content_text:
▲疫情影響，今年情人節可能要戴上口罩出門。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

●苦苓，本名王裕仁／知名作家，曾獲時報文學獎散文獎、聯合報小說獎。

今年的2月14日，可能是史上最悲慘的情人節了。

由於中國肺炎（有人說叫武漢肺炎不公平，那就比照日本腦炎、德國麻疹的叫法）疫情持續擴大，今年情人節情侶間不宜親吻、擁抱和做愛，連手牽手也不行，僅存的活動只有吃大餐和送禮物，以男生的自私觀點來看，似乎有些「得不償失」。

其實這個西洋情人節在西方不叫Lover’s Day而叫聖瓦倫提那節，故事發生在西元三世紀的羅馬，當時的皇帝是個暴君，窮兵黷武（對，就跟習大大一樣），為了徴兵打仗，就下令全國年輕人不准結婚，連已經訂婚的也不行。

一聲令下，全國沒有一個教士敢主持婚禮，許多兩情相悅、互許終身的的情侶無法如願結婚，眼看著對方垂垂老去（是有那麼誇張嗎？）幸好有一位叫做瓦倫提那的修士不吃皇帝那一套，堅持繼續為大家主婚，結果想結婚的青年男女從全國蜂湧而來，在他教堂前面排的隊伍比搶買口罩的人龍還長。

羅馬皇帝大為震怒，立刻把瓦修士抓進牢，他卻始終不肯認錯，他説：「讓相愛的人在一起是神的願望。」（有沒有很感人？拍謝，是我編的），結果他在西元207年2月14日被處死，後來人們為了紀念他⋯這個你都知道了，我就不多說了。

▲日本2月14日情人節由女生主動送禮，3月14日白色情人節再由男生回禮。（圖／翻攝自推特）。

你可能不知道的是：前面講到送禮，在「先進文明國家」日本，2月14情人節是由女生主動送禮給男生的，不只送給在交往的男生，也可以送給想表白的男生，還要送禮給公司所有的男同事（包括討厭的禿頭上司在內，沒辦法，迼叫「義理」上的送禮，有點像我們說的「道義」）一個節日要送那麼多禮，所費不貲，所以日本銀行還專辦「情人節送禮信用貸款」好啦！又是我瞎掰的好不好？也是有可能啊。

一個月後，3月14日就是「白色情人節」了，換男生回禮，「義理」的要送，情侶的也當然要送，最開心的就是：上個月女生送禮表白的對象有回禮了，那就表示他說Yes I Do了，賓果！

倒是台灣很多太太，把情人節列為「一年三節」（另兩個是自己生日和結婚周年紀念日），有很大的期待─這個實在叫男人太為難了，喂，是情人節不是配偶節耶！妳是在哈囉嗎？

沒辦法，正統情人節還是得跟「正宮」過，那麼真正的情人怎麼辦呢？當然是提前一天2月13就過，不信你去看看那些義式法式美式餐廳，為什麼「情人節浪漫特餐」在13日、甚至12日就開始賣了？這一次不是我吹牛，開餐廳的朋友偷偷告訴我：2月13的生意比14好，消費額也比較高，真的！

搞了半天，我們竟然連哪一天是「真正的」情人節都沒搞清楚，真是「厭氣啦」（台語）！

還有一項是送禮：好在我們不用像日本人那樣亂送，但也不能送錯了，送錯禮物給女生，比忘了送她禮物還慘（因為後者還可以補考），可是要如何知道什麼禮物會讓她欣然接受呢？

很簡單，她常常唸著想要的，她在店裡看到眼睛發光卻沒下手的，她很喜歡卻因為太貴而捨不得買的…買給她就對了！就算因為疫情無法馬上得到「回報」，但我們要「積極樂觀，不因一時之挫折而懷憂喪志」（猜猜看這是哪位偉人說的？），總會有雨過天青之日的，要有信心！

▲帶另一半逛街買禮物就是最佳的行程規劃（圖／取自免費圖庫pixabay）

更簡單的方式就是帶她去買，好吧！好人做到底，就幫大家規劃個情人節一日行程：首先睡到自然醒（什麼？要上班？這麼重大節日你還不請假，你不想要這段關係了嗎？），兩個人悠哉悠哉的吃一頓早午餐，然後梳妝打扮一起去看場喜歡的電影，沒有錯！電影院的確是密閉空間，問題是裡面只有小貓兩三隻你是在擔心什麼？這就是所謂的「逆向操作」啦！

然後找家喜歡的咖啡廳，喝個浪漫悠閒的下午茶，讓近來有點疏離的感情逐漸回溫之後，就可以一起去買禮物了。去哪裡呢？當然是大型的室外Out Let，空間寛廣，品樣齊全，價格優惠…不要問她要什麼、也不一定陪她挑，就給她一張最好的信用卡（不是VISA卡也不是Master卡，而是「她消費、你買單」的副卡！），保證她頓時對你愛情滿溢，恨不得天天都是情人節。

有了這一招「必殺」絕技，原本是重頭戲的晚餐倒沒那麼重要了，你可以好聲好氣的說：「親愛的，今睌去吃飯一定人很多，不是佷…安全，你看這樣好不好？我們回家，你穿上新買的衣服，我們在屋裡挿上玫瑰花、點上香氛蠟燭、放上浪漫音樂，叫一家好吃餐廳的外賣，可以完全不受打擾、兩個人共度美好時光…」相信已經買得很開心的她，一定OK的啦！

她OK，你就OK，「愛在瘟疫蔓延時」，還是可以好好維護、度過刼難、迎接下一個情人節…

熱門推薦》

►黃曉明「親情說」，是為了官宣離婚鋪路嗎？

►如何避免疫情海嘯滅頂？ 數位轉型助老闆渡難關

►隨時加入觀點與討論，給雲論粉絲團按個讚！

●以上言論不代表本網立場，《》提供公民發聲平台，歡迎能人志士、各方好手投稿，請點此投稿。

things: 台語 麻疹

countries: 台灣 中國 德國 日本

title: 苦苓／情人節如何在疫情中保住愛情？


title: 【即時短評】盧秀燕拒台中州廳中央代管 原來有內幕！

people: 盧秀燕 林佳龍

content_text:
台中州廳拒絕成為「國美二館」，文化部表示遺憾，這場合作看似中央、地方的政治角力，其實引發基層反彈最大的主因是「文化部補助1.29億元修繕，就可代管30年」。換算之下，等於每坪1.6萬元「賤租」給中央30年，有如「割地賠款」的不合理合約。

從經濟面和數據面分析，前市長林佳龍和文化部簽約備忘錄的目標是要修繕州廳，根據台中州廳活化計畫，總經費6.3億元。

但真正用於州廳硬體整修只有2.14億元，按中央6成、地方4成出資分配估算，文化部僅出資1.29億元就要接管「台中州廳園區（含舊稅務大樓、舊市議會）」30年，甚至還替特定民間蒐藏家規畫美術館空間，算盤打得可精明。

房地產業者指出，現在內政部不動產交易實價查詢，台中市中區土地一坪都成交都50萬以上，自由路、台灣大道口最近有大樓新建案推出，成交價每坪28至30萬元間，中區新建案首次站上3字頭，再度拉升區域行情。

這塊土地在20、30年前是精華地段，對面就是舊遠東百貨，當時周邊商場林立，區域沒落後面臨土地所有權人整合，花了好幾年才談妥。據了解，這塊建地約400多坪，建商取得土地價格每坪破70萬。

當地里長都說，中區雖是舊城，「老屋價值連城，土地是金」，就因地價高，老屋主都不賣地，是都更難度之一；而讓地方最反感是「中央以修繕國定古蹟名義，實際是便宜租土地、擁主導權」，極不合理。

中區缺的是「人潮駐留」，盧秀燕必須提出「2.0版舊城新生」計畫，並且立即動起來，才能破除各界對她一句「不做人細漢仔」的政治情緒語言的反感。

若以台中州廳為「圓心」，往北1.2公里到台中公園、往南1.3公里是台中邢務所官舍群和綠空鐵道南段，以整個「大街廓計畫」整體規畫復刻「小京都」都市設計前瞻性，才能重現區域特色，但也不能只靠文化局單打獨鬥，觀旅、交通、建設、都發、經發等局處都要一起動起來。

「舊城新生、中區復甦」也不是林佳龍的專屬口號，這是藍、綠執政都該致力的方向，新建案推出了，表示中區復甦已露出曙光。

今年大智路打通後，周遭業者均樂觀認為，將為當地發展再注入新活力，就看盧秀燕團隊有沒有行動力，讓「中區復甦」不再停留一直是口號階段，而是耳目一新的城市景象。

台中市文資處規劃以台中州廳為「圓心」串聯周邊歷史景點，讓文化成為中區亮點，但須交通、觀旅、都發、建設跨局處合作才能有商機，而非只是歷史遺跡。圖／台中市文資處提供


title: 每日星座運勢／天秤給他愛你的機會  得財自然順利

taiwan-subdivisions: 太平 獅子

content_text:
2020-02-14

牡羊座

今天諸事順利，是個好日子。

整體運：★★★★☆

另一半今天帶給你不小的驚喜，讓你體驗到一種全新的感受。單身者穿亮色的衣服，能吸引異性的注意，有機會遇到改變你一生的人，值得期待。去花卉市場轉轉，能夠買到中意的盆栽。

愛情運：★★★★★

甜蜜的日子，對方的溫柔會讓你感到很溫暖，對方的傾聽能讓你找到宣洩情緒的管道。

事業運：★★★☆☆

今日事業運平平，適合默默的付出，不求有功，但求無過！心情平靜時很適合做點研究相關的工作，例如：報表分析等等！

財運：★★★★☆

為賺錢而忙碌的一天，財運很不錯，出門在外容易遇到有頭有臉的有錢人，特別有利於在外洽商。

貴人星座：射手座

幸運數字：1

吉時吉色：17:00-19:00玉髓紅

開運方位：正東方向

金牛座

健康最為重要。

整體運：★★☆☆☆

由於工作的壓力過大，讓你略顯疲倦，從而也使你失去了吸引人的光彩；財運並不是很好，切勿盲目投資，不如收集資料方便你日後投資；盡量不要去人多口雜的地方，以免惹來不必要的麻煩。

愛情運：★★☆☆☆

工作、感情會有混淆的狀況，應有所取捨才好，做出合理安排，小心兩邊受影響。

事業運：★★☆☆☆

放鬆心情，以平常心對待，其實所有的事務你都可輕鬆應對。

財運：★★☆☆☆

在賭的過程中千萬別過度的沉迷，更別拿辛苦賺來的財富開玩笑！

貴人星座：天秤座

幸運數字：2

吉時吉色：13:00-14:00萊姆黃

開運方位：正西方向

雙子座

公關不宜出擊，還是靜守為妙。

整體運：★★★☆☆

今天對公關人員來說頗有些不順，有橫生的枝節打破本已不合錯的局面，若是處理不當，情勢可能向下急轉；若有打算在感情方面投資的話，還是盡早打消念頭為好；財運恆通，正財、偏財運都不錯。

愛情運：★★☆☆☆

要表白？台詞背熟了嗎？小心關鍵時刻變結巴。

事業運：★★☆☆☆

情緒起伏不定，總一副耐性不足的樣子，行動力很弱，工作看不到成效。

財運：★★★★☆

財運不錯，有機會獲得不錯的商機，收到紅包、禮物的機會多！

貴人星座：巨蟹座

幸運數字：7

吉時吉色：22:00-24:00水鑽藍

開運方位：東北方向

巨蟹座

追求浪漫時很容易讓錢財流走。

整體運：★★★☆☆

今天情緒高漲，工作中精力旺盛，能很快完成工作任務；與伴侶的約會要講究心意和新意，這樣才會讓他印象深刻；花費比較大，顯得沒有節制，要盡量做到理性消費，即使是有必要的支出，也應貨比三家。

愛情運：★★★★☆

戀愛中的人多與戀人到熱鬧有趣的地方，可以讓愛情升溫；單身者多外出可有不錯的際遇。

事業運：★★★★☆

工作目標明確，能快速掌握重點，易取得良好的成效。

財運：★★☆☆☆

現實物質是今日的生活重心，滿腦子想賺錢也會想著花錢，只要保守謹慎不衝動、不投機，不會有太大的困難。

貴人星座：獅子座

幸運數字：3

吉時吉色：10:00-11:00水鑽藍

開運方位：正西方向

獅子座

煩心事較多，難以平復心情。

整體運：★★☆☆☆

感情上會有一些小摩擦，讓你難以開懷，應把心思從感情上移開。工作上受到外界因素影響有點分心，多提醒自己，以免無法保證工作進度。財運不佳，容易被誤導，干擾你的判斷，不要理會小道消息。

愛情運：★☆☆☆☆

感情問題棘手的一天，用包容的心來解決疑難雜症，死鴨子嘴硬可是會自討苦吃的咧！

事業運：★★★☆☆

工作激情高漲，對新計劃的推出能有許多很不錯的設想，不過實施起來難免會遇到一些問題。

財運：★★☆☆☆

花錢較隨性，難以守住錢財。

貴人星座：天秤座

幸運數字：7

吉時吉色：15:00-16:00蘭花紫

開運方位：正南方向

處女座

相信自己的主張。

整體運：★★☆☆☆

看到身邊的人都成雙成對，今日倍感孤單，不妨主動約對方出來走走，關係易有突破。一貫的工作作風，今天看來並不合適，不妨做一下調整，會有不錯收效。財運不佳，不可盲目投資，以免造成重大的損失。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

單身者多表現安靜、平和的一面易吸引異性；戀愛中的人多與戀人互動可更瞭解對方的想法。

事業運：★★☆☆☆

工作積極性不高，有得過且過的傾向，應及時調整，別太放縱自己唷！

財運：★☆☆☆☆

財氣混亂不穩定，要克制衝動性。大筆金錢支出上要多與人商量，當發生周轉困難時不妨多與長輩商量。

貴人星座：牡羊座

幸運數字：6

吉時吉色：06:00-08:00朝霞紅

開運方位：正南方向

天秤座

愛一個人，就要給他愛你的機會。

整體運：★★★★★

在為伴侶付出同時，還要讓他感覺他是被你需要的，給他愛你的機會；對於投資要不斷學習、整理和歸納，讓自己能得到不斷提升；新員工進去公司時一定要瞭解公司企業文化，不留意這些做事習慣，會讓你與其他人格格不入。

愛情運：★★★★★

今日機緣一級棒！戀愛中人快約心上人去郊外踏青賞月吧！單身者安排短程旅行，就有機會與情人邂逅喔！

事業運：★★★☆☆

今日事業運平平，情緒上會有些波動，態度上顯得被動，運作上想要快也快不起來。

財運：★★★★☆

得財自然而且順利，遇到金錢面的疑難雜症也能因為貴人的相助而逢凶化吉。

貴人星座：雙魚座

幸運數字：2

吉時吉色：19:00-21:00可可棕

開運方位：正南方向

天蠍座

有明確的守壘方案才能有望扭轉財運。

整體運：★☆☆☆☆

運勢進入低潮，財運欠佳，不宜冒險投資，孤注一擲只可能帶來更壞的結果，還是耐心等待時機唯妙。工作不太穩定，需要同事協作時，說話禮貌溫和些才不會讓人產生牴觸心理。對遠距離的朋友，不妨多利用電話或網路進行溝通，不可因時空的距離而疏遠了對方。

愛情運：★★☆☆☆

戀愛中的人感情非常和諧，不過總是感覺少了點激情，還應安排一些浪漫的約會喔！

事業運：★☆☆☆☆

事業運不佳，很忙碌，可是效狀況不斷。一個人做事倒是無妨，可是與同事並肩作戰時要特別注意自身的態度。

財運：★☆☆☆☆

財運不穩定加上腦袋瓜有點空空的，判斷力明顯下降，不要聽信謠言可防止受到錯誤資訊的影響！

貴人星座：處女座

幸運數字：3

吉時吉色：21:00-23:00淺海藍

開運方位：正東方向

射手座

放寬心，忘記該忘記的。

整體運：★★★★☆

已經過去的事就別放在心上，太過計較反而讓兩人之間距離更遠；今天的金錢運，可是讓你實實在在感受到了，要見底的錢包忽然豐厚了起來；原本看似進入僵局的事業傳來了新的好消息，實在讓你振奮不已。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

戀愛運平平，少說兩句挑剔埋怨的話才不會引發口角。

事業運：★★★★★

運氣很不錯喔，外界的助力很強。從事業務競爭工作者較容易感受到好運。

財運：★★★☆☆

財氣平平，保守為宜，適合把錢拿去銀行存起來！

貴人星座：金牛座

幸運數字：3

吉時吉色：05:00-06:00芙蓉晶粉

開運方位：東南方向

摩羯座

謹言慎行，可避免許多麻煩。

整體運：★★★☆☆

不必勉強自己去迎合別人，小心馬屁拍在馬腳上，惹人反感。心中的秘密就自己消化，傳揚開來會對人對己造成傷害。工作上按部就班，就能平穩地度過。

愛情運：★★☆☆☆

有這麼嚴重嗎，不過就是小事！想點彼此開心甜蜜的事情吧！

事業運：★★★☆☆

學生族情緒容易受到長輩的影響，他們的嘮叨會讓你有被束縛的感覺。

財運：★★★☆☆

財務的損失大多因外力引起，例如：掉錢包，失竊等等。

貴人星座：獅子座

幸運數字：2

吉時吉色：06:00-08:00象牙白

開運方位：正南方向

水瓶座

人逢喜事精神爽。

整體運：★★★★☆

訂單越接越多，與客戶的溝通、訂單的跟進都需要親力親為，不過看著訂單上的數量，自己也忙得不亦樂乎；顧得了事業，卻忽視了感情，愛人對你整天沒與他聯繫心裡會有點小埋怨，所以抽點空給他一通電話都是好的；財運一般，收支維持平衡。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

腦袋瓜有胡思亂想、觸景傷情的傾向，多想點開心的事情吧！

事業運：★★★★☆

工作壓力不大，可將部分精力用於自己感興趣的活動上，給自己信心，你會有很好收穫。

財運：★★★☆☆

動腦生財的一天，有利於在今日思考該如何開發財源，或許會有不錯的點子浮現。

貴人星座：天蠍座

幸運數字：9

吉時吉色：13:00-14:00雪花銀

開運方位：西南方向

雙魚座

試著改變自己。

整體運：★★★☆☆

多留意穿著打扮，嘗試新的造型，不僅給人新的感覺，還能換來好心情。有事早準備，以免誤時誤事。感性的消費，導致在商場買下許多無用的東西，經濟易陷入危機。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

透過朋友介紹可認識許多異性朋友，不必太在意自己是否受到大家的喜歡，自然一點就好！

事業運：★★★☆☆

運勢普通，行動力不足，適合動腦性質的工作，管理者可進行整體營運上的規劃。

財運：★★☆☆☆

財運不太平順，把錢看淡點，看得愈重心愈難過！

貴人星座：巨蟹座

幸運數字：5

吉時吉色：22:00-24:00遠洋藍

開運方位：東北方向

【更多命理分析，請前往 科技紫微網 】


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行政院長蘇貞昌昨（13）日宣布，為因應新冠肺炎造成的經濟衝擊，將訂特別條例，匡列整體規模600億元的消費振興方案。預計下周四行政院會通過特別條例草案，趕在21日立院開議前送入立法院。

據悉，民進黨立院黨團規劃會在3月3日立法院會中三讀特別條例，並接續編列、審查特別預算案。

行政院發言人Kolas Yotaka（谷辣斯・尤達卡）表示，600億元為相關部會盤點各項措施所需經費，主要針對內需型產業、農漁業跟交通觀光業紓困，其中主要預算用途包括交通部約200億元、經濟部約160億元，以及農委會約60億元。

Kolas說，特別條例預算為期一年，細部組成仍待各部會盤點確認，在特別條例通過前，各部會已在執行或未來超過額度及期間的部分，依「移緩濟急」原則，以各部會既有公務預算或相關預算支應。

交通部共匡列500億元，大致區分兩大部分，第一部分是納入特別預算的200億元，包含觀光產業、交通運輸業紓困經費142.3億元，及觀光產業復甦及振興方案54.5億元；第二部分，觀光升級與轉型前瞻計畫約為300億元，但這部分不會納入特別預算中，而是擬由前瞻計畫2.0，或是年度預算中編列。

經濟部規劃的160億元中，包括信保基金100億元、「酷碰折扣優惠」方案20億元，拓銷方案20億元、利息補貼20億元。其中有關「酷碰折扣優惠」擬在疫情告一段落後上路。

經濟部次長王美花表示，「酷碰折扣優惠」不是消費券，是採「你消費，我折扣」的原則；經濟部表示，該方案擬比照信用卡消費方式，給予一定比例的折扣。

people:
蘇貞昌
Kolas Yotaka

title: 抗疫拚經濟 台灣祭600億振興方案


title: 蘋果驚爆電腦延遲出貨

countries: 美國 台灣 中國

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市場傳出，蘋果iMac、iMac Pro和MacBook Pro等電腦產品，在美國與歐洲的蘋果線上商店交付時間比往常更長，是新冠肺炎疫情爆發後，蘋果硬體產品第一次延遲出貨。

外界預期，蘋果將在上半年推出新款的MacBook Pro、MacBook Air、新款帶有三個後置鏡頭的iPad Pro，以及新款低價版4.7吋螢幕的iPhone，因新冠肺炎疫情持續發酵，蘋果電腦產品率先傳出延遲出貨，業界關注是否會影響到蘋果新產品發布時間，進而延後供應商出貨時程，影響供應鏈業績。

蘋果個人電腦及筆電高度仰賴台灣電子廠供貨與組裝，包括機殼廠可成、電池模組廠新普，背光模組廠瑞儀等，都是其供應鏈，並由廣達組裝。廣達一向不評論單一客戶與訂單。廣達在中國大陸的上海、常熟與重慶三個生產基地，已從2月10日起緩步復工。

根據上海市台灣同胞投資企業協會發布的新聞，廣達上海製造城員工達3萬多人，2月10日開工首日已有近2萬名員工復工上崗，顯示復工率相當不錯。

目前蘋果在歐美的產品交付時間變長原因尚未得到證實，外界認為，應該與新冠肺炎疫情爆發有關，該病毒迫使許多蘋果供應商暫時關閉大陸工廠並暫停生產。即使目前一些蘋果供應商的工廠開始恢復營運，但是初期產能仍受到限制。

外電報導，現在新款Mac Pro的交付時間受到影響。例如，在許多歐洲國家，目前消費者下定的基本款Mac Pro（非客製化機型），交付時間都在3月10日之後。新款Mac Pro在美洲的訂單是在美國組裝，但是歐洲訂單仍在大陸組裝。

儘管蘋果在美國德克薩斯州組裝新的Mac Pro，但在美國的交貨期也延遲到2月24日至26日，這可能是因為某些零組件來自大陸暫時停工的供應商。

大陸湖北省昨天下午再次發出通知，通告湖北省內各類企業不早於2月20日24時前復工，也就是將允許復工日期由原來的2月14日，再向後展延一周，這不僅衝擊PCB等產業在湖北省的營運，也將零組件廠商供貨時間持續往後延宕，影響到整個蘋果供應鏈。


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▲最高法院大法庭首起裁定出爐，詐騙集團車手仍須強制工作3年。（圖／記者湯興漢攝）

記者吳銘峯／台北報導

最高法院「大法庭」上路後，首起案例出爐！最高法院刑事大法庭13日宣示裁定，認為詐騙集團的「車手」，除了犯普通刑法的「詐欺罪」外，也構成《組織犯罪條例》的罪行。而最高法院認為這類案件應該想像競合犯規定，從一重論以「加重詐欺罪」，並應於刑前強志工作3年。

大法庭制度於去年7月4日上路，當時司法院長許宗力期許「人民不必再擔心法院初一、十五不一樣」，希望藉由大法庭制度有效解決各種法律爭議，人民對判決的可預期性更高。而最高法院刑事大法庭13日作出的裁定，有特殊意義存在。

至於本起案件乃因詐騙集團「車手」處罰問題，對於車手是否接受強制工作，最高法院因有不同意見，以致於出現不同判決。另外最高檢察署也認為此法律問題具重要性，因此聲請提案大法庭審理獲准。

最高法院曾於上月17日召集4位專家學者言詞辯論，當時採「肯定說」的學者認為，強制工作是保安處分一種，刑罰不能吸收保安處分，「如同洗澡和刷牙性質、目的不同，即使洗澡洗得很乾淨，牙還是得刷」，因此車手若涉犯其他重罪，就不宣告強制工作，是反其道而行。另有學者舉例「倒洗澡水不要把小孩一起倒掉」，主張輕罪的保安處分不能被重罪吸收。

至於採「否定說」學者認為，在立法者沒有明文規定下，法院應遵守罪刑法定原則、刑法謙抑性思想，不能擅自擴大適用。另有學者認為，此乃立法者長期忽略的法律漏洞，應透過修法補足，不能由法官類推適用。

而最高法院13日的裁定指出，採取修正的肯定說，從文義及體系解釋出發，來解釋刑法第55條前段規定，並依循司法院釋字第471號解釋意旨，採合憲性解釋，就前開條例規定為目的性限縮，既符合法理，又適應社會需要，且方便實務運作。

title: 最高法院大法庭首件裁定！詐騙集團車手仍須強制工作3年


title: 快訊／高雄消防隊出勤「與拖車擦撞」翻覆　1名警消無生跡4輕重傷

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記者洪正達／高雄報導

高雄市消防局鳳翔分隊水箱車晚間10點出勤時，在鳳頂、過埤路口與一輛拖車擦撞後翻覆，造成車上5名警消受困車內，其中一名警消被救出時已失去呼吸心跳，其餘緊急送醫救治，詳細車禍原因仍待警方釐清中。

▲鳳翔分隊水箱車被拖車撞翻，5名警消受困車內。（圖／記者洪正達翻攝，下同）

消防署指出，高雄市政府消防局鳳祥分隊水箱車火警出勤途中，於鳳山區鳳頂路和過埤路路口與大貨車車禍後翻覆，車內共5消防同仁，已救出4人，其中分隊長曾柏雄顏面受傷、雙腳骨折，另隊員郭峻嘉多處擦傷， 郭玉錦四肢擦傷皆意識清醒分送小港醫院及國軍高雄總醫院，小隊長馮永昌、無生命徵象送長庚醫院，另1人受困搶救中。

taiwan-subdivisions: 高雄 小港 鳳山區 高雄市


content_text:
▲指揮中心指出，首批武漢台商包機預計在2/18可以解除隔離。（圖／記者李毓康攝）

記者趙于婷／台北報導

中央疫情指揮中心今（13）日在記者會宣布台灣第10例確診武漢肺炎（新冠肺炎COVID-19）台商康復可以解除隔離，該台商也透過錄音表達心聲和對第一線防疫人員道謝，而首批包機回台的武漢台商還有244人在隔離檢疫所，如果都沒有狀況，預計總共247人在2/18可以解除隔離。

台灣第十例台商患者透過錄音說明心情和感謝，直言「住進醫院後，家人全部變成全民公敵，我明白人性都是擔心自己，深怕被傳染，但生病之後才能同理病人的無奈與無助。」但最後他也再次強調，「一定要選擇說真話，謝謝第一線防疫人員，生在台灣真的是很幸福！」

他也特別談到指揮官陳時中落淚的那天，他說「當我看到陳部長在記者會上哽咽落淚的那一刻，我忍不住心中滿滿的感慨，我要向第一線的所有防疫人員說聲您辛苦了，謝謝你們！」也不忘再次強調「選擇說真話真的很重要！」

▲中央流行疫情指揮中心指揮官陳時中。（圖／記者湯興漢攝）

而陳時中在現場聽到該名台商的錄音檔，也再次拿起麥克風直說，真的很中意「選擇說真話這麼重要」這句話；但他也不禁感嘆「選擇說真話也很困難」，當社會對患者標籤化，患者不說真話，那防疫又該怎麼做？他也再次呼籲，整個社會不要對立，不要標籤化、不要肉搜，因為「唯有選擇說真話，防疫才有可能。」

另外，針對檢疫所台商身體狀況，醫福會執行長王必勝表示，12日所有台商情況良好，但有一名小朋友發燒，由媽媽陪同就醫，目前醫院的3位患者中，除了首例確診外，其餘採檢皆為陰性。

王必勝說，247位台商自4日入住檢疫所以來，總共轉出11位，除了昨天轉出的2位之外，剩下的9位皆二採陰性回到檢疫所，所有台商預計在18日解除隔離，之後預計會消毒2到3天，也讓工作人員暫時休息。

而在口罩產能方面，經濟部也表示，60條生產線都已經遴選分配完畢，業者都符合條件規範，包括「3/2前裝機上線、每一個機台每週可以70萬片、總量超過500萬片、其中120萬片無償提供和380萬片依照公告價格」，預計計第一批會在2/25開始。

▲經濟部也表示，60條生產線都已經遴選分配完畢。（圖／記者湯興漢攝，資料照）

things: 經濟 防疫

title: 「第二位台商康復」錄音曝心聲！60條口罩產線完成、首批台商預計18日解隔離


content_text:
受疫情影響停業近兩周後，蘋果官網13日晚間公告，蘋果位於北京的五家門店將於2月14日重新恢復營業，營業時間為11時至18時，與先前正常營業時間明顯縮短。據悉，這應是為配合當前新冠肺炎（武漢肺炎）疫情防控而進行的調整。

蘋果中國官網2月1日公告，基於防疫考量，即日起至2月9日24時，中國大陸所有Apple Store將臨時關閉。此前蘋果已宣布臨時關閉位於青島、南京和福州的三家Apple Store，其他省市直營店也已縮短營業時間。蘋果目前在中國大陸共有42家門店。

蘋果公司當時在一份聲明中稱，「我們心裡掛念著那些受冠狀病毒最直接影響的人們，以及夜以繼日研究和控制該疫情的工作人員。從即日起至2月9日，出於極其慎重考慮並根據專家的最新建議，我們將關閉在中國大陸的所有辦公室、零售店和呼叫中心。Apple在中國的線上商店仍正常營業。我們將繼續密切關注事態，並期待我們的零售店儘快恢復營業。」

蘋果官網早前原本顯示，2月9日至14日各門店仍持續關閉。目前除北京門店將於14日恢復營業外，蘋果在大陸其他城市的門店仍將持續關閉，何時能重新恢復營業目前仍不得而知。

為避免新冠肺炎疫情對經濟造成太大的衝擊，北京當局正敦促大陸各地，在疫情可控的情況下，協助企業儘快恢復正常運作。

據新華社報導，中共中央總書記習近平在12日召開的中共中央政治局常務委員會上就要求，非疫情防控重點地區要以實行分區、分級精準防控為抓手，統籌疫情防控與經濟社會秩序恢復。

習近平表示，各級黨委和政府要實事求是做好防控工作，對偏頗和極端做法要及時糾正，不搞簡單化一關了之、一停了之，盡可能減少疫情防控對群眾生產生活的影響。

companies: 蘋果 Apple

things: 防疫 經濟

events: 冠狀病毒 武漢肺炎

title: 蘋果宣布 北京五家直營門市14日恢復營業


content_text:
中國遭遇美國貿易制裁，現今又發生湖北武漢肺炎事件，將使中國出現以下重大經濟問題。筆者長期關注中國市場，對於未來發展有幾點觀察如下：

第1，武漢位於重要地理位置，科技及汽車產業鏈將造成斷鏈。

武漢位於中部地區有「9省通衢」的美譽。其中在科技產業方面，小米總部在武漢，北有河南鄭州蘋果手機組裝廠富士康，西有四川重慶筆電基地，東有江蘇蘇州工業園區與上海市互為供應鏈聚落，包括手機、筆電、5G通信相關的印刷電路板（PCB）廠，還有面板廠、記憶體等多家台商等重要業者。

製造、資金面臨斷鏈，內需首當其衝

在汽車製造方面，武漢在華中地區零組件的製造，具有對重慶、鄭州、蘇州等有聯繫產業鏈關鍵位置，疫情將會裂解華中地區科技產業聚落鏈，影響中國出口成長；且因為各國撤僑，引發外企與中高端科技人才出走，各地農民工返工意願受阻，進而間接影響出口產值。

值得注意的是，粵港澳大灣區與珠江三角洲經濟圈，受香港反送中影響，與武漢的科技零組件斷鏈情況相同，已呈現半休克狀態。至於勃海灣經濟圈的高汙染鋼鐵、煤礦、重機具產業，以國企集團為主，正受高負債率所累，東北圈從2015年起就已是漸凍人狀態，渤海灣國企集團深受資金斷鏈的影響，都顯示中國經濟情況嚴峻。

第2，疫情阻滯中國5G發展進程，將影響美國蘋果陣營生產鏈聚落布局。

蘋果執行長庫克擔憂，5G手機準時上市搶市占，關乎蘋果、華為及三星等在5G市場的位置。蘋果將生產基地陸續移出中國，未來科技業分散全球生產聚落控管風險是必然趨勢，因此，中國在5G與2025年中國製造戰略將受到嚴重挑戰。

第3，疫情影響更打擊中國內需市場。

航空、運輸、旅遊、酒店、餐飲、零售賣場等受創最深，中國在美中貿易戰後，約有60%左右靠內需與基礎建設來維持成長，疫情影響中國內需約0.5~1個百分點的經濟成長率。

關廠潮、賣場歇業等內需產業受創，並影響房地產銷售。由於內需與出口阻滯，更深化影響中國金融業資產泡沫，2020~2023年是國企及民企的美元外債償債高峰期，極可能發生新亞洲金融海嘯，這是中國的雷曼時刻。

第4，牽動中國出口成長率及內需與就業之變化。

引起中國股市、匯市與金融緊張，一帶一路投資約1兆美元，將造成一帶一路的殭屍化停滯，也可能引爆國企、金融業高負債問題。

第5，各國撤僑、斷航將牽動新一波中國民企出走潮。

都會區中產階級較有能力者，將更加速移民與資金外移到歐美及東協國家置產。美中貿易戰只是引信、科技冷戰是進行式，疫情更是催化加快外企分散生產基地，與轉進其他區域之速度。

events: 反送中 武漢肺炎

countries: 中國 香港 美國

title: 台商第一手觀察：肺炎疫情引爆陸5大危機


title: 疫情影響半導體業？台積電大陸員工曝現況

content_text:
大陸工廠近日陸續開工，半導體產業受疫情影響成為市場焦點。陸媒報導，對半導體產業來說，短期內影響有限，由於行業特殊，晶圓製造廠採用無塵潔淨室且全年無休，大部分屬於正常運轉，晶片設計業則實施遠端工作，封測業可能會是產業鏈受到較大影響的一環。

第一財經報導，台積電南京廠員工表示，目前工廠沒有停工，「廠裡說不定比外面安全，進出都量體溫，每天量三次還要匯報，全程戴口罩（公司提供），並配給每個人消毒水。」該員工表示，晶圓自動化程度很高，真正線上的工人很少，不過人力和物料或多或少有影響。大陸最大晶圓代工廠中芯國際2月3日表示，生產營運正常，員工零感染。

反觀封測業可能受到的衝擊較大。第一財經指出，與晶圓廠不同，封測廠春節期間會休息幾天進行設備維護，一名封測業員工坦言，目前的開工率很低，「回來的都要居家觀察14天，沒回來的就回不來。」此外，日月光在近日的財報會議上也表示，即使延長工時，也不足以彌補勞動力短缺，日月光位於大陸工廠的開工率仍不理想。

而晶片設計業大多在2月10日復工，部分企業在3日就實施遠端工作模式，受疫情影響相對較小。

西部證券在一份研究報告中指出，短期疫情不會改變大陸半導體發展局勢，在5G創新、國產替代等強邏輯推動之下，行業長期發展趨勢不減。


people: 陳時中 蔡英文 蘇貞昌 韓國瑜

content_text:
根據TVBS民調中心最新調查結果，民眾對衛福部長陳時中滿意度高達82％，僅6％不滿意。（記者方賓照攝）

2020-02-14 00:15:02

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕武漢肺炎疫情蔓延全球，政府致力防疫工作。根據TVBS民調中心最新調查結果，民眾對衛福部長陳時中滿意度高達82％，僅6％不滿意；此外，總統蔡英文滿意度上升至54％，為選後新高，行政院長蘇貞昌滿意度也上漲至52％。高達83％民眾對政府防疫能力有信心。

根據《TVBS》報導，陳時中率團隊防疫，民眾十分有感。對於陳的表現，有82％民眾表示滿意，僅6％不滿意，另12％沒有意見；民眾對蔡英文滿意度則上升至54％，為上任後該民調歷次調查新高，不滿意度則為29％；行政院長蘇貞昌滿意度為52％，從去年5月調查時的40％上升12個百分點，不滿意度為29％，減少7個百分點。

疫情部分，有71％民眾滿意政府表現，不滿意度為17％，滿意度較上週調查成長了15個百分點，不滿意度減少9個百分點。對於政府防治疫情能力，有83％民眾有信心，較上週成長7個百分點，9％沒信心，較上週減少9個百分點。另外，有57％民眾贊成配發口罩採取「實名制」，31％不贊成，12％沒意見。

不過，有高達78％民眾擔心武漢肺炎疫情影響台灣經濟，僅16％不擔心；另有57％民眾擔心被傳染，40％不擔心。

TVBS頻道政論節目主持人趙少康日前指稱，蔡英文抗議成功都是靠運氣，對於TVBS民調結果顯示民眾對政府滿意度高，台師大政研所教授范世平表示，這是否等同於打臉趙少康？他狠酸，「其實當他（趙少康）在大選前幫韓國瑜站台，我就知道他的判斷能力了」。

相關新聞請見︰武漢肺炎懶人包》傳染途徑、預防措施看這裡
「武漢肺炎專區」請點此，更多相關訊息，帶您第一手掌握。

title: TVBS民調：陳時中滿意度高達82％ 國人對政府防疫有信心


content_text:
台北市議員簡舒培PO出黃瀞瑩的到職通知單，發文和到職日期是2月7日，錄取公告卻是2月8日上網。（取自簡舒培臉書）

2020-02-13 23:58:18

〔記者楊心慧／台北報導〕「學姊」黃瀞瑩先前因擔任台灣民眾黨不分區立委候選人，辭去台北市政府發言人一職，日前她回鍋北市府，被外界質疑早已「內定」，民進黨台北市議員簡舒培今天在臉書PO出黃瀞瑩的到職通知單，她指出，北市府2月4日發出的徵才公告，6日徵才截止，8日上網公告黃瀞瑩錄取，但沒想到黃瀞瑩竟在2月7日就到職了！

市府：行政作業時間落差 流程符合規定針對簡舒培質疑，台北市政府副發言人戴于文回應，此人事案絕非黑箱作業，議員之質疑屬於行政作業上的時間落差，行政流程皆符合規定。

簡舒培表示，黃瀞瑩回市府的職缺不是機要任用，而是約聘人員，各局處都是需經公開招考、面試，但北市府在2月4日發出徵才公告，6日徵才截止，8日上網公告黃瀞瑩錄取，「神奇事來了！天大地大非她不可的學姐！竟然在2/7就到職了！」

簡舒培指出，該人事案2月6日收履歷截止、2月7日就職，一天之內完成資料審查、面試、發出人事派令，然後就職，隔日才公告錄取名單，這不是內定黑箱，什麼才是內定黑箱？「還敢大言不慚說批評者是柯黑，到底是要多無恥、厚臉皮啊？！」

簡舒培說，機關首長要任用誰她沒意見，但因用錯人，首長應付出政治代價。她看不慣愛把公開透明掛在嘴邊，卻假公開透明之名行黑箱之實，最噁心的是竟還敢出來哭訴遭打壓！

title: 學姊神速回鍋北市府 簡舒培踢爆：到職竟比錄取公告早1天


title: 只差3萬！速度飛快 罷韓二階連署衝破27萬份

content_text:
2020-02-13 23:49:17

〔記者葛祐豪／高雄報導〕罷韓團體本週發出6日動員令，根據今（13）日深夜最新統計，罷韓二階連署書已經突破27萬份！本週日前達到30萬份的目標，應無問題。

光復高雄總部12日深夜統計，連署書累計達24萬7757份，今天（13日）時代力量一口氣繳交1萬份連署書，連同各代收點回收的件數，總計增加2萬2882份，使得連署書已經達到27萬639份。

罷韓團體指出， 目前距離30萬份的目標，只差2萬9361份連署書，週五至週日這三天，呼籲大家多出門連署，一定可以衝破30萬大關。

taiwan-subdivisions: 高雄 光復


people: 高嘉瑜 陳其邁 蘇貞昌 陳明通

countries: 台灣 中國

content_text:
高嘉瑜12日在政論節目「新聞面對面」指出，陸委會相關政策的討論，除了完全沒經過疫情指揮中心之外，包括行政院正副院長蘇貞昌、陳其邁都完全不知情。（資料照）

2020-02-13 23:58:28

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕對於放寬中配子女來台政策，陸委會主委陳明通在中央流行疫情中心以「小明的故事」說明，卻引發爭議，政策也遭中央流行疫情指揮中心緊急撤回。對此，立委高嘉瑜表示，當時立委群組在討論這些議題的時候，「大家也是罵翻了！」

高嘉瑜12日在政論節目「新聞面對面」指出，陸委會相關政策的討論，除了完全沒經過疫情指揮中心之外，包括行政院正副院長蘇貞昌、陳其邁都完全不知情，然後陸委會就直接宣布了這個政策。高指出，當時立委群組在討論這些議題的時候，「大家也是罵翻了！」並一直在問「為什麼忽然會有這樣的政策出來？」

高嘉瑜表示，大家也知道，當時在網路上，大概PTT就有一兩百篇相關討論，大家都罵翻了，因為在這樣的小門之外，還有多少個小門可以開？這樣的人道考量，有多少個案件？高嘉瑜指出，現在還有很多台灣籍台人在中國無法回台灣，如果他們沒辦法優先處理，就開了小門給小明，「那後續還有更多大明，他們要回來，我們要不要處理？」

相關新聞請見︰武漢肺炎懶人包》傳染途徑、預防措施看這裡
「武漢肺炎專區」請點此，更多相關訊息，帶您第一手掌握。

title: 武漢肺炎》「小明」政策之亂 高嘉瑜：立委群組都罵翻了


countries: 法國 日本 台灣

content_text:
迎接春天的到來，《好樣 VVG》聯手中山區最狂千層蛋糕店《時飴 Approprié》推出全新期間限定款口味「櫻花抹茶千層蛋糕」！自2月15日開始在陽明山好樣秘境 VVG Hideaway和華山1914文創園區好樣思維 VVG Thinking 獨家販售，嚐的到櫻花x抹茶滋味的千層蛋糕，只有這2間吃的到！

獨家限定「櫻花抹茶千層」

2019年好樣 VVG 台中歌劇院店曾與時飴 Approprié 千層蛋糕合作推出獨家青梅口味引起搶購熱潮，這次迎接陽明山花季，雙方再度攜手推出全新口味千層甜點迎客。

獨家限定「櫻花抹茶千層」不使用原本的若竹等級抹茶，而加碼採用風味、尾韻與色澤呈現更加細膩圓潤的小山園「五十鈴」頂級抹茶粉，定調蛋糕整體風味，再以日本鹽漬櫻花融入法國、日本鮮奶油製成櫻花奶餡，每一口都甜而不膩，無敵清爽。

充滿少女感的清新外型，與花季主題不謀而合！

在這款千層蛋糕中，結合代表好樣的「綠意」以及代表陽明山花季的「櫻花」，兩種口感細緻的風味奶油餡，夾在手工直火製作的層層蛋皮中，在細細品嚐感受五十鈴抹茶奶餡微苦後綻放的甘韻時，還能嚐到櫻花奶餡自然微鹹之中帶出的清甜。

台灣高山烏龍茶千層

除了好樣VVG獨家販售的花季限定「櫻花抹茶千層」，在好樣VVG還可以吃到時飴 Approprié 長期熱賣的在地化口味：使用本土茶葉研磨製成的「台灣高山烏龍茶千層」。

「台灣高山烏龍茶千層」，細緻口感完整呈現出高山烏龍特有的茶香。

充滿茶香的千層蛋糕，回甘的滋味配上層層堆疊的千層蛋皮，下午時光來上一塊，超級享受。

好樣 VVG x 時飴 Approprié 花季限定口味

■ 櫻花抹茶千層：NT$300元／片

■ 台灣高山烏龍茶千層：NT$250元／片

■規格：9 吋分切，現場僅提供單片販售（僅提供2片裝外帶盒，不提供整模販售）

■販售期間：2/15(六)~3/22(日)

■販售地點：好樣秘境 VVG Hideaway、好樣思維 VVG Thinking

好樣思維VVG Thinking x 時飴 花季限定口味

■ 櫻花抹茶千層：NT$300元／片

■ 台灣高山烏龍茶千層：NT$250元／片

■僅提供單片販售

■搭配$150起飲品折$50

好樣秘境VVG Hideaway x 時飴 花季限定口味

■ 櫻花抹茶千層：NT$300元／片

■ 台灣高山烏龍茶千層：NT$250元／片

■僅提供單片販售

■搭配飲品第2杯7折（價低者折）

文／柯夢波丹 圖／時飴、好樣 VVG

情人節精選20款「居家增溫熱辣辣禮物」清單～這個情人節不只要製造甜蜜，還要擁有2人限定的激情小物！

【餐桌上的高潮】「對不起，舌頭！主人真的很想吃辣」10間嗜辣控的麻辣天堂總整理！

＊本文由 柯夢波丹Cosmopolitan Taiwan 報導，未經授權同意不得轉載＊

更多流行時尚資訊，盡在《柯夢波丹》

title: 千層控快預約！夢幻「櫻花抹茶千層蛋糕」15日開賣　只有2間吃得到


title: MLB／新規定一人投手走入歷史 正式認證二刀流

countries: 台灣 美國

content_text:
美國職棒大聯盟（MLB）今天公告本季實施的多項新規定。過去常見專門上場只投一人次的功能性投手，從此走入歷史；投打雙棲的「二刀流」身分則有了官方認證的正式地位。

大聯盟為減少頻繁換投手造成比賽冗長，從春訓熱身賽開始，規定每一名投手上場投球，無論先發或後援，必須面對3名打者或者投完半局才能退場，唯一例外是受傷。

過去球隊有一種投手角色，上場後援只對付一名打者之後就下場，現在將從大聯盟場上消失。這種角色通常用在「左投剋左打」，台灣左投手倪福德、王維中都曾擔任這種「一人左」。

其次，大聯盟更改了球員名單規定。例行賽、季後賽的可上場球員名單從原本的25人增加為26人。原本從9月開始的擴編40人名單，新規定縮減為28人名單。

每隊的26人名單中，最多可以登錄13名投手。28人擴編名單可以登錄14名投手。

新的球員名單規定裡，如今有了一個獨立於投手或野手之外的新身分，即投打雙棲的「二刀流」選手。只要符合二刀流身分的球員，能不受限於投手名額上場投球。

登錄為二刀流的資格有兩項，以本季而言，這名球員在2019年或2018年球季，單季至少投球20局並且以野手或指定打擊身分先發20場以上，每場至少3打席。

按照規定，登錄為野手的球員不得上場投球，例外是進入延長賽或雙方差距6分以上。

打響「二刀流」名號的天使隊日籍球星大谷翔平，因復健進度的關係，5月以前只擔任打擊。但恢復投球之後，他就能以二刀流的身分，貢獻球隊的投手戰力，又不用占到投手名額。天使隊等於多一名投手可以用。


content_text:
2020-02-14 00:20:13

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕中國武漢肺炎疫情延燒，引爆疫情的新型冠狀病毒（COVID-19）是首次被發現，但國際上不少專家都懷疑並非自然界產物，甚至懷疑當地的「武漢P4實驗室」嫌疑最大。對此，監察委員、世界台灣醫衛總會總會長張武修驚爆「陰謀論」，認為中國很可能「用人命來換抗體」。

張武修12日在三立政論節目「鄭知道了」表示，過去一、二十年來，中國的「千人計畫」想要攏絡、收買世界頂尖學者，花大錢請來當成中國的資產，「為什麼要花這麼多錢呢，基本上生物戰是他們非常有興趣的」。

張武修指出，武漢肺炎的病毒目前有很多跡象，裡面有一些不是動物中間的基因序列，是人工加進去的序列，這個序列放在什麼地方病毒產生的行為就不一樣，國際上包含美國、日本等，相信有很多專家已經在調查這病毒是否與先前武漢學者的實驗有關。

張武修分析，現在國際上需要有力的證據證明中國做錯事，不少人懷疑，有可能「一個是不小心或是商業利益，先創造一個危險，同時有一些藥（解藥），我的解藥在這邊，算是傳統上的思維」。

張武修說：「第二個是更大的陰謀，現在有幾個學者在討論，因為武漢肺炎的病毒不是死得很厲害，第一波去的話活過來都有抗體，全世界只有中國或少部分人有抗體，兩年後事件平息了，若再過來的人帶有病毒，那大家都沒有抗體了。」

張武修強調，他認為中國確實有野心，且有證據顯示，中國在做生物戰，這個生物戰不是賺一點股票錢，是有更大規模的國家利益。

主持人鄭弘儀聽完驚呼，中國這種陰謀真的嚇死人，竟然透過大災難在製造有抗體的人。

countries: 中國 美國 台灣 日本

events: 武漢肺炎 冠狀病毒

title: 武漢肺炎》生物戰？ 張武修爆陰謀論：中國用人命換抗體


title: 夜遊觀音山尿錯地方？ 可怕的報應隨之而來...

references: 網友 靈異公社 臉書

taiwan-subdivisions: 觀音 山上 新北市 三重

content_text:
2020-02-14 00:09:58

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕生活中有時會聽到科學難以解釋的傳說或軼聞，讓人聽了感到寒毛直豎，有網友在網路PO出19年前的觀音山夜遊經歷，當時因為尿急在路邊小便，沒想到之後摔車，還差點掉入山崖，事後他才知道不小心尿在墳頭上；網友看到貼文都捏了一把冷汗，直呼原PO「真的命大」。

該網友今日在臉書「靈異公社」PO出這則靈異經歷，他說，19年曾到新北市觀音山夜遊曾發生意外，當時買了便宜的機車代步，常跟朋友四處夜遊，當時有朋友提議要不要一起去觀音山夜衝，便約好晚上12點從三重出發，從山下一路騎上山再騎回三重，因為天氣寒冷，原PO有尿意卻找不到廁所，只好在路邊隨地小便，沒想到可怕的事情卻因此發生了。

當時原PO常去觀音山，路線很熟，但他視力其實不太好，所以都騎在隊伍末端跟隨，他騎著騎著發現看不見前方朋友的車尾燈，情急之下趕緊加速，卻因此摔車，當他意識模糊時，朋友們出現了，著急詢問他的狀況，還問他為什麼騎那麼快？

當原PO回答「我找不到你們」，朋友卻出乎意料地說：「我們一直在後面追你，看你騎100多一直飆都沒停，過彎也沒減速，你平常從不會騎那麼快啊！我們一直喊你名字，你越騎越快，最後撞護墩停住，前面沒路你知道嗎？你差點山上掉下去了！」事後他們才發現原PO小便的地點是墳墓，認為一定是因此才被「好兄弟」修理，從此他們很少再去觀音山夜遊了。

網友看到貼文後紛紛留言「嗚啊...如此大不敬的事情，沒死真的命大」、「出門在外遊玩不要亂小便，當心命被收走，這是小小的警告你而已，別鐵齒喔」、「存敬心

走到哪鬼神也會敬」、「晚上沒事最好別去夜遊惹靈界居民，遇到善魂算還好，萬一住了一位冤魂或惡魂會很難收拾」、「那裡本來就有墳墓群的呀！希望你不是在我家祖先的長眠之地上撒野，還好，你沒大礙。」、「 觀音山很可怕的，高中時期有上去夜遊過，感覺不是很好」。


title: 接機從疫區回台的親友 網友想出好方法

references: 網友 臉書

taiwan-subdivisions: 雲林縣 彰化 溪湖

content_text:
2020-02-13 23:41:41

〔記者顏宏駿／彰化報導〕本報獨家揭露雲林縣一名台商循小三通自中國返台，家人載不到他，他獨自一人深夜行走40公里，到溪湖鎮公所求助，結果被傳成運匠拒載。

目前這名台商在家自主隔離沒有發病，但疫情緊張，若有家人自疫區回來，如何達到「自保」、「親情」兩全，引發網友熱議。

有的網友說，不要開車，騎機車去載；也有網友說，車子全程窗戶打開；又有網友說，開貨車去載，讓他坐在車斗。

但擔任「彰化人監督大小事」臉書版主之一的蒲榮利說，最好的方式就是，自己開車到機場，由回台的家人自己開這部車，自己再坐小黃回家。

他說，這種方式，兩造都不會接觸，車子到家後，再用消毒劑消毒，這是兩全其美的做法。

他的提議獲得許多網友按讚。

相關新聞請見︰武漢肺炎懶人包》傳染途徑、預防措施看這裡
「武漢肺炎專區」請點此，更多相關訊息，帶您第一手掌握。


title: 2萬餘人口僅1健保藥局 三星鄉暖心村長自製布口罩送村民

content_text:
2020-02-13 23:59:00

［記者江志雄／宜蘭報導］宜蘭縣三星鄉人口數2萬1000餘人，只有一間健保藥局，每天配額200片成人口罩、50片兒童口罩，一天只有6、70個人能買到；三星鄉月眉村長王全龍暫停自家經營的手工花布生產線，改做布口罩及口罩套，免費送出1000個給月眉村民應急。

王全龍透過臉書PO文表示，三星鄉分配的口罩不敷所需，向公所、衛生所反映，得到答案都一樣，「這是中央的政策，我們也沒辦法」，造成沒有口罩的病患無法到醫院看病，有些服務業規定必須戴口罩上班，就是買不到， 他以嘲諷字眼說，「我OK，你先領」，問題是沒有得領啊？

王全龍手工花布生產線春節連假後開工，暫時不做花布，改製布口罩、口罩套，開放月眉村民免費索取，再受理外界訂單，以成本價售出，至於醫療口罩就留給病患使用。

王全龍說，鄉親在戶外空間，戴布口罩防塵即可，如果到醫院、搭公車、捷運，在口罩套內放入一片醫療口罩，回家之後，口罩套拿去清洗消毒，抽出的醫療口罩，也不必用過即丟，均能重覆使用，有效減少醫療口罩使用量。

相關新聞請見︰武漢肺炎懶人包》傳染途徑、預防措施看這裡
「武漢肺炎專區」請點此，更多相關訊息，帶您第一手掌握。

taiwan-subdivisions: 三星 宜蘭 宜蘭縣


content_text:
▲新冠肺炎痊癒者的血漿能有效殺死病毒。（圖／路透，下同）

記者邱茀濱／綜合報導

新冠肺炎（COVID-19）疫情嚴重，湖北省目前確診人數達到4.8萬。中國生物13日晚間表示，實驗證明，此次新冠肺炎康復者的血獎有「高效價病毒中和抗體」，值得注意的是，他們已經用康復者的特異血漿臨床治療11例危重病患，且效果顯著。

綜合陸媒報導，中國生物日前已完成對部分康復者血漿的採集工作，開展新冠病毒特免血漿製品和特免球蛋白的製備，接著經過嚴格的血液生物安全性檢測，病毒滅活，抗病毒活性檢測等，已成功製備出用於臨床治療的特免血漿。目前，均已投入臨床救治重症患者。

江夏區第一人民醫院8日時，首期展開3名危重病患的新冠特免血漿治療，他們接受治療12至24小時後，實驗室檢測主要炎症指標明顯下降，淋巴細胞比例上升，血氧飽和度、病毒載量等重點指標全面向好，臨床體徵和症狀明顯好轉。目前，連同後續醫院治療的危重病人超過了10人。

專家表示，從臨床病理發生過程顯示，大部分新冠肺炎患者經過治療康復後，身體內會產生針對新冠病毒的特異性抗體，可殺滅和清除病毒。目前在缺乏疫苗和特效藥的前提下，採用這種特免血漿製品治療新冠病毒感染是最為有效的方法，可大幅降低危重患者病死率。

中國生物指出，「新冠特免血漿製品是由康復者捐獻的含高效價新冠病毒特異性抗體的血漿，經過病毒滅活處理，並對抗新冠病毒中和抗體、多重病原微生物檢測後製備而成，用於新冠肺炎危重患者的治療。」

因此，中國生物倡議康復者捐獻血漿，條件包括年齡要在18至60周歲內，且要確診感染過新型冠狀病毒，出院後身體狀況較好，加上前一天的飲食盡量不吃高脂肪、高蛋白、高澱粉食物，並願意捐獻出自己的血漿幫助他人等。此外，女性月經期內不許捐獻血漿，且間隔14天後才可以再次捐獻。

截至13日晚間23時許，大陸境內確診人數59907例，其中湖北省有48206例，治癒人數則有3453例。

►2020愛你愛你～情人節禮物來囉～

taiwan-subdivisions: 成功 中和

title: 痊癒者「血漿」能殺病毒！中國生物「倡議捐血」：已治療11人


content_text:
2020-02-13 23:48:39

［記者許倬勛／桃園報導］桃園市府客家事務局舉辦第3屆「戀戀魯冰花」活動，活動從15日至3月8日登場，15公頃花海絢麗綻放，不受武漢肺炎疫情影響，搶先來賞花的遊客眾多，也帶動周邊餐廳店家業績成長3成以上，業者紛表示：「總算鬆一口氣，希望疫情早日結束！」

武漢肺炎疫情持續延燒，戀戀魯冰花活動遊客不增反減，餐廳業者江先生說，過年期間包括龍元宮商圈、三洽水及三坑老街生意門可羅雀，業績直直落，但自魯冰花陸續綻放，人潮隨之湧現，業績成長至少3成，江先生認為，這是因為政府防疫有成，陸續有患者痊癒，讓國人有信心，加上魯冰花季活動位在室外，通風良好，但儘管如此，做生意的仍不敢大意，同行都嚴格要求員工配戴口罩、定時測量體溫做好健康自主管理，店內也全面消毒、敞開窗戶通風，請遊客放心前往。

此次活動在龍潭大北坑休閒農業區、和窯文創園區舉辦，客家局表示，龍潭是桃園的茶鄉，也是全台灣最早種植魯冰花的地區，之所以聲名大噪，起因於客家文學大老鍾肇政的同名小說《魯冰花》，魯冰花根系具有固氮作用，花葉凋零後可當作肥料利用，讓茶樹充分吸收，魯冰花就像客家母親刻苦耐勞、一生為家庭奉獻，是名副其實的母親花。

受暖冬影響，魯冰花提前綻放，遠望花海如金黃色花毯，在陽光照耀下斑斕奪目，早在活動開跑前，就吸引大批「花粉」來朝聖搶拍美照，根據統計，平日每天平均有8百人來賞花，假日則有1千2百人，預計此次4個週末可累積30萬人次。

客家局說，活動期間有美照徵選、體驗茶道、版印魯冰花及寫生比賽，相當多元精采，15日開幕當天備有精美小禮，數量有限送完為止，歡迎市民前往體驗鍾肇政筆下客家農莊閑靜平和的美好風光。

活動期間市府提供免費接駁公車活動，民眾可自行到龍潭運動公園搭乘，約15至30分鐘一班；自行開車的民眾，現場也提供免費停車位。

taiwan-subdivisions: 龍潭 桃園

title: 不受疫情影響 魯冰花季帶動龍潭餐廳業績


content_text:
Zhang Xiaoming, then-director of China’s Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, attends the funeral of Cheng Yu-tung, founder of the Hong Kong-based New World Development property group, in Hong Kong on Oct. 13, 2016.Photo: Reuters
China yesterday named an official known for tearing crosses from the roofs of churches to lead the agency that oversees Hong Kong, in the biggest shake-up yet after months of unrest in the territory.

Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Vice Chairman Xia Baolong (夏寶龍), 67, is to replace Zhang Xiaoming (張曉明) as director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, the Chinese State Council said, adding that Zhang is to become a vice director.

Xia is a former close aide to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and served as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chief of Zhejiang Province during a crackdown on Christian churches.

Xia’s installation follows last month’s appointment of Luo Huining (駱惠寧) as head of China’s Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong.

The choice of Luo, a member of a CCP cadre known for executing Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, was seen as a signal of Beijing’s intention to restore order in Hong Kong after months of violent unrest opposing China’s grip on the territory.

“The reshuffling at this interesting moment may point to a deep distrust from Xi Jinping toward the former faction dealing with Hong Kong affairs,” said Sonny Lo (盧兆興), a Hong Kong-based academic and political commentator.

“It’s clear that Xi Jinping wants to have a clear grasp of the situation in Hong Kong — that’s the major point,” Lo added. “We’ll probably see some adjustment in Chinese policy toward Hong Kong.”

The rare appointment of such a senior official potentially signals a permanent overhaul in how Beijing manages the former British colony.

The CCP late last year issued a communique signaling greater intervention in everything from education in Hong Kong to how the territory picks its leader.

Xia’s push in 2014 and 2015 to tear down crosses on the roofs of churches in eastern Zhejiang was widely criticized by the international community. He was subsequently appointed to a leadership role on the CPPCC, the nation’s political advisory body and a post usually seen as a transition toward retirement for senior leaders.

Comments will be moderated. Keep comments relevant to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned. Final decision will be at the discretion of the Taipei Times.

title: Beijing names Xi ally to oversee Hong Kong


title: Debt-relief plans could increase risks for lenders

content_text:
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the government’s debt-relief program might increase asset-quality risks for Taiwanese lenders in the short term, but the burden should be manageable, Fitch Ratings said yesterday.

The debt-relief measures are mainly to be carried out by state-run banks, which would have the government’s support, if necessary, the ratings agency said.

The measures allow for deferred repayments and new lending at preferential rates for borrowers in the affected sectors, mainly tourism and transportation, as well as small businesses and individuals.

Tourism and transportation, some of the hardest-hit sectors, accounted for less than 3 percent of system loans in the nation, Fitch said.

However, local banks might experience some stress in lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, it said, as related operations account for 29 percent of system loans.

Personal loans make up 39 percent, and the virus epidemic has slowed retail and consumption activities, the agency added.

Loans to small and medium-sized businesses are mostly collateralized with real estate, and Taiwanese banks have maintained a low-risk appetite for personal loans since the credit card debt crisis in 2005 and 2006, it said.

Conservative operations should limit credit losses even though delinquencies might increase, Fitch said.

The electronics sector is another industry that might experience asset-quality stress amid supply chain disruptions and travel restrictions, it said.

The sector makes up about 10 percent of system loans in Taiwan, including exposure through local banks’ offshore banking units, it added.

“The disruption of the electronics supply chain may weigh on some Taiwanese corporations and their debt-servicing capability, but we do not expect significant asset-quality deterioration as those firms are larger and more established,” Fitch said.

Moreover, many Taiwanese companies have diversified their production bases from China since 2015, and moved capacity to Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reduce reliance on China, it said.

Still, the severity of the outbreak and the impact on regional growth prospects pose near-term risks to asset quality, it said.

Fitch said it would change its assessment of the banks’ credit profile if the relief measures become widely adopted, resulting in a system-wide increase in debt leverage.

Separately, S&P Global Ratings said in a report that the outbreak is disrupting the global technology sector, especially hardware and electronics manufacturing services providers, and semiconductor companies.

“Our best case is that the virus will be contained globally in March 2020 (no new transmissions in April), allowing travel and other restrictions to be unwound by the middle of the second quarter,” S&P said in a statement.

However, if the outbreak proves more difficult to contain, the effects on the tech sector could be extensive, as lengthy factory shutdowns or significant underutilization could materially lower the global output of tech components, subassemblies or finished goods, it said.

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title: MOEA offers assistance for virus woes

content_text:
MOEA offers assistance for virus woes

A HELPING HAND:The government said it plans to use NT$16 billion from a special fund to subsidize interest payments for affected small and medium-sized businesses
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, right, accompanied by Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka, yesterday speaks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei.Photo: CNA
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday proposed a program to assist small and medium-sized enterprises facing financial difficulties from an outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

With an estimated NT$16 billion (US$532.68 million) funded by a special budget allocation from the Executive Yuan, the ministry said it plans to subsidize interest on loans to small and medium-sized businesses, while setting aside NT$10 billion for the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Fund of Taiwan.

“We would allocate about NT$2.5 billion to help companies with their loan interest ... through an estimated 1.06 percent reduction in the interest rate,” Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) Director-General Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) said by telephone.

A similar offer would be made to companies looking to take out new loans, Ho said.

“With Chinese tourists banned and most people staying home to avoid catching the virus, restaurants, shops and other tourist venues are having to resort to taking out new loans as they struggle to pay their bills and employees,” he said.

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics on Wednesday trimmed its forecast for GDP growth to 2.37 percent this year, down from its previous estimate of 2.72 percent, citing the outbreak’s effects on domestic consumption and exports.

Meanwhile, the SMEA would also help companies renegotiate loan terms with their creditors to extend the loan period with lower payments, he added.

The remaining funds would then be used to further stimulate the economy through government-issued coupons and various food and drink festivals, Ho said, adding that they aim to boost consumer spending.

“We would also set up education camps for professional training, help companies digitally transform and promote environmentally friendly business practices,” Ho said.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said that a ban on mask exports would be extended from Feb. 23 until the end of April.

The same would apply for the government’s centralized mask distribution policy to ensure a steady domestic supply amid the outbreak, Wang said.

If the virus situation improves, those measures might be lifted earlier, she said.

The ministry has since last week increased production of masks to more than 4.2 million per day as it added an additional 60 production lines, seeking to produce 10 million masks per day by the end of next month.

Separately yesterday, the ministry approved Hushan Autoparts Inc’s (虎山實業) application to join a government-subsidized plan to invest in Taiwan.

Hushan, the world’s largest auto handle manufacturer, is to invest NT$1.2 billion to establish a fifth production plant in New Taipei City’s Rueifang Industrial Park (瑞芳工業區).

The company would use automated production lines at the plant, where it plans to hire 152 workers, the ministry said.

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content_text:
IMF predicts ‘mild’ global hit from virus

TEMPERED PREDICTIONS:The US Treasury secretary said he did not expect the outbreak to affect the US ‘beyond this year,’ and the Fed chief remained upbeat
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday testifies before the US Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.Photo: AP
It is too early to tell the economic toll from the COVID-19 outbreak in China, but the hit to global growth should be “mild,” IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday.

The IMF is expecting a “V-shaped impact,” with a sharp decline in activity in China followed by a sharp recovery, meaning there likely would only be a “mild impact on the rest of the world,” Georgieva said on CNBC.

However, she added: “It is still too early to make projections,” and the global economy is “somewhat less strong” than it was when China faced the SARS virus epidemic in 2002 to 2003.

“China was different, the world was different. This virus is clearly more impactful and the world economy then was very strong,” she said.

The IMF projects China’s economy to grow 6 percent this year, compared with 10 percent in 2003.

US officials likewise are reluctant to provide forecasts, but said the impact on the US economy probably would be short-lived.

“There’s no question it’s having a significant impact in China,” US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin told legislators on Wednesday.

However, for the US economy, he said: “I don’t expect that the coronavirus will have an impact beyond this year.”

He echoed comments from US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, saying: “We’re obviously monitoring very carefully.”

In two days of testimony to US Congress, the Fed chief was upbeat about the economy, which is experiencing a record 11th year of growth, confirming there is little interest in raising interest rates.

Powell said the Fed is keeping close tabs on the COVID-19 outbreak that has killed hundreds and sickened tens of thousands of people since last month, nearly all in China.

“We do expect that there will be some effects” on the US economy, Powell said, adding that he expects to begin seeing these reflected in economic data “relatively soon.”

Factory shutdowns and travel restrictions aimed at containing the virus’ spread within China and to the rest of the world are expected to disrupt supply chains.

US exports to China would also be suppressed, he said, as would Chinese tourism to the US.

Financial markets offer another pathway for impact on US growth, he said.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: US senators honor doctor and call for Taiwan at WHO

NO MORE BLOCKS:The resolution called on Beijing to ensure that the world has free access to information about the outbreak of COVID-19
Four US senators on Tuesday introduced a resolution honoring Li Wenliang (李文亮) — a Chinese doctor who reported COVID-19 and tried to warn the Chinese Communist Party about its severity — and calling on Beijing to be transparent in responding to the epidemic and cease using its influence to exclude Taiwan from the WHO.

After raising concerns in December last year about the spread of COVID-19 to associates in China’s medical community, Li was forced by the Chinese government to retract his warnings and say that he had spread rumors, the resolution initiated by US senators Bob Menendez, Cory Gardner, Edward Markey and Tom Cotton said.

As the virus spread, the Chinese government for weeks downplayed the outbreak, with Li dying of the disease on Friday last week, the resolution said.

As of yesterday, there were more than 60,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,300 deaths globally.

The US Senate calls on China to “ensure that Chinese citizens and the international community have free and unfettered access, without censorship or social media controls, to information about 2019-nCoV,” the resolution said, using a previous name for the disease.

“Whereas the government of the People’s Republic of China has endangered the people of Taiwan and people around the world by using its influence to limit Taiwan’s access to the benefits of membership in the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO], particularly during the current outbreak,” China should also cease efforts to stop Taiwan from participating in international organizations, it said.

“I stand with those in China now demanding freedom of speech, and I thank the Chinese doctors, nurses, medical professionals and all who are providing assistance on the front lines during this critical time,” Markey said in a news release.

“The Chinese government must cease its censorship, allow Taiwan the safety and security benefits of membership in international organizations, and cooperate internationally to mitigate this health crisis,” he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the senators for supporting Taiwan with concrete action.

The world is concerned about the continued spread of COVID-19, which has shown that diseases recognize no borders and underline the urgency to include Taiwan in the WHO, the ministry said.

The ministry reiterated its call for the WHO, the ICAO and other UN agencies to resist improper pressure from the Chinese government and seek ways to allow Taiwan’s participation.

Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan

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people:
馬英九
Kolas Yotaka
蘇貞昌

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Premier approves NT$60bn relief plan

BOOSTING SALES:One measure involves coupons that would be redeemable at night markets, while the Council of Agriculture is to redouble efforts to increase exports
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday approved relief measures totaling at least NT$60 billion (US$2 billion) for sectors affected by an outbreak of COVID-19 in China, including coupons that can be used at night markets and shopping districts.

Relief funds would come in two forms: appropriation from existing budgets of agencies concerned with relief efforts and a planned special budget, which would have a ceiling of NT$60 billion, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said.

The Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法) stipulates that government agencies at all levels should appropriate existing budgets to cover more urgent needs for disaster relief, she said, adding that relief funds allocated this way would be disbursed immediately.

The special budget would be sourced from the government’s surplus revenue and funds freed up by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, she said.

The Executive Yuan is drafting a bill for a special relief act, which would serve as the legal basis for the planning of the special budget, Kolas said, adding that legislation would be finalized and submitted to the Legislative Yuan before the start of the new legislative session.

If passed, the duration of the special act and budget would be one year, she said.

Among the plans approved by Su was a Ministry of Economic Affairs proposal to distribute coupons to people when they shop at night markets, shopping districts, traditional markets and retail stores.

Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said that the ministry had proposed allocating NT$2 billion of the proposed special budget for the coupons, but the actual sum would be decided after assessing relief plans proposed by other agencies.

A timetable for the issuance of the coupons has not been set, as that would depend on the Central Epidemic Command Center determining when would be suitable for people to go out shopping, she said.

Asked how the coupons would differ from NT$3,600 consumer vouchers given to people in 2009 by the administration of then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Wang said that discounts, rather than face value, would be ascribed to the coupons, meaning that they can only be used when the total value of merchandise purchased reaches a certain sum.

The coupons, along with loans, subsidized loans and loan guarantees planned by the ministry for the relief efforts, would make up NT$16 billion of the proposed special budget, she said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications proposed a relief plan totaling NT$50 billion, including NT$20 billion in aid for the transportation and tourism industries, which is to be covered by the special budget, and a NT$30 billion tourism upgrade and reinvention plan, which is to be proposed under the next phase of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Huang Yu-lin (黃玉霖) said.

Regarding economic losses suffered by the agricultural and fisheries sectors amid diminishing exports to China and reduced sales due to the postponed start of the next academic semester because of the outbreak, the military would increase its procurement of local produce, while the Council of Agriculture would redouble efforts to market seafood and fruit to Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia until late April to make up for the shortfall in exports, council Department of Planning Director-General Tsai Sheng-fu (蔡昇甫) said.


people: 王育敏 林為洲 陳明通 洪秀柱 蔣萬安 林奕華 賴香伶

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: KMT elections to proceed, if no ban

By Shih Hsiao-kuang, Chen Yun and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) elections for party chairperson and Central Standing Committee members would not be postponed unless the government bans public gatherings due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the KMT said yesterday.

KMT Culture and Communications Committee acting director Alicia Wang (王育敏) made the comments after former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) called for the voting, set for March 7, to be postponed.

Disease prevention equipment would be available at voting sites, Wang said.

The KMT expects that only half of the about 200,000 eligible voters would turn out, she said, adding that lines should be short, as there are to be numerous polling stations.

Meanwhile, Wang accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of politicizing the issue of flying Taiwanese stranded in China home amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The DPP’s rapid change of mind on whether to allow the children of Taiwanese-Chinese couples was because KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) sought clarity on the issue, but the claims are only an act to divert attention away from Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Wang said.

The DPP is adopting resolutions the KMT proposed, such as subsidies for those taking disease prevention leave and for industries affected by COVID-19, Wang said, adding that DPP legislators challenged the need for a subsidy fund.

The government must clarify what is delaying a second wave of Taiwanese from flying home: China’s reticence, or Taiwan’s disease prevention conerns, she said.

Wang said she was not optimistic that a second flight would happen, as the council has not clarified the situation and the issue has become overly politicized.

KMT legislative caucus members Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) and Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) spoke with members of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) about possible collaboration on legislation, including a bill for the COVID-19 fund and a plan to lower the legal age of majority to 18.

TPP caucus whip Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said that the KMT has provided the TPP with much-needed experience regarding the Legislative Yuan, to which the TPP are newcomers.

Both sides agreed on lowering the legal age of majority to 18, while the TPP said it would review the proposed fund, which would include corporate tax subsidies, loan extensions and in-house quarantines.

However, the TPP would like disease prevention leave, how subsidies are distributed and a core demand for fiscal discipline added to the proposal.

Already allocated funds should not be used for the proposed plan, Chiang said, adding that the money must be used under the legislature’s oversight and specifically for disease-prevention efforts.

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content_text:
Bad weather stops HAPITH-1 rocket launch

HEADACHES:While developer TiSPACE is optimistic about rescheduling a launch, it has yet to resolve issues about its launch site for which it has been fined NT$400,000
Taiwan Innovative Space Inc’s HAPITH-1 rocket is pictured on its launchpad in Taitung County’s Nantian Village yesterday after the launch was delayed due to inclement weather.Photo: CNA

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Inclement weather yesterday prevented the launch of the HAPITH-1, the nation’s first domestically built rocket, from a launchpad in Taitung County’s Nantian Village (南田).

Many rocket enthusiasts had gathered in the village to watch the launch between 6am and 7am, said its developer, Taiwan Innovative Space Inc (TiSPACE).

The rocket was expected to reach an altitude of 250km, breaking the world record of 120km for rockets with a hybrid-propellant engine, TiSPACE said.

However, it continued to rain after 6am, the company said, adding that on-site engineers used balloons to gauge wind speed and direction every 15 minutes, but neither proved satisfactory.

While the company started the rocket’s engine at 6:56am, it was not able to push through with the planned launch.

TiSPACE president Chen Yen-sen (陳彥升) said later yesterday that it had rained throughout the night before the test launch and the wind shear was too strong.

Despite the aborted launch, the company was able to obtain useful data that it can use to fine-tune calibrations and settings, Chen said.

The road to development for aerospace companies is fraught with difficulties, but the company will continue to persevere in hopes of achieving the capability to launch satellites from Taiwan, he said.

“I saw the crowd that came out to view the test launch and I am aware of their expectations,” Chen said, adding that the company has scheduled another launch in one and a half or two months from now.

Nantian Village Warden Kao Fu-yuan (高富源) said that the local government was supportive of the launch, and it was regrettable that it had to be canceled because of inclement weather.

The HAPITH-1 was originally scheduled to launch on Dec. 27 last year, but it was postponed due to controversy over land use and the rights of Paiwan Aboriginal residents over it.

To encourage the development of the domestic space industry, the Ministry of Science and Technology on Jan. 14 convened a meeting of concerned parties to help find a solution, while asking the company to complete required procedures, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

While the National Space Organization (NSPO) said it had commissioned TiSPACE to build and launch a rocket, it did not require the company to build a launch site, as the company could consider renting existing launch sites or temporarily building a launchpad, the National Applied Research Laboratories, which oversees the NSPO, said in separate statement on Tuesday.

Officials hope the company would succeed in its mission, which would fill a missing piece in the nation’s space technology development, but they do not want to get involved in the company’s problems, a source familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

The Taitung County Government said in a press release yesterday that TiSPACE did not file the required application before building the launchpad on a private property, which is Aboriginal domain, and has been fined NT$400,000.

The company is required to demolish the launch site or apply to legally alter its land use, it added.

Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan

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title: Taiwan invited as observer to US-led freedom alliance

content_text:
Taiwan has been invited to join the US-led International Religious Freedom Alliance as an observer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday, in response to reports that the US Department of State has excluded Taiwan from the 27-country alliance, despite Taiwan’s financial support.

“Beijing brought pressure on multiple countries involved in the campaign to make sure Taiwan was not included,” an op-ed by Josh Rogin published in the Washington Post on Wednesday said.

The observer status “has not been acknowledged by the State Department publicly anywhere,” he wrote.

“How can the United States government push other countries to include Taiwan if the State Department won’t include Taiwan in its own initiatives?” he asked.

Asked for a comment on Wednesday, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that Taiwan has been invited to the alliance as an observer to continue the nation’s contribution of democratic values to the Indo-Pacific region.

Taiwan and the US share common values in democracy, freedom and human rights, while maintaining close collaboration in promoting religious freedom across the world, Ou said.

Last year, Taiwan joined the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, an initiative launched by the US the previous year to bring together foreign officials at the ministerial level, civil society representatives and victims of religious persecution to discuss religious freedom violations worldwide, she said.

Its delegates at the event were the Taiwanese Representative to the US Stanley Kuo (高碩泰) and Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom Pusin Tali, Ou said.

Last year, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback also attended a regional religious forum hosted by Taiwan, titled “A Civil Society Dialogue on Securing Religious Freedom in the Indo-Pacific Region,” Ou said.

The ministry and the State Department have an effective communication channel and will continue to deepen the partnership between the two nations, she added.

The alliance was launched by the US Department of State on Wednesday last week.

It is a network of countries fully committed to advancing freedom of religion around the world, while alliance members are committed to pursuing an inclusive approach, the alliance said.

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content_text:
Police are to reinforce patrols, and checks on mask stocks and other items that the government has requisitioned amid an outbreak of COVID-19 in China, while also enhancing efforts to combat disinformation, the National Police Agency (NPA) said yesterday.

Law enforcement units have been ordered to concentrate on containing the disease, and must fulfill their roles at customs and immigration control and border and port entry points, NPA Director-General Chen Ja-chin (陳家欽) said.

They are to ensure that people who are ordered to undergo 14 days of quarantine remain in isolation, and make sure security at hospitals and medical clinics is maintained, Chen said.

“This requires careful, persistent work by law enforcement personnel, as orders are to treat the ‘Wuhan virus’ situation as if we were fighting a war,” he said.

Police have been tasked with daily inspections of markets and shops to stop hoarding of masks and medical items that have been requisitioned, the NPA said in a statement.

“Local law enforcement personnel are to increase patrols and security inspections at banks, financial institutions, jewelry shops, supermarkets, gasoline stations and convenience stores to protect money and consumer goods,” as thieves have taken advantage of a delayed resumption of businesses due to the outbreak, the statement said.

A crackdown on people breaking quarantine has resulted in 13 people being fined for breaching provisions of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法), the NPA said.

There have been 61 cases of disinformation or rumormongering relating to outbreak, with 44 people facing charges and 32 cases still under investigation, NPA officials said.

The NPA said it asked the Executive Yuan and health authorities to procure a supply of masks for law enforcement units, especially officers on street patrols and others who regularly deal with the public.

Police in Kaohsiung last week received 45,000 masks and similar measures are under way for other major cities, it said.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) has been collaborating with police to conduct sweeps of karaoke parlors, nightclubs, bars and other entertainment premises nationwide in the past few days, the bureau said.

CIB Crime Investigation Affairs Division head Chan Chih-wen (詹志文) said the sweeps were to ensure public safety.

The checks are for narcotics, firearms and other illegal items, which would help prevent violence, criminal activities and juvenile delinquency, as winter vacation has been extended until end of this month to prevent cluster infections at schools and universities, Chan said.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Police to reinforce mask patrols: NPA


title: Content agency to debut at European Film Market

content_text:
The Taiwan Creative Content Agency is to make its international trade fair debut at the European Film Market in Berlin next week, the agency said yesterday.

Founded last year to promote Taiwanese cultural content, the agency would be taking three Taiwanese films — including Chi: The Method of Breathing (氣) by director Liu Yi (劉易) — to the event as part of its IP Showcase initiative, it said.

Last year, the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion platform presented Chi with the MM2 Creative Award and the Content Digital Film Award.

The agency is expected to participate in 20 international trade fairs this year, its president, Hu Ching-fang (胡晴舫), said at a news conference in Taipei.

The European Film Market opens on Thursday next week, alongside the 70th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale.

Director Tsai Ming-liang’s (蔡明亮) new film, Rizi (Days) (日子), has been nominated for the Golden Bear, the festival’s top award, the agency said.

Rizi (Days) will be competing with 17 other films, including South Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s The Woman Who Ran and British filmmaker Sally Potter’s The Roads Not Taken, it said.

The film, which stars Golden Horse Award-winning actor Lee Kang-sheng (李康生) and Laotian actor Anong Houngheuangsy, is to premiere at the festival, the agency said.

Tsai previously received a Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution at the festival in 2005 for his film The Wayward Cloud (天邊一朵雲), it said.

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title: James, Lakers edge Nuggets in overtime

content_text:
A young fan holds up a placard for Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James in their NBA game against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday.Photo: AP
LeBron James on Wednesday had 32 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, while Anthony Davis finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds, to lead the visiting Los Angeles Lakers in a 120-116 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.

The triple-double was James’ 12th of the season, tying him with the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic for the NBA lead.

Dwight Howard had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Alex Caruso and Avery Bradley scored 10 points apiece for the Lakers, who have won 17 straight road games against Western Conference opponents.

Los Angeles are 5-1 in their past six games overall.

Jamal Murray had 32 points and 10 assists for Denver, as Nikola Jokic scored 22 and added 11 rebounds, and Jerami Grant had 15 points.

The Nuggets had their four-game win streak snapped.

Gary Harris scored 13 points and Monte Morris added 12 for Denver, who lost both home games to Los Angeles this season.

Davis scored seven points in overtime, including a three-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 119-116 with 2 minutes, 41 seconds left.

The Nuggets missed their last five shots and had a turnover in the final three minutes of overtime.

Los Angeles led 97-94 after a James dunk, but Denver had a 9-0 run — Grant hit a short jumper, Harris had a pair of free throws, Murray drained a three-pointer and Harris sank a shot — to put the Nuggets up 103-97 with 4:16 left in regulation.

The Lakers scored six straight to tie it and took a 109-105 lead when James fed Caruso for a layup with 1:43 left.

Jokic hit two free throws and passed to Grant for a layup to get Denver within 111-109, while Harris hit a layup with 23.9 seconds left to tie it again.

James missed a jumper in the final seconds to send the game into overtime.

The Lakers ended the first half on a 25-6 run to take a 61-55 lead at halftime. They then scored the first five points of the second half for their biggest lead of the night.

Denver came right back with 11 straight points, tying it on a three-pointer by Jokic. Later in the period, the Nuggets scored seven straight to go up 85-80 and the hosts took an 87-84 lead into the fourth quarter.

Also on Wednesday, it was:

‧ Nets 101, Raptors 91

‧ Pacers 118, Bucks 111

‧ Magic 116, Pistons 112

‧ Mavericks 130, Kings 111

‧ Grizzlies 111, Trail Blazers 104

‧ Jazz 116, Heat 101

‧ Wizards 114, Knicks 96

‧ Suns 112, Warriors 106

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title: Former NCC chair Nicole Chan elected to DotAsia board

content_text:
Former National Communications Commission (NCC) chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) has been elected a member of the board of DotAsia Organisation after garnering the highest number of votes.

DotAsia is a Hong Kong-based nonprofit organization promoting Internet development and adoption in Asia. Its members include the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre, the Asia-Pacific Top Level Domain Association and other agencies.

Voting was held from Jan. 15 to 29, with the results released yesterday.

The organization, which is governed and operated through the multiple stakeholders’ model, in 2006 signed a contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and has since sponsored and supported many projects in Asia, including NetMission.Asia and the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum.

Chan, who resigned from the NCC last year, was nominated by the Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC) to run in DotAsia’s board election.

Her nomination was also endorsed by the Singapore Network Information Centre, the agency in charge of domain name registration said.

“It was significant that [former NCC] chairwoman Chan was able to secure one of three open seats on the board of DotAsia Organisation with the highest votes. Taiwan has nominated a candidate with extensive experience in handling network governance issues, whose nomination was also supported by other partners in the Asia-Pacific region. This not only showed that the nation is actively seeking cooperation with other nations in terms of global Internet management, but it also showed that Taiwan, as part of the Internet ecosystem, was able to contribute to the online communities,” TWNIC chairman and CEO Kenny Huang (黃勝雄) said.

Chan said that the Asia-Pacific region is rich in culture and history, and a high Internet penetration rate has created impressive changes in the region.

DotAsia has actively participated and assisted in the development of the Internet in the region, but many important issues related to network governance — from the digital gap, digital hegemony and online content supervision to controversies over cross-border Internet law enforcement — require extensive discussions on possible solutions, she said.

“I am committed to contributing my experience in the development of digital technology in Taiwan to the Asia-Pacific region,” Chan said.

Chan is to officially become a board member when she attends the organization’s annual general meeting in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday next week, TWNIC said.

For the board election, Chan faced competition from representatives of Iran, the Philippines, the Cook Islands, South Korea, New Zealand and Hong Kong, it said.

In addition to Chan, National Information Infrastructure Enterprise Promotion Association consultant Wu Kuo-wei (吳國維) served on the board of ICANN in 2010, becoming the first Taiwanese member of the board.

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title: Pentagon expected to back more Huawei restrictions

content_text:
The Pentagon is likely to back new US restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co (華為), reversing earlier opposition to a proposal meant to further crack down on exports to the blacklisted Chinese company, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The reversal would make it harder for US companies to get around the effective ban on exports to Huawei, the second-largest smartphone maker.

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross recently called Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to discuss the issue and a meeting on it is expected next week, the source said.

A higher-level meeting is to take place on Feb. 28, when US officials would discuss further curbing technology exports to China and Huawei.

The US Department of Commerce on Wednesday said that it “continuously reviews and updates export controls to address the challenges of accelerating technology diffusion and innovation.”

The department added that the “scope of the current de minimis threshold for controlled items, as well as the foreign direct product rule, to listed entities are controls under review.”

Politico first reported the Pentagon’s likely reversal earlier, citing people familiar with internal deliberations.

The US Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.

US President Donald Trump’s administration added Huawei to an economic blacklist in May last year, citing national security concerns.

In November it was reported that the US might expand its power to stop more foreign shipments of products with US technology to Huawei.

This could allow authorities to regulate sales of nonsensitive items to Huawei, such as standard cellphone chips, made abroad with US-origin technology, software or components.

If US export control rules are revised, trade lawyer Doug Jacobson said that it could lead to some lost sales by US companies.

“But at the end of the day it will not limit Huawei’s ability to manufacture the goods in China that they need to supply their customers,” Jacobson said.

Separately, France yesterday said that Huawei would not be excluded from supplying equipment for 5G networks in the country, but could be subject to restrictions and Paris could prioritize European operators.

“There is no discrimination towards Huawei... No, Huawei will not be excluded from the 5G in France,” French Minister of the Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire told BFM TV.

However, he added: “The French state will take precautions to protect our sovereign interests,” especially close to nuclear and military installations.

Also “it is understandable that we could prioritize a European operator,” such as Nokia Oyj or Ericsson AB, he added.

Additional reporting by AFP

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The public anxiety fueled by the COVID-19 outbreak has sent shoppers in search of masks across different retail channels as soon as they are restocked.

The main reason for the panic buying is the worry of having no mask to wear when community transmission of the disease breaks out, prompting people to stockpile masks in advance. As long as this mindset continues unrectified, the mask shortage will never be resolved.

People should be using their masks within a given period of time, say within a week or a month after purchase, and making another purchase only when needed. This principle would allow masks to be available for purchase at any time and, by helping others in need, protect public health across the nation.

The shortage in the market is not because all the masks produced thus far have been used: It is due to people stockpiling them.

Even after the government implemented a real-name purchasing system on Thursday last week, many buyers are still buying masks to have as spares.

If this situation is allowed to continue, masks would always run out of stock no matter how many more supplies are manufactured.

To solve the issue and end the stockpiling, the government should require mask manufacturers to print numerals on the inner sleeve of the mask. For instance, masks produced in February should be printed with the number “2,” and those produced in March should bear the number “3.”

One month later, the government should penalize people wearing unnumbered masks, suggesting that they have stockpiled masks manufactured more than a month ago.

If the government issues such a directive, people who have been stockpiling masks would give away or use up their spare masks in no time rather than going through the trouble of tearing up masks and printing falsified numbers.

Following this method, the mask shortage would probably be resolved within a week.

The government needs to come up with more creative measures to administer in troubled times and to guide the public in a bid to safeguard health at this crucial moment.

Phillipe Hsu is a public health center physician.

Translated by Chang Ho-ming

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title: How to end the mask panic buying


content_text:
IEA sees first global oil demand drop in a decade

CORONAVIRUS:Crude last week sank to a one-year low of less than US$50 and the effects of COVID-19 are likely to remain all year, the International Energy Agency said
Global oil demand is expected to drop this quarter for the first time in more than a decade as COVID-19 batters China’s economy, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.

The new estimate shows that oil markets face a significant surplus, despite the latest production cuts by OPEC and its partners.

Crude last week sank to a one-year low of less than US$50 a barrel and the effects of COVID-19 would be felt throughout the year, the agency said.

“Demand has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus and the widespread shutdown of China’s economy,” the Paris-based IEA said. “The crisis is ongoing and at this stage, it is hard to be precise about the impact.”

Global fuel consumption, which had previously been expected to grow by 800,000 barrels a day during the first quarter, compared with a year earlier, would instead contract by 435,000 a day, the IEA said in a monthly oil market report.

For this year as a whole, COVID-19 is expected to curb annual growth in global consumption by about 30 percent to 825,000 barrels a day, the lowest since 2011. The effects would be more significant than those of the 2003 SARS outbreak, because of China’s increased importance and integration within the global economy.

The COVID-19 outbreak has closed businesses and prompted the quarantine of tens of millions of people in China, the world’s biggest crude importer.

China accounted for about 75 percent of last year’s oil-demand growth, said the IEA, which advises most major economies.

US crude futures this year have fallen 17 percent, as traders assessed the effects of COVID-19.

Consumers are unlikely to benefit from the drop in fuel prices, because COVID-19 would inflict damage on the wider economy, the IEA said.

The outbreak has prompted Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, to push its allies in OPEC and beyond to consider an emergency meeting and further production cuts, but Russia, the kingdom’s most important partner in managing oil supplies, has so far resisted the initiative.

Even though the group launched new supply curbs at the start of this year, the slump in demand threatens markets with a surplus of about 1.7 million barrels a day during the first quarter and 560,000 in the second.

Last month, OPEC was pumping the least crude since the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the IEA said.

The OPEC+ alliance had faced an oversupply in the first half of this year, because of the ongoing output surge from US shale-oil drillers, the agency said, adding that the industry is likely to remain resilient against the price slump until later in the year.

Given the abundance of supply, disruptions in OPEC members such as Libya and Nigeria are having little effect on prices, the agency added.

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As Wuhan, China, ended its first week of quarantine, Tribeca Investment Partners portfolio manager John Stover began to bet on a recovery.

“You can pick your own adventure in terms of what you read and how scared you want to get about it,” said Singapore-based Stover, whose firm manages about A$1.9 billion (US$1.28 billion). “But risk/reward has looked pretty good over the last couple of weeks.”

For many traders on Wall Street, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has meant a frenzied search for safe havens, but some hedge funds are looking for bargains.

Stover in July last year started the US$50 million Vanda Asia Credit Fund.

Despite the outbreak, Stover is getting interest from investors, and with annualized gross returns of 12.2 percent and volatility of 2.1 percent, last month was his best so far.

Predictions of post-outbreak bounces are not simply based on hunches, said Cleargate Capital LLC managing partner and portfolio manager Edward Bozaan, who operates a long-short hedge fund focused on Europe.

Bozaan told investors in a letter that markets ended higher in the six to 12 months from the first announcement of previous viral crises, such as SARS and Ebola.

“Once the number of cases has peaked and begins to fall, it will probably be an excellent time to add to the sectors hurt the most: travel, cruise companies, entertainment and emerging markets,” he wrote.

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title: Hedge funds buy the dip, bet on virus stabilizing


title: DBS says virus impact could cut revenue by 2%

content_text:
DBS Group Holdings Ltd (星展銀行) said it expects the COVID-19 outbreak to hurt revenue slightly this year as it unveiled steps to alleviate its impact on small businesses and home owners.

Assuming the outbreak is controlled by the summer, the virus would impact revenue by about 1 to 2 percent, chief executive officer Piyush Gupta said in a presentation yesterday after Singapore’s biggest bank posted higher fourth-quarter profit.

DBS is one of the first major Asian banks to flag the risks to earnings from the virus. The outbreak has penetrated the bank, where an employee at its Singapore headquarters was diagnosed with the disease earlier this week, prompting it to send 300 workers home.

In line with lenders in Hong Kong and Singapore that are helping clients during a virus-hit economic slowdown, DBS is offering a six-month debt moratorium on principal repayments for property loans extended to small and medium-sized businesses in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as on mortgage loans for retail clients in Singapore, it said.

United Overseas Bank Ltd (大華銀行), a local smaller rival, has allocated S$3 billion (US$2.16 billion) of “relief assistance” to Singaporean companies aimed at addressing near-term liquidity, it said on Wednesday.

Policymakers around the world are assessing the potential economic hit from the virus, which has already disrupted travel, commerce and manufacturing throughout Asia. Singapore is bracing for a tourism slump that DBS economists say might wipe 0.5 percentage point off this year’s growth.

For DBS, the impact is not confined to the domestic market: More than a quarter of its revenue comes from Greater China, including Hong Kong.

DBS posted fourth-quarter profit that climbed 14 percent to S$1.51 billion, led by income from lending and wealth management. That compared with the S$1.49 billion average estimate of five analysts surveyed. Full-year earnings also climbed 14 percent, to a record S$6.4 billion.

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The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is preparing to choose a new chairperson. As this takes place, younger members are also calling for party reform and, shall we say, party rebranding.

One candidate, representing the younger generation, is KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣). Chiang, 42, is pushing for reform and a greater voice for younger members, stressing the need to return to basic values, such as democracy, justice and innovation.

Another candidate, former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), 67, has also mentioned reform, but in a more half-hearted and half-baked way, common to that found in the KMT old guard.

He initially broached the issue by saying that the KMT should consider changes and it could start by getting tougher with China. He raised the long overdue point that if China does not treat the KMT with respect or as an equal partner, why should the KMT continue to attempt to negotiate with it?

Hau has sensed the growing awareness among the young that the KMT should admit to its surrounding political reality, but the problem is that China has never treated the KMT with respect.

It has only and temporarily dealt with the KMT out of political expediency.

Hau correctly criticized KMT members, who like dogs with their tails between their legs, have flocked across the Taiwan Strait to accept free dinners, etc, from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Such members are not promoting democracy; they are courting the growing wealth of the CCP.

China has never returned any good will from the KMT, because it has never had to.

The KMT lost the war. China knows that. The world knows that, but somehow, the KMT cannot bring itself to acknowledge that reality. It remains like the “storied emperor” trying to convince the world it has “territorial clothes.”

Clinging to its past and lost fantasies, the KMT twists, bows and scrapes to promote this narrative. Why does it bother?

The CCP does agree that there is “one China,” but its agreement is limited only to its version of what that one China means. China has not and will not admit that there can be any other interpretation of what “one China” means.

CCP thinking proceeds like this: “You [the KMT] lost the war. We followed you to Hainan and destroyed you there. We would eventually have done the same to you in Taiwan. Unfortunately in overreach, we gambled, took sides and participated in the Korean War. That caused the US to intervene in the Taiwan Strait and delay our plans.”

China knows that. The US knows that — but somehow, the KMT will not face it even if it realizes it in its heart.

At first of course, the KMT had promoted its fantasy of retaking China. When did it know that such a dream was beyond hope? It surely must have sensed this long before the KMT’s staunchest ally, the US, moved its embassy from Taipei to Beijing.

Ironically, it is here that Hau falters and tries to blame the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for destroying the KMT myth, when the DPP spells out that China only seeks “one country, two systems.” Beijing had never admitted to “one country, two interpretations.”

The KMT’s ludicrous position relies solely on maintaining the bogus “1992 consensus,” which former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) invented eight years later.

How then to expose this ludicrous KMT scandal?

The answer is quite simple. Presume hypothetically that the unthinkable would happen: that the CCP would capitulate to the KMT and let it take over and shape “one China” to its fashion. What would be the KMT’s first steps in this fantasy world?

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people: 江啟臣 郝龍斌

title: Putting the lie to ‘1992 consensus’


content_text:
TELECOMS

Vodafone merger back on

An Australian court yesterday ruled that the multibillion-dollar deal between Vodafone Hutchison Australia and TPG Telecom Ltd would not pose a major threat to competition. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had blocked an attempted A$15 billion (US$10.1 billion) merger between the country’s third and fourth-largest telecoms. The merger is now expected to be completed by the middle of this year unless shareholder opposition or an appeal by the ACCC hold up that process. The ACCC said it was “carefully considering” the court’s judgement.

TECHNOLOGY

Smartphone start-up closes

Smartphone start-up Essential Products, launched by one of the cocreators of Android mobile software, on Wednesday announced that it was shutting down. Former Google executive Andy Rubin founded Essential to much industry fanfare, but struggled to gain traction in a crowded market, especially after its 2017 launch of a handset that did not catch on. Essential said in a blog post that the decision to cease operations came after its “Project Gem,” an elongated phone unveiled late last year, hit a dead end.

FOOD

Nestle adjusts sales targets

Nestle SA pushed back its target for sales growth as revenue from China slowed even before the COVID-19 outbreak in the Nescafe maker’s second-largest market. Nestle would need one or two more years to return to increases of 4 percent to 6 percent, chief executive officer Mark Schneider said yesterday. Revenue climbed 3.5 percent on an organic basis last year, just short of analysts’ estimates as the bottled-water business had its worst performance in a decade.

AUTOMAKERS

Ford, Tesla recall vehicles

Ford Motor Corp is recalling more than 240,000 sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and other models worldwide because a suspension part can fracture and increase the risk of a crash. The recall covers the Ford Flex, Taurus police car, Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKT from the 2013 through 2018 model years. Most of the recalled vehicles are in North America. Separately, Tesla Inc is recalling 15,000 Model X SUVs for power steering issues in North America, the electric automaker’s US and Canadian agencies said.

ENERGY

OPEC revises outlook

OPEC on Wednesday lowered its forecast for growth in global oil demand this year by nearly a fifth over the COVID-19 outbreak in China. In its monthly report on the world’s oil market, OPEC said it now expects growth in global oil demand of 0.99 million barrels per day (mbd) this year, which is down from 1.22mbd in its forecast last month. “The outbreak of the Coronavirus in China during the first half of 2020 is the major factor behind this downward revision,” the report said.

APPAREL

Kering posts record sales

French global luxury goods group Kering on Wednesday reported record sales and margins for last year, led in Asia by its flagship Gucci brand, but warned that the COVID-19 outbreak posed a real threat and had hit sales badly in China, one of its top markets. Sales last year rose 16.2 percent from 2018 to 15.8 billion euros (US$17.2 billion), but net profit tumbled more than 37 percent to 2.3 billion euros, hit by an exceptional tax charge in Italy of 1.25 billion euros in connection with a tax fraud investigation into Gucci.

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title: World Business Quick Take


title: Airbus reports net loss of 1.36bn euros for last year

content_text:
Airbus SE yesterday reported a net loss of 1.36 billion euros (US$1.48 billion) last year after being hit by a 3.6 billion euros fine over a bribery scandal and extra development costs for the A400M transport aircraft.

The Toulouse, France-based firm said operating profits rose to 6.95 billion euros, adding that it expected to deliver about 880 commercial planes this year against 863 last year.

Airbus’ plans to increase jetliner deliveries to an all-time high comes as it irons out production snags involving the A320 narrow-body model, while Boeing Co’s rival 737 MAX remains grounded.

“We achieved a great deal in 2019. We delivered a strong underlying financial performance driven mainly by our commercial aircraft deliveries,” Airbus chief executive officer Guillaume Faury said.

SETTLEMENT COSTS

“The reported earnings also reflect the final agreements with the authorities resolving the compliance investigations and a charge related to revised export assumptions for the A400M,” he added.

Airbus has agreed to pay 3.6 billion euros in fines to Britain, France and the US to settle corruption inquiries sparked by suspicious sales.

The company said commercial aircraft orders increased to 768 last year from 747 in 2018.

Airbus is targeting 7.5 billion euros in earnings this year, before the bribery probe settlement. It is also targeting free cash flow of 4 billion euros, a 500 million euros increase.

Airbus shares had gained 4.7 percent this year as of Wednesday’s close. That follows a 55 percent jump last year, when Boeing rose just 1 percent after two fatal crashes involving the 737 MAX tipped the US company into crisis.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg

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Mixed-signal ICs and display chips supplier Parade Technologies Ltd (譜瑞) yesterday provided an upbeat outlook for its business in the first half of this year on healthy demand from clients.

“So far we have not seen any differences in orders from our customers... We had a pretty strong booking for shipments this quarter and [there are] no material changes in cancelations,” Parade cofounder and CEO Jack Zhao (趙捷) said at a quarterly earnings conference in Taipei.

“Demand from our [display] panel customers remains very healthy,” Zhao said, adding that the company has had continuous orders throughout the Lunar New Year holiday.

The company said revenue this quarter would reach between US$95 million and US$105 million, with an estimated gross margin of between 41.5 percent and 44.5 percent.

“We have taken into consideration the coronavirus situation in China in our estimates,” Zhao said.

The epidemic is likely to be resolved soon, allowing business to return to normal by the third quarter, he added.

Zhao said the company is seeking to further boost business for its high-speed signal transmission interface solutions segment with its peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) 4.0 retimer, which is mainly used in data centers and servers.

Parade is shipping a small amount of the PCIe 4.0 devices at the moment, Zhao said, indicating that the product is still being tested by its client Intel Corp, which last month reportedly delayed PCIe 4.0 support for its upcoming Comet Lake series of desktop processors.

The company is also focusing on sales of more traditional high-speed interface products, such as USB-C 3.1 and 3.2, to increase segment revenue, Zhao said.

Meanwhile, its embedded DisplayPort (eDP) solutions have had steady and robust market demand over the past quarters.

“We are seeing a high growth rate for [our] eDP Tcon [timing controllers] used in laptop LCD panels,” Zhao said, attributing the increase to the booming gaming.

Last quarter, the company posted a slight year-on-year decline of 7.66 percent in net profit to US$20.72 million.

Earnings per share dipped from US$0.28 a year earlier to US$0.27 last quarter.

Fourth-quarter revenue contracted by 4.99 percent year-on-year to US$96.18 million, while gross margin increased from 41.91 percent to 43.48 percent due to an improving product mix and lower memory component prices.

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title: Parade predicting bright H1 results


content_text:
CHPT says customer orders not hurt by outbreak, sales to remain healthy

Chunghwa Precision Test Technology Co (CHPT, 中華精測), which provides wafer and chip testing services, yesterday, said that the COVID-19 outbreak has not affected customer orders, as global mobile phone sales are still expected to remain healthy.

“There might have been some adjustments or delays because of the epidemic, but [the company] does not expect anything major,” CHPT president Scott Huang (黃水可) told a teleconference.

“Customers have continued to source components, such as ICs and passive components,” Huang said, adding that the company has not seen any major changes.

CHPT still expects revenue to pick up sequentially in the second and third quarters, in line with its seasonal pattern, he said.

Gross margin is to hold steady this quarter, the company said.

Over the past five years, CHPT has maintained a gross margin of between 50 percent and 55 percent.

Several market researchers have reduced their global 5G mobile phone shipment forecasts to between 200 million and 220 million units for this year, from 260 million units before the outbreak, Huang said.

However, none of the company’s customers have revised their business plans for the full year, he said.

“Neither have our customers halted 5G deployment,” he said.

The Taoyuan-based company provides testing services to the communication industry’s A-listers, including Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為) chip design arm, Hisilicon Technologies Co (海思半導體), as well as iPhone chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電).

CHPT is the most expensive stock on the Taipei Exchange, with the share price topping NT$1,000 yesterday.

The company is continuing a recruitment campaign that started in October last year to support its capacity expansion to meet customer demand for its new vertical probe card (VPC) service, Huang said.

It has said it plans to hire 1,000 engineers in Taiwan.

The company expects VPC to be a major growth driver this year after landing orders last year from a first-tier client to test application processors for phones, he said.

Net profit edged up 0.61 percent year-on-year to NT$166 million (US$5.53 million) in the final quarter of last year, CHPT said on Wednesday.

On a quarterly basis, that represented a decline of 33.47 percent from NT$248 million.

Earnings per share improved to NT$5.06 last quarter from NT$5.02 a year ago, but slid from NT$7.55 in the third quarter last year.

Gross margin improved to 53.7 percent last quarter from 52.4 percent a year earlier, but declined from 54.8 percent a quarter earlier.

On a full-year basis, net profit fell 12.71 percent to NT$625 million. Earnings per share declined to NT$19.07 from NT$21.84 in 2018.

The company’s board of directors approved a plan to boost the payout ratio to 52 percent as it plans to distribute a cash dividend of NT$10 per share, unchanged from last year.

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title: Taiwan Business Quick Take

taiwan-subdivisions: 信義 南港

content_text:
SEMICONDUCTORS

Faraday results disappoint

Integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原科技) yesterday reported that fourth-quarter sales and earnings were below market expectations, reflecting the effects of clients’ inventory adjustments. Faraday’s fourth-quarter net income fell 66.4 percent from the previous quarter to NT$49 million (US$1.63 million), or earnings per share of NT$0.2, while sales fell by 11.9 percent to NT$1.4 billion, a company financial statement showed. Aided by higher revenue from its high-margin silicon intellectual property rights and non-recurring engineering segments, Faraday’s overall revenue for last year increased 8.2 percent annually to NT$5.31 billion, while net income rose 32.1 percent to NT$3.48 billion, or earnings per share of NT$1.4, it said.

TECHNOLOGY

US firm eyes high Q1 sales

Applied Materials Inc on Wednesday released a bullish sales forecast for this quarter, suggesting that its customers are once again spending on their fabs. The company’s fiscal second-quarter sales would be US$4.34 billion, plus or minus US$200 million, and adjusted earnings would be between US$0.98 and US$1.10 a share for the period ending in April, the company said in a statement. The US company is the largest maker of machinery used by manufacturers of semiconductors, with Samsung Electronics Co, Intel Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) among its customers.

TRANSPORTATION

GrabWheels takes EV partner

GrabWheels, the new mobility arm of ride-hailing firm Grab, yesterday said that it has secured US$30 million in fresh funding from Taiwanese scooter maker Kwang Yang Motor Co (光陽工業), as part of a strategic partnership to invest in and develop two-wheeler electric-vehicle (EV) solutions to accelerate the adoption of EVs in Southeast Asia. Kwang Yang sells its scooters under the KYMCO brand. The partnership would enable the firms to jointly explore developing and deploying two-wheel EVs, specifically KYMCO’s Ionex electric bikes, as well as the Ionex EV charging platform in Southeast Asian cities, a press release said. The US$30 million capital injection is part of GrabWheels’ ongoing Series A round.

AIRLINES

CAL delays Cebu flights

China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) yesterday announced that it is postponing the launch of its Taoyuan-Cebu flights from March 29 to June 12 due to Manila’s announcement on Monday that it is temporarily banning Taiwanese visitors from the Philippines in a bid to contain COVID-19. CAL’s announcement came after StarLux Airlines Co’s (星宇航空) decision on Wednesday to delay the launch of its Taoyuan-Cebu route until July 1.

RETAIL

Breeze Group to cut jobs

Upscale mall operator Breeze Group (微風集團) on Wednesday confirmed that it plans to reduce its workforce, but declined to say whether media reports of a 30 percent cut are accurate. The planned reduction is a routine internal adjustment, Breeze said, adding that it would continue to hire professionals to help the firm expand. Breeze opened its 10th Taipei mall in January 2018 — the Breeze Nan Shan (微風南山) in the city’s Xinyi District (信義) — and plans to open another one in Nangang District (南港), it said. Taipei Department of Labor official Liu Chia-hung (劉家鴻) said his agency had not yet received a notice from Breeze about layoffs or any complaints from the group’s employees.

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title: Virus fears force halt of tech show

content_text:
Workers on Wednesday install a banner with hygiene recommendations outside the Mobile World Congress venue at the Fira Barcelona Montjuic center in Barcelona, Spain. Show organizers said that the world’s top mobile trade fair would be canceled following an exodus of industry heavyweights over COVID-19 fears.Photo: AFP
Organizers of the world’s biggest mobile technology fair are pulling the plug over worries about the COVID-19 outbreak from China.

The annual Mobile World Congress is to no longer be held as planned in Barcelona, Spain, from Feb. 24 to 27.

“Global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event,” GSMA chief executive John Hoffman said in a statement on Wednesday.

The decision comes after dozens of tech companies and wireless carriers dropped out, with the latest cancelations by Nokia Oyj, Vodafone Group PLC, Deutsche Telekom AG and Britain’s BT PLC.

Organizers and government officials had sought to hold out against growing pressure to cancel the annual tech extravaganza, which had been expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors from about 200 countries, including 5,000 to 6,000 from China.

The show normally represents a huge source of revenue for hotels, restaurants and taxi companies. Authorities have estimated the show was to generate 473 million euros (US$513 million) and more than 14,000 part-time jobs for the local economy.

Spanish Vice President Carmen Calvo said there was “no public health reason” to call off the show. She said Spain had a good health response system and was following all of the recommendations from the WHO.

Spanish labor unions said that the show was called off due to the panic of the major technological companies. The CCOO union’s regional leader, Javier Pacheco, denounced “the alarmist attitude of the technological companies that from their position of global supremacy don’t care about the local impact.”

However, Creative Strategies president Tim Bajarin said the cancelation was prudent with all the unknowns surrounding how the virus is spread and as many companies had already pulled out.

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content_text:
Speaker urges US to recognize Taiwan

TRADE TALK:Yu Shyi-kun said that AIT Director Brent Christensen had indicated issues relating to imports of US pork and beef that would be factors in trade talks
Legislative Speaker Yu Shyi-kun, right, and American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen shake hands at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA
Hopefully, the US would recognize Taiwan and establish formal diplomatic ties with the nation, Legislative Speaker Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) said yesterday at a meeting with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen.

Yu met with Christensen at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

They each spoke publicly before and after the closed-door meeting.

Since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, Taiwan-US relations have improved significantly, Yu said.

Aside from criticizing China, US Vice President Mike Pence in a speech at the Hudson Institute in 2018 said that Taiwan’s embrace of democracy shows a better path for all Chinese, Yu said.

The frequent passage of US forces through the Taiwan Strait shows how much importance Washington places on security in the area and all of South Asia, he said.

Thanking the US for the support it has lent Taiwan to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Yu called on the US to support the nation’s participation at the WHO and to sign a bilateral free-trade agreement.

The nation has long been bullied by China, making it difficult for it to secure trade deals, but if Washington takes the lead, Tokyo and Brussels could follow suit, further opening up Taiwan’s international space, he said.

Many US citizens, including some officials in the Trump administration, are friendly toward Taiwan, Yu said, adding that it is his sincere hope that the US would formally recognize Taiwan and forge official bilateral ties.

After the meeting, Yu said he told Christensen that several US representatives have advocated formally recognizing Taiwan and asked him what his thoughts on the issue were.

However, Christensen did not give a response, he said.

Yu said that he expressed to Christensen his hope to push for trade deal with the US.

Asked whether Christensen talked about the issues of allowing imports of US pork and relaxing import restrictions on US beef, Yu said Christensen had indicated that “related issues” that would be factors in signing a trade agreement.

However, Christensen did not offer advice on what actions Taipei should take, he said.

The issue would need to be negotiated by the two nations and would depend heavily on the nation’s government agencies, as local industries should be protected as international trade broadens, Yu said.

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title: Speaker urges US to recognize Taiwan