content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Start-up invents smart vending machine for masks

A Taiwan-based start-up has developed vending machines that could be used to distribute masks to ensure that everyone has access to masks during a public health scare.

Yallvend Co, founded in January last year, has installed a smart vending machine at Taipei’s Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) and another at the office of the Taiwan Tech Arena to demonstrate their technology, which it developed with the start-ups Biilabs, Drippp and AuthMe.

The week-long trial of the vending machines would distribute 2,000 general-use masks for free, it said.

However, the company said that the masks are not surgical masks, like the ones being rationed by the government amid fears of a COVID-19 outbreak, but only masks for blocking dust.

The company hopes the demonstration would convince the government to work with Yallvend so that the rationed surgical masks could be distributed by its vending machines, instead of at pharmacies, Yallvend CEO Duncan Huang (黃建堯) said.

The government has requisitioned all domestically produced masks since Jan. 31 and implemented a rationing system under which people are allowed to buy masks only at National Health Insurance (NHI)-contracted pharmacies and drugstores, as well as public health centers, by showing their NHI card.

The idea of developing mask vending machines with identity verification was done with the public’s welfare in mind, given the long lines for buying two rationed face masks per week, Yallvend chief information officer Lee Yu-en (李育恩) said on Friday.

During the test run, which began on Thursday, the company would make available about 160 to 320 of the general-use masks per day, Lee said.

People can get two masks after the machines verify their identity through their identity card and mobile phone, Lee added.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Penghu bans overseas travel by officials

content_text:
By Liu Yu-ching
and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
A sign asking people to remove their hats and have their body temperature measured is displayed at a health station at Penghu Airport yesterday.Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times
The Penghu County Government yesterday banned all county government officials from taking leave and traveling abroad, effective immediately, to mobilize personnel and prevent further spread of COVID-19.

A spike in infections in numerous countries could spiral into a global pandemic, Penghu County Commissioner Lai Feng-wei (賴鋒偉) said, adding that traveling abroad at this time increases the risk of contracting COVID-19.

Should someone confirmed as infected return to Penghu — which has no COVID-19 cases — it could cause a local cluster infection, he said.

County officials should lead by example and refrain from traveling abroad, he added.

Lai also called on Penghu residents to delay any travel plans.

Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Deputy Director Su Chun-jung (蘇俊榮) said that the ban was understandable.

Lai’s decision could have been influenced by the Central Epidemic Command Center yesterday announcing that it would upgrade the travel advisories for Japan and South Korea to a level 2 “alert,” which urges travelers to be more vigilant, Su said.

It should not be seen as administrative overreach, he added.

Separately yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said that it has also called on military personnel to delay or cancel travel plans to high-risk areas.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the high-risk countries and areas are China, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Germany, Australia, the US, France, Macau, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, India, the Philippines, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Finland, Cambodia, Nepal, Belgium, Sweden, Egypt and Iran, the ministry said.

The ministry is not placing an outright ban on travel to or transits through high-risk areas, spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen (史順文) said, adding that should military personnel deem it necessary to travel to such areas, they must comply with quarantine regulations.

The military is tasked with protecting Taiwan and it is imperative that local cluster infections be prevented at all units and bases, the ministry said, adding that it is making “the best plans for the worst-case scenario” to ensure national security at all times.

The temperature of anyone entering military schools and facilities must be taken, regardless of whether they are military personnel or visitors, it added.

Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang and CNA

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content_text:
Trust in Singapore

I am Singaporean, retired and presently living in Taipei. Having read Nigel Li’s article in the Taipei Times (“Tips from Singapore’s virus fears,” Feb. 19, page 8), I would like to respond with the following quotations from renowned experts and specialists.

Nigel must have missed the news regarding WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who on Feb. 17 said that he spoke with Singaporean Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong (顏金勇) and praised Singapore’s response, saying: “We are very impressed with the efforts they are making to find every case, follow up with contacts and stop transmission,” and “Singapore is leaving no stone unturned, testing every case of influenza-like illness and pneumonia.”

Stephen Dziedzic, a journalist in Singapore, wrote the following in the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s The Strategist Web site regarding the responses in Southeast Asian countries to the outbreak: “When the epidemic first hit, the vast machine of Singapore’s public service roared smoothly into life, and it’s still running at full throttle”; “Even if the bout of panic buying suggests the city-state is slightly more brittle than portrayed in national mythologies, this crisis has still been a powerful reminder of Singapore’s formidable capacities.”

A recent study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported that Singapore’s approach to the coronavirus outbreak is the “gold standard” for case detection and should be used as a benchmark for other countries. “Singapore is historically known for exceptionally sensitive detection of cases, for example in SARS, and has had extremely detailed case reporting during the COVID-19 outbreak,” it said.

Having experienced how Singapore developed in the past 55 years, we Singaporeans have full trust in our government even without the praises from the mentioned renowned experts and specialists.

Ho Wai Lun

Taipei

More communication needed

With the spread of COVID-19 causing panic over the availability of masks, the Central Epidemic Command Center announced on Feb. 6 that it was to implement a real-name purchasing system. As the new government policy was rolled out, the 6,005 National Health Insurance (NHI)-contracted drugstores and pharmacies around the nation were tasked with conforming to the mask quotas, adding to the burden of their normal everyday routine, and the same was even more so for the independent drugstores.

The vast majority of NHI-contracted stores, however, have been quite happy to fall in line and do their bit for the good of the country. Since the implementation of that policy, with the exception of a few unavoidable instances, things have proceeded without incident. People are not entirely happy with the situation, but they find it acceptable, and are gradually getting used to it.

Then, on top of the mask quotas, the contracted pharmacies were roped into stocking alcohol disinfectant as part of the government’s anti-epidemic drive. This was followed by an announcement by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Monday that, with the increased production of masks, people could, as of Thursday, purchase four masks for each child, and each contracted pharmacy was to receive 400 adult masks, up from the previous quota of 200. All of this further added to the work of the drugstore staff.

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title: [ LETTERS ]


content_text:
Hsieh eyes second doubles title

SINGLES FINAL:World No. 2 Simona Halep defeated Petra Martic to face Elena Rybakina, who since last year has shot up 150 places in the rankings to No. 19
By Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AFP,
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Romania’s Simona Halep returns to the US’ Jennifer Brady during their Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semi-final match in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.Photo: AFP
Hsieh Su-wei was eyeing a second doubles title of the season after the Taiwanese world No. 1 and her partner, world No. 2 Barbora Strycova, on Friday sealed a spot in the doubles final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The top seeds and defending champions defeated fourth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Zhang Shuai of China 7-5, 6-3 in 1 hour, 22 minutes on the hard courts in the United Arab Emirates to advance to their third final of the season.

The Taiwanese-Czech duo saved three of eight break points and converted seven of 10, winning 71 percent of their second return points to improve their season record to 12-1, their only loss being in the final of the Australia Open in Melbourne last month.

“It was a good match,” Strycova told the WTA Web site. “I think it was a lot of ups and downs. Both teams were losing, in the second set, our serves, but my partner served it out, which is great, and I’m very happy to be back in the final.”

Hsieh and Strycova are looking to land their second title of the season after triumphing in Brisbane, Australia, last month.

They were due to take on Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Zheng Saisai of China, after the fifth seeds cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over unseeded Americans Desirae Krawczyk and Alison Riske in 63 minutes.

“We know them both very well, but we haven’t played them before as a pair,” Strycova told the WTA Web site. “It’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be a very tough match, because they were beating very good teams. Just to say, we are very happy to be back in the final and can’t wait until tomorrow [Saturday].”

In the singles, Simona Halep pounded out a 6-2, 6-0 defeat of US qualifier Jennifer Brady to move into a second career final.

The top seed and world No. 2 is to face Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh defeated Petra Martic 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/2) in their earlier semi-final.

“It felt much better than previous matches, I played really well,” said Halep after a 62-minute win which followed having to come back from a set down in both of her previous matches.

“Everything went in, I felt the ball great. I feel like I played the best match since I came here,” she said.

Rybakina is now into her fourth final from five tournaments.

The Kazakh, who has now won a WTA-leading 19 matches this year, took two and a quarter hours to outlast her more experienced Croatian opponent Martic, who led 3-0 in the second set.

Rybakina won the Hobart title last month and finished runner-up in Shenzhen, China, and St Petersburg, Russia.

Halep retired in her only previous match with Rybakina in the third round in Wuhan, China, in September last year.

“I’m playing for another trophy, so I’m relaxed. I’m focused. I really want it,” said Halep, who will be bidding for a 20th career title today. “Playing here in Dubai makes me happy on court, I actually feel like every day I’m improving,” Halep said.

After a modest season last year, the 20-year-old has Rybakina has improved 150 places to 19th in the rankings.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “Hopefully, I can continue to play like this and next year also.”

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title: Hsieh eyes second doubles title


content_text:
Gloomy data, virus weigh on Wall St

‘UNKNOWN SITUATION’:There is a break in the supply chain as well as in the demand for products, which presents a challenge to global growth, an advisory firm manager said
US stock indices fell on Friday after data showed that US business activity stalled this month, while a spike in new COVID-19 cases in China and elsewhere sent investors scrambling for safer assets, such as gold and government bonds.

The IHS Markit’s purchasing managers’ index of services sector activity dropped to its lowest level since October 2013, signaling a contraction for the first time since 2016.

The manufacturing sector also clocked its lowest reading since August last year.

Declines on Friday were led by heavyweights Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc and Apple Inc for a second straight day.

The S&P technology index dropped 1.9 percent. Chipmakers, heavily reliant on China for their revenue, also took a beating, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor index falling 2.5 percent.

“We are in an unknown situation and, when valuations are expensive, any minor hint of news that is negative makes investors run for the exits,” said Phil Blancato, chief executive officer of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management Inc in New York.

Hopes of monetary easing by major central banks had propelled the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite to all-time highs on Wednesday, but the indices posted their first weekly decline in three weeks as the virus appears harder to contain.

The S&P 500 traded 1.4 percent below its all-time high.

“I think Apple’s announcement last week is the beginning of the hard news flow,” said Hugh Anderson, managing director at HighTower Advisors LLC in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the iPhone maker’s sales warning due to the outbreak. “Not only are you seeing a break in the supply chain, but also you’re seeing a break in the demand for products, which is a fundamental challenge to an already moderate global growth.”

China reported a jump in new cases on Friday, while South Korea became the latest hot spot with 100 new cases and more than 80 people tested positive for the virus in Japan.

Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE volatility index, hit its highest level in nearly three weeks.

The risk-off sentiment drove up gold and bond prices, while falling US Treasury yields hit shares of lenders, with the S&P banks index down 1.2 percent.

A slide in oil prices knocked 1 percent off the S&P energy index.

The S&P 500 index fell 35.48 points, or 1.1 percent, to 3,337.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 227.57 points, or 0.8 percent, to 28,992.41. The NASDAQ lost 174.37 points, or 1.8 percent, to 9,576.59.

For the week, the S&P 500 lost 1.3 percent, the Dow fell 1.4 percent and the NASDAQ dropped 1.6 percent.

Coca-Cola Co is the latest big name to warn investors about the potential impact on its finances from the outbreak. China is a big market for the company, and Coca-Cola expects a hit of US$0.02 per share to its first-quarter profit.

Dropbox Inc jumped 21.2 percent on Friday after it raised its outlook for operating margin, and Deere & Co rose 8.2 percent after an unexpected rise in first-quarter profit.

Sprint Corp climbed 6.1 percent as it announced new merger terms with T-Mobile US Inc that would reduce the stake of major Sprint shareholder Softbank Group Corp. T-Mobile shares dipped 0.9 percent.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.82-to-1 ratio on the New York Stock Exchange and a 1.94-to-1 ratio on the NASDAQ.

The S&P index recorded 26 new 52-week highs and eight new lows, while the NASDAQ recorded 67 new highs and 49 new lows.

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title: Gloomy data, virus weigh on Wall St


content_text:
The multimillionaire family shaping Singapore’s skyline

The Yong family has been shaping the city-state since the 1920s and its fourth generation is preparing
to take over the business, defying the stereotype that the third generation blows through a fortune
People watch a light show at the Supertree Grove at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore on Jan. 21 last year.Photo: EPA-EFE
They are places that encapsulate Singapore: Gardens by the Bay, with its gigantic artificial trees and botanical conservatories dripping with orchids; Lau Pa Sat, the colonial-era food hall beckoning with chili crab and chicken rice; Jewel Changi Airport, the futuristic shopping and entertainment complex straight out of Crazy Rich Asians.

All of those landmarks, and many more, are the handiwork of a company that has endured for nearly a century under a single family: the Yongs. Since the 1920s, when tigers still roamed what was then a steamy outpost of imperial Britain, the Yongs have been shaping the cityscape.

Today, a fourth generation is preparing to take over leadership of the family’s private empire, Woh Hup Holdings Pte (和合控股).

That the Yongs have maintained control of Woh Hup is testament to Singapore’s transformation as well as the clan’s shifting focus from basic infrastructure — such as prisons and piers — to entertainment and luxury apartments.

Woh Hup executive director Eugene Yong (楊康榮) is the first to admit construction is not a glamorous job.

“It’s more important that people are proud of what we’ve done,” the 67-year-old said.

Still, however low key the family might be, serving as a contractor to some of the nation’s biggest property projects has created fabulous wealth.

Woh Hup’s revenue in the year through June 30, 2018, was S$1.1 billion (US$787 million at the current exchange rate), up 31 percent from the year prior and net income totaled S$51.8 million.

The family declined to disclose any more recent data, but according to Bloomberg estimates, the clan is worth about US$600 million.

Woh Hup traces it origins to 1927, when Yong’s grandfather, Yong Yit Lin (楊溢璘), founded the group after moving from Malaysia in the pursuit of government construction tenders.

Yit Lin, originally from China, got his first big break as a contractor when he scored a job building fences and garden-gate posts for a British residence.

In Singapore, the business expanded to deliver large-scale projects, such as Clifford Pier, Changi Prison and the former Ministry of Labor, buildings that helped fill in the city’s landscape in the early years.

Yong’s father, Yong Nam Seng (楊南星), took over the business as a second-generation member in the late 1950s and is still Woh Hup’s chairman.

Eugene’s older brother, Yong Tiam Yoon (楊添榮), is deputy chair.

Now that Woh Hup is into its fourth generation, it is easily defying the stereotype that the third generation of wealth tends to blow through a fortune.

Michelle Yong (楊潔儀), Nam Seng’s granddaughter, is one of the new guard. She joined the family business in 2007 after studying and working in the UK and heads Aurum, a wholly owned subsidiary that focuses on boutique residential properties.

Key to Woh Hup’s success has been its ability to diversify.

“So many family members had already added much value,” the 41-year-old said in an interview from an office in Tanjong Pagar, a district where Chinese trading and tea houses have made room for yoga studios and fashionable bistros.

“When the Aurum opportunity came up, it was a chance for me to take the reins and try to make something out of it,” he said.

Other businesses Yong has helped spearhead under the Aurum umbrella include coworking firm Found8, venture capital outfit Aurum Investments Pte, which nurtures property technology start-ups, and Core Collective, a collaborative center for fitness and wellness professionals.

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content_text:
Eight honored for language work

CARRYING THE TORCH:YouTuber Tsai A-ga, whose videos have been viewed more than 19 million times, was recognized for his daily videos teaching Hoklo
By Rachel Lin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Lee Hsiu-chien, son of Taiwanese lyricist Lee Lin-chiu, on Friday sings Longing for the Spring Breeze at a Ministry of Education ceremony where Lee was recognized for promoting the Hoklo language (also known as Taiwanese).Photo: Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Education on Friday gave awards to eight people and two groups for their contributions to promoting local languages.

Lee Hsiu-chien (李修鑑) — the 72-year-old son of Taiwanese lyricist Lee Lin-chiu (李臨秋) — was recognized for promoting Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese).

While receiving his award Lee Hsiu-chien said that to him, speaking Hoklo felt “like singing — it sounds nice and it moves people emotionally.”

YouTuber Tsai A-ga (蔡阿嘎), 36, was also recognized for promoting Hoklo, becoming the first person to receive the award for language contributions made through social media.

“I have spoken Hoklo as a habit since I was little. I hope many more people, young and old, can enjoy this language and share my passion for it,” he said.

Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) said that Friday was significant, as it was International Mother Language Day, and the one-year anniversary of the National Languages Development Act (國家語言發展法).

The ministry has conferred language-contribution awards since 2008, and to date has given awards to 148 people and 35 groups, Lin said.

The ministry commended Tsai — whose real name is Tsai Wei-chia (蔡緯嘉) — for successfully fostering interest in Hoklo among young people.

Tsai, who makes videos on the everyday happenings of his life, has a unique talent through which he has aroused an interest among people in their mother language, it said.

“When I started making videos, I noticed that more and more young Taiwanese were strangers to Hoklo. Starting in 2011, I have made daily videos to teach Hoklo expressions,” Tsai said.

Tsai’s videos have been viewed more than 19 million times.

Lee Lin-chiu — who is best known for his lyrics to the song Longing for the Spring Breeze (望春風) — was heavily influenced by his own father’s passion for Hoklo and Taiwanese culture in general, Lee Hsiu-chien said.

Lee Lin-chiu helped bring back Taiwanese folk songs that had been popular during the 1930s, the ministry said.

The ministry this year also recognized children’s storybook writer Chang Chieh-ming (張捷明).

Chang, who has been called the “Hans Christian Andersen of Hakka children’s stories,” has had a significant effect on children’s education in Taiwan, the ministry said.

Hakka magazine manager and chief editor Chang Yi-pin (張義品) was also recognized, the ministry said, adding that Chang Yi-pin’s Hakka camps have helped a revival of the language in the past few decades.

Chien Shih-lang’s (簡史朗) research on the Thao language and culture was recognized as being crucial in the face of a dwindling Thao population, the ministry said.

It also recognized Sediq community school principal Chan Su-e (詹素娥) for her work in preserving and promoting the Sediq language, and for her work on a “Taiwanese Aboriginal Languages Wiki.”

Group awards were conferred on the Rotary Club of Taipei Metro East and Taipei Municipal Dali Elementary School, the ministry said.

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title: Eight honored for language work


content_text:
In US’ wealthiest town, an income of US$500k a year is now below average

You could easily drive through the leafy Silicon Valley suburb without realizing you were in the US’ richest neighborhood. From the road, it is all high brick walls and opaque gates.

It takes Google Maps to get a glimpse of what lies behind. Satellite images of Atherton, California — where the average household income just blew past US$500,000 — reveal the sprawling homes of tech billionaires and sports stars, studded with tennis courts and pools.

For the fourth straight year, Atherton topped Bloomberg’s Richest Places annual index. With an average household income of more than US$525,000, it became the first and so far only community to top the half-million-dollar mark since Bloomberg started compiling the index in 2017.

At least some of the town’s Silicon Valley neighbors are more or less keeping up. Atherton is joined in the upper echelons of the Bloomberg list by Hillsborough (No. 3) and Los Altos Hills (No. 5), two more communities in the hi-tech corridor between San Francisco and San Jose.

Both have average incomes upward of US$400,000.

Elaine White, a real-estate agent and native of neighboring Redwood City, has watched the tech boom shape the region.

“Because of how big Facebook has gotten, and Google, we’ve kind of become this concept of the company town, where so many people work for these Silicon Valley companies,” she said.

In Atherton, the cheapest house on the market was listed for US$2.5 million, according to real-estate marketplace Zillow.com.

Numerous tech billionaires have called the town home — including former Google chief executive officer Eric Schmidt, Facebook Inc chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Microsoft Corp late cofounder Paul Allen, whose former residence there was last week sold for more than US$35 million.

Golden State Warriors athlete Stephen Curry last year bought an Atherton estate for US$31 million.

In second place for the second straight year was Scarsdale, New York, less than 40km outside Manhattan, with an average US$452,000 in annual household income.

Also making the top 10 were a town near Denver, Colorado, two northern suburbs of Chicago and a wealthy enclave in Dallas, Texas.

In general, the east and west coasts dominated the top 100 list. California took up 23 places, while the tri-state area of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey accounted for 32, although that was down from 36 last year.

Middle America is slowly gaining some ground. States including Illinois and Minnesota added one new listing in this year’s index, while Texas gained two (Lucas at No. 73 and Alamo Heights at No. 75).

Altogether, 16 states are represented on the list, the same number as in previous years — suggesting that the concentration of wealth in certain regions remains largely unchanged over time.

Also, the richest communities continue to get richer. This year, to make the top 100, a neighborhood needed an average household income of US$220,000, up from US$209,000 last year.

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people: 柯文哲 黃珊珊 陳時中

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Taipei to close centers to protect children and elderly

The Taipei City Government on Friday said that community care centers and parent-child centers in Taipei would be temporarily closed until the end of next month to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to elderly people and young children.

The city government decided to suspend operation of the centers at least until the end of next month to contain COVID-19, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said.

Whether to open them in April would be decided based on the spread of the virus at that time, she added.

An assessment showed that prevention resources at the city’s 477 community care centers and 13 parent-child centers might not be capable of handling the disease if it progresses, so it was decided to postpone the opening date from Tuesday to the end of next month, the Taipei Department of Social Welfare said.

The city’s Department of Transportation is to designate two taxis for transporting residents under home quarantine to hospitals for treatment, except for those with a fever or respiratory symptoms, Huang said.

People in need of the service must go to the health department and gain approval in advance, because they are not allowed to leave home when under quarantine, Department of Health Commissioner Huang Shier-chieg (黃世傑) said.

More than 3,000 people are under home quarantine, he added.

One person, who arrived from Hong Kong on Feb. 12, filled in a false passport number and false contact information, he said, adding that he should be under quarantine, but has gone missing.

The police are assisting the city government in finding him, he added.

Yesterday, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) reiterated his opinion that the Central Epidemic Command Center should tell the public where the nation’s 24th patient — a woman in her 60s living in northern Taiwan — resides to lessen the panic.

On Friday, when Ko first expressed this opinion, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that disclosing the woman’s whereabouts “would not do much good,” as she was hospitalized the day after her emergency room visit on Jan. 29 and her activities prior to that did not fall within the virus’ incubation period.

“Local governments certainly know about confirmed cases in their administrative area, because the center’s orders and contact investigations are conducted with the assistance of local health departments,” Chen added yesterday.

If local governments know the details, making them public would only cause more panic, he added.

Yesterday, Ko said that he does not know the details.

“Isn’t it because China keeps hiding things from the public that it is in its current situation?” Ko said. “Sometimes I think that Taiwan and China came from the ‘same sauce tank’ — these people think the same way.”

While people sometimes react irrationally, Taiwan is a relatively mature democratic society, so even if being transparent and open causes panic, not letting the public know might cause people to panic more, Ko added.

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title: Asian shares fall as cases increase outside of China

content_text:
Asian stocks retreated on Friday amid renewed concern about the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak as cases increased outside of China.

Shares in Korea and Hong Kong saw the steepest losses, with more modest declines in Australia.

The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index fell 0.5 percent to 166.44, down 2.4 percent on the week.

Japanese stocks closed little changed, while those in China edged higher.

Traders were on tenterhooks this week amid a spike in infections outside China and a slew of fresh warnings from companies on the pathogen’s effects.

That is threatening gains that propelled global equities to a record high earlier this month and reigniting appetite for haven assets from US Treasuries to the US dollar.

“It may be a much longer road,” Dan Farley, chief investment officer of the investment solutions group at State Street Global Advisors, told Bloomberg TV in Sydney about the virus impact.

“We have to be very mindful that this is not an easily solvable issue and the impact on consumer demand for a number of different sectors is going to be something that we need to be watching out for,” he said.

Hong Kong stocks ended weaker on Friday to finish the week lower.

The Hang Seng Index closed 1.1 percent lower at 27,308.81, while the China Enterprises Index lost 1.1 percent to 10,790.84 points.

China reported an uptick in new cases on Friday, although the rise in infections remained at its slowest pace since last month, a downward trend which the WHO has called encouraging.

In Hong Kong, authorities reported the first case of a police officer to have contracted the virus.

Despite broad risk sentiment stabilization earlier in the week, pockets of concern continue to be present across parts of Asia on the back of the outbreak concerns, dampening equity performance, IG Group PLC market strategist Jingyi Pan (潘婧怡) said in a report.

To cushion the economic impact of the outbreak, China has rolled out a raft of supportive measures, and expectations are running high for further policy easing.

As widely expected, the People’s Bank of China slashed a key benchmark rate this week and said it would extend credit, provide favorable loans or rates to firms involved in controlling the outbreak.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Friday said that it would speed up studying new fiscal, tax financial, insurance measures to support companies to counter the effects of the outbreak.

In Taipei, the TAIEX fell 0.33 percent to 11,686.35 to end the week 1 percent lower.

The Shanghai Composite index gained 0.3 percent on Friday and rose 4.2 percent for the week.

Japan’s TOPIX was flat yesterday, while the Nikkei 225 fell 0.4 percent, bringing its weekly losses to 1.3 percent.

South Korea’s KOSPI fell 1.5 percent on Friday, down 3.6 percent for the week.

In India, the NIFTY 50 fell 0.4 percent on Friday and was down 0.3 percent for the week. The SENSEX also lost 0.4 percent on the day and fell 0.2 percent for the week.

The Philippines Stock Exchange Index on Friday slipped 0.6 percent, paring its weekly gains to 1.2 percent.

The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index fell 0.3 percent on Friday and was down 0.8 percent for the week.

Additional reporting by CNA and staff writer

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content_text:
Gold bars are pictured at a Degussa Goldhandel AG store in Singapore on June 16, 2017.Photo: Reuters
Investors are rushing to the safety of gold amid a selloff in US stocks on mounting concerns the COVID-19 outbreak will derail global growth.

Gold jumped as much as 2 percent on Friday, extending its climb to a seven-year high, as the S&P 500 Index posted its first weekly loss since last month.

In a sign that the virus is starting to dent the world’s largest economy, business activity in the US shrank this month for the first time since 2013 with the outbreak disrupting supply chains.

“The persistent, cold-blooded and measured shift in gold higher, despite the US dollar, is telling,” Bank of Nova Scotia metals strategist Nicky Shiels said in e-mailed message. “The breakout is warranted and has legs.”

Gold futures for April delivery rose 1.7 percent to settle at US$1,648.80 an ounce at on the Comex in New York, the highest closing price for a most-active contract since February 2013.

The metal notched a 3.9 percent gain this week, the biggest increase since June last year.

“Gold is in the midst of its perfect storm,” Saxo Bank A/S head of commodity strategy Ole Hansen said.

Prices of bullion in euros as well as Australian and Canadian dollars climbed to records.

Holdings in gold-backed exchange traded funds (ETFs) climbed for 22 straight sessions through Thursday, the longest-ever run, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The amount of call options traded in a single day spiked to the highest ever in records dating to 1996, preliminary data showed.

The stretch of inflows “certainly gives an indication about concerns around the global economy,” Andrew Jamieson, global head of ETF product at Citigroup Inc in London, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

The outbreak has worsened outside of China, while a jump in cases in Iran is also raising concern.

Chinese authorities adjusted the number of cases for the third time this month, raising more questions over the reliability of the data.

In more than half of the world’s 20 biggest economies, analysts now expect looser budgets this year — in other words, bigger deficits or smaller surpluses — than they did six months ago, a Bloomberg survey of economist forecasts showed.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia expects the US Federal Reserve to ease twice in the second half of the year as the outbreak threatens the global economy.

Still, lower US yields and weaker equities could push gold prices further toward US$1,750 an ounce even if the outbreak is contained during the first quarter, Goldman Sachs Group Inc has said.

If the outbreak stretches beyond that, “we see substantially more upside from here — toward US$1,850 an ounce, depending on the magnitude of the global monetary policy response,” the bank said in a note on Friday.

Other precious metals:

‧Silver futures climbed on the Comex.

‧On the New York Mercantile Exchange, palladium futures rose, while platinum futures declined.

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title: Gold’s ‘cold-blooded’ gain shows virus-induced rush


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: No cancelation fees for level 3: Tourism Bureau

Travel agencies should not demand a fee of more than 5 percent from people who cancel a trip to a country with a travel advisory that is level 2 or greater, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.

Because of COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has issued a level 3 “warning” travel notice for China, Hong Kong and Macau. The center yesterday issued a level 2 “alert” travel notice for Japan, South Korea and Singapore, while it issued a level 1 “watch” travel notice for Thailand on Thursday.

Under the government’s three-tier travel advisory system, a level 1 notice urges travelers to take normal precautions and respect disease-prevention measures put in place at their destination. Level 2 urges travelers to heighten their vigilance and level 3 cautions them against nonessential travel.

When people cancel tours to destinations with a level 1 notice, travel agencies can charge them a cancelation fee of 5 to 10 percent, depending on the cancelation deadline, the bureau said.

Travel agencies, after deducting necessary costs, cannot charge a cancelation fee of more than 5 percent for destinations with a level 2 notice, and should charge no cancelation fee for destinations with a level 3 notice, it said.

All domestic travel has been affected by the outbreak, the local travel industry has said.

Domestic travel companies are expecting NT$3.2 billion (US$105.25 million) in lost revenue because of a nearly 50 percent decline in tourists over the past month, Domestic Travel Development Association chairman Lai Chun-chieh (賴俊傑) said yesterday.

This is normally the peak season for domestic travel, but travel agencies have had difficulty organizing any tour groups, meaning that companies would lack operational funds, he said.

However, people still visit many scenic areas — perhaps indicating that people are fond of the outdoors, but are avoiding participating in group activities due to the virus, he added.

The association has set up standard health precautions for tour groups, such as asking tour members to submit a health declaration, taking people’s temperature before they get on a bus, requiring people to wear a mask while on the bus, and disinfecting buses before groups get on and after they get off, he said.

As a promotion, the association yesterday launched a Taipei-to-Taichung tour — cutting the price from NT$2,000 to NT$200 per person — with the hope of increasing domestic tourism, he said.

The association plans to introduce more tours to encourage people to travel safely, Lai said, while expressing the hope that the government would distribute coupons to boost domestic travel.

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title: EVERYDAY ENGLISH

content_text:
B: Wow, these tomatoes are delicious. They’re really sweet and juicy.

A: Since we’ve got so many, we should use them to make some tomato sauce for pasta sauce and pizza.

B: Great! We’ve got a glut of watermelons, too. They would make ideal gifts next time we visit friends or family.

B: 哇，這些番茄好好吃。它們真的很甜很多汁。

A : 既然我們收成了這麼多顆，我們應該拿一些來做番茄醬，可以用來當義大利麵醬或披薩醬。

B : 太棒啦！我們還收成了好多顆西瓜。下次我們去拜訪親戚朋友時，這些西瓜會是很合適的伴手禮。

English 英文:

Chinese 中文:

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content_text:
G20 officials call for unified taxes on digital giants

‘ONLY WAY FORWARD’:As several European nations already have a digital tax plan or are working on one, a lack of unity risks creating a fragmented global system
Leading world economies must show unity in dealing with aggressive “tax optimization” by global digital giants like Google, Amazon.com and Facebook, G20 officials said yesterday.

Global rules are being developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to make digital companies pay tax where they do business, rather than where they register subsidiaries.

The OECD has said that this could boost national tax revenues by a total of US$100 billion per year.

The call for unity appeared mainly directed at the US, home to the biggest tech companies, in an attempt to head off any stalling on the rules until after the US presidential election in November.

‘NO TIME TO WAIT’

“There is no time to wait for elections,” German Federal Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz told a tax seminar on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers.

“This needs leadership in certain countries,” Scholz said, looking directly at US Secretary of the Terasury Steven Mnuchin, sitting next to him at the seminar.

The taxing of digital companies and the effect of an outbreak of COVID-19 on the global economy are among the hot topics for G20 financial leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies during their talks in Riyadh this weekend.

The OECD wants to set a minimum effective level at which such companies would be taxed and seeks agreement by the start of July, with an endorsement by the G20 by the end of this year.

STAND UNITED?

“A coordinated answer is not the better way forward, but, given the alternatives, the only way forward,” OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria told the seminar.

However, the OECD efforts were stalled late last year by last-minute changes demanded by Washington, which many G20 officials view as reluctant to deal with a potentially politically tricky matter before the presidential election.

Mnuchin said that OECD countries were close to an agreement on the minimum tax level, which he claimed would also go a long way to resolving the issue of where tax is payed.

“I think we all want to get this done by the end of the year, and that’s the objective,” Mnuchin told the seminar.

Several European countries — including France, Spain, Austria, Italy, Britain and Hungary — either already have a plan for a digital tax or are working on establishing one, creating the risk of a highly fragmented global system.

“You cannot have in a global economy different national tax systems that conflict with each other,” Mnuchin said.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday last week said that he would be ready to pay more tax in Europe and would welcome a global OECD solution that would make the levies uniform.

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content_text:
Boston Bruins secure Ondrej Kase by releasing David Backes from ‘purgatory’

David Backes skates with the puck while playing for the Boston Bruins during the first period of an NHL game in Sunrise, Florida.Photo: AP
David Backes no longer has to worry whether he will get another shot at playing in the NHL.

The 35-year-old forward was freed from what Backes referred to as “purgatory” on Friday, when the Boston Bruins traded him to the Anaheim Ducks.

In freeing up most of Backes’ significant salary-cap hit, Boston also gave up a first-round draft pick and defensive prospect Axel Andersson to acquire forward Ondrej Kase.

The deal was completed three days before the NHL’s trade deadline and marked the end of a monthlong stretch of uncertainty for Backes, which began with him declining to report to AHL Providence after being waived by the Bruins.

“It’s been a roller-coaster of: ‘Am I just going to be dying a slow death here or is this something where I’m going to get another opportunity,’” Backes said during a conference call. “I was praying, actually praying, to get an opportunity where I could reassert myself and show that I still belong in the NHL.”

Backes has not played since logging 8 minutes and 30 seconds of ice time in Boston’s 5-4 win over Winnipeg on Jan. 9.

He has been off the ice for three weeks as part of an agreement he and Bruins reached to allow Backes to not have to report to the minors.

He said he expects to take a week to get back into playing shape, and added: “I’m hoping to expedite that with that new energy I’ve got, the fire that I feel that’s lit throughout my whole being.”

A combination of injuries and being a healthy scratch led to Backes playing in just 16 games this season, scoring one goal and adding two assists. That is a considerable drop for a player who has topped 20 goals in six of his previous 13 seasons, the first 10 with the St Louis Blues.

Backes is in the fourth year of a five-year, US$30 million deal he signed with Boston in free agency. Boston agreed to pick up 25 percent of the contract as part of the trade.

Backes is now focused on helping the Ducks.

“I’m coming at this with a full heart and ready to conquer and give everything I’ve got to each situation,” he said.

“I don’t know what the last chapter will be. Hopefully, it’s on my own terms and a glorious moment in Anaheim,” Backes said. “But it may not be, and I’m ready for that, too, but I’m grateful to have another opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Patrice Bergeron scored twice and Brad Marchand got the game-winner as the Bruins rallied to beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Friday for their fifth consecutive victory.

Calgary jumped to a 3-1 lead through the first 3:23, but the Bruins became just the seventh team in NHL history — regular season and postseason — to win despite allowing three goals in the first 4 minutes of a game.

In other games on Friday, it was:

‧ Oilers 3, Wild 5,

‧ Hurricanes 2, Rangers 5,

‧ Dallas Stars 1, Blues 5,

‧ Ducks 0, Avalanche 1,

‧ Islanders 4, Red Wings 1

‧ Blackhawks 2, Predators 1

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content_text:
A late cameo by Wanindu Hasaranga helped Sri Lanka pull off a thrilling chase to edge out West Indies by one wicket in their first one-day international (ODI) yesterday.

Hasaranga, known for his leg-spin bowling, hit an unbeaten 42 after coming in to bat at No. 8 as Sri Lanka chased down their target of 290 with five balls to spare and lead the three-match series 1-0.

Hasaranga held his nerve after Sri Lanka slipped to 253 for seven following the departure of Thisara Perera for 32 to register his highest ODI score.

He built crucial partnerships including a 38-run stand with Perera and then put on 27 runs with Lakshan Sandakan for the ninth wicket.

With one to get off the last six balls Sandakan was run out, but Keemo Paul bowled a no-ball.

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Avishka Fernando put on 111 runs for the opening wicket to lay the platform for what turned out be the highest successful chase at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.

For the West Indies, Alzarri Joseph claimed three wickets after Shai Hope made 115 in his team’s 289 for seven.

In response, Sri Lanka lost their way after their strong start, despite wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera hitting 42.

Leg-spinner Hayden Walsh and Paul took two wickets each to regularly dent Sri Lanka along with Joseph, but Hasaranga stood firm.

The effort trumped Hope’s ninth ODI hundred after Sri Lanka invited West Indies to bat first.

Hope lost his opening partner early and was involved in the run-out of Darren Bravo, but laid the foundation for his team’s total.

Left-arm pace bowler Isuru Udana claimed three wickets, but gave away 82 runs from 10 overs.

The second match is in Hambantota on Wednesday.

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title: Sri Lanka clinch one-day thriller


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: China’s couriers take hands-off approach amid virus

A JD.com delivery worker fetches parcels for a man as residents claim packages outside their residential compound in Beijing on Friday.Photo: Reuters
China’s armies of racing, swerving motorcycle delivery people have been hailed as saviors amid an outbreak of COVID-19, keeping shut-in citizens fed and stocked up, but it has come with major adjustments for couriers like Gao Yuchao.

A Shanghai driver for leading meal take-out service ele.me, Gao’s job has changed: his temperature is taken several times daily at restaurants and delivery points; he wears not one, but two masks for protection; and frequently disinfects his delivery box.

Gone is the routine handoff to hungry customers — ele.me and other platforms have moved to “contactless” delivery to guard against infection, dropping parcels off outside gated communities due to paranoia over the virus.

“We’re not safe for them. It’s understandable that some people have courier-phobia,” 30-year-old Gao asid. “It’s more protective and hygienic for everyone.”

Tens of millions of people have been effectively quarantined in the virus epicenter in central China, but communities across the country also have adopted strict curbs on movement and access to arrest the contagion’s spread.

The economy has been affected across the board, including hugely popular food delivery platforms.

Yet, despite reduced volumes, uniformed drivers have remained among the most visible sights on otherwise emptied streets.

State-run media have praised them as “heroes” keeping the economy — and people — on life support.

In Wuhan, where the virus first emerged and which remains under strict quarantine, couriers have reportedly pitched in to take hospital staff to work or deliver medical supplies and groceries, drawing nationwide kudos.

Ele.me rival Meituan on Jan. 26launched contactless delivery in Wuhan, later rolling it out across the country. McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks are among the major players to follow suit.

Couriers arrive at predetermined locations, then step back as customers pick up their dinner.

Delivery riders typically provide a card listing the temperatures of all those involved in cooking, packing, and delivery, and stating whether the courier’s equipment had been disinfected that day.

The anxiety is sometimes palpable.

Gao said that some customers, hearing his footsteps, have shouted at him to leave the food and back off.

Some couriers were reportedly diagnosed with the virus in parts of the country, sparking fear among delivery company workers and their customers.

Buying habits have also changed, with customers shifting from prepared take-out meals to groceries and hygiene supplies.

E-commerce giant JD.com has said that sales of rice, dairy and fresh produce have surged, and that shipments of sterilizing alcohol have leaped 20-fold since the outbreak began late last month.

Meituan has said that sales of staples like rice, flour, cooking oil and produce have soared, while masks have become the platform’s best-seller.

A Beijing official said that approximately 20,000 people were delivering an average of more than 400,000 orders daily early this month.

In big cities like Shanghai, many restaurants remain closed to normal business, offering only takeout to prevent gatherings of people, and visitors to many communities pass entrances lined with bags of foods or large bottles of water waiting to be claimed.

Millions are beginning to trickle back to work in major cities after being stranded in hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday, and Gao said that things were slowly returning to normal.

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content_text:
Taiwan in Time: Terror on the north coast

The first installment in a series on regional incidents in the aftermath of the 228 Incident looks at the Badu Train Station incident and the mass killings by soldiers in Keelung
The cover of Station of Sorrow: 228 features then Badu station master Lee Tan-hsiu, who was taken away by soldiers on March 11, 1947 and never seen again.Photo courtesy of books.com.tw

 1

 2

 3

Feb. 24 to march 1

Lin Mu-chi (林木杞) recalls being strung with wires through his hands and feet to eight other people. The soldiers took them to the bay and began shooting them one by one. Lin was at the end of the row, and fortunately he was dragged into the ocean by the falling bodies before the soldiers got to him. He managed to break free and swim away, hiding in a cemetery for over 10 days before daring to return home.

Lin was one of the few who survived the carnage that took place in the Keelung area after reinforcement troops from China landed on March 8, 1947, to quell the anti-government uprising that would be known as the 228 Incident. They seemed to kill indiscriminately as Lin was just a floor sweeper, and in the next week, the port would be littered with bodies retrieved from the ocean.

Harrowing tales from that week include the Badu Station incident on March 11, where soldiers shot between five and eight station workers and carted off at least eight more, who were never heard from again. It is believed that they were exacting revenge for their comrades who were beaten at the station by angry civilians on March 1.

PORT OF BLOOD

The violence on March 1 was an extension of the unrest that broke out a day earlier. The Taiwanese initially welcomed the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) when it replaced the Japanese colonial government in October 1945, but after over a year of misrule, corruption and rampant inflation, things finally reached the breaking point. Emotions were high that day as the people were fed up with mistreatment by soldiers.

Chou Ching-piao (周清標), who worked at Badu Station at the time of the incident, says in the book Station of Sorrow: 228 (悲情車站二二八) that the soldiers often refused to line up or buy tickets, forcefully taking over entire cars and throwing other passengers’ belongings out the window. Chou assumes the brawl began due to similar behavior.

The fighting began soon after the soldiers boarded at Fulong Station. Badu was a major station with many passengers, who immediately joined the fray. Chou didn’t leave his office, but saw passengers chasing after about 10 soldiers from his window. Most of them were injured, and one reportedly drowned while trying to run away.

Station master Lee Tan-hsiu (李丹修) reportedly helped treat the soldiers’ wounds and let them stay in the station until the passengers dispersed. They thought that this was the end of it.

On March 8, KMT reinforcements landed in Keelung from China. The official government report released in 1992 states that in the following week, Keelung Harbor was filled with floating bodies as the troops “cleared out the rebels,” taking away countless men who were never to be seen again from their houses.

One of the first — and more notable — victims was Yang Yuan-ting (楊元丁), then deputy speaker of the Keelung city council. The book Rainy Port Keelung: 228 (基隆雨港二二八) states that Yang often spoke out against the corruption of his fellow officials, making him a prime target once the chaos broke out. It isn’t clear when he died, but his body was found on March 10.

Kuo Chung-mei (郭鍾美) remembers the day the boat carrying the troops arrived.

“I kept hearing gunshots left and right. That was the day where the most people died. There were fewer gunshots the next day, but we heard that they would kill one here and another there. I don’t know where they killed the ones they took away,” she recalled.


content_text:
BRAZIL

Petrobras workers end strike

Workers at state-owned oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) have ended a nearly three-week strike that left the firm scrambling to avoid a drop in production, labor unions said on Friday. About 21,000 workers — one-third of the total workforce — joined the mass walkout at the start of this month. They were protesting the closure of a subsidiary’s fertilizer plant in southern Parana state, with about 1,000 total layoffs. The company met with employee representatives after an arbitration hearing called by a labor court in Brasilia, after which an oil workers’ union announced an end to the strike. “An attempt will be made to increase financial compensation for the dismissed,” the court said. The court had earlier ruled that the strike was illegal and set a daily fine of up to US$115,000 for unions that did not comply with a return to work. The strike did not affect production thanks to the hiring of outsourced labor, Petrobras said. The company earlier this week announced a record net profit of US$10.2 billion for last year, an annual jump of more than 55 percent.

MEXICO

Hundreds protest projects

More than 1,000 people on Friday marched through the center of Mexico City in opposition to the government’s largest infrastructure projects. The protest brought together unions, environmentalists, students and representatives of indigenous communities, a mix that would seem a natural base for populist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, but which has become among his most vocal critics. Erika Cortez, a member of the Popular Organization Francisco Villa of the Independent Left from the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa, said that she opposed the president’s Maya Train project that would move tourists around the Yucatan Peninsula. The train is one of Lopez Obrador’s signature initiatives, which he has said would spur economic development in the southeast, but has faced criticism for its environmental impact. Other demonstrators voiced opposition to a rail line that would traverse the nation, connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a huge new oil refinery and a gas-fired power plant. The march came one day after the anniversary of the death of activist Samir Flores Soberanes, who had protested a gas-fired power plant in Morelos state. Flores was killed days before a referendum on the nearly completed project and his slaying remains unsolved.

UNITED KINGDOM

Andrew pressed to testify

A yellow school bus with a banner depicting the face of Prince Andrew on Friday drove past Buckingham Palace, urging him to testify in the investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The stunt organized by US lawyer Gloria Allred sought to pressure the prince to reveal what he might know about the disgraced financier. Allred represents some of Epstein’s victims and has demanded that Andrew cooperate. The message, featuring pictures of Andrew, said: “If you see this man, please ask him to call the FBI to answer their questions.” US Attorney Geoffrey Berman last month told reporters that Andrew has provided “zero cooperation” to the FBI and US prosecutors seeking to speak with him about Epstein. The statement by Berman, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was the first official confirmation that the leading US law enforcement agency had sought — and failed — to obtain evidence from Andrew, despite his pledge to cooperate with legitimate law enforcement agencies.

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title: World News Quick Take


taiwan-subdivisions: 關山 成功 南化區

content_text:
Fireflies threatened globally, with light pollution a glaring problem

光害實在太亮 全球螢火蟲遭到威脅

Firefly explosion occurred in the mountainous area, known as “the border of three counties,” in Guanshan Borough of Tainan’s Nanhua District on April 25 last year.
去年四月二十五日，台南市南化區關山里的「三縣界」山區發生螢火蟲大爆發。Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者吳俊鋒攝
Fireflies are under threat globally, with familiar hazards such as habitat loss and pesticides compounded by another peril: humankind’s ubiquitous nighttime artificial light that plays havoc with their balletic nocturnal courtship, scientists said.

In the most comprehensive worldwide assessment to date of dangers facing these flying beetles, researchers concluded that some of the more than 2,000 firefly species may face extinction threats while others are doing just fine. Using assessments from 350 experts on fireflies from around the world, the researchers determined that the top threat was habitat loss and fragmentation caused by factors such as urbanization, industrialization and agricultural intensification.

The second-leading threat was light pollution. Fireflies boast specialized light-emitting organs, typically on their lower abdomen, called lanterns. Fireflies flash to communicate as a part of courtship and reproduction. “Light pollution affects lots of nocturnal creatures, but fireflies are especially susceptible to this particular threat,” said biology professor Sara Lewis of Tufts University in Massachusetts, US, who led the research published on Feb. 3 in the journal Bioscience.

“That’s because many — though not all — fireflies rely on bioluminescent courtship signals to find their mates. When their nighttime environment is too bright, it’s difficult for them to see one another’s signals, so they never get to hook up,” Lewis added. Satellite data has shown nighttime light pollution from the incessant flow of electric lights expanding on a global scale.

The third-leading threat was widespread agricultural use of pesticides. Most exposure occurs during the fireflies’ larval stages because juveniles spend up to two years living below ground or under water. The researchers said that while there is scant data on long-term population trends for most species, there is evidence that these insects have vanished from many places where they formerly were abundant.

1. ubiquitous adj.

無所不在的

(wu2 suo3 bu2 zai4 de5)

2. play havoc with phr.

打亂、造成大混亂

(da3 luan4, zao4 cheng2 da4 hun4 luan4)

3. nocturnal adj.

夜間的 (ye4 jian1 de5)

4. courtship n.

求偶行為

(qiu2 ou3 xing2 wei2)

5. bioluminescent adj.

生物發光的

(sheng1 wu4 fa1 guang1 de5)

6. larva n.

幼蟲 (you4 chong2)

Fireflies, commonly known as “hue kim goo” (fire gold lady) in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), inhabit every continent but Antarctica, preferring moist habitats like forests, fields and marshes. “Sometimes they flash, sometimes they glow,” said study co-author Avalon Owens, a Tufts biology doctoral student. “Sometimes the females have wings. Sometimes they look like fat larvae with big eyeballs. Some are over 5cm long. Some are less than 1.25cm. The flash color is generally somewhere between green and orange, though some can look kind of bluish.”

“I know a lot of people who really hate insects, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love fireflies,” Lewis added. “They might be tiny, but they’re among our best ambassadors for Earth’s natural magic.”

(Reuters)

全球螢火蟲普遍受到威脅，常見危害包括棲息地喪失和人類使用殺蟲劑。科學家指出，另一項危機使目前情況更為惡化：無所不在的夜晚人造燈光，打亂了螢火蟲夜間如芭蕾舞般的求偶行為。

在一項目前最廣泛的全球性評估中，研究人員檢視這類飛行甲蟲面臨的危機，並做出以下結論：全世界兩千多種螢火蟲中，其中一些恐怕正面臨絕種威脅，而其他種螢火蟲狀況尚屬良好。研究人員運用全球各地三百五十位螢火蟲專家提供的評估報告，判定首要的威脅來自棲地喪失和破碎，主要是因為都市化、工業化，以及精耕細作的集約農業等因素導致。

第二項主要威脅則是光害。螢火蟲擁有專門的發光器官，普遍位於它們的下腹部，稱為發光器。螢火蟲們發出閃光進行溝通，這是它們求偶與繁殖行為的其中一環。美國麻薩諸塞州塔夫茨大學的生物學教授莎拉‧路易斯是這篇研究的主持人，她指出：「光害會影響許多夜行性生物，但是螢火蟲特別容易受到這項威脅影響。」該研究已於二月三日發表在期刊《生物科學》上。

路易斯補充表示：「雖然並非全部如此，但是許多螢火蟲仰賴生物發光的求偶訊號，以找尋交配對象。當它們身處的夜晚環境太過明亮時，就會很不容易看到另一隻螢火蟲的信號，也因此永遠不能配對成功。」從衛星資料可以看到，持續不斷發亮的電燈在夜晚造成光害，已經漫延到全球性的規模。


title: Bryson DeChambeau birdies his way to a one-shot lead

content_text:
Bryson DeChambeau plays a shot during the second round of the Mexico Championship at Chapultepec Golf Club just outside Mexico City on Friday.Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Bryson DeChambeau kept making so many birdies in the Mexico Championship that when he rolled in his ninth one from 45 feet, all he could do was throw his hands in the air in pure wonder.

He was not alone on Friday in making birdies, although Rory McIlroy would have liked to have joined the party.

DeChambeau made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch at Chapultepec Golf Club for an 8-under 63, giving him a one-shot lead over Erik van Rooyen and Patrick Reed at the halfway point of this World Golf Championship.

DeChambeau was at 11-under 131.

Van Rooyen, who played college golf at Minnesota, celebrated his 30th birthday by making nine birdies to tie the course record with a 62. Reed made five birdies on the back nine for a 63.

Justin Thomas ran off four straight birdies to end the back nine, and then holed a 35-foot eagle putt to build a three-shot lead through 10 holes.

That was gone in a matter of four holes as player after player kept rolling in putts on a day with much less wind and far better scoring. The average score was 70.28, more than two shots better than on Thursday.

Hideki Matusyama was nine under for his round through 15 holes and had a 20-footer birdie attempt from the fringe on the par-3 seventh. He missed that 3 feet to the left, then missed the next one. He bogeyed the next hole, too, and had to settle for a 64.

That left him at nine-under 133, along with Thomas, who had to settle for a 66.

McIlroy was not so fortunate. Staked to a two-shot lead at the start of the day, he opened with eight straight pars, did not make a birdie until his 12th hole and fell six shots behind at one point.

Two birdies at the end gave him a 69, and the world’s No. 1 player was only three shots behind.

“I made eight pars in a row, and then it’s like, `OK, you’re either going to make a birdie or a bogey. What’s going to come first?’ And I ended up making bogey,” McIlroy said. “There’s a long way to go.”

DeChambeau can use all the science he wants with calculations for altitude and air density. The difference for him on this day was not that difficult to figure out.

“I just made a lot of putts today,” he said.

His big run began on the 18th hole with a 15-foot birdie putt. He got up-and-down from short of the green on the reachable par-4 first hole, made a 15-footer on the net hole, added a few birdies inside 6 feet, and then made a 25-foot birdie. That apparently was not enough.

His tee shot on the 223-yard seventh hole with a green fronted by water went toward the back of the putting surface, leaving DeChambeau a downhill putt that is tough to lag. His putt was perfect pace, and a perfect line, as it turned out.

“I just threw my hands up in the air. I mean, come on. Who thinks I’m going to make this one?” DeChambeau said. “Matt [Fitzpatrick] just looked at me and he was like: ‘What are you doing? Go get a lottery ticket or something.’”

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title: Fiers talks of threats after exposing Astros scheme

content_text:
Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers ponders a question during an interview on Jan. 24.Photo: AP
Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers, who exposed the Houston Astros’ method of electronically stealing signs in the 2017 season, has acknowledged receiving “threats of physical violence,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Fiers was a member of the Astros in 2017. While he said he was unconcerned about his own safety, he told the Chronicle that he does worry for his family, but sounded resigned to getting public backlash from some.

“Whatever, I don’t care,” Fiers told the newspaper. “I’ve dealt with a lot of death threats before. It’s just another thing on my plate.”

Astros outfielder Josh Reddick, who reportedly refused help from illegally obtained signs, also opened up on Friday regarding threats directed at his family.

He said he is receiving threats every day.

“You just see the first things in your suggested box and it just says: ‘I will kill your family. I will kill your kids. Blah blah blah,’” Reddick said. “It’s depressing to read because it’s over a game of baseball. It’s not worth that kind of drastic measure.”

Heading into this season, Reddick said: “It could be very dangerous outside of the ballpark to even bring your family.”

“For me, myself having almost five-month-old boys, it is going to be pretty scary, because my wife is going to go want to come on a lot of road trips just because wanting to have my help in raising them and do our parenting thing,” he said. “So it is definitely something you can think about every night.”

Boston Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez on Thursday added to the continuing controversy by saying the Red Sox were ready for the Astros in the 2018 American League Championship Series, not because former Houston bench coach Alex Cora had become their manager, but because of Fiers. Boston won the series in five games.

“Alex Cora never influenced us and never told us about that thing,” Martinez told WEEI radio show Ordway, Merloni and Fauria. “The only way I ever found out, was in the playoffs, was when Fiers, who is a really good friend of mine, reached out to me and said: ‘Hey, make sure you’re doing this because this, because this is what these guys are doing in the playoffs.’”

“I was like, ‘What? How is this a thing?’ And then I mentioned it to [Cora] and he told kind of me about the whole system and everything like that,” Martinez said. “That was kind of why it was so crazy. [Cora] was so relaxed going into those playoff games because he knew and we were ready for it.”

In a story by The Athletic on Wednesday, Fiers said he has no interest in extra security from Major League Baseball (MLB) after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said this week that the league is concerned for the pitcher’s safety.

He also said he would be prepared on the field.

“I’m here to play baseball and I can defend myself, if anything,” Fiers told The Athletic. “We do have National League games, and I’m going to have to get into the box [to hit] just like everybody else. It’s part of the game. If they decide to throw at me, then they throw at me. There’s nothing much you can do about it.”

Fiers was 8-10 with a 5.22 earned run average in 29 appearances (28 starts) for the 2017 Astros. He did not pitch in the playoffs that year as the team went on to a championship. At 34, he is entering his 10th major league season.

If punishment for the 2017 Astros ever included handing back championship rings, one of which Fiers received, he said he would be fine with that.

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title: Venezuela’s Guaido urges new protest

content_text:
Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido on Friday called for a demonstration to reignite the protest movement he hopes will force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office.

Guaido called on “women, students [and] unions” to join him in a demonstration outside the legislature on March 10 “to find a solution to the crisis” and demand “a truly free election.”

Venezuela has been beset by five years of recession. Poverty has soared and millions have fled the country, while hyperinflation has left many people’s salaries and savings worthless.

A year ago, the South American country lurched into crisis when Guaido declared himself acting president after the legislature branded Maduro an “usurper” — his re-election in 2018 came in polls widely dismissed as rigged.

Guaido wants Maduro to stand down in favor of a transitional government that would hold free and fair elections.

Although Guaido quickly secured the backing of more than 50 countries and initially led street protests drawing tens of thousands of people, his popularity has waned.

However, he has returned from a high-profile international tour — meeting US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron — to drum up support for his renewed push.

Meanwhile, Maduro has tried to shove Guaido off of the political stage by backing a rival claimant to lead the legislature.

Luis Parra, a former Guaido ally, on Jan. 5 declared himself National Assembly president as armed forces loyal to Maduro prevented Guaido from entering the legislature building for what was supposed to be a vote to ratify him as leader.

Several times since then, the armed forces have blocked Guaido and allied legislators from entering the legislature.

“We know what the dictatorship’s attitude is: they’re going to try to blockade, they’re going to try to intimidate, they’re going to try to persecute,” Guaido told about 400 supporters in a meeting in Caracas.

“If they want to send me or any family member to prison, here I am,” he added.

His uncle Juan Marquez was last week detained at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas.

The government claims that Marquez, who was on a flight with Guaido returning from Portugal, was carrying explosives — an allegation his defense team has called a “vile setup.”

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content_text:
Devastated after again being bullied at school for his dwarfism, a sobbing Quaden Bayles repeatedly told his mother that he wanted to die.

The nine-year-old Australian’s deep distress went viral on social media after his mother, Yarraka Bayles, posted a six-minute video clip.

“This is what bullying is doing and I want people to know how much this is hurting us as a family,” she says in the video, which has been viewed more than 19 million times. “This is the impact that bullying has on a nine-year-old kid that just wants to go to school, get an education and have fun.”

Her appeal sparked an outpouring of worldwide support for the bullied boy, including from celebrities and athletes.

Australian actor Hugh Jackman said: “You are stronger than you know, mate” and urged people to “be kind” to each other, while Eric Trump — son of US President Donald Trump — said that the video was “absolutely heartbreaking.”

“This is one of the hardest videos I’ve watched,” Boston Celtics basketball player Enes Kanter wrote on Twitter. “No place in the world for bullies.”

A GoFundMe page started by US comedian Brad Williams has raised more than US$140,000 in an effort to send Bayles on a trip to Disneyland in California.

“This isn’t just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren’t good enough,” said Williams, who has the same dwarfism condition, achondroplasia.

Quaden Bayles, who is Aboriginal Australian, was invited to lead the Indigenous All-Stars out onto the field in their rugby league clash with the Maori All Stars in Queensland yesterday.

“We could never have dreamed in our wildest dreams that it would’ve gone worldwide and created such a media frenzy,” Yarraka Bayles told reporters on Friday. “There are way too many people suffering in silence and my heart goes out to those families that have already lost their children to bullying. It’s an international crisis and it demands urgent attention.”

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title: Bullied Australia boy gets a deluge of global support


content_text:
Billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg on Friday mocked US President Donald Trump with a giant billboard on the Las Vegas Strip, fueling their feud as the president visits the city for a rally.

“Donald Trump lost the popular vote,” read one slogan on the world-famous street lined with casinos, while another read “Donald Trump’s wall fell over.”

The giant digital billboard is just 3km down the road from Trump’s hotel, where the president is staying while in Las Vegas.

Bloomberg is vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Trump in November’s US presidential election, and has focused his fire on the president rather than candidates from his own party.

When Bloomberg did face fellow Democrats at a Las Vegas debate on Wednesday, Trump was quick to crow: “Worst debate performance in history!”

Perhaps inevitably in a row between billionaires, golf was also a theme of the billboards.

“Donald Trump cheats at golf,” read a third sign.

“A lot of people cheat at golf, it’s probably true,” said Gerry Frenze, a transport company owner from Delaware who was in town for a convention. “But I don’t like the idea [that Bloomberg] can buy his way into office.”

His wife, Kim Corrigan, had little sympathy for Trump.

“Trump makes you want to attack him,” she said. “I don’t like [Bloomberg] doing that, but Trump started it. The way he operates cheapens everyone.”

The attack came on the eve of Nevada’s key vote in the race for the Democratic nomination, with media from around the world in town.

Another passerby who did not wanted to be named simply said: “He’s got the money.”

However, Mya Sepeda, a tarot card reader working on a pedestrian bridge beneath the sign, took the matter more seriously.

“Maybe it’s true, but he is the president and he deserves a bit of respect,” Sepeda said, adding that he had foreseen Trump would win the previous election.

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title: Bloomberg gets personal with Trump ads


content_text:
The Coastal Sharks’ Makazole Mapimpi, center, is tackled by the Melbourne Rebels’ Jermaine Ainsley, right, as he crosses the tryline in Ballarat, Australia, yesterday.Photo: AFP

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An illness-weakened ACT Brumbies yesterday stunned Super Rugby leaders Waikato Chiefs, as the Queensland Reds routed the hapless Sunwolves and Coastal Sharks stormed past the Melbourne Rebels.

The Brumbies, missing several players after an outbreak of mumps in their camp during the week, blew away Warren Gatland’s men 26-14 with a dominant first-half display in Hamilton.

In Brisbane, the Reds bagged their first victory of the season against Japan’s Sunwolves, running in 10 tries in a 64-5 hammering — their biggest ever win.

South Africa’s Sharks, meanwhile, proved too hot to handle for the Rebels in Ballarat, coming out 36-24 on top.

The Brumbies, Australian conference leaders, scored four tries to two, including a double for Pete Samu, to end a 13-match losing streak in New Zealand dating back to March 2014.

Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa praised his players for thwarting a late fightback from the home side.

“We knew the Chiefs were going to come out hard in the second half but I’m really proud of the boys in how we held them out,” he said.

The Brumbies scored two tries in the opening 15 minutes, one when fullback Tom Banks shrugged off a tackle and the other when Solomone Kata powered past former All Black Aaron Cruden.

Samu added a third, dashing from the back of a scrum to make it 19-0 at halftime, then scored another two minutes after the restart to make it 26-0. Cruden finally got the Chiefs on the board in the 48th minute after their first meaningful attack of the match.

They gained momentum with a second to Lienert-Brown, while Brumbies prop James Slipper was sin-binned, but the deficit was too much.

Meanwile, the free-flowing Reds finally snared a win after tough losses on the road to the Golden Lions, Jaguares and Brumbies.

It was impressive stuff from Brad Thorn’s men, who dominated all aspects of a lopsided game.

They scored six tries in a stunning first-half performance and the rout continued in the second with another four.

The Sunwolves’ solitary try in the second half came from Siosaia Fifita.

Earlier, Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi bagged a double as the Sharks bounced back from defeat last week.

The Durban-based team scored an early try and they never relinquished the lead.

“There was a lot of running, good skills showcased from both teams,” said Sharks skipper Andre Esterhuizen, with the Rebels unable to build on their opening win of the season last week against the New South Wales Waratahs.

Mapimpi dotted down after five minutes, but the Rebels bounced back when debutant Andrew Deegan’s cleverly flicked pass sent Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete through for a converted try.

Esterhuizen restored the lead, using brute force to shrug off three tackles on his way to the line.

The Sharks delivered a dagger blow near half-time when Madosh Tambwe finished a sweeping counter-attack to give them a 22-10 lead at the break.

Kerron van Vuuren and Madosh Tambwe were both sin-binned early in the second stanza and the Rebels capitalized with a try to Isi Naisarani, but Mapimpi got his second after a 19-phase attack, then Curwin Bosch finished off a 95m move to ensure victory.

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title: Depleted Brumbies stun Waikato Chiefs


content_text:
Siakam drives Raptors to victory

COMEBACK:The Indiana Pacers overcame a slow start to beat the New York Knicks for the eighth time in the past nine meetings, with T.J. Warren scoring 27 points
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, center, drives to the basket between Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges, left, and guard Elie Okobo in the first half at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Friday.Photo: Dan Hamilton / USA TODAY Sports
Pascal Siakam scored 37 points as the reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors won their 16th game of their last 17 with a 118-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Siakam scored 25 of his points in the first half and also had 12 rebounds overall as the Raptors won their eighth straight game at home.

“I just feel energized,” Siakam said.

Serge Ibaka delivered 16 points, Fred VanVleet chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Terence Davis had 14 points off the bench in front of a crowd of 19,800 at the Scotiabank Arena.

Devin Booker scored 21 points and had eight assists and Deandre Ayton tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who have lost seven of nine. Ricky Rubio had 13 points and nine assists, and Kelly Oubre scored 11 points in the loss.

“They set the tone early,” Suns guard Ricky Rubio said. “That’s why they’re a championship team.”

Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers overcame a shaky finish and a slow start to hold and beat the New York Knicks for the eighth time in the past nine meetings with a 106-98 victory.

T.J. Warren scored 27 points to lead the Pacers, who outscored the Knicks 65-45 in the second and third quarters.

The Knicks held Indiana to just 12 points in the opening quarter, but the Pacers recovered to shoot 53 percent from the field in the second and third. Indiana managed to pull out the victory despite missing 15 of 20 shots in the fourth quarter.

Domantas Sabonis posted his 42nd double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds and Doug McDermott came off the bench to score 14 points for the Pacers, who won their second consecutive game after losing six straight.

Victor Oladipo finished with eight points in little more than 25 minutes before exiting with back soreness.

Bobby Portis scored 19 points to lead the Knicks, who lost their third straight game.

Rookie R.J. Barrett added 17 points and Frank Ntilikina contributed 14 but leading scorer Julius Randle was held to just nine points in the loss.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic flirted with a triple double, scoring 33 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out eight assists to help the Dallas Mavericks topple Orlando Magic 122-106.

Maxi Kleber did much of his damage in the fourth, hitting three three-pointers and scoring 12 points in the quarter. He sparked a critical final quarter for the Mavericks, who also dominated in the opening quarter.

In Washington, Collin Sexton scored 25 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers posted a 113-108 victory over the Washington Wizards, making J.B. Bickerstaff a winner in his Cavaliers’ head-coaching debut.

In other games on Friday, it was:

‧ Lakers 117, Grizzlies 105

‧ Trail Blazers 115, Pelicans 128

‧ Jazz 104, Spurs 113

‧ Timberwolves 117, Celtics 127

‧ Thunder 113, Nuggets 101

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title: Siakam drives Raptors to victory


content_text:
Nevada votes on Democratic hopefuls

DO OR DIE:The poll could solidify Bernie Sanders’ front-runner status or breathe new life into the campaigns of moderate candidates, such as Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg
From glitzy Las Vegas casinos to dusty desert crossroads, Nevada Democrats yesterday were to vote for who should challenge US President Donald Trump in November’s US presidential election, with firebrand leftist US Senator Bernie Sanders riding high in the saddle.

The western state, home to 3 million people, is the third contest in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Nevada’s vote might serve to entrench Sanders’ status as front-runner before the deluge of “Super Tuesday” on March 3, when people in 14 states troop to the ballot box.

Or it could provide a much-needed boost for one of the moderate candidates desperate to halt his rise.

On the eve of the vote, Sanders was hit with published revelations from US officials that Russia — which interfered in the 2016 US presidential election to boost Trump — was actively trying to help his own presidential bid.

Sanders immediately rejected any help that might come from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government or allies, telling Putin to “stay out of American elections.”

The Democratic race is entering an urgent phase. Any momentum from results in Nevada, and then South Carolina, which votes on Saturday next week, could prove decisive, while poor showings are almost certain to close the door on some campaigns.

Of the eight contenders still seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders leads in polling in Nevada and nationally by about a dozen points over second-placed former US vice president Joe Biden.

Sanders has been largely unchecked by his opponents, who have focused more on blunting the advance of campaign newcomer Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York who has poured more than US$360 million from his personal fortune into campaign advertising.

However, with Bloomberg unconventionally sitting out the four contests before Super Tuesday, Nevada is a fierce battleground for the other candidates.

Its diverse Democratic electorate, one-third of whom are Hispanic, might well bolster the fortunes of moderates like former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and US Senator Amy Klobuchar, two ambitious contenders who to date have struggled to win over minority voters.

The race’s other centrist, Biden, is desperate to right a listing ship.

His front-runner status collapsed after humiliating performances in the first contests, in Iowa and New Hampshire. A third straight poor showing could spell disaster.

“We need your help to bring us across the finish line,” Biden said on Twitter late on Friday.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose campaign has stagnated, hopes her standout performance in Wednesday’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas — where she eviscerated Bloomberg over women’s misconduct claims against him — will earn some respect from Nevadans.

As Democrats barnstormed the state on Friday, Trump rallied his supporters in Las Vegas, where he savaged the “sick” and “radical socialist” contenders for his job.

Bloomberg was left “gasping for breath” after his debate debacle, Trump said, to loud cheers.

Sanders is “crazy,” Warren is “a mess,” Biden has been “angry” and billionaire activist Tom Steyer is a “schmuck,” the president added.

Voting in Nevada was to begin at noon yesterday, and officials were hoping to avoid the chaos that marred Iowa.

Nevada and Iowa vote in a caucus format. Unlike in a primary, where voting is by secret ballot, caucus-goers attend precinct gatherings where they vote publicly by standing with fellow supporters of their chosen candidate.

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title: Nevada votes on Democratic hopefuls


title: 企排／台電男排橫掃19連勝　美津濃退雲林MIZUNO躍升第二

taiwan-subdivisions: 雲林 桃園 嘉義市

content_text:
▲台電男排 。（圖／中華排協，下同）

記者謝孟儒／綜合報導

企聯15年例行賽程來到最後一週，在嘉義市港坪體育館由兩場男子組賽事登場。首先由雲林MIZUNO出戰桃園臺灣產險隊，兩隊三局比分上緊咬不放，最終由攻擊砲火略勝一籌的美津濃拿下勝利(25：21、25：21、25：22)。

同步頒發企聯15年男子組，第一、二循環最佳球員，第一循環中分別由黃建逢、高偉誠拿下最佳邊線攻擊球員；李興國、柯宗甫拿下最佳攔中球員；最佳舉球對角球員則是由潘均儒獲得，而在舉球員與自由球員則是由戴儒謙以及張昀亮拿下。

▼第二循環最佳球員，由左至右：黃建逢、陳政錡、李興國、企聯推動委員會主任委員胡忠民、洪熙鈞、黃宇晨、李佳軒。

在第二循環同樣榜上有名的黃建逢與李興國，再度榮膺最佳球員寶座，接續其他位置由：最佳邊線攻擊球員黃世豪、最佳攔中球員陳政錡、最佳舉球對角球員潘均儒、最佳舉球員黃宇晨，以及最佳自由球員李佳軒。

在第一場比賽過程中，雲林MIZUNO與桃園臺灣產險兩隊互不相讓，兩隊分別靠著自己砲口李興國，以及桃園臺產洪熙鈞，在分數上一分一分地較勁。前兩局比賽皆是由美津濃以4分的領先收下，第三局比賽進行到兩隊比分12：12時，桃園臺產首次在整場比賽中掌握領先局面，最終沒能守住比分慘遭美津濃直落三取勝。而美津濃也因此從男子組排名第三爬升至第二名。

▼第一循環最佳球員，由左至右：黃建逢、高偉誠、企聯推動委員會主任委員胡忠民、李興國、戴儒謙、張昀亮。

第二場由台電男排對上conti隊，台電男排向來以堅強的攔防高牆橫霸企聯賽場，在15年尾聲同樣以三個局數(25：18、25：15、25：21)將比賽勝利納入旗下。

台電男排在企聯15年例行賽中，已穩拿18場比賽勝利不曾中斷，而在今日同樣信心滿滿穩拿第19勝。在林宜暉努力要分，搭配上台電固有的堅強防守陣容，讓台電男排對於比賽勝利是勝券在握。

▼林宜暉。


title: 西班牙大師賽／麟洋內戰「楊肉盧」直落二　連兩年挺進冠軍戰

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▲李洋、王齊麟 。（圖／取自Badminton Photo）

記者謝孟儒／綜合報導

世界羽聯（BWF）超級300賽西班牙大師賽22日進行各項4強賽事，其中男雙頭號種子的王齊麟／李洋內戰「楊肉盧」盧敬堯／楊博涵，最後由麟洋以直落二（21：14、21：16）勝出，連續兩年都挺進冠軍戰。

被列為男雙頭號種子的王齊麟／李洋，也是去年西班牙大師賽的冠軍，更是兩人合拍的第一座冠軍，意義非凡，本屆16強賽交手英格蘭組合Ben LANE／Sean VENDY，同樣以直落二（22：20、21：17）勝出，8強遭遇第5種子的廖敏竣／蘇敬恒，以直落二（21：12、21：18 ）擊敗廖蘇配，晉級4強。

世界第7的麟洋配在4強賽再度遭遇台灣內戰，對決第7種子的盧敬堯／楊博涵，王齊麟／李洋以42分鐘直落二擊敗對手，連續在兩場內戰中勝出，將要對上第4種子、目前世界排名14的丹麥組合阿斯特魯普(Kim ASTRUP)／拉斯姆森(Anders Skaarup RASMUSSEN)。

麟洋配和丹麥組合過去兩度交手，取得二連勝都是直落二，最後一次交手是在去年3月印度公開賽，距離衛冕西班牙大師賽冠軍，就只差一場勝利。不過本站男雙收穫頗多，廖敏竣／蘇敬恒、李哲輝／楊博軒打進8強、盧敬堯／楊博涵也打到4強，王齊麟／李洋則是要力拼冠軍。

countries: 西班牙 台灣 印度 丹麥


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▲台灣燈會不明信號干擾！48架無人機突墜落。（圖／台中市政府觀光局）

記者鄧木卿、許力方／台中報導

2020台灣燈會倒數最後一天，22日晚間一場號稱「全台規模最大」、長達8分鐘的800台無人機展演，夜空中排列出珍珠奶茶、后豐鐵馬道等圖案，未料卻發生意外！台中市府觀光旅遊局出面說明，有48架無人機遭不明信號干擾，導致墜落，事故無人受傷，但只知是不明訊號干擾，無法判斷是否惡意。

台灣燈會主辦單位在天候允許時，每晚舉辦一場無人機展演，是本屆一大亮點，未料倒數前一夜發生突發事故。觀光局22日深夜發布聲明指出，晚間7時10分在台灣燈會上的800台無人機展演，因展演前、展演中突然受到不明訊號干擾，造成展演前及展演期間表演飛行受到影響，48架無人機掉落，嚴重影響燈會遊客觀看權益及觀賞品質。

據悉，廠商表示，依據一架無人機約6萬元的價格，48架墜毀的無人機初估損失達到250萬元。

主辦單位預估，23日閉幕日當天若天候條件許可，后里森林園區現場仍將進行台灣規模最大的800架無人機展演，觀旅局已請電信警察協助，在無人機展演前及展演期間偵測干擾訊號，以維護燈會無人機展演品質。市府呼籲，民眾千萬不要以訊號任意干擾燈會無人機展演，以免觸法。

▼台灣燈會無人機展演是本屆一大亮點。

taiwan-subdivisions: 林園區 后里

title: 台灣燈會「不明信號干擾」48架無人機突墜毀！損失初估250萬　市府反擊了


taiwan-subdivisions: 員林 彰化

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新冠肺炎疫情肆虐，台灣民眾也爭先恐後搶購口罩，隨著開學日即將到來，不少家長也擔心孩子沒有口罩可用，不過彰化一所學校則表示完全不用擔心，因為他們已經備妥1萬5000個口罩，網友也大讚校長根本先知，應該也加入指揮中心作戰。

寒假即將結束，為了防疫，彰化員林國小備妥1.5萬個口罩準備發放，校長蕭勝斌受訪時表示員林國小全校師生大約2000人左右，本來就備妥5倍、約9000個口罩的庫存量，春節前看到新聞就驚覺事情可能不妙，又緊急現金加購6000個口罩，以備不時之需，總數1.5萬個口罩如今也成為庫存量最多的學校。

title: 最狂學校！開學備妥1.5萬口罩...年前加買6千個 網：完勝政院


title: 女大生羞羞不關門 登頂驚見門口站一人...

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做私密事的時候還是鎖門或比較好！一名女大生日前休假在家，慵懶的睡完午覺後突然性致一來就在門沒關的情況下蓋著棉被玩起自己的「小玩具」，不料正當她快要高潮的時候，突然看到媽媽就站在門口，讓她相當尷尬。

原PO在《Dcard》分享自己玩玩具的糗事，她表示日前連假放假，跟爸媽都宅在家裡，整天過的很悠閒。午餐後媽媽向她借了條毛毯就躺在客廳看電視劇，原PO自己則是在房間看書睡午覺，她表示，睡醒想玩一下玩具（當然不是小孩的玩具)也沒聽到客廳電視聲，心想媽媽一定在沙發睡著了，於是就在沒關門的情況下直接蓋著棉被「玩起來」沒想到「就在快要O潮的時候，我媽突然拿著折好的毛毯站在我房門口」媽媽一邊走進來一邊問原PO在幹嘛，又一邊說媽媽想跟你一起睡一下...讓原PO差點嚇死，她一邊把玩具關機，一邊穿好衣褲最後才沒被發現。

原PO表示，媽媽後來還是硬擠上床睡覺，她則在一旁一手抓著玩具，幸好沒多久媽媽就睡著了，她才拿著「玩具」離開房間，直呼「尷尬死了」


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新冠肺炎疫情失控，韓國確診數暴增達到400多例，也超過日本成為疫情最慘重的國家，除了大邱的邪教「新天地教會」成員成為超級傳播者外，有網友指出，韓國人衛生習慣實在不敢恭維，尤其是許多人如廁後都沒有洗手的習慣。

新冠肺炎疫情不斷延燒，全球政府也不斷強調勤洗手的重要性。但有鄉民表示，韓國人衛生習慣相當可怕，自己曾在嘉義家樂福遇到韓國學生棒球隊，快要10名小球員進去上廁所後，出來竟然沒有一個人去洗手。

countries: 韓國 日本

title: 韓國疫情失控 網揭當地人恐怖習慣：中鏢不意外


title: 皇家2字點怒火 哈利梅根砲轟女王

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據《每日郵報》（Daily Mail）22日報導，梅根與哈利已宣佈，他們會在3月底結束王室任務後，停止在品牌中使用「皇家」兩個字。不過，就在幾小時後，兩人在專屬網站上發佈了新聲明說，雖然在國際間無論是英國政府，或女王本人都不擁有「皇家」這詞，但他們已沒打算在任何地方使用。

此外，他們的維安費用估計達300－600萬英鎊（近1.2－2.4億台幣），儘管加拿大和英國納稅人是否該分攤這筆帳單引發爭議，但梅根和哈利堅稱，有必要維護他們和兒子亞契的安全。

另一方面，他們似乎在抱怨，白金漢宮對他們和其他王室成員有差別待遇。「雖然其他有頭銜的王室成員在王室外找工作已有先例，」聲明中說，「但薩塞克斯公爵夫婦卻要接受12個月的審查期。」

「根據協議，薩塞克斯公爵夫婦了解，他們被要求退出王室職務，並不得代表女王陛下履行職責。」而他們也證實，兩人在白金漢宮的辦公室將關閉，並說這令「公爵夫婦與他們忠誠的員工感到悲傷」。

梅根和哈利為了尋求「財務獨立」，積極提高打著「薩塞克斯皇家」名號的網站和Instagram帳戶知名度，陸續砸下大錢。而女王卻找來頂尖律師，採取空前的法律行動，以禁止他們在品牌中使用「皇家」兩字，這對薩塞克斯公爵夫婦來說，不啻是一大打擊。

countries: 英國 加拿大


title: 湯姆霍蘭德最想復活鋼鐵人　「親曝原因」...小勞勃道尼鐵粉無誤❤

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記者羅凌筠／綜合報導

湯姆霍蘭德（Tom Holland）、克里斯普拉特（Chris Pratt）在動畫片《1/2的魔法》為主角兄弟配音，劇情講述弟弟16歲生日這天，他收到已故父親從前的魔杖以及一串魔咒，可以讓爸爸起死回生，而湯姆霍蘭德在宣傳期間，也透露心目中最想復活的人！

▲湯姆霍蘭德想再合作小勞勃道尼（左）。（圖／路透）

湯姆霍蘭德影史最經典角色莫過於深受歡迎的「蜘蛛人」彼得帕克，當《IGN》問他如果能從班叔、東尼史塔克、關史黛西、彼得父母之間，復活1位回到蜘蛛人宇宙，他的選擇是誰？

湯姆霍蘭德猶豫1秒：「一定是東尼史塔克，一定是他，因為我太愛跟小勞勃（道尼）一起工作了，如果能跟他再工作1天，絕對會很棒。」網友狂虧班叔太概要哭了。

▲湯姆霍蘭德、克里斯普拉特《1/2的魔法》台灣定檔4月17日。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

★圖片為版權照片，由路透供《ETtoay東森新聞雲》專用，任何網站、報刊、電視台未經路透許可，不得部分或全部轉載！

★圖片為版權照片，由達志影像供《ETtoday東森新聞雲》專用，任何網站、報刊、電視台未經達志影像許可，不得部分或全部轉載！


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記者陳芊秀／綜合報導

大陸女星孫儷因主演《後宮甄嬛傳》人氣攀上新高峰，隨後演出《羋月傳》、《那年花開月正圓》都成為收視夯劇。她2020年改拍時裝劇《安家》，改編北川景子日劇《賣房子的女人》，新戲開播立刻成為關注焦點，其中一幕「老夫婦買房給兒子」，更引發網友熱烈討論。

世界各地都面臨物價飆漲的經濟壓力，年輕人懷著購屋夢想，大多需要長輩的支持，《安家》描述一對老夫婦賣包子維生，辛苦攢錢在上海買了房子，打算過戶給兒子，從此全家人同住一個屋簷下，就在過戶簽約的時候，兒子開口「爸你等一會兒，我想在房產證上加上倩倩（老婆）的名字。」老父親瞬間笑容凍結，簽名的手也停下來，兒媳婦此時透露懷孕，老夫婦又恢復笑容。

▲老夫婦賣包子攢錢要買房，過戶簽名打算填兒子的名字。（圖／翻攝自微博／安家）

▲兒子突然要求，希望爸媽再加上老婆的名字。（圖／翻攝自微博／安家）

▲老父親手中的筆突然停下。（圖／翻攝自微博／安家）

《安家》老夫婦買屋劇情，意外掀起網友議論「房產證該不該加兒媳婦名字？」有人直言「電視劇裡面那個兒媳婦又沒有出錢，憑什麼加名字」、「誰買的加誰的」、「如果小兩口付貸款可以加，否則沒有理由加。」也有人提出相反意見，「都不把媳婦當一家人，人家還會安心跟你家過嗎」、「女方父母會覺得房子是個保障」、「女人還結什麽婚，你去伺候他們一家子，他們把你當外人。」

▲兒媳婦此時說已經懷孕了。（圖／翻攝自微博／安家）

《安家》向日劇《賣房子的女人》買下版權，內容進行大幅度改編，孫儷扮演王牌房仲「房似錦」，被派到分店和羅晉飾演的房仲員「徐文昌」競爭店長，並且見證買房客戶的喜怒哀樂的過程。

title: 老夫婦攢錢買房給兒子！　過戶簽名…兒喊「加我老婆名字」爸媽停筆了


title: 張藝興後空翻失誤！　跳起來歪了…來不及撐住「臉和肩膀重重著地」

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記者李湘文／綜合報導

張藝興兼顧唱片、綜藝、戲劇各領域，是許多藝人都認證的拚命三郎，即使是難度高的挑戰，只要能讓作品加分，都會嘗試挑戰。他1月在春晚登台演出，也特地表演了一段後空翻，雖然舞台上看起來帥氣，但實際上只練了5天，在彩排時還失誤撞到臉，背後付出的辛苦讓粉絲不捨。

▲張藝興在春晚帥氣表演，其實彩排時受傷了。（圖／翻攝自微博／張藝興工作室）

央視《文化十分》在22日曝光春晚彩排花絮，張藝興跳完一段帥氣的舞蹈，接著便要原地後空翻。然而，他起跳之後，似乎就感覺到不太對勁，雖然急忙用左手去撐地板，但還是沒能順利穩住自己，身體一歪，膝蓋重重地著地，左臉、肩膀和手腕也直接撞在地板上，嚇得在場所有人都急忙衝上前。

▲張藝興後空翻失誤，重重摔在地上。（圖／翻攝自微博）

幸好，張藝興並沒有受嚴重的傷，下台在膝蓋噴了些藥、休息一下之後，又回到台上繼續彩排，甚至提議再次嘗試後空翻。眼看大家都提心吊膽，他還主動以輕鬆態度說道：「5分鐘之內，如果我再翻一個還是不行的話，就算了啊。」一句話逗得大家都笑出來，最後在旁人輔助下，順利後空翻成功，在正式表演時也沒有再失誤。

▲張藝興後來堅持帶傷再次挑戰。（圖／翻攝自微博）

張藝興事後接受採訪表示：「我覺得這是自己給自己的要求，你可以要求過了就過了、記會動作就可以不練了，你也可以把動作記會了以後，一個個動作摳。」事實上，演出團隊的人也透露過，張藝興學後空翻只有5天時間，甚至只集訓5次，但為了自己的一句承諾，堅持在台上挑戰這個高難度動作，讓專業人員也超佩服。


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194公分的師大碩士生蘇士軒今天打出大前鋒的經典代表作，他在師大當家中鋒容毅燊犯規纏身情況下，有效打出禁區火力，以75%的高命中率摘下全隊最高的14分，外帶全隊最多的4個進攻籃板球，及鋒線球員最好的4次助攻，幫助師大以73比56打敗有3名非洲裔長人好手助陣的世新大學，穩住UBA第一級前三名席次。

師大碩士生蘇士軒的灌籃漂亮，有效打出禁區身價，幫師大擊敗身材高大的世新大學。

師大的蘇士軒(左)、容毅燊(右)合力封鎖世新大學洋將丹尼爾，正好構成一幅三國志，三名球員代表三個不同國家球員參戰UBA。

title: 蘇士軒打出大前鋒球員的經典   師大靠碩士生闖過頭關


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2020-02-23 00:28:15

〔記者王捷／台南報導〕今年1月初，一群黑衣人帶著喪事常用的「庫錢」包圍殯儀館，自稱因無處可燒庫錢，在殯儀館外燒庫錢抗議，大批人潮聚集，警方相當緊張，在抗議結束後，將該案列入疑似組織犯罪案管理，並令轄區分局調查人際關係，據警方了解，衝突的背後，疑是低碳化減少的利益。

黑道、環保兩個看似不搭的議題，因庫錢盤根錯節。警方透露，年初黑衣人包圍殯儀館，是為了庫錢在哪裡燒？庫錢是給亡者使用的竹漿製造紙錢，南部喪禮習俗「圍庫錢」，是家屬牽著一條繩索，圍著燃燒的庫錢，並呼喊亡者的名字，請亡者來取，也避免其他鬼魂來拿取。

由於台南目前沒有公設的庫錢爐，喪家經殯葬業者轉介，向台南兩間燒庫錢業者借場地，過去兩間業者是將庫錢擺在地上，就地焚燒庫錢，不過其中一間業者在去年砸千萬設置環保庫錢爐，卻引起包圍殯儀館的衝突。

後來，警方深入調查，使用環保庫錢爐的業者，因擔心爐子燒出黑煙，多次向殯葬業者轉達，購買庫錢時，不要購賣有塑膠包裝、使用塑膠繩綑綁的庫錢，因喪家在燒錢時通常都會連同塑膠包裝一起燒，應改用紙箱包裝，且也要挑選沒有染劑芥黃的庫錢，在燃燒時才比較環保。

使用環保爐的業者，原本是一片好意，但因作法與過去不同且成本提高，環保爐業者疑似受到遭受庫錢商、殯葬業者聯合抵制，部分殯葬業接到喪家委託，刻意不帶喪家找環保爐業者燒錢，轉向傳統業者借場地，就地焚燒庫錢。

環保爐的業者不滿受到打擊，以台南向來自稱是低碳城市為由，向環保局檢舉傳統業者不環保，燃燒庫錢時造成空氣、土地汙染，環保局接受檢舉後，到現場對在場的殯葬業者開單，並派員採集土壤樣本，導致傳統、環保業者兩方關係劍拔弩張。

殯葬業者聚集到殯儀館前焚燒庫錢抗議的事件發生後，環保局改對就地燃燒庫錢的檢舉，以空氣汙染防制法，改對點火的行為人開罰，且警方也透過各種人際關係深入調查，試圖讓雙方的衝突降溫，但庫錢業者仍在互相檢舉，雙方的對立情勢讓警方大感憂心。

警方透露，殯葬業的成員背景複雜，衝突容易節外生枝，早在多年前，殯儀館提出設置電子輓聯時，也引起毛筆師、輓聯商與殯葬業者多方角力與抗議，至於這次燒庫錢的衝突，警方保持警覺，黑衣人抗議一案仍未解除管制，也呼籲各界要理性溝通。

title: 殯葬業「燒庫錢」之爭 環保派、傳統派鬧對立


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學者認為，目的地的危險性，還是影響旅客出遊動機最大的關鍵因素，或許可開發帛琉（見圖）等沒有疫情或是疫情不嚴重的市場。（資料照）

2020-02-22 23:50:40

〔記者鄭瑋奇／台北報導〕武漢肺炎疫情持續衝擊旅遊業，業界幾乎沒有辦法因應，叫苦連天，甚至喊著要關門、倒閉。世新大學觀光系副教授陳家瑜表示，旅行社應能思考操作一些鄰近亞洲，但沒有疫情或是疫情不嚴重的市場，像是帛琉、紐西蘭等。高雄餐旅大學觀光研究所教授劉喜臨則表示，若從台灣觀光產業發展來看，台灣旅行業家數老實講有點過多，政府提出紓困方案之餘，應該也能思考協助它們退場。

陳家瑜說，日韓只有零星確診個案，尚未升級成二級警戒前，曾有業者推出不到5000元的韓國超低價團，結果就是報名大爆滿；但現在疫情快速升溫，能看到旅客紛紛退團，所以目的地的危險性，還是影響旅客出遊動機最大的關鍵因素，這是旅行業無法控制與因應。

雖然亞洲各國多受武漢肺炎影響，而台灣民眾出遊主要是以亞洲國家為主，不過，陳家瑜認為，旅行業或許可以思考去操作一些鄰近亞洲且沒有什麼疫情的國家，像是美國屬地的帛琉，它同時也是台灣旅客喜愛的海島型國家，可以多開發這類沒有疫情的地區，相信還是有很多旅客會危機入市。

劉喜臨則說，武漢肺炎對旅行業來說是個看不見得風險，若貿然出團有人因此確診，對業者還說可能更是得不償失，建議旅行業應趁此機會，暫緩一下腳步，重新檢討調整本身產品、通路、定價、行銷及經營管理制度與人力資源的應用。雖然現在這個時候對旅行業來說，有些人可能連生存都有問題，做檢討會有點辛苦，但他還是會建議業者這樣去做。

藉機盤整 該退場還是要退對於政府提出紓困方案，劉喜臨說，不論足不足夠，至少是政府對於產業的支持，假設業者沒有辦法去度過這樣的難關，該退場還是要退，政府可以訂出一套退場機制。而以產業經營角度，沒辦法有3個月至半年的備戰金，代表本身體質不健全，在財務、產品結構、人力資源上面，可能有問題存在。

劉喜臨說，從台灣觀光產業、旅行業管理角度來看，他是認為現在應該可以做盤整。台灣旅行業家數老實講有點過多，政府可能可藉此思考，訂出退場機制，協助業者退場。台灣旅行業要永續經營、跟國際上競爭，旅行業大型化、品牌化、國際化是必須走的路，現在這個時候整體來檢討台灣觀光業，長遠來看未必是件壞事。

相關新聞請見︰武漢肺炎懶人包》傳染途徑、預防措施看這裡
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countries: 帛琉 紐西蘭 台灣 美國 韓國

title: 武漢肺炎》旅遊業怎麼辦？ 學者：可轉攻帛琉等無疫情地區