deny its role, but by enabling “independent” nuclear aggression by its proxies, the CCP’s strategy could be to tie down US forces sufficiently in order to “create” the conditions necessary to assure little to no US intervention to defend Taiwan, thereby assuring “victory” by negotiated surrender or invasion. It is this investment by China, insufficiently challenged by Washington since the 1990s, which now adds urgent legitimacy to the Decade of Concern.

On the Korean Peninsula and in the Persian Gulf, the United States and its regional allies hover close to the edge of war. To justify their harsh dictatorships, both North Korea and Iran require the US to remain the “Great Satan”. As their military and nuclear strength increases, their willingness to arm their allies and proxies with nuclear capabilities, or to undertake far larger acts of terrorism or military action, also increases the likelihood of US military intervention. This is China’s real goal: by sustaining these regimes and aiding their nuclear armaments, a small-scale US intervention can quickly escalate into major military commitments that leave other US interests undefended, like the Taiwan Strait.

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content_text:
Cross-strait policy must change: KMT group

TIMES ARE CHANGING:The group said if no one supports the ‘1992 consensus,’ which was decided on 28 years ago when Taiwan and China had different leaders, it is ‘useless’
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Lo Chih-chiang, third right, yesterday speaks at a news conference with other members of a KMT group known as “+1” outside the party’s Taipei headquarters.Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members known as “+1” yesterday called for a debate among party members on cross-strait policy.

To facilitate discussion on the subject, “+1” has launched a Facebook group with the same name and invited party members and others to propose new ideas for the party’s cross-strait policy.

“The KMT has never denied that mainland China is a threat to Taiwan, but it also shares close trade ties, as well as the same language and races as Taiwan,” the group said in a statement.

All KMT members must work together to find a way to interact with China to ensure the most benefits for Taiwan, it said.

The statement was signed by more than 20 KMT members, including Taipei city councilors Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧), Chang Shi-gang (張斯綱), legislator-elect Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) and KMT Youth League head Tien Fang-luen (田方倫).

The “1992 consensus,” which has served as the basis of the KMT’s cross-strait policy for years, is a historical event that took place 28 years ago, Yu told a news conference held by “+1” outside KMT headquarters in Taipei.

As both sides of the Taiwan Strait have had changes in leadership, people now think differently about cross-strait relations, she said.

“If mainland China insists that there is only one China, while we insist that China has two interpretations, is that considered a consensus?” she asked.

The KMT must begin new discussions about its cross-strait stance, she said, adding: “A stance that people do not support is useless, no matter how good we think it is.”

The Facebook group would serve as a platform for KMT members to exchange opinions and reach a consensus on the party’s future, Lo said.

In the group, members would draft statements about key issues and every statement that collects 20 or more signatures from other party members would be formally issued as a joint statement, he said.

While “+1” has more than 50 KMT members, the Facebook group has more than 30,000 members, Lo said.

The Facebook group would hopefully also provide a place for the KMT’s chairperson candidates to share their visions regarding cross-strait policy and other issues, he said.

Tien said if the group comes up with a clear direction for the party, he would propose it to the KMT Central Standing Committee, as he is a committee member.

National Taiwan University political science professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), who has announced that he would run for KMT chairman, also attended the news conference.

He said that he strongly supports the idea of having a debate on the KMT’s cross-strait stance.

“While the Democratic Progressive Party’s pursuit of Taiwanese independence will take Taiwan to a dead-end, the KMT’s stance of ‘one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what one China means’ fails to promise any future,” he said.

“It is very difficult for Taiwanese to accept Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems,’” he said, adding that he believes peaceful cross-strait incorporation would be the most ideal approach.

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

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content_text:
Breaking down walls, women fight home-built patriarchy in Iran

By Alice McCool  /  Thomson Reuters Foundation,
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates
From breaking down kitchen walls designed to separate women from men to ornately decorating domestic spaces — an architect has been mapping “signs of resistance” of Iranian women in their own homes.

On display at the United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah Architecture Triennial until Feb. 8, the work of Iranian-Australian architect Samaneh Moafi explores how Iranian women have carved out lives for themselves within the patriarchal structures around them.

One example, the architect said, was how several women she worked with for her “Parable of Mehr” (“compassion” in Farsi) project had removed a wall in their apartments that was designed to separate women in the kitchen from men in the living area.

“They showed their desire for a better life,” Moafi said as she walked through the installation.

She also viewed the women elaborately decorating their homes — particularly practical, domestic spaces such as kitchens — as “signs of resistance.”

Moafi’s work takes its name from one of Iran’s largest public housing initiatives, built under former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The ambitious Mehr project was initiated in 2007 and sought to build 4 million housing units across the country, according to the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

However, priority for the units was given to married men who were supporting a family and were unable to afford property otherwise, Moafi said.

The architect said that the Mehr buildings have few communal spaces, giving the women who live in them — often coming from disparate communities — little chance to interact.

That is why the custom-made household objects in her installation — displayed under green lighting typically used in Shiite Islam — are associated with particular rituals that cannot be performed alone, she said.

They are designed to create kinship between women who live in the same buildings, but “rarely speak to their neighbors or know what is going on outside,” Moafi said.

Originally, the Mehr units were affordable for those who qualified, she said.

Applicants could get a loan of up to 250 million rials (US$7,500) without a deposit and that would cover more than half of the total price of the average Mehr apartment, she said.

Since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came into power in August 2013, he has heavily criticized the initiative, said Kevan Harris, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Rouhani’s administration saw the project as a “big expense” and a key reason for inflation being pushed up to 40 percent, said Harris, author of a book on politics and the welfare state in Iran.

Today still, housing pressures add to cost of living, one of the main grievances behind ongoing protests in the country, he said in e-mailed comments.

Hundreds of young and working-class Iranians took to the streets in November last year to protest fuel price increases, which Moafi said have a “really serious effect” on residents of Mehr townships, as they tend to be poorly connected to public transport.

A spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development was not available to comment.

In December, the Iranian Planning and Housing Economy Office reported that residential property in the capital Tehran cost more than 134 million rials, per square meter.

That puts housing out of reach for many in a country where the average monthly household income is less than 27 million rials, government figures showed.

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title: Solskjaer downplays Liverpool’s status

content_text:
Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, right, makes a save as Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham seeks the net during their Premier league match at St James’ Park in Newcastle, England, on Saturday.Photo: EPA-EFE
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Saturday said he would not call Liverpool the greatest team in Premier League history until they have the trophies to prove it.

He still thinks that honor should be bestowed upon Alex Ferguson’s treble-winning United side in 1999.

Solskjaer scored the dramatic late winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final that year to cap United’s incredible campaign.

Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool are on course for a historic season of their own, holding a huge lead in the Premier League as they chase a first English league title since 1990.

They remain in the FA Cup and face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 next month as they try to defend their Champions League crown.

However, Solskjaer said that Liverpool have to demonstrate the ability to keep winning year after year before they deserve to be ranked alongside United’s best outfits.

“I would say our 1999 team was the best, but let’s see when the season has finished,” Solskjaer said. “That showed we as a squad could cope with three tournaments. It was an amazing season, an amazing group, the personalities, the camaraderie.”

“I’m sure Liverpool can win all three, so I’m not going to say yes or no, but let’s see in May,” he said. “You have to do it again and again and again, and Sir Alex is the only manager who has won it three times.”

“He had an exceptional way of motivating us and getting us ready, a way of just letting trophies be trophies, win them and move forward,” he said.

The 1-1 draw between the sides at Old Trafford in October last year is the only Premier League game Liverpool have not won so far this season.

United were to play Liverpool after press time last night.

Elsewhere, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur dropped points.

Manchester City were held 2-2 by Crystal Palace, further boosting Liverpool’s title hopes, after Tottenham drew 0-0 with Watford.

Arsenal’s underwhelming form under new manager Mikel Arteta continued in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, while Chelsea looked headed for a draw until Isaac Hayden headed in to give Newcastle United a 1-0 win.

Wolverhampton Wanderers showed plenty of hunger to win, coming back from 2-0 down to beat Southampton 3-2.

A Teemu Pukki penalty gave last-place Norwich City some hope of avoiding the drop in a 1-0 win over fellow relegation contender AFC Bournemouth.

Both teams finished the game with 10 men after receiving a red card apiece. The match witnessed the Premier League’s first pitchside video review when referee Paul Tierney, who had already sent off Bournemouth’s Steve Cook for handball in the first half, consulted his monitor in the second half before changing Ben Godfrey’s yellow card to a red.

Jack Grealish scored to rescue a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa against Brighton & Hove Albion, while West Ham United and Everton drew 1-1.

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people: 韓國瑜 蔡英文

content_text:
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) opposition to Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework and her support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests played a crucial role in her re-election. Another factor was the failure of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) promises of “making people rich” and “promoting cross-strait economic and trade exchanges” to attract more votes than the Tsai administration’s “Invest Taiwan” campaign, which encourages Taiwanese businesses to return home.

Ironically, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which had long been seen as a better steward of the economy, failed to convince voters that it could do better than Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has taken advantage of the changing global economic and trade situation amid a US-China trade dispute. The government knows that overreliance on the Chinese market would be a rejection of reality, while the stock market’s robust performance has supported private consumption and buoyed public sentiment.

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) in November last year revised up its GDP growth forecast for last year to 2.64 percent on the back of Taiwanese manufacturers returning home and 5G development boosting electronics exports.

If the growth momentum in the fourth quarter of last year turns out to be better than expected, last year’s GDP growth might beat the DGBAS’ estimate and even surpass the 2.75 percent increase in 2018, helping Taiwan stand out among its regional peers.

Washington and Beijing signing a “phase one” trade deal last week is positive for global trade and boosts market sentiment, and is beneficial to Taiwan’s export-reliant economy.

However, despite China’s pledge to buy more US goods, give US firms more market access and enforce tighter intellectual property controls, the tensions are only starting to de-escalate and there is still a long way to go before a permanent ceasefire could be achieved. Washington is likely to pressure China on more fronts this year, such as access to technology, human rights and territorial disputes.

The trade deal is not an end to the dispute, as the rivalry between the two economies is likely to intensify this year and beyond, given their political agendas and economic situation.

This has caused a sharp increase in the risks Taiwan faces in the Chinese market; reducing Taiwan’s economic dependence on China is the only reasonable option in the prevailing environment.

Such a wave of Taiwanese businesses returning home has rarely been seen in the past few decades. As voters have given Tsai another four years in office, the DPP government must not betray public expectations and work to improve the nation’s economy and people’s well-being.

Apart from encouraging more Taiwanese companies to return home, a major task would be to help them deepen their roots and upgrade their businesses, which would transform the nation’s industrial structure and lay the foundations of economic development.

The government is also facing the challenges of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the resumption of the Taiwan-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.

However, it needs to overcome certain obstacles — such as the bans on food imports from five Japanese prefectures and US pork — before the nation can join regional trade blocs or sign bilateral free-trade agreements. This is no easy task and requires better communication with the public.

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title: EDITORIAL: Economic challenges await Tsai


title: Trump team, US House managers trade views

content_text:
US President Donald Trump’s legal team on Saturday issued a fiery response ahead of opening arguments in his impeachment trial, while Democrats in the US House of Representatives laid out their case in forceful fashion, saying that the president betrayed public trust with behavior that was the “worst nightmare” of the founding fathers.

The dueling filings previewed arguments both sides intend to make once Trump’s impeachment trial begins in earnest tomorrow in the US Senate.

Their challenge will be to make a case that appeals to the 100 senators who are to render the verdict and for a public bracing for a presidential election in 10 months.

“President Donald J. Trump used his official powers to pressure a foreign government to interfere in a United States election for his personal political gain, and then attempted to cover up his scheme by obstructing [the US] Congress’s investigation into his misconduct,” House prosecutors wrote.

Trump’s legal team, responding to the US Senate’s official summons for the trial, said that the president “categorically and unequivocally” denies the charges of abuse and obstruction against him.

“This is a brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with the 2020 election, now just months away,” the president’s filing states.

Stripped of legalese and structured in plain English, the documents underscored the extent to which the impeachment proceedings are a political rather than conventional legal process.

They are the first of several filings expected in coming days as senators prepare to take their seats for the rare impeachment court.

Senators swore an oath to do “impartial justice” as the chamber convenes to consider the two articles of impeachment approved by the House last month as Trump’s presidency and legacy hangs in the balance.

One Republican whose votes are closely watched, US Senator Lisa Murkowski, acknowledged the political pressure bearing on them.

“I’m going to take my constitutional obligations very, very seriously,” she told reporters by telephone.

The House’s 111-page brief outlined the prosecutors’ narrative, starting from Trump’s phone call with Ukraine and relying on the private and public testimony of a dozen witnesses — ambassadors and national security officials at high levels of government — who raised concerns about the president’s actions.

“The only remaining question is whether the members of the Senate will accept and carry out the responsibility placed on them by the Framers of our Constitution and their constitutional Oaths,” the House managers wrote.

The Trump team called the two articles of impeachment “a dangerous attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president.”

Trump’s team encouraged lawmakers to reject “poisonous partisanship” and “vindicate the will of the American people” by rejecting both articles of impeachment approved by the House.

The Senate is still debating the ground rules of the trial, particularly the question of whether there will be new witnesses as fresh evidence emerges over Trump’s Ukraine actions that led to impeachment.

New information from Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump’s personal lawyer, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, is being incorporated in the House case.

At the same time, Senate Democrats want to call former US national security adviser John Bolton, among other potential eyewitnesses, after the White House blocked officials from appearing in the House.

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content_text:
Soviet-style leaders for life idea rejected by Putin

POST-2024:Despite the Russian leader’s comments to World War II veterans, many of his critics doubt he will give up power at the end of his fourth term as president
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with veterans and representatives of public patriotic associations at the State Museum of Defence and the Siege of Leningrad in St Petersburg on Saturday.Photo: Reuters / Sputnik / Mikhail Klimentyev / Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said he did not want Russia to return to the late Soviet-era practice of having lifelong rulers who died in office without a proper succession strategy.

His comments, made to World War II veterans in St Petersburg, came days after he unveiled a sweeping shake-up of the political system which led to the resignation of former Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev along with his government.

Putin, in a surprise move, picked Mikhail Mishustin, the low-profile head of the country’s tax service, as the next prime minister.

Russians are now waiting to hear which ministers will keep their jobs in a new government.

Putin’s changes, which would amend the constitution to create new centers of power outside the presidency, were widely seen as giving the 67-year-old scope to extend his grip on power once he leaves the presidency in 2024.

He has dominated Russian politics, as president or as prime minister, for two decades.

Critics accuse Putin, a former KGB officer, of plotting to stay on in some capacity after his term ends. They suspect he wants to continue to wield power over the world’s largest nation.

In his comments on Saturday, Putin, who has already said he wants to limit future presidents to two terms in power despite currently serving out his fourth term himself, rejected the idea of Russian presidents for life.

Asked by a war veteran on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad if it was time to abolish term limits for presidents altogether, Putin said: “As regards [presidential] terms for staying in power I understand ... that [concern over this] is linked for many people with worries about societal, state and domestic and external stability.”

“But it would be very worrying to return to the situation we had in the mid-1980s when state leaders stayed in power, one by one, until the end of their days and left office without ensuring the necessary conditions for a transition of power. So thanks, but I think it would be better not to return to that situation,” he added.

The late Soviet period was characterized by a series of elderly leaders such as Communist Party of the Soviet Union general secretary Leonid Brezhnev and his immediate successors Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, who all died in office, sparking a scramble by others to grab power.

Putin’s comments are likely to be seen as reinforcing the idea that he plans to exit the presidency in 2024 as per the current constitution, but they are unlikely to appease critics who think that he will find a way to continue wielding influence from behind the scenes in a different, enhanced role.

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countries: 澳門 香港

content_text:
By Wu Su-wei and Dennis Xie  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer
Marchers hold up signs calling for the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau to be amended to allow for the provision of political asylum for Hong Kong protesters in Taipei yesterday, during a protest organized by International Socialist Forward.Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
About 100 people marched in Taipei yesterday, demanding that the government amend the law to ensure the rights and well-being of pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters if they come to Taiwan.

The march, organized by International Socialist Forward (ISF), which began in front of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters, headed past Taipei Railway Station and the Ximending (西門町) area before ending in front of the Legislative Yuan.

Participants called on the DPP to grant Hong Kong protesters political asylum by amending the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例).

More than 7,000 protesters have been arrested in Hong Kong, including about 1,000 who face criminal charges, since the anti-extradition, pro-democracy protests began last year, and about 500 have been accused of committing the offense of riot, which carries a prison sentence of more than 10 years, ISF spokesperson Vincent Hsu (許偉育) said.

During the campaigns for the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections, the DPP promoted slogans backing Hong Kong protesters, but it has yet to take any real action since winning the elections, he said.

Amending the act, allocating a budget and establishing transparent application channels are needed so that Taiwan can provide asylum for Hong Kongers protesting against the totalitarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party, Hsu said.

Hsu rode on a truck during the march, shouting slogans such as “Bring down Emperor Xi,” in reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and “Amend the law immediately to protect Hong Kong protesters.”

One Hong Kong resident, surnamed Cheung (張), said he fled to Taiwan on a travel visa, which permits a stay of up to six months, meaning that if the situation in Hong Kong does not improve before his visa expires, he would have no choice but to flee to another country.

Protesters wanted to put colored sticky notes with their appeals on the Legislative Yuan’s main gate, but police deployed barricades to keep protesters away from the gate and the building.

After police rejected the protesters’ requests to remove the barricades, the notes were put on the barricades instead.

Additional reporting by CNA

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title: Taipei march urges protection for HK protesters


title: Toshiba CEO also president

content_text:
Toshiba Corp chief executive officer Nobuaki Kurumatani is to add the title of president effective April, part of a revamp among top management aimed at speeding up decision making.

Current president Satoshi Tsunakawa, who was promoted in 2016 following an accounting scandal, would resign and become non-executive chairman from April, Toshiba said in a statement on Saturday.

Kurumatani, 62, joined Toshiba in April 2018 after the electronics conglomerate decided to sell its crown-jewel memory unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital, in order to avoid delisting after billions of US dollars of losses in its US nuclear energy operations.

A former vice president at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and executive at CVC Capital Partners Ltd, Kurumatani restored Toshiba’s dividend and bought back ￥700 billion (US$6.35 billion) worth of shares.

Kurumatani, who spent his entire career in banking, was only the second outsider appointed to lead Toshiba in the past 50 years, an unusual development at a conglomerate where executives typically spend decades working their way to the top.

When he joined, he said his mission was to revive Toshiba’s spirit of technological and entrepreneurial innovation, conceding he faced a “difficult job.”

Toshiba is adopting a new corporate officer system that “will provide key personnel who lead the development of Toshiba Group with responsibilities, authority and compensation commensurate with their achievements, and enhance their presence in external sales activities,” the Tokyo-based company said in the statement. It would add three executive officers as of April.

However, Toshiba is unable to confirm as much as ￥20 billion in sales at a subsidiary involving “suspicious transactions,” the electronics conglomerate said.

An internal investigation found that some transactions at Toshiba IT-Services Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of yet another unit called Toshiba Digital Services Corp, could not be confirmed, the company said in the statement. Toshiba said it would eliminate the amount it has discovered so far from its financial statements for the fiscal third quarter.

“There are unsettled debts and credits among parties of suspicious transactions,” the company said in the statement.

“The final impact on profit and revenue as well as facts relating to suspicious transactions are subject to further investigation,” it said.

Separately, Toshiba is pressing forward with plans to take over NuFlare Technology Inc, despite a higher competing offer for the provider of critical chipmaking equipment.

Toshiba was already NuFlare’s biggest shareholder with 52.4 percent when it initiated the buyout. Toshiba Machine Co, an independent company that retains the former parent’s name and is the second-largest NuFlare stockholder, has said it would sell its 15.8 percent stake to Toshiba.

In a new twist, Yoshiaki Murakami, Japan’s best-known activist investor, announced a tender offer for Toshiba Machine late on Friday.

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content_text:
The presidential and legislative elections are over and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was re-elected in a landslide, with more than 8 million votes, the highest in any presidential election since Taiwan’s first direct presidential election in 1996. What is more worth mentioning is that this came after the Tsai administration introduced controversial policies during her first term and the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) drubbing in the November 2018 nine-in-one local elections, less than a year and a half ago. How did this incredible result come about?

Although Taiwan does not allow exit polls to provide age information about voters, most post-election analyses show that the DPP’s greatest advantage was with voters under the age of 40. Why did this demographic not vote for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)? Some of the reasons of course have to do with the individual candidates, but considering Tsai’s hard-to-beat 8 million votes, who among the pan-blue camp would dare claim to have been able to defeat her had they been the KMT presidential candidate in this election?

We thus come back to the unavoidable question: Why is it that the KMT cannot gain the trust of young voters? In other words, given the protests dragging on in Hong Kong and the DPP’s manipulation of public fear that the nation is facing impending doom, is there anything the KMT can do?

The KMT constantly tries to persuade voters that supporting the so-called “1992 consensus” and strengthening cross-strait economic ties does not mean that Taiwan would fall into China’s “united front” trap or that Beijing would use business relations to force political talks, but it is clear that the public is not buying it.

The fundamental solution to this trust problem is to promote the development of democracy and human rights in China.

The sense of impending doom that many Taiwanese have comes from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) continuing efforts to suppress democracy, freedom and human rights in its own nation, and this is one of the reasons that the DPP, which tries to resist China, has remained in power.

If the KMT still hopes to return to the executive branch and keep cross-strait unification as an option for Taiwan, it must address how its biggest teammate, the CCP, is assisting its biggest opponent, the DPP.

Regrettably, the KMT has made no indication whatsoever in this regard. Just imagine if China could be democratized, abandon its threat of military invasion of Taiwan, allow direct elections of Hong Kong’s chief executive, close the concentration camps in Xinjiang and allow the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet — would Taiwanese then have any reason to fear China?

Many people obviously think there is no way that would happen. After all, the painful case of democracy advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) is still ongoing. However, Lee is a member of the DPP. If even the DPP, which advocates Taiwanese independence, has members with lofty ideals trying to cultivate the seedlings of democracy in China, is there any reason that the pro-unification KMT should not be doing the same thing?

Pu Yi-hao is an automotive engineer in the UK.

Translated by Lin Lee-kai

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people: 李明哲 蔡英文

title: To make a comeback, KMT must change CCP


title: UK looks to offshore wind

content_text:
Britain, a global leader in offshore wind energy, plans to make the sector one of the pillars of its transition to carbon neutrality in the next few decades.

The country aims to quadruple its offshore electricity production capacity by 2030 by utilizing the windswept North Sea and a favorable policy environment.

“It’s more conducive to build offshore in the UK than anywhere else in Europe,” said James Brabben, of the Cornwall Insight energy consultancy. “There’s quite a consensus of support around offshore wind from the public and politics.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government pledged in its election manifesto to increase power from offshore wind from 10 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts this decade.

It wants Britain to be carbon neutral by 2050, with onshore wind, solar, hydro and biomass also to contribute to its energy mix.

The country already produces almost 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, according to figures published this month for the third quarter of last year.

Britain plans to favor the development of colossal offshore wind farms given the country’s relatively small land mass.

There were 38 operational sites comprising about 2,000 turbines at the end of 2018, according to the last available figures from the Crown Estate, the hereditary land and property portfolio of the royal family, which owns most of Britain’s seabed. Nearly 1,000 more turbines are already in the planning stages.

Two of the biggest projects are Walney Extension, in north Wales, and London Array, at the mouth of the River Thames.

The two sites are home to the highest concentration of British offshore farms, thanks to the windy weather conditions created by their geography.

Several other projects are also under way, including at Hornsea and Dogger Bank off Yorkshire, which will compete for the title of largest offshore wind turbine field in the world.

Johnson has also touted rolling out floating wind farms, which utilize cutting-edge technology still being developed, to tap into windy marine areas with deeper seabeds.

Maritime wind farms have not proved universally popular among residents when visible from the shore, while some non-governmental organizations have concerns over the impact on marine mammals and migratory birds.

The sector is also trying to account for the so-called “global cost” to the planet of building and running wind turbines.

Danish manufacturer Vestas has estimated it takes between five and 12 months of use to offset the energy cost of a turbine, the difference depending on the model and wind conditions.

“As turbines repay their entire carbon footprint in such a short space of time, they are excellent examples of sustainable technology in action,” RenewableUK industry trade association head of communications Robert Norris said.

Alastair Dutton, who heads a task force at the Global Wind Energy Council industry group, said that bigger investment in technological innovation is needed “to further increase their sustainability.”

That would allow turbine producers to “move away from carbon-intensive raw earth materials and implement the highest level possible of recycling to insert wind within the circular economy,” Dutton said.

Offshore wind power had a record year last year, with the completion of projects off Taiwan, Britain, China and the Netherlands, among others.

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content_text:
7.5 billion-year-old meteorite contains oldest material ever found on Earth

澳洲隕石發現地球上最古老物質 可追溯至七十五億年前

Scientists have discovered the oldest material found on Earth to date within a meteorite. The picture shows a scanning electron micrograph of a dated presolar silicon carbide grain, measuring around 8 micrometers in its longest dimension, dated to 7 billion years ago.
科學家於隕石中發現迄今地球上最古老的物質。圖為其中一個星塵微粒的電子顯微影像，其直徑約八微米，誕生於七十億年前。Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Scientists analyzing a meteorite that fell down onto an Australian village in 1969 have discovered that the rock contained many particles of stardust that existed before our solar system was formed, dating them to around 7.5 billion years ago, making them the oldest material ever found on the Earth. The study findings have been published in the American scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The meteorite that was analyzed fell to the Earth in the area around the village of Murchison in Victoria, Australia on Sept. 28, 1969. A team of scientists from the US and Switzerland placed ground particles of the meteorite in acid to remove all the material, leaving only the stardust. They then measured the length of time that this stardust would have been exposed to cosmic rays, in order to determine its age.

According to Philipp Heck, the primary author of the study, they determined that 90 percent of the stardust in the meteorite was dated to between 4.6 billion and 5.5 billion years ago, with the remaining 10 percent being over 5.5 billion years old, of which the oldest was around 7.5 billion years old. By comparison, the solar system started to form around 4.6 billion years ago.

Although this stardust is the oldest material discovered thus far on Earth, Heck believes that there is even more material older than the solar system in the Murchison meteorite and in other meteorites, it’s just that they have yet to be discovered by scientists.

(Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)

科學家對一九六九年墜落在澳洲的一顆隕石進行分析，發現其中含有許多在太陽系形成前就已存在的星塵，最久遠者更可追溯到約七十五億年前，是迄今在地球上能找到的最古老物質。研究結果刊登於美國國家科學院院刊。

這顆被分析的隕石是在一九六九年九月二十八日墜落於澳洲維多利亞省默奇森附近。來自美國及瑞士的研究團隊將隕石磨碎後溶於酸中，只留下其中的星塵，並測量這些星塵暴露於宇宙射線下的時間，以確定其年齡。

這項研究的第一作者赫克指出，結果發現隕石中有百分之九十的星塵可追溯到四十六億至五十五億年前，其餘一成則有逾五十五億年的歷史，其中最古老者約有七十五億年歷史。作為對比，太陽系大約是在四十六億年前開始形成。

雖然成功發現迄今地球上最古老的物質，但赫克相信，默奇森隕石及其他隕石中還有更多比太陽系更古老的物質，只是還沒有被科學家發現。

（自由時報）

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countries: 澳洲 美國 瑞士

taiwan-subdivisions: 成功 新社


title: ‘Not part of PRC’: MOFA, DPP, KMT

people: 蔡英文 習近平

content_text:
‘Not part of PRC’: MOFA, DPP, KMT

COMMON GROUND:Myanmar’s stance in a joint statement with China issued on Saturday drew sharp rebukes from the government and main political parties
By Yang Chun-hui, Jason Pan and Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporters, with CNA
Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the government, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said separtely yesterday, responding to a joint statement by China and Myanmar on Saturday.

According to the statement issued as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) wrapped up a two-day visit to Naypyidaw, which was posted on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, Myanmar said that it firmly adheres to the “one China” principle and recognizes Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang as inalienable parts of the PRC’s territory, and that it supports Beijing’s efforts to resolve issues relating to Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.

Beijing’s forceful push for its “one China” principle is not beneficial to cross-strait relations, and harms regional peace and stability, Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) said.

China should be aware of the will and voice of Taiwanese, and give up its threats and efforts to suppress Taiwan, Ting said.

Only by doing so could cross-strait relations develop in a positive direction, he added.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MOFA] solemnly protests the joint statement issued by China and Myanmar on January 18, in which Myanmar reaffirmed the so-called ‘one China principle’ and categorized Taiwan as an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China’s territory,” ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.

“The ministry condemns such false statements that diminish the sovereignty of the Republic of China, Taiwan,” she said.

Taiwan is not part of China, and only the Taiwanese government elected by its people can represent Taiwan in the international arena, she said.

“The results of the [Jan. 11] elections fully demonstrated the will of Taiwanese in resisting China’s ‘one country, two systems’ model,” Ou said.

“China’s rude and unreasonable promotion of the fabricated ‘one China’ principle will only hurt the feelings of Taiwanese and force democratic Taiwan to draw a line with autocratic China,” she added.

Beijing should respect the results of the presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, which gave President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a second term in a landslide victory, Ou said.

DPP spokeswoman Lee Yen-jong (李晏榕) said that China must curb its campaign to exclude Taiwan from participation on the international stage if it wants to return to a normalization of cross-strait dialogue.

“As the joint statement has infringed upon Taiwan’s sovereignty, we disagree with it,” she said.

“Taiwan has just finished its presidential and legislative elections. All nations and media were clear the election outcome was the strongest message by Taiwanese in saying ‘no to China,’ but China continues to ignore the real voice of Taiwanese,” she said.

China should end its political machinations and stop pressuring the international community to exclude Taiwan, she added.

The KMT said that the joint statement’s stance on Taiwan was “regrettable” and that it “could not agree with it at all.”

It has always believed that “one China” refers to the Republic of China (ROC) established in 1912 … which has independent sovereignty, although its jurisdiction is currently restricted to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, the KMT said in a written statement.

“Taiwan is definitely not a part of the PRC,” it said. “Authorities in the mainland should deal with the matter pragmatically.”

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content_text:
Trump calls for stronger, deeper Japan alliance

SECURITY TREATY:Donald Trump said that he believed Japan’s contribution to a mutual pact would grow, while Shinzo Abe said it must be made even more robust
US President Donald Trump marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the security treaty between the US and Japan with a call for a stronger and deeper alliance between the two countries, despite criticizing the pact six months ago.

“As the security environment continues to evolve and new challenges arise, it is essential that our alliance further strengthen and deepen,” Trump said in a statement on Saturday. “I am confident that in the months and years ahead, Japan’s contributions to our mutual security will continue to grow, and the alliance will continue to thrive.”

In June last year, Trump told a news conference in Japan that the treaty — signed six decades ago yesterday and the linchpin of Japan’s defense policy — was “unfair” and should be changed, echoing his long-held view that Japan is a free-rider on defense.

Trump at the time added he was not thinking of withdrawing from the pact.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday called for making the treaty more robust.

“We have elevated the relationship to one in which each of us, the US and Japan, protects the other, thereby giving further force to the alliance,” Abe said at a Tokyo reception to mark the anniversary of the signing. “Going forward, it is incumbent upon us to make it even more robust, to make it a pillar for safeguarding peace and security in both outer space and cyberspace.”

The treaty obligates the US to defend Japan, which under its US-drafted constitution renounced the right to wage war after World War II. Japan in return provides military bases used by the US to project power in Asia.

The treaty was signed in 1951 and revised in 1960 under Abe’s grandfather, then-Japanese prime minister Nobusuke Kishi.

Kishi was forced to step down afterward following a massive public outcry from Japanese critics who feared the pact would pull their country into conflict.

Abe since taking office in 2012 has raised Japan’s defense spending by 10 percent after years of decline and his government in 2014 reinterpreted the constitution to allow Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since the war.

Although generally supportive of the alliance, Japanese voters remain concerned about their country getting dragged into US-led conflicts.

A survey by the Kyodo news agency showed that 58.4 percent opposed Tokyo’s decision to dispatch a warship and patrol airplanes to the Middle East to help protect ships bringing goods to Japan.

Trump’s administration has also pushed for Japan to pay more for US forces stationed in the country.

Under an agreement reached in 2015, Japan pledged to increase its spending for US forces stationed there by 1.4 percent over the following five years to ￥189.3 billion (US$1.72 billion) per year on average.

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title: Merkel hosts Libya summit in bid to halt proxy fighting

content_text:
World leaders gather at a Libya peace summit in Berlin, Germany, yesterday.Photo: Reuters

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Germany yesterday brought together the key players in Libya’s long-running civil war, seeking to curb foreign military interference, solidify a ceasefire and help relaunch a political process to stop the chaos in the nation.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel invited leaders from 12 countries as well as the UN, the EU, the African Union and the Arab League to the summit at the chancellery in Berlin.

Germany’s months-long diplomatic drive seeks to bolster efforts to stop the fighting in Libya by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame.

Among those taking part were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Libya’s rival leaders: Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar.

However, the chances of the summit producing any real progress are unclear.

A truce brokered earlier this month by Russia and Turkey marked the first break in fighting in months, but the ceasefire has seen repeated violations.

Speaking at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before flying to the summit, Erdogan said the world had failed to respond adequately to Haftar’s “reckless attacks” on Sarraj’s UN-recognized government.

“Hopes that flourish again with the ceasefire and the Berlin summit should not be sacrificed to the ambitions of the merchants of blood and chaos,” he said.

Libya is divided into rival administrations: the UN-recognized government based in Tripoli, headed by Sarraj, and one based in the country’s east, supported by Haftar’s forces and backed by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Germany’s priority is to try to get the outside players that have interests in the conflict on the same page, stem the flow of weapons to Libya and ensure that the ceasefire sticks — creating space for UN-led efforts to re-establish a political process in Libya.

German officials have been careful to keep expectations in check.

“The conference is important, but it is a beginning, the start of a process,” spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said.

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content_text:
People attend a charity banquet for underprivileged groups in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The kindness of Taiwanese is a “model for Asia,” Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday at a banquet for underprivileged groups in Taipei to mark the end of the lunar year.

Each year, the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation, the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation and the Zenan Homeless Social Welfare Foundation host year-end banquets nationwide for low-income people; those who are homeless or long-term unemployed; elderly people living alone; and single mothers in need of assistance, organizers said.

This year, 16 banquets were held across Taiwan — including in Keelung, Hsinchu, Miaoli County and Taichung — with a total of 4,070 tables, involving about 40,000 guests and 5,000 volunteers, they said.

The banquet in Taipei, which took place on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building, had 2,200 tables and nearly 30,000 guests, they added.

The meaningful event started 30 years ago, when volunteers delivered boxed meals to homeless people, Chen said, before thanking the volunteers at the Taipei event.

It was the first time that more than 40,000 people have eaten a “reunion meal” before the Lunar New Year, he said.

The compassion of Taiwan’s kind people has not only lit up the nation, but it can also be a model for the rest of Asia, Chen said, adding that other countries could learn from Taiwan how to take care of disadvantaged people.

Despite the cold weather, people’s hearts were “warm,” Genesis Social Welfare Foundation founder Tsao Ching (曹慶) said, adding that every disadvantaged person is “our own flesh and blood.”

Taiwan’s most beautiful scenery is the hearts of its people, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said, adding: “The warmth of Taiwanese is the area that can touch the world the most.”

Chen Mei-chuan (陳美泉), a volunteer, said that he used to be a guest at the banquets and was able to come through a difficult time in his life with the help of the Zenan Homeless Social Welfare Foundation.

He is grateful to those who have helped him, he said, adding that although he is not wealthy, he does what he can to help those in need during the Lunar New Year and traditional festivals.

The number of small donors who contributed to the event increased this year, showing that an increasing number of people want to help disadvantaged groups, the Zenan Homeless Social Welfare Foundation said.

The foundations hope that more people will join the philanthropic efforts, it added.

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title: Taiwanese’s kindness ‘model for Asia’: vice president


title: Women’s March rallies held across US

content_text:
Demonstrators participate in the Women’s March in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday.Photo: AP
Thousands gathered in cities across the US on Saturday as part of the nationwide Women’s March rallies focused on issues such as climate change, pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration.

Hundreds showed up in New York City and thousands in Washington, for the rallies, which aim to harness the political power of women, although crowds were smaller than in previous years.

Marches were scheduled in more than 180 cities.

The first marches in 2017 drew hundreds of thousands of people to rallies in cities across the country on the day after US President Donald Trump was inaugurated. That year’s Washington march drew close to 1 million people.

In Manhattan on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered as part of a “Rise and Roar” rally at separate events in Foley Square and Columbus Circle.

“Today, we will be the change that is needed in this world! Today, we rise into our power!” activist Donna Hylton told a cheering crowd in Foley Square.

Snow began falling by the afternoon in Manhattan, apparently putting a damper on plans for the two groups to converge in large numbers near Times Square.

In downtown Los Angeles, thousands of men, women and children filled several blocks as they made their way from a plaza to a park adjacent to City Hall, where a rally featured speeches by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, US Representative Maxine Waters and others.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom credited women for mobilizing against gun violence, creating the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and discrimination, and taking back the Democratic majority in the US House of Representatives.

“In 2020, I have no doubt that it will be women who will lead again, rise up and move this country forward on a path toward justice,” she said.

Several thousand came out for the protest in Washington, far fewer than last year when about 100,000 people held a rally.

However, as in previous years, many of the protesters made the trip to the capital from cities across the country to express their opposition to Trump and his policies.

Three key issues seemed to galvanize most of the protesters: climate change, immigration and reproductive rights.

“I teach a lot of immigrant students, and in political times like this I want to make sure I’m using my voice to speak up for them,” said Rochelle McGurn, 30, an elementary-school teacher from Burlington, Vermont who was Washington to march. “They need to feel like they belong, because they do.”

Peta Madry of New London, Connecticut, was celebrating her 70th birthday by attending her fourth Women’s March in the US capital with her sister, Cynthia Barnard, of San Rafael, California.

Both women were wearing handknitted pink hats that date from the first march.

Organizers of the Washington march faced criticism from some local African American activists for failing to focus on local issues and damaging the ability of local activists to organize.

“Local DC is a domestic colony and the actions of national organizers have to recognize that,” Black Lives Matter DC wrote in a letter last week to Women’s March organizers. “Here in DC, these unstrategic mass mobilizations distract from local organizing, often overlook the black people who actually live here and even result in tougher laws against demonstration being passed locally.”

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people: 曾銘宗 沈智慧 蘇嘉全 吳志揚 柯建銘

content_text:
The Legislative Yuan is today expected to vote on a proposal to cut the Transitional Justice Commission’s budget by more than half.

The legislature on Tuesday launched a provisional session to review the general budget for the year.

Following a series of cross-caucus negotiations, 40 budget proposals have yet to be approved, including one proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to cut the commission’s budget. They are expected to be passed by noon today at the earliest.

Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) has said the legislature agreed that NT$24.6 billion (US$821.1 million), or 1.17 percent, would be cut from this year’s routine budgets.

KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) yesterday said that the party proposed cutting the Transitional Justice Commission’s budget and freezing the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee’s budget, because the two agencies have failed to remain neutral when exercising their power.

All KMT legislators would be urged to support the proposals regarding the two agencies’ budgets to show the party’s stance on the issue, he added.

During an initial review of the commission’s budget, KMT legislators Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧) and John Wu (吳志揚) had proposed reducing its planned budget of NT$65.48 million to zero.

The commission, which is to be dissolved in May, has betrayed its original mission of implementing justice, they said.

However, after cross-caucus negotiations, KMT legislators withdrew most of the proposals they had made regarding the commission’s budget, leaving only two.

They include a proposal to cut its personnel budget by NT$26.99 million and another to cut its budget for “recovering historical truth” by NT$8.97 million.

Meanwhile, the KMT insisted on putting forward two proposals for the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee’s budget, including one to cut its transportation budget by NT$1.59 million and another to freeze one-fifth of its total annual budget of NT$52.26 million, until the committee submits a report on how it would ensure that it does not encroach on people’s property rights.

The KMT caucus has also proposed a motion to ban people older than 62 from serving as a chairperson or general manager of any state-owned enterprise.

The motion would also require all chairpersons and general managers of state-owned enterprises who are older than 65 to obtain approval from the Executive Yuan to remain in their position on a yearly basis.

The KMT said the motion aims to prevent those positions from being used by the ruling party as a way to reward its allies.

During cross-caucus negotiations, Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said it would be difficult for all state-owned enterprises to meet the requirement.

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title: Justice commission budget cut expected to be voted on


title: Authority warns of congestion on Suhua Highway

content_text:
Vehicles drive on the upgraded Suhua Highway in Yilan County on Jan. 9.Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Traffic on the upgraded Suhua Highway, which opened on Jan. 6, is likely to be heavily congested during the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) said yesterday.

On the southbound lanes of the highway heading toward Hualien, heavy traffic can be expected on Thursday and Saturday, as well as on Monday and Wednesday next week, the agency said in a statement.

Traffic is expected peak on the southbound lanes on Saturday, with about 19,000 vehicles, it said, adding that the heaviest congestion should be between 5am and 5pm.

On the northbound lanes, the worst congestion would likely be on Tuesday next week, the second to last day of the holiday, when about 22,000 vehicles are likely to be traveling in the direction of Suao Township (蘇澳), particularly between 8am and 8pm, the agency said.

Only cars and buses are allowed on the upgraded highway, while motorcycles are permitted only on the section that runs through Renshui Tunnel (仁水隧道).

The agency said that it is still evaluating whether trucks should be allowed on the 38.8km Suhua Highway, which covers three sections along Taiwan’s east coast — from Suao (蘇澳) to Dongao (東澳) in Yilan County, from Nanao (南澳) in Yilan to Heping (和平) in Hualien County, and from Hejhong (和中) to Dacingshuei (大清水) in Hualien.

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taiwan-subdivisions: 和平 蘇澳 清水 南澳