content_text:
青島泰光製鞋有限公司雇用了數百名被迫勞動的維族人，大部分是二十歲上下的妙齡女性。維族女性示意圖，與本新聞無關。（法新社）

〔編譯黃靖媗／綜合報導〕中國屢屢被爆出強迫新疆維吾爾族人勞動，替許多知名國際企業的中國代工廠工作，澳洲戰略政策研究所（Australian Strategic Policy Institute, ASPI）指出，包含宏碁Acer、華碩ASUS、蘋果、Nike、Adidas、Puma、Google、三星等83間企業，都直接或間接得利於維族的被迫勞動。

ASPI揭「新疆援助」真相 國際企業恐不知情地捲入澳洲戰略政策研究所（ASPI）一日公開的「出售維吾爾族」（Uyghurs for sale）報告估計，2017至2019年間，至少有8萬名維族人被以「新疆援助」計畫的名義，被送到分布在中國9個省份的27間工廠，中國《央視》去年11月也曾報導，新疆貧困家庭已有十萬名勞動力轉移至外地就業。不少企業很可能不知情地被捲入中國對維族人權的迫害。

「出售維吾爾族」的主要作者、前《紐約時報》與《澳洲廣播公司》記者徐秀中表示，中國政府正在向全中國的工廠輸出新疆「再教育營」的懲罰文化與教條。對中國中央政府而言，目標是讓維族人「中國化」，對中國地方政府、私人掮客、工廠而言，他們能從維族勞工的派遣中獲利。

華郵：與Nike合作逾30年 韓資製造廠用受迫維族勞工美國《華盛頓郵報》指出，運動用品大廠Nike合作逾三十載的製造廠「青島泰光製鞋有限公司」，雇用了數百名被迫勞動的新疆維族人，大部分是二十歲上下的妙齡女性，他們不太會說中文，也害怕與工廠附近的攤販有過多的互動，連工廠附近的攤販，都知道這些維族勞工並非自願到工廠工作，一名維族女勞工偷偷受訪表示，「我們可以出來走走，但不可以自己回去新疆」。

對於製造廠雇用受迫維族勞工的爭議，Nike僅表示，他們在擴展的價值鏈上尊重人權，並且總是努力道德、負責任地營運業務，也嚴格禁止供應商雇用任何囚犯、被迫者，也不允許債務奴役與契約奴工。不過，青島泰光製鞋有限公司的韓國母公司證實，這座工廠共有7100名員工，其中600名是維族人，聲稱引進新疆勞工，是為了彌補當地勞動力的短缺。

taiwan-subdivisions: 新社 三星

companies: Google 蘋果

countries: 澳洲 韓國 美國 中國

title: 澳洲智庫：維族受迫勞動 國內外83企業間接得利


title: 教廷公開二戰教宗檔案 有望解密大屠殺沉默歷史

countries: 美國 德國 梵蒂岡

content_text:
2020-03-02 00:13:02

〔中央社〕教廷明天將公布史上幾位最具爭議性的教宗機密檔案，有望闡明為何昔日教宗庇護十二世（Pius XII）在二次世界大戰期間對600萬猶太人遭屠殺保持沉默。

庇護十二世由1939至1958年擔任教宗，部分猶太人指控他任內對納粹大屠殺視若無睹、未予以強烈譴責。教廷一直以來皆聲稱，庇護十二世當時選擇默默在檯面下援助猶太人，以免對其他包括天主教徒在內的潛在納粹受害者不利。

法新社報導，200名研究人員早已要求取得大量文件，教廷檔案保管人員費時14年多完成編制後終於公開。曾獲獎的德國宗教歷史學家沃爾夫（Hubert Wolf）明天將赴羅馬，帶著6名助理和兩年經費開始深入研究來自這位已故教宗「私人秘書處」的文件。

專門研究庇護十二世和納粹關係的沃爾夫渴望發現他的70位大使筆記，因為庇護十二世擔任教宗期間，這些人是他的耳目。

當中應該也有猶太人組織緊急求救的紀錄，以及他與美國已故總統小羅斯福（Franklin D. Roosevelt）的聯繫資料。

密封的檔案還涵蓋二戰後時期，作家遭受審查和部分神父因疑似同情共產主義者而被追捕的紀錄。

沃爾夫在訪問中說，耶穌會早已公布「教宗收到有關集中營的文件，但我們從沒機會看到他的回覆」。

他告訴法新社：「要麼不存在，要麼就是收藏在梵蒂岡。」


countries: 敘利亞 土耳其 俄羅斯

title: 土耳其對敘利亞宣戰！俄官媒土國分社主編被捕

content_text:
2020-03-02 00:18:40

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕土耳其1日宣布已對敘利亞展開「春之盾」軍事行動，敘利亞總統阿塞德（Bashar al-Assad）被認為與俄方友好，土耳其同一天還逮捕俄國官媒《俄羅斯衛星通訊社》土耳其分社主編；俄方回應，目前無法聯繫上該主編。

根據《俄羅斯衛星通訊社》報導：「主編馬希爾∙博茲特佩（Mahir Boztepe）被警察帶走。他被帶往伊斯坦堡安全總局。」

俄羅斯外交部呼籲土耳其當局介入以確保新聞工作者的人身安全，並幫忙透析事件的所有情況。歐洲安全與合作組織（OSCE）的自由問題代表阿爾勒姆∙德齊爾（Arlem Dezir）發生抨擊土耳其政府對記者發動襲擊與威脅。

《俄羅斯衛星通訊社》總編西蒙尼揚表示，土耳其安卡拉警方稱他們並未抓捕該社土耳其語網站的工作人員。而此前俄羅斯外交部表明，有一些群情激奮的抗議者高呼威脅口號，闖進3名衛星通訊社土耳其分社員工的公寓，這些員工本身也是土耳其公民。

俄外交部提到，受害者的土耳其分社主編從2月29日晚上開始，就被送往在土耳其政府部門，至今無法與他取得聯繫，情況變得複雜。


content_text:
2020-03-01 23:55:54

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕武漢肺炎疫情蔓延全球，香港有近百起確診病例，對此，香港特首林鄭月娥相當開心，認為防疫措施有效，自滿直呼「政府已採取果斷的出入境和衞生檢疫措施，防止病毒從國外傳入」。對此，被稱作「香江第一才子」的香港作家陶傑挖出港府先前作為，直批防疫工作有效「和特區政府無關」。

香港確診病例近百例，對此，林鄭月娥表示，香港和中國大陸相接，往來頻繁，加上城市密度高，確診病例卻比日、韓以及義大利、伊朗等國家少，是各界努力的成果。她感謝前線的衞生、醫護防疫人員以及政府專家顧問團，指出顧問團內4名成員梁卓偉、袁國勇、福田敬二和許樹昌4位教授，除了在防疫過程提供重要意見，也分析疫情和呼籲市民做好防疫措施。

林鄭月娥更自滿地說，病毒在多國蔓延，香港政府已採取果斷的出入境和衞生檢疫措施，防止病毒從國外傳入。

對此，陶傑相當不滿地在臉書上表示，香港確診數目低、防疫工作有效是基於「備受特府憎恨的香港政府醫院前線醫護人員，在口罩防護衣資源不足之下，發揮了極其可貴的專業精神」以及「香港人有SARS逆境求存的經驗，全民防疫，高度戒備，對口罩、洗手、消毒，發揮公民精神」，和特區政府、特首都無關。

陶傑更拿出港府過去言論打臉，反問「一個月前，是誰認定封關『不切實際』？封關『影響內地人民觀感』？封關『形同港獨』？是誰將前線醫護人員視同仇寇？」

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

陶傑臉書全文

title: 武漢肺炎》林鄭月娥防疫超自滿 香港第一才子打臉

countries: 香港 義大利 伊朗 中國


content_text:
▲美國副總統潘斯（Mike Pence）。（圖／路透社）

記者趙蔡州／綜合報導

美國副總統潘斯（Mike Pence）在參加CNN節目訪問時表示，美國未來會有更多人死於新冠肺炎（COVID-19）。他說，「儘管對大多數的美國人而言，感染病毒的風險很低，但我們仍可能會聽到更多的噩耗（死亡案例）。」

title: 快訊／副總統潘斯：美國未來會有更多死亡病例


content_text:
▲PBO纖維被稱為21世紀超級纖維，通常被運用於軍工及航太產品，全球僅日本及中國大陸有能力製作。（圖／翻攝自新浪軍事，下同）

實習記者陳妙津／綜合報導

解放軍「全軍武器裝備採購信息網」於2月21日發布招標公告，共要採購139萬套通用型、加強型防彈背心，並要在24個月內交貨，引起網友討論，連帶軍事工業中，用來做防彈衣的材料「PBO纖維」也引起關注，該材料堪稱是「21世紀超級纖維」，不僅阻燃、耐腐蝕、荷重力強，還能吸收大量衝擊能，目前主要應用於軍事、航空、兵器等研究部門，全球僅有日本及中國大陸有能力製作，也讓不少網友好奇新防彈衣是否將要以「超級纖維」製作。

綜合陸媒報導，據中國科學院科技產業官網介紹，聚對苯撐苯並二噁唑纖維簡稱為PBO纖維，是種由美國空軍材料實驗室研發的新型高性能特種纖維，韌性極強，一根便能輕鬆吊起450公斤重物，可耐熱達650度，是所有有機高性能纖維中的最高耐熱度，並可在330度高溫中長期使用，強度是鋼的12到14倍，相比同重量的對位芳綸纖維和高分子量聚乙烯（PE）纖維，只能防7.62毫米子彈，PBO纖維卻能防住12.7毫米子彈的攻擊，且柔軟度良好，利於編織加工，又耐磨、耐腐蝕，堪稱為防護材料首選。

▲2016年時，PBO纖維一公斤市場售價為2000元人民幣，是當時白銀售價的3分之2。（圖／翻攝自新藍網）

作為目前有機纖維之最，PBO纖維通常被應用於製作黑盒子、防彈衣、防彈裝甲、導彈等軍工業及航太產品，然而過去製作技術被日本東洋紡公司(Toyobo)獨家壟斷，因此價格居高不下，2016年時一公斤市場售價為2000元人民幣，是當時白銀售價的3分之2。

大陸企業則在2018年時成功建成100噸PBO纖維生產線，可進行24小時連續生產，成為世界第二的PBO纖維專業生產供應企業。開設產線的中科金綺總裁郭堅鋼表示，PBO纖維因為超常的性能多用於軍工領域，極具戰略意義，卻只有日本東洋紡公司全球壟斷，且只專供應美國市場，才令他萌生想法與中科院深入研究，才終於完成第一條產線，未來將逐步建立年產300噸至1000噸的生產基地。

據了解，美國教授威斯垂克（Aaron Westrick）曾揭露，日本東洋紡製造的防彈背心材質有瑕疵，可能導致員警喪命槍下。結果美國政府於2017年將製造商和解金的一部分當作獎金頒給他，金額達570萬美元（約新台幣1億6730萬元）。

威斯垂克曾在防彈背心廠商「二次機會」（Second Chance Body Armor）擔任研發主任。他於2001年發現，公司防彈背心採用的日製人造纖維「Zylon」在光、熱、潮濕狀況下品質退化嚴重，子彈能輕易穿透。美國聯邦政府和地方政府均購入這種背心，威斯垂克爆料後，瑕疵產品下架。

countries: 美國 中國 日本

title: 「21世紀超級纖維」將製解放軍新防彈衣？全球僅2國有能力量產


content_text:
▲日本傳出男大生感染。（圖／路透）

記者許力方／綜合報導

日本疫情持續擴大，各地政府1日晚間陸續通報14起確診病例，累計達961人。其中兵庫縣也出現首例感染新冠病毒病例，住在西宮市40多歲的男子在大阪一家公司工作，自上個月以來出現發燒38度、咳嗽症狀。此外，千葉縣20多歲男大生也感染，其在神奈川縣的母親、家人也發現感染。

神奈川縣也傳出一名50多歲的婦女感染新冠病毒，她曾參加瑜伽課，該店目前已經宣布暫時關閉，並且正在展開消毒工作。另外，北九州市證實，發現一名60多歲的計程車司機確診，他自出現症狀後已經工作5天，當局正緊急調查其工作歷史。

根據日本放送協會（NHK）報導，1日北海道、愛知縣新增確診3人，東京都、神奈川縣2人，千葉縣、高知縣、福岡縣、兵庫縣等4縣各確診1人，單日新增14名病例，日本籍、中國遊客等累計確診242例，鑽石公主號郵輪705例，武漢包機14例。

北海道政府1日稱，2月29日晚上7時左右，北海道一名70多歲老翁感染新冠肺炎死亡。

title: 兵庫首例出現是「大阪上班族」！20多歲男大生也感染　日本新增14例確診

events: 死亡 新冠病毒

countries: 日本 中國


content_text:
▲新冠肺炎在印尼至今都沒有傳出確診案例。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

記者許凱彰、柯振中／綜合外電

武漢肺炎（新冠肺炎、COVID-19）確診案例在各國不斷出現，人口多達2.6億的印尼至今仍未傳出確診，外界不少人懷疑政府是否刻意隱瞞。就有位於首都醫院的院長接受訪問時提到，我們不能懷疑我們的技術，以及採集到的樣本。他還表示，「我們沒有確診個案，就是沒有，為什麼要隱瞞？」

擁有2.6億人口的印尼，截至3月1日為止只篩檢過140多例疑似病例，位於首都雅加達的蘇里安提沙洛索醫院（Sulianti Saroso Hospital）的院長斯耶利爾（Muhammad Syahril）接受路透社訪問時說到，我們不能懷疑我們的技術，以及採集到的樣本。

對於各界的質疑，院長還直言，印尼有SARS相關的處理經驗，有充分的資源可以對付新冠肺炎的疫情。他還說，「我們沒有確診個案，就是沒有，為什麼要隱瞞？」

▲有醫生受訪時提到，印尼有足夠的資源對付新冠肺炎。（圖／路透）

根據《東森新聞》報導，在印尼泗水大學擔任講師的台灣人吳英傑表示，他雖然不是專家，但印尼氣候濕熱，且大眾交通工具不發達，因此推斷可能是這幾項原因，才能保持0確診的紀錄。

吳先生還說明，當局不可能封鎖消息，世界各國都有大使在這，沒有人宣布各國僑民要撤離，工廠等機構也沒有關閉。至於防疫是否夠嚴？吳英傑提到，他有位朋友住在雅加達，日前因為發燒前往醫院，立刻就被院方通報隔離，意味著印尼政府有在做事，只是媒體都沒有報導。

▲印尼至今0確診，被美國要求重驗。（圖／翻攝自Johns Hopkins CSSE）

此外，吳先生指出，印尼的百貨、電影院、教會等地方仍是有不少人聚集，且印尼人與人見面會握手、擁抱，路上戴口罩的人不多，生活沒有受到太多影響，超商買不太到口罩，是都被外地人搶光的。不過，是否是因為氣候濕熱、交通不發達才造就了印尼的0確診紀錄，仍待專家進一步確認。

title: 新冠肺炎爆發！印尼2.6億人「0例確診」　外界質疑...第一線醫生曝真相

countries: 印尼 美國 台灣


references: Twitter 網友

title: 過氣歌手大鬧得來速！　「知道我是誰嗎」要免費食物…店員搖頭：還是要收錢

content_text:
記者阮巧雯／綜合報導

32歲過氣歌手亞倫卡特（Aaron Carter）早期以《I Want Candy》紅極90年代，也因親哥尼克卡特（Nick Carter）是當時知名男團「新好男孩」（Backstreet Boys）成員之一備受關注，堪稱是90年代的小賈斯汀。但他之後因藥物成癮演藝事業一蹶不振，總以負面新聞登上媒體版面，近期他又直播大鬧速食餐廳，引起熱議。

▲▼亞倫卡特曾紅極一時，堪稱「90年代的小賈斯汀」 。（圖／翻攝自IG／YouTube）

影片中，亞倫卡特和友人開著車在速食餐廳得來速車道點餐，他先是問店員：「就算我給妳看我的身分證，證明我是亞倫卡特也不能免費給我一個香草口味甜甜圈嗎？」店員回答：「我可以給你，但是要算錢，不好意思。」

▲亞倫卡特不斷向店員討取免費甜甜圈。（圖／翻攝自IG／Twitter）

亞倫卡特不放棄追問：「也不能給個折扣嗎？」更是自我調侃：「妳都沒看媒體怎麼報導我嗎，我破產了。」只見一行人點好餐後來到取餐口，亞倫卡特失控地直接從車窗跳出，奔向後車廂想尋找小禮物送給店員，接著遞給店員一件毛衣說：「這是我的週邊商品。」

▲亞倫卡特送給女店員一件毛衣，但對方根本不知道他是誰 。（圖／翻攝自Twitter）

這時，亞倫卡特友人問店員：「嘿，妳知道亞倫卡特是誰嗎？」店員一臉疑惑尷尬搖頭，友人接著問：「那妳聽過新好男孩嗎？」店員表示「知道」。

Seriously asking for free food in the drive through because he’s #Aaroncarter ?and then he is surprised she hasn’t heard about how he’s broke.... @whatsthetruth21 @ganvaltv pic.twitter.com/SkH4Lcezay

—Keeping Up With Kelly(@This_Is_Kelly_) December 5, 2019
亞倫卡特看對方不知道自己是誰，似乎有點惱羞成怒，尷尬說道：「把我的毛衣還我。」接著伸手拿回衣服。

#AaronCarter tries to gift an employee at the drive thru window at Burger King some merch but she doesnt know who he ispic.twitter.com/LUadkxlTtc

— Public Feuds (@PublicFeuds) December 4, 2019
影片曝光後，部分網友認為亞倫卡特只是在開玩笑，但也有網友覺得他不應該為難店員，紛紛留言指責：「我是店員就會在他的餐點中吐口水」、「店員也不屑你的爛毛衣」。


title: 教廷公開二戰教宗檔案 有望解密大屠殺沉默歷史

countries: 德國 梵蒂岡 美國


taiwan-subdivisions: 成功 新竹

events: 性侵 性騷擾

title: 遭性侵長達11年 女大生冰存惡狼保險套成功復仇

content_text:
2020-03-01 23:45:54

〔記者蔡彰盛／新竹報導〕女大生小美（化名）在11年前還是小學五年級時，就開始遭母親的陳姓男友連續猥褻、性侵，11年來陳男始終不放過她，多次趁小美母親回中國探親之際，在住處性侵她，去年1月小美被陳男性侵後，將陳男的保險套偷偷冰存下來保存證據，去年7月提起告訴，新竹檢方驗出裡面精液確實是陳男的DNA，認定小美控詞屬實，將陳男提起公訴。

檢方調查，現年55歲的陳男，明知小美於2009年間僅11歲、就讀小學五年級，竟利用其母外出機會，在住處假藉按摩名義，強行撫摸胸部及下體，強制猥褻得逞。隔年小美上小學六年級時，遭陳男強行撫摸胸部及下體，並吸吮胸部。

小美讀國中一年級時，也遭陳男襲胸，並強行將其生殖器插進小美嘴巴，強制性交得逞。小美讀國中二年級時，母親回去中國探親，陳男將小美壓制在床上，性侵得逞。小美升高中一年級時也遭陳男性侵。

去年1月，小美已經是大學一年級的新鮮人，陳男利用小美媽媽回中國探親機會，強行將小美壓制在床上性侵得逞。

事後小美將陳男用過的保險套予以冰存。去年7月小美因故與陳男發生口角，決定不再隱忍，除告知母親她從小就遭陳男性侵之外，也報警偵辦，並提出該冰存的陳男使用過的保險套。

陳男否認對小美猥褻及性侵。然根據刑事警察局鑑定書，小美所提出保險套內側檢出的男性DNA，與陳男DNA型別相符，佐證陳男去年1月性侵小美的事實。且陳男知悉小美報案後，竟然還曾私下要求小美變更原有說詞。

檢方依3次強制猥褻幼女罪嫌，以及1次性侵幼女罪嫌、3次強制性交罪嫌等一共7次犯行，將陳男提起公訴。

☆關心您：若懷疑孩童遭受身體虐待、精神虐待或是性侵害、性騷擾，請撥打113專線，透過專業社工員接線服務，將可盡快救援在生命危機中的兒童。☆


content_text:
新黨籍台北市議員潘懷宗（左）在談話節目上引用中國媒體文章，「講解」武漢肺炎病毒（COVID-19）的基因序列與病毒起源，更推測病毒疑似從美國來。（資料照）

2020-03-02 00:27:20

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕新黨台北市議員潘懷宗在談話節目「這！不是新聞」上「講解」武漢肺炎病毒（COVID-19）的基因序列與病毒起源，更推測病毒從美國來。對此，牙醫師史書華怒轟「這不是新聞，這是統戰」，更揭露，潘懷宗本身並不具備醫療專業，近來更被法院「認證」其代言產品不但廣告不實，還有安全疑慮。

牙醫師「盾牌牙醫史書華」今在臉書發文指出，潘懷宗2月27日在東森財經新聞台的談話性節目「這！不是新聞」 上，「講述」武漢肺炎的病毒起源與基因序列。其中，潘懷宗引述中國媒體文章，指稱美國2019年6月至10月期間，出現了200餘例因肺臟纖維化而窒息致死的病例，完全查不出原因，症狀跟現在的武漢肺炎非常像，更指稱，當時媒體都歸因於電子菸。

節目主持人陳斐娟問潘懷宗「所以會不會電子菸背了黑鍋」？對此，潘懷宗用激賞的口氣答說「妳講得真棒」。節目上，潘懷宗更宣稱「潘老師只講科學，不講陰謀」。

潘懷宗更說：「所以現在日本人才反過來用這一篇文章，來直指美國說，你不要以為是這樣子哦，你那1.4萬真的是流感，沒有新冠肺炎嗎？」而陳斐娟接話更強調，美國肺臟纖維化致死的病例，「早於中國的第一起新冠肺炎（武漢肺炎）的病例」。

節目最後，潘懷宗更說「美國喬治城大學的一個流行病專家在Science雜誌發表了一篇文章，很重要，他說新冠肺炎（即武漢肺炎）第一例事實上是2019年11月，在哪裡他沒講」。潘懷宗接著更指稱，日本首相安倍晉三說，有對日本夫婦去夏威夷旅遊，回到日本後發現感染了武漢肺炎，「查了老半天，根本跟中國一點關係都沒有，那根本從夏威夷來的」，更稱安倍晉三最近真的很拍老共馬屁。

而「這！不是新聞」節目更為該影片下字幕「驚！病毒來自美國」，還下標「多國疫情爆發 毒源在哪？ 越來越多證據指向美國？！」。對此，史書華直問「現在在政論節目配合中共大外宣？鍾南山開始說病毒不見得來自中國，然後潘就跳出來開始洗說病毒來源是美國？！」

史書華更指出，潘懷宗念的是化學，學位為化學博士，既不是醫師也不是藥師，根本沒有醫療專業的背景。除此之外，潘懷宗備受爭議，近來更被法院認證其代言產品廣告不實，另外，長年擔任新黨台北市議員，統派色彩相當濃厚。

貼文一出，網友紛紛留言「很多中國人，都說是美國傳的病毒，現在是說這是台灣說的，只會到處推責任」、「可以跟衛福部檢舉他嗎？」、「我昨天看到中國文章說病毒來自火星耶！」、「這是為了做給對岸看的，就說是台灣咬美國的」。

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

references: 臉書 網友

countries: 美國 日本 台灣 中國

title: 武漢肺炎》潘懷宗「講解」病毒疑源於美國？史書華：這是統戰


content_text:
男警妻只告小三、並未控告劈腿的警察丈夫，法官替被告鳴不平說這樣有欠公允，所以從輕發落、給被告緩刑2年。（情境照）

2020-03-02 00:16:15

〔記者王俊忠／台南報導〕台南市警局1名已婚男刑警於2017年至2018年10月下旬，與小三「小佳」在汽車旅館或小佳住處發生5次婚外情性關係，直到男警與小三婚外情爆發，男刑警被南市警局記過與改調制服警察，男警妻得知後怒告小三破壞家庭。台南地院以小佳犯5個相姦罪、合併判她4個月徒刑、緩刑2年。

台南地院法官表示，小佳在法院開庭時表達願以20萬元賠償男警妻子，因男警妻無和解意願才破局。且男警妻只告小三、並未控告警察丈夫，法官還替小佳鳴不平說這樣對小佳有欠公允，所以從輕發落、給被告緩刑2年。

判決指出，小佳於2017年1月初與男警開始交往，同年3月間，她得知男警是人夫後，仍基於相姦犯意，從知悉時起到2018年10月下旬，在台南市南區某汽車旅館或小佳位於南市的住處，前後與男警發生5次性行為。

後來，因男警與小佳的感情糾紛，2019年1月間，男警服務的警局單位將他記過、同時改調制服員警與服務單位，男警妻子才得知丈夫外遇、偷吃小佳情事，憤而向檢方提告查辦小佳。

一審法官審認，小佳並無犯罪前科，犯後坦承犯行、又表達願意賠償警察元配，有反省與彌補之意，且如無男警的合意，小佳顯無觸犯相姦罪的可能，因男警妻子自始未對男警提出告訴，造成只有小佳受到刑事追訴與處罰，實非公允。

再者，通、相姦罪的除罪化，是我國近來司法議題之一，2017年司法國是會議更作成廢除通姦、相姦罪的決議，警察妻子已對小佳提起刑事附帶民事訴訟，所受損害應能獲得相當填補，認為小佳已得到警惕，以暫不服刑為適當，因此給予小佳緩刑2年的自新機會。

title: 男警劈腿妻只告小三 法官替小三鳴不平


countries: 香港 中國 義大利 伊朗

title: 武漢肺炎》林鄭月娥防疫超自滿 香港第一才子打臉


content_text:
〔記者陳曉宜／台北報導〕「建中狂騎團」成員都是從Youbike起步，逐漸從「河濱團」騎到「狂騎團」，成為長期運動項目。所以，狂騎團成員沈克紘說，最怕就是自行車道不平、狹窄，容易跌倒或發生擦撞，導致受傷，這部分雙北領先各縣市，新北市又做得比台北市略好。這部分新北做得比台北好。

臺北自來水事業處發展中心主任朱聖心說，北市府首先推行Youbike，是帶動自行車運動風氣的重要關鍵政策，但現在還缺一個「台北自行車園區」，讓車友聚集、傳播運動資訊，而公館水岸廣場是一個最佳地點，這裡不僅是出發騎往新店、烏來、淡水、深坑起點，周邊還有豐富的公館美食做餐飲支援，還是Youbike站周轉率最高的站點之一。

朱聖心說，公館水岸廣場現已是車友夜騎、假日親子騎車的主要休閒場所，不僅緊鄰自來水博物館前Youbike站，廣場還有腳踏車租借站、維修站，停車場車位充足，方便「4+2」車友停好四輪的汽車，騎著兩輪的自行車出發。但朱聖心說，要建設為「台北自行車園區」，還需增添各種國內外自行車廠牌販售點，以及提供車友休憩的咖啡站，讓車友可以從購車、修車、騎車、休憩的需求同時滿足，未來台北自來水園區內也會提供場地，定期邀請專家舉辦講座，讓車友彼此交流，獲取更多健康、專業的資訊。

[2]

朱聖心說，騎車人口越多，不僅提升國人健康，還可提高環境品質，這就是政府應大力推動的，他以公館地區新增的Youbike2.0為例，使用太陽能設站多，車新好騎，且鎖車、解鎖功能更容易，隨時騎、隨時還，更省錢方便，自己就是Youbike2.0愛好者，從自來水博物館騎到台大校區小木屋買好吃的鬆餅，可以省下不少錢。所以希望下一步，可以建設「台北自行車園區」，提供更優質的自行車環境。

朱聖心說，今年五月，「建中狂騎團」將與「建中狂壘團」舉辦一場 Youbike2.0 PK大賽，從公館水岸出發繞社子島來回四十公里， 這些都是建中三十重聚後，大家最樂此不疲的事。

相關新聞請見︰

防疫健康運動系列1-1》建中狂騎團 年過50騎遍台灣
防疫健康運動系列1-2》醫師：騎自行車增強免疫力
防疫健康運動系列1-3》北水處將打造台北自行車園區

title: 防疫健康運動系列1-3》北水處將打造台北自行車園區

taiwan-subdivisions: 淡水 新北市 烏來 公館 深坑 新店 臺北


countries: 澳洲 中國 美國 韓國

taiwan-subdivisions: 三星 新社

title: 澳洲智庫：維族受迫勞動 國內外83企業間接得利


title: 土耳其對敘利亞宣戰！俄官媒土國分社主編被捕

countries: 土耳其 敘利亞 俄羅斯


title: 饒河夜市運將排班糾紛 拿球棍互毆到頭破血流

content_text:
2020-03-02 00:03:05

〔記者鄭景議／台北報導〕台北市饒河夜市1日晚間有2名計程車司機，因為排班糾紛，竟吵得不可開交，拿起球棒互毆，打到頭破血流，嚇壞不少民眾，警方獲報迅速到現場處理，並協助兩名司機送醫，目前兩人都還在醫院診治，並表示要互告傷害，2日將雙雙前往轄區派出所報案說明。

據了解，因1日為連假最後一天，晚間許多民眾在逛夜市，突然間2名計程車司機，在大街上就拿球棒互毆，還打到滿頭是血，嚇壞不少民眾，所幸警方迅速抵達處理，兩名司機送醫後暫無大礙；警方表示，兩人出院後會再來派出所，向對方提告，並對案情做說明。


title: 武漢肺炎》新冠病毒檢驗有侷限 專家：驗不到不代表沒事

countries: 日本 台灣

events: 武漢肺炎 新冠病毒

content_text:
醫師提醒，民眾驗不到不代表就沒事了，仍要提高警覺；圖為情境照，圖中人物與本文無關。（資料照，記者林惠琴攝）

2020-03-02 00:00:28

〔記者林惠琴／台北報導〕國外不時傳出武漢肺炎患者採檢多次才「揪出」陽性，如今在日本確診的鑽石公主號我國籍旅客經二次採檢陰性返台，再驗竟又呈陽性，專家認為，檢驗技術本來就有侷限，加上病毒量少、這個病毒「捉摸不定」，建議應提醒民眾「驗不到不代表就沒事」了，仍要提高警覺，且也可考慮發展其他檢驗方法補強。

台灣感染症醫學會理事長黃立民說明，現行檢驗方式第一次採檢可能有40%驗不出來，第二次採檢可降低為16%驗不出來，尤其一些症狀輕微、沒有痰可驗，僅是採集呼吸道檢體者更可能驗不到，確實有限制，因此除了增加檢驗次數，也應提醒民眾，「驗不到不代表就沒事」，若有接觸史，即使檢驗陰性，仍要注意自主健康管理。

長庚大學分子感染症醫學研究中心主任邱政洵指出，由於採集檢體再進行檢驗的準確性本來就不是百分之百，加上武漢肺炎輕症患者可能發病後十至十四天就會慢慢恢復，或是有無症狀感染者，病毒量就會相對減少，進而可能出現「偽陰性」的情形，坦言這個病毒「捉摸不定」，增加「防疫困難」。

至於病毒株變異是否會影響檢驗準確度？邱政洵說明，目前觀察變化很小，不至於影響準確度，且變異是正常存在的過程，並不代表病毒就更容易傳播。不過，目前的檢驗方式確實有侷限性，除了增加採檢次數外，若有可能，應進一步發展抗體檢測法，搭配現有檢驗方式，強化把關，更可避免漏網之魚。

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


content_text:
〔記者李容萍／桃園報導〕桃園市政府客家事務局主辦「戀戀魯冰花」活動，於1日提前落幕，共吸引逾45萬人次參與，連日來民眾把握魯冰花花季尾聲，在228連假趁著陽光露臉、氣候溫暖宜人，紛紛走出戶外賞花趣，響應防疫深呼吸，共度春日好時光，讓花田賞花人潮再現，單日湧入近4萬人次參與。

1日辦理壓軸的魯冰花寫生比賽，邀請大小朋友以茶園、魯冰花海做為舞台、藝術做為橋樑，連繫人與自然，展現電影小說「魯冰花」中所提倡獨特、有想法的藝術教育精神，成為在地客庄營造及發展的養分。

taiwan-subdivisions: 春日 桃園

title: 閃閃金黃魯冰花45萬人次參觀 將成茶園養份明年再見


title: 武漢肺炎》桃市「全方位健康關懷包」 228連假免費送到家

taiwan-subdivisions: 桃園 中壢

things: 防疫 經濟

content_text:
〔記者李容萍／桃園報導〕因應武漢肺炎防疫，桃園市先前曾有居家檢疫民眾「偷跑」案例，經調查有民眾是為了買東西才違規出門，市府新推出市民專屬的「 全方位健康關懷包」，有裝上兩大袋的零食、泡麵、中藥材、用來消毒環境的氯錠，以及總共14片的口罩，從228連假開始免費發送，中壢等區公所里幹事、各衛生所公衛護理師連日犧牲連假，分頭把關懷包送到還在居家檢疫和隔離民眾的住所，希望做到防疫滴水不漏！

據市府民政局、衛生局統計，迄2月底，桃園市現有居家檢疫人數716人、已解除3061人，現有居家隔離人數130人、已解除204人，面對居家檢疫民眾「偷跑」情形，市府為避免民眾出門購物，獲得企業等單位贊助各式餅乾、零食、泡麵、燕麥、水、飲料、藥膳料理、14片口罩和14顆氯錠（搗碎後加入水可以製成漂白水消毒環境），以及提供垃圾清運服務等。另提供線上購物服務及娛樂平台，希望讓居家檢疫、居家隔離的人，能夠方便在家休息，健康度過防疫的這段時間！

民政局自治行政科表示，居家檢疫民眾以從中港澳回台者居多，多數經濟還不錯，但有人苦於無法出門買尿布、奶粉，里幹事得知需求均會代買，這些服務全程採不接觸原則，均放在檢疫者家門口為原則。至於外界關心的斷炊問題，目前便當的供應暢通，倒是衛生局1日接獲有居家隔離者想自己煮卻發現米缸沒米，也由公衛護理師幫忙買米。

桃園市長鄭文燦則在臉書PO文感謝食品在地業者佳格、義美、乖乖、聯華、金車等企業，以及中藥公會為防疫盡一份心力，讓居家檢疫及隔離者可以在家安心度過防疫期。

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


title: 外帶生魚片 上完廁所後... 變空盒？

references: 臉書 網友 爆怨公社

content_text:
2020-03-02 00:06:33

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕可愛的動物人人都愛看，牠們的一舉一動讓人看了感到非常療癒，有網友在網路PO文表示，他去姊姊家帶了一盒生魚片，結果上完廁所後被吃得一乾二淨，兇手還裝睡不醒，他將兇手的照片拍照PO網，網友看到貼文後笑說「橘貓果然都不會讓人失望」。

該網友在臉書「爆怨公社」PO出1張照片，可以看到照片中有隻橘貓在黑色沙發上睡著，牠的身材非常圓潤，看起來非常有福相，原PO在貼文中表示「買了300塊的生魚片去姐姐家，塞車憋了一個多小時，東西丟著直奔廁所，出來看到一個空盒和一隻裝睡叫不醒的貓，X～～～是叫我吃蘿蔔絲配芥末嗎？」。

網友們看到貼文後紛紛留言「喵：嗝，真好吃，下次早點回來，有點不新鮮了」、「主子吃得很滿意，你可以跪安了」、「不是啊，明知道有橘貓就該料到下場」、「這貓很可以，哈哈，你能奈他何呢」、「不新鮮了，所以幫你吃了，你要謝謝牠」。


title: 防疫健康運動系列1-2》醫師：騎自行車增強免疫力

content_text:
2020-03-01 23:42:03

〔記者陳曉宜／台北報導〕台大醫學系畢業、耳鼻喉科醫師沈挺毅也是「建中狂騎團」成員，沈醫師說，武漢肺炎，是以在室內、密閉空間群聚感染為主，騎自行車是戶外運動，室外開放空間空氣流通，人與人交流有一定距離，是目前增強免疫力很好的運動。

沈挺毅醫師表示，在河濱公園騎自行車，與車友擦身或迎面而過，都不容易被傳染，武漢肺炎主要傳染途徑是飛沫與接觸傳染，例如有人咳嗽、打噴嚏，含有病毒的口鼻分泌物被噴到身上、沾到手上，再經由口、鼻、眼的黏膜侵入人體。

沈挺毅醫師表示，防止武漢肺炎，除了戴口罩、勤洗手等基本防護外，提高自身健康、增強免疫力更為重要，以目前武漢確診病例的重症案例來看，多是慢性疾病患者，也就是原本身體抵抗力與免疫力就不佳。而騎自行車是增強心肺功能、免疫力很好的運動，不僅可減重，還能防止大腦老化，保持神經系統敏捷反應。

沈挺毅醫師說，自己一直都是自行車愛好者，但五十歲前為了工作和孩子，已三十年沒運動，自從加入狂騎團，每周三次從水岸廣場八腳亭出發上貓空來回持續騎車，再搭配低醣飲食，三個月已瘦了六公斤。

相關新聞請見︰

防疫健康運動系列1-1》建中狂騎團 年過50騎遍台灣
防疫健康運動系列1-2》醫師：騎自行車增強免疫力
防疫健康運動系列1-3》北水處將打造台北自行車園區


content_text:
［記者吳俊鋒／台南報導］由於「武漢肺炎」的影響，史上最長的大學寒假，今晚終於告一段落，明天正式開課了，各校都繃緊神經，提出因應措施，包含增設體溫量測站、規劃戶外用餐區，以及教室門窗都要開啟，甚至全面戴口罩等，備戰防疫工作，絲毫不敢馬虎。

避免群聚感染，多數大專院校延長寒假，至3月2日才開學，為讓教職員生安心上課，不僅已完成環境的消毒，也將確實執行因應措施，量測體溫絕對是必要工作。

嘉南藥理大學居家檢疫的38位港澳生，都已健康「出關」，校方取消全部地下室的上課地點，改至通風較為理想的處所。

嘉藥已請學生準備酒精、口罩，還有體溫計，搭配健康關懷系統，以班級為單位，每天量測，並確實上網登錄。

長榮大學也在各重要據點規劃了體溫量測站，被蓋上安心標章後才能進入，將動員教職員工，協助實施，希望做到防疫滴水不漏。

遠東科大請導師先進行旅遊史、接觸史與健康史的調查，了解學子寒假期間的狀況，校內也設置十個體溫檢測站，即時掌握教職員生的情形，一旦遇有發燒，由衛保組再確認後，立刻因應、處理。

崑山科大在非戶外的聚會場所設置熱像儀，嚴密管控，體溫的量測，要額溫與耳溫雙重確認，上課教室要打開門窗，學生全面戴口罩。

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

title: 武漢肺炎》史上最長寒假結束 各大學校園防疫上緊發條


people: 韓國瑜 郝龍斌 張顯耀

title: 韓國瑜二二八為何口誤？藍營人士：前夜被「郝」蹭

content_text:
高雄市長韓國瑜（右）參加二二八紀念活動，獻花給高雄市二二八關懷協會理事長王文宏（左）；當天致詞時卻口誤連連，引起輿論譁然。（資料照，記者葛祐豪攝）

2020-03-01 23:52:55

〔記者王榮祥／高雄報導〕高雄市長韓國瑜228發言失誤，除引發議論、外界也好奇前一晚行程？為韓抱屈的藍營人士今爆料，有可能是前一天、2月27日晚，被郝龍斌蹭到深夜？間接導致韓國瑜準備不足，隔天才會發言失誤？

藍營人士透露，2月27日晚上是國民黨前立委張顯耀協助聯繫，帶郝龍斌南下與韓國瑜碰面，同時「請託支持（補選黨主席）」，郝龍斌還特別向韓國瑜解釋「郭台銘（選總統）不是他找的」。

藍營人士指出，其實韓國瑜選後即決定專心市政，不願碰觸黨務，黨內也多有共識、此時應低調助韓國瑜，才能挺過罷韓這一關；不料，郝龍斌反而在這節骨眼，硬要把韓捲進黨主席選舉，也間接破壞黨中央「低調就是助韓」的默契。

這位藍營人士說，郝龍斌在2月27日晚與韓國瑜碰面，話題頻圍繞在黨主席選舉，韓國瑜回應相對謹慎、不願表態，郝龍斌可能察覺韓國瑜的保留，卻又不肯放棄，所以一直聊到深夜將近11點。

隔天2月28日一早，韓國瑜在二二八紀念活動場合中發言口誤、引起議論與嘲諷，有媒體注意到韓國瑜面容似乎有些疲憊，好奇他前一晚在忙什麼？

有藍營人士看不下去，透漏這段經過，批評郝龍斌只想著自己的選戰，卻「蹭韓」到深夜，打攪韓國瑜在重要場合發言前的準備、導致韓國瑜口誤。


title: 路倒男傳疑自主健康管理對象 北市府澄清

content_text:
2020-03-01 23:43:45

〔記者陳璟民／台北報導〕針對今午台北市一名路倒於便利商店外的48歲劉姓男子，傳為疑似市府衞生局列管武漢肺炎（COVID-19）防疫追蹤14天的對象，對此，市府副發言人戴于文今晚表示，這一男子並非自主健康管理的對象。

戴于文說，劉男曾在新北巿某一醫院，和武漢肺炎確診個案有地緣關係，但經衛生單位評估為低感染風險，且回溯接觸時間已超過14天，並非居家隔離、居家檢疫的自主健康管理對象，他到院前已無生命跡象，死因待法醫相驗。


title: 石油經濟不振  沙國2019年經濟成長率僅0.3％

content_text:
2020-03-01 23:53
 沙烏地阿拉伯經濟目前仍十分仰賴石油。（彭博）

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕沙烏地阿拉伯統計總局（General Authority for Statistics，GaStat）今天公佈數據，指出由於石油經濟不振、出口下滑，2019年沙國經濟成長率僅0.3%，遜於政府原先0.9%的預測，但儘管沙國不斷想擺脫對石油的依賴，但今年武漢肺炎疫情可能將對沙國另一經濟支柱，旅遊業造成額外打擊。

《路透》報導，GaStat 的數據顯示，儘管非石油領域的經濟成長3.3%，為2014年以來的最佳表現，但由於石油經濟衰退3.6%，讓沙國2019年經濟成長率僅有3.6%，為2017年以來的最糟表現。

沙國石油經濟不振的原因，包含原油減產以及國際油價低迷等。

儘管沙國一直想促進經濟多元化，以擺脫對石油的依賴，不過目前石油依然左右沙國經濟，如2019年沙國石油出口額衰退14%，就導致沙國整體出口額下滑10.4%。

整體而言，沙國金融、保險、零售、餐飲、旅宿等服務業正快速成長，沙國政府也透過朝覲（Hajj）優勢推動旅遊業，而能源、製造業等正在萎縮；沙國央行、沙烏地阿拉伯貨幣局（Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority）局長Ahmed al-Kholifey就稱，非石油部門將持續支持今年沙國的經濟表現。

不過報導提到，受到武漢肺炎疫情蔓延影響，沙國已暫停副朝覲（Umrah）關光客入境，並限制部份疫區國家除朝覲以外的入境，而現在觀光業已貢獻沙國10%的GDP，因此凱投宏觀（Capital Economics）新興市場經濟學家圖維（Jason Tuvey）指出，旅遊限制將對沙國經濟造成「巨大衝擊」。

除此以外，儘管去年油價低迷，但布蘭特原油（Brent）只有短暫數天低於每桶60美元，而現在由於肺炎疫情導致需求大減，目前每桶只有50美元左右。


content_text:
國外發現武漢肺炎病毒株出現變化，中央流行疫情指揮中心今日指出，國內針對也有此發現，專家認為，目前觀察相關變異並未影響檢驗方法的準確性，但若變異程度「到位」，可能會對疫苗或藥物研發有影響。圖為美國及病控制中心所描繪的新型冠狀病毒。（資料照，美聯社）

2020-03-01 23:41:43

〔記者林惠琴／台北報導〕國外發現武漢肺炎病毒株出現變化，中央流行疫情指揮中心今日指出，國內針對也有此發現，專家認為，目前觀察相關變異並未影響檢驗方法的準確性，但若變異程度「到位」，可能會對疫苗或藥物研發有影響。

長庚大學新興病毒感染研究中心主任施信如表示，新型冠狀病毒屬於RNA（核糖核酸）病毒，RNA病毒的特性之一就是會不斷的變異，因此針對國內的檢驗方法，每日均有進行生物資訊分析，確認國內與其他各國病毒株的變化情形。

施信如解釋，設計檢驗時，通常會以特別的引子來做PCR（聚合酶鏈式反應）測試，萬一病毒變異點出現在引子之處，就可能會影響檢驗結果的準確性，但從目前監測的結果來看，尚未出現病毒變異點在引子的情況，若未來有天不幸發生，就須趕緊調整檢驗方式，但應該最快一天就可以合成試劑。

至於病毒株變異對於疫苗與藥物研發可能的影響，在疫苗研發方面，施信如提到，新型冠狀病毒突變的點要視是否發生在抗原部分，若答案肯定，可能就會影響到疫苗的保護力，如同也是RNA病毒的流感，每季流行病毒株不同，也可能出現變異，疫苗就得要視情況做調整。

在藥物研發方面，施信如提到，由於RNA病毒容易變異，萬一變異的點出現在藥物對應的部位，就可能影響療效，因此如同RNA病毒的人類免疫缺乏病毒，就是需要研發多種藥物，不可以儘依賴一種藥物，以利可以視狀況選擇使用或合併使用以達到療效。

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

events: 武漢肺炎 冠狀病毒

title: 武漢肺炎》病毒若變異「到位」 恐影響疫苗或藥物研發


content_text:
It has been more than a month since China implemented an unprecedented quarantine of Wuhan, banning travel in and out of the city from Jan 22. As of Friday, China’s National Health Commission had confirmed 78,824 cases and 2,788 deaths from COVID-19, while Japan and South Korea have also seen a surge in confirmed cases, with countrywide totals of 214 and 2,022 respectively.

As Asia is shrouded in the shadow of COVID-19, Taiwan, which was expected to be particularly vulnerable to the virus due to its proximity to China, has been containing it in an exemplary fashion.

Immediately following the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, Taiwan established the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), directly supervised by Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), to coordinate at all levels and ensure a multisectoral approach.

The next day, Jan. 21, the nation’s first case was confirmed, and the patient was sent directly from the airport to a negative-pressure isolation ward after showing pneumonia-like symptoms.

As the chief commander of the CECC, Chen elaborated on the condition of the first patient, including her travel history, the severity of her symptoms and so on, at a press conference.

Taiwan immediately alerted China and the WHO about the case. The minister has also hosted news briefings almost every day to inform the public about the latest developments regarding the virus and the government’s plans to address it.

This high level of transparency has helped contain panic in Taiwan, and has boosted the public’s trust in the government’s response, as well as awareness of prevention measures.

In addition, Taiwanese officials have taken concrete steps to prevent the spread of the disease. These include stricter border controls, formulating standard operating procedures regarding virus-source tracing and minimizing the risk of transmission within medical facilities, public transportation areas, schools and other public areas by systematically and frequently carrying out disinfections.

Taiwan has also done a great job preparing medical supplies, such as masks.

While countries around the world have struggled with shortages and soaring prices for such items, Taiwan has collaborated with private manufacturers to ensure that 4 million masks are produced daily — more than double the production quantity before the virus outbreak. These masks are now available to the public through pharmacies across the nation at a uniform price.

Of course, not all of these policies are perfect: In the early stages of the mask distribution plan, complaints were prevalent from people who were unable to buy masks before they were sold out. However, the government has successfully taken corrective measures according to the situation as it develops.

Additionally, Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳), who is responsible for digital technology, has collaborated with Taiwanese software engineers to build digital maps that show the availability of masks using open data provided by health authorities.

Along with supporting measures, such as crowd management and real-name systems, these technological solutions have succeeded in making the procurement of masks more effective.

Besides good governance, the high quality of Taiwan’s medical system is noteworthy. So far, only 39 cases of infection have been confirmed in Taiwan. After receiving medical treatment, five of them have recovered and have since been discharged from the hospital.

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

title: Virus highlights Taiwan’s expertise

people: 陳時中 唐鳳


things: 經濟 iPhone

title: Electronics makers face outbreak woes

content_text:
Electronics makers face outbreak woes

SLOW TO RETURN:Analysts said that most plants would not return to full capacity this month, while S&P Global revised upward its GDP growth projection for Taiwan next year
Electronic manufacturing service providers and electronic component suppliers with significant operations in China would be the hardest hit in Taiwan by the effects of an outbreak of COVID-19 in China should the virus prove more difficult to contain, Taiwan Ratings Corp (中華信評) said.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturing service providers include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Pegatron Corp (和碩), which are major iPhone assemblers for Apple Inc and have a significant presence in China, which is also an important production base for Taiwanese electronic component makers, who are already affected by shut factories and travel restrictions in China.

“These companies could also face labor shortages and logistical difficulties even after the resumption of operations,” Taiwan Ratings said in a report on Wednesday.

The adverse effects would extend to shortages in raw materials and key components for manufacturing facilities, the local arm of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global Ratings said.

While some electronics suppliers resumed work on Feb. 10, their operations had slim chances of returning to full capacity by the end of the month, given labor and protective-medical gear shortages, it said.

The first half of the year is typically considered the low season of the production cycle for most electronics goods, which could partly alleviate the negative effects from underutilized factories, the report said.

The Chinese government is also likely to assist key industries, including the technology sector, to maintain normal operations and minimize the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, it said.

Taiwan Ratings said that the degree of risk facing Taiwanese companies varied by industry.

A sharp decline in consumer spending in China could stifle short-term demand, particularly for discretionary consumables, such as smartphones and vehicles, while semiconductor firms could be hit by a drop in shipments and sales in the short term due to supply chain disruptions, it said.

Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said that disruptions in raw material supplies from China, as well as from the slow return of workers to factories, could hurt many industries in Taiwan, such as the semiconductor, information and communications technology, biotech, and flat-panel sectors.

Meanwhile, as China is the largest buyer of Taiwan-made goods, accounting for about 40 percent of Taiwan’s exports, weaker demand in China amid the virus outbreak would likely hurt Taiwanese producers of petrochemicals, machinery, plastics and base metals, CIER vice president Wang Jiann-chyuan (王健全) told the Central News Agency on Friday.

Taiwan Ratings said that it has not yet taken any rating actions against rated companies, saying that those firms have sufficient cash flow and leverage headroom to buffer the short-term revenue and shortfalls in cash flows.

“We expect more tech companies to diversify their reliance on China as a manufacturing hub and introduce reshoring plans or shift production to other countries in Asia,” Taiwan Ratings said.

In addition, considering the potential effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, S&P Global has trimmed its GDP growth projection for Taiwan to 1.9 percent for this year, but revised upward its projection to 2.6 percent for next year, citing additional economic activity that might emerge to catch up for lost output.

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


content_text:
Memorial hall should not be dismantled: minister

CHANGE:Suggestions regarding new functions for the hall from families of victims of the 228 Incident would be respected, but they should be feasible, Lin Wan-i said
Honor guards march in front of the Chiang Kai-shek’s statue at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on Dec. 17, 2018.Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i (林萬億) yesterday said that it would be best to give the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall new functions and meaning, instead of dismantling it.

Lin, tasked with overseeing issues related to the transformation of the memorial hall, made the remarks after renewed calls from families of victims of the 228 Incident to dismantle the structure.

There is no timetable to decide the fate of the national historic site yet, as the Ministry of Culture is still compiling files that relate to its transformation, Lin said, adding that inter-departmental meetings would be held after the ministry submits its recommendation.

There are many suggestions regarding the memorial hall’s transformation — issues such as its new name, new functions and how to deal with Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) statue, Lin said, adding that suggestions from the victims’ families would be respected, but at the same time, they should be viable.

Asked if dismantling the memorial hall is an option being considered by the government, Lin said that, instead of removing it or deserting it, the best thing would be to give the structure new functions and positive implications.

The memorial hall, a 250,000m2 attraction in the heart of Taipei, was completed in 1980 in memory of Chiang, who moved the Republic of China government to Taiwan in 1949 after fleeing China following his defeat in the Chinese Civil War.

However, families and relatives of victims persecuted during the Martial Law period have been calling for the memorial hall to be dismantled as they see Chiang as a violator of human rights who should not be treated as a national hero.

“We all know that the [statue of the] persecutor is inside the structure,” Liao Ying-hao (廖英豪), a grandson of a victim of the Incident, said during a commemorative event on Friday.

“It remains a stab in the heart for the victims unless the structure is removed,” he said, urging the government to make a decision soon.

The Incident refers to an uprising that began Feb. 28, 1947, which led to a bloody government crackdown.

Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) on Friday said that the Legislative Yuan is working on a plan to remove the autocratic characteristics of the memorial hall.

The government aims to eventually come up with a solution that would promote social reconciliation and the country’s unity, Ting said.

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


title: Outbreak concerns affect hiring outlook: job bank

content_text:
With the COVID-19 outbreak escalating around the world, the hiring outlook of enterprises in Taiwan has weakened to its lowest since 2017, a survey released by online job bank yes123 (yes123人力銀行) showed.

The survey found that about 91.1 percent of the enterprises polled were planning to hire newcomers after the Lunar New Year holiday, down 3.6 percentage points from a similar poll conducted a year earlier, the company said.

HIRING CONTRACTS

This year’s figure is the lowest since 2017, when about 90.9 percent of the employers said they would expand their workforces after the holiday.

Among those employers planning to recruit, the average was 15.6 job openings each, up from 15 in a poll conducted a year earlier.

Of employers that are not planning to expand their workforces, 5.1 percent said they would downsize their operations and 3.8 percent said that they would not fill vacancies if people left the firm.

TOURISM AFFECTED

The spread of COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on domestic demand in Taiwan, as many consumers preferred to stay home in a bid to prevent infection, yes123 spokesman Yang Tsung-pin (楊宗斌) said.

SOME WINNERS

The tourism industry, including hoteliers and airlines, could see a bigger impact, while online shopping and food deliveries could benefit from a trend in which consumers tend to place orders from home, Yang said.

The survey found that 48 percent of respondents said that concerns over COVID-19 are expected to affect their businesses, while 9.4 percent said they are expecting to benefit.

ADJUSTMENTS IN PAY

Compensation offered by employers has also been affected.

The average monthly salaries offered by the polled enterprises to non-management employees stood at NT$33,110, down NT$266, or 0.8 percent, from a similar poll a year earlier.

EXECUTIVE BENEFITS

For management posts, the survey found the average monthly salaries rose NT$146 or NT40.3 percent from a year earlier to NT$51,570.

The survey, conducted from Feb. 5 to Feb. 19, collected 903 valid responses and had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.26 percentage points.

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


title: Weaker international oil market leads to price cut

content_text:
State-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday announced that it would lower gasoline prices by NT$0.8 per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.9 per liter, effective today.

This is compared with hikes of NT$0.6 per liter for gasoline and NT$0.7 per liter for diesel on Monday last week.

The price cuts reflect weak sentiment in the international crude oil market last week amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 outside of China, including Japan, South Korea and Italy, CPC said.

Its average crude oil costs last week fell US$4.18 per barrel from the previous week’s US$56.91 to US$52.73 per barrel, the company said.

As the New Taiwan dollar last week depreciated NT$0.199 against the US dollar, CPC decided to lower wholesale prices for its diesel and gasoline products by 5.39 percent, it said.

Prices at CPC’s gas stations are now NT$24.7, NT$26.2 and NT$28.2 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while premium diesel is NT$22.4 per liter.

It also announced price cuts for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products and left prices unchanged for liquefied natural gas items, effective today.

The price of household LPG has been lowered by NT$1.4 per kilogram, which means a 20kg gas cylinder would cost NT$28 less, while the price of LPG used in cars was reduced by NT$0.8 per liter, it said.

Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced similar price cuts effective today, with prices for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded dropping to NT$24.7, NT$26.1 and NT$28.2 per liter respectively, and premium diesel dropping to NT$22.2 per liter.

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


content_text:
HONG KONG

Police, protesters clash

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who on Saturday returned to the city streets for a rally that turned violent. Protesters gathered outside Mong Kok Police Station in Kowloon and paralyzed traffic, the government said in a statement. The demonstrators threw fire bombs and set fire to barricades, it said. Police used pepper spray and one officer drew a firearm in clashes with the protesters, the South China Morning Post reported. MTR Corp, operator of the city’s rail network, suspended service at the Mong Kok subway station after a fire broke out at one of the entrances, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.

JAPAN

Ship and fishing boat crash

More than a dozen crew members of a cargo ship are missing after it collided with a fishing boat in waters off northern Japan, Japan Coast Guard spokesman Tomoyuki Hanzawa said yesterday. The 1,989-tonne Belize-flagged cargo ship Guoxing 1 was carrying about 3,000 tonnes of iron scrap and rapidly took in water after the hit, he said. The collision between the Guoxing 1 and a 138-tonne fishing boat happened at about 10pm and the cause is unknown, he added. The Guoxing 1 had a crew of 14 Chinese and Vietnamese nationals, of which 13 are still missing and the coast guard is searching for them, Hanzawa said. One Vietnamese crew member was rescued by a nearby ship, while the 15 Japanese crew members of the fishing boat are safe.

SRI LANKA

Parliament to be dissolved

The nation’s new president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was expected to dissolve parliament and call snap a legislative election six months ahead of schedule, a state-run newspaper said yesterday. Rajapaksa was likely to exercise his constitutional power to sack the assembly when it completed four-and-a-half years out of its five-year term last night, the Sunday Observer said. Official sources told reporters that a general election was most likely in the final week of April if the 225-member national assembly is dissolved by today.

SLOVAKIA

Opposition wins election

Voters handed a resounding victory to the center-right, anti-graft OLaNO opposition party in Saturday’s general election, dominated by an angry backlash over the 2018 murder of a journalist probing corruption in the eurozone state. Having vowed to immediately push through anti-corruption measures when in office, OLaNO leader Igor Matovic galvanized voter outrage over the murder of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, and the high-level graft their deaths exposed. “People want us to clean up Slovakia. They want us to make Slovakia a fair country where laws will apply to everyone,” Matovic told reporters.

SYRIA

Eight Hezbollah fighters die

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group lost at least eight fighters in northwest Syria in skirmishes with insurgents and airstrikes by Turkey’s air force, an opposition war monitor and the militant group said on Saturday. The casualties followed the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers earlier this week. The deaths marked the highest for the group in Syria in years. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 14 Hezbollah fighters were killed. Hezbollah later released a statement listing the names and photographs of eight of its fighters, including an Iranian cleric identified as Sayyed Ali Zengani. It gave no details other than saying that they “were martyred while performing their jihadi duties.”

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

title: World News Quick Take


content_text:
A visitor wearing a protective mask exits a reopened Casino in Macao, China, 20 February 2020.Photo: EPA-EFE
Casinos in Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, reported a record drop in gaming revenue as they grappled with the cost of closing down for 15 days to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Gross gaming revenue was 3.1 billion patacas (US$386.5 million) last month, down 87.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Macau Gaming Inspection & Coordination Bureau.

In a survey, analysts had predicted a median 90 percent slide.

The slump follows a decision by Macau’s government to suspend casino operations from Feb. 5 for just over two weeks, dealing another blow to the gambling mecca that was already struggling to recover from a revenue decline last year.

The closure only the second such instance after a typhoon in 2018 forced a 33-hour shutdown.

Even after the partial resumption of business from Feb. 20, gaming floors have seen few footfalls as China continued to halt individual and group visas to Macau, and restrict transportation in a prolonged fight against the spread of the virus.

Casinos are about to take “an extremely bumpy ride” this year, according to a Feb. 25 note by D.S. Kim, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co in Hong Kong.

Kim estimated that gaming revenue would drop 24 percent and industry earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization would fall 30 percent this year.

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

title: Virus Outbreak: Gaming revenue in Macau experiences record decline


title: Virus Outbreak: S Korea exports beat expectations

content_text:
South Korea’s exports rose for the first time in more than a year on semiconductor sales, an increase that might be short-lived as the COVID-19 outbreak takes its toll on world trade.

Exports increased 4.5 percent last month from a year earlier, the South Korean Ministry of Trade Industry and Energy said yesterday.

Economists had forecast a 2.8 percent gain.

The actual flow of goods is likely worse than the headline figure suggests, skewed by the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday, which added three business days to the month this year in many Asian economies, or about an 18 percent increase in work time compared with 2019.

South Korea’s average daily shipments dropped 11.7 percent last month, the report showed.

South Korea is an important bellwether of global tech demand, because it is the biggest producer of the memory chips in everything from computers to smartphones.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday last week called for “extraordinary” steps to shield the nation’s economy against the virus epidemic as the number of domestic cases increase.

South Korean Minister of Finance Hong Nam-ki on Friday said that the government is compiling an extra budget with more than US$5.1 billion in spending aid.

Analysts have slashed projections for the pace of the country’s growth and the Bank of Korea on Thursday said there is now a chance of contraction in the first quarter.

“We’re now seeing tremendous short-term disruption from [South] Korea to Thailand to Italy as companies realize this isn’t only a China issue,” said Nick Vyas from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

The latest data showed that South Korea’s shipments to China dropped 6.6 percent in February from a year earlier, while exports to the US rose 9.9 percent.

Automobile shipments decreased 17 percent, while exports of smartphones and other wireless communication devices rose 8 percent, data showed.

Overall imports rose 1.4 percent from a year earlier, resulting in a trade surplus of US$4.1 billion, data showed.

“Looking ahead, weakened demand from China and disrupted supply chains will likely weigh on overseas sales for the next few months. Should the virus spread further and damp demand from other trade partners, exports would see more downside risk,” said Justin Jimenez, associate economist for Asia at Bloomberg LP.

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


content_text:
Ministry of Finance calls for calm as COVID-19 shakes bourses worldwide

The Ministry of Finance on Saturday urged investors to remain confident in the local stock market after a wave of selling gripped global markets last week amid an outbreak of COVID-19, saying that domestically the virus was under control and Taiwan has sound economic fundamentals.

Deputy Minister of Finance Frank Juan (阮清華), the executive secretary of the National Stabilization Fund, said that the government was closely monitoring the local stock market and might take action if necessary, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) reported yesterday.

The NT$500 billion (US$16.5 billion) fund is a mechanism set up by the government to serve as a buffer against unexpected external factors that disrupt the local stock market.

The TAIEX fell by 394.18 points, or 3.37 percent, last week to close at 11,292.17 on Thursday following Wall Street’s loss of about 2,000 points from Monday to Wednesday. The local market was closed on Friday for the 228 Memorial Day holiday.

Given steep declines in European and Asian equity markets as well as a more than 12 percent fall on the Dow Jones Industrial Average last week, some fear that the TAIEX would fall further when trading resumes today.

The government could call an impromptu meeting and enact the state-run fund to maintain stability in the market, if any major events or drastic movements of international funds lead the market out of order or damage national stability, Juan told the Liberty Times.

Allianz Global Investors Taiwan Ltd (安聯投信) expects the market correction to last a while, given the absence of clear direction for equity investment, as the spread of COVID-19 has not eased.

Even though factory production in China has resumed, the visibility of supply and demand for the second quarter remains relatively chaotic at this stage, Allianz said in a note after the market closed on Thursday.

“European and US stock markets need to stop falling first before Taiwanese stocks have an opportunity to stabilize,” Allianz said.

How foreign institutional investors act and the second-quarter outlook for heavyweight Taiwanese firms would be critical in predicting the direction of Taiwanese stocks, it added.

Foreign investors last week sold a net NT$94.44 billion of shares on the main bourse after selling a net NT$33.34 billion in the previous week, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.

Overall, foreign investors sold a net NT$130.04 billion of shares on the main bourse last month, up from a net selling of NT$42.63 billion in January, the data showed.

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


content_text:
Iranian dissident, abortion drama win top Berlinale prizes

Iranian actress Baran Rasoulof poses with the Golden Bear on behalf of Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof at the Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday.Photo: EPA-EFE
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof on Saturday won the top prize at the Berlin film festival for There Is No Evil, a searingly critical work about the death penalty in his country.

Rasoulof, 48, is banned from leaving Iran and was unable to accept the Golden Bear in person.

Accepting the award on his behalf, producer Farzad Pak thanked “the amazing cast and crew who put their lives in danger to be on this film.”

The film tells four loosely related stories about the death penalty in Iran, from the executioner to the families of the victims.

Industry magazine Variety called it Rasoulof’s “most openly critical statement yet.”

Rasoulof was last year sentenced to a year in prison for “attacking the security of the state” and banned from making films for life.

Speaking to a news conference via telephone, he said that his latest film was about “taking responsibility” under despotism.

“You can try to put aside your own responsibility and pass the buck to the government ... but [people] can say no,” he said.

The runner-up jury prize went to Eliza Hittman’s teenage abortion drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which had been a favorite among critics.

Sidney Flanigan plays a 17-year-old from Pennsylvania forced to travel to New York to abort an unplanned pregnancy.

Audiences and critics were particularly enthralled by an intense, single-shot scene in which Flanigan’s character answers personal questions at a clinic.

Paula Beer won Best Actress for her role in Christian Petzold’s water-themed romance Undine.

The award for Best Actor went to Italy’s Elio Germano for his portrayal of the mental and physical struggles of painter Antonio Ligabue in Hidden Away.

Germano also featured in Bad Tales by Italian brothers Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo, which won Best Screenplay.

The award for Best Director went to South Korea’s Hong Sangsoo for The Woman Who Ran, a minimalistic film about a woman whose husband is away on a business trip.

Industry Web site IndieWire described the film as a “charming look at smart women dealing with annoying men.”

Delete History, a French comedy about society in the age of the Internet, won the “70th anniversary Silver Bear.”

The prize replaced the traditional “Alfred Bauer Prize” after it emerged that Berlinale founding director Bauer was a high-ranking Nazi.

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


title: Orsted opens hub to help develop offshore wind in US

content_text:
An offshore wind developer is opening a hub in Providence, Rhode Island, that its executives hope will help accelerate the takeoff of the industry in the US.

Orsted US Offshore Wind, a division of the Denmark-based Orsted A/S, is to launch its US innovation hub in Providence today.

Orsted employees are to meet at the hub with US-based start-ups and small companies to discuss early-stage technologies to address issues the industry faces.

Orsted could potentially help these companies bring solutions to the market faster to help accelerate and scale the US industry, Orsted head of strategy, digital and innovation Thomas Nygaard Hamann said.

“In essence, a lot of this is really about taking the global know-how that we bring on this industry and connecting that to novel innovation in the US,” the Copenhagen-based Hamann said.

For example, Orsted is looking for ways to improve monitoring the movements of whales near wind farms, and ideas for reducing noise when turbines are installed, Hamann said.

Last year, to ensure that its technicians could safely transfer between small boats and offshore wind turbines, Orsted signed a deal to invest in the Scottish company Pict Offshore, which had developed a hoist system.

Orsted bought Providence-based Deepwater Wind in 2018. Deepwater Wind began operating the first US offshore wind farm off of Rhode Island’s Block Island in late 2016.

The US operations for Orsted are jointly headquartered in Providence and Boston, Massachusetts.

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo said the hub’s opening further cements the state’s “status as America’s offshore wind capital.”

Several offshore wind and renewable energy companies have offices in Providence. The state offers tax credits and incentives to lure more of these businesses to Rhode Island, and launched a program in 2018 to train students for offshore wind industry jobs.

“It’s my hope that this will just keep building on itself, and over time you’re going to see, in Rhode Island, more supply-chain companies to service the offshore wind farm, more energy storage companies, more undersea mapping technologies,” Raimondo said in an interview last week. “It’s a whole ecosystem and it’s starting to build right here.”

Orsted has US federal lease areas in the US’ northeast and in the mid-Atlantic, where a total of six wind farms are in development. The northeast wind farms are joint ventures with Eversource.

Driving down the pricing for offshore wind has been, and will continue to be, an important driver of innovation, Orsted Northeast markets head Matthew Morrissey said.

However, they are looking to evolve every aspect of their business to improve the standardization, safety and overall operation of wind farms, as well as create jobs locally, he said.

The hub is to serve as the first point of contact for US companies interested in contracting with Orsted.

Morrissey said the goal is to make it easy for companies to make a pitch, get clear information and perhaps contracts.

The Danish parent company employs about 6,500 people and reported revenue for the group at 9.1 billion euros (US$10 billion) last year.

Orsted considered locating the hub in Boston or Cambridge, but Morrissey said Providence was the clear choice.

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


content_text:
Masks are essential in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and for medical workers treating patients potentially infected with the virus. In response to the outbreak, about 30 Taiwanese companies in the machinery sector have been working with three government-funded research institutes to build 60 new production lines for mask equipment and machines. They are expected to churn out 6 million additional masks per day when they come online.

Once the 60 production lines begin operating on March 9, Taiwan would be making a total of 10 million face masks per day, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. However, due to rising infections around the world and in preparation for a possible community spread in Taiwan, the ministry is planning to build another 30 production lines to make 2 million to 3 million more masks per day.

Increasing mask production quickly will not be easy, as the local mask industry is not very profitable and most manufacturers relocated elsewhere in the world more than 20 years ago. Now, China is one of the world’s top producers of medical masks and other protective gear.

Yet as the epidemic causes a huge increase in mask demand while global supplies are shrinking, Taiwan is left with no option but to produce masks domestically and implement measures such as an export ban and rationing to ensure that everyone has access to masks.

While the relatively small number of companies that make masks in Taiwan have expanded production, the government’s urgent demand for 60 additional mask production lines was made possible by the so-called “national team” composed of about 30 machinery makers and three research institutes. Their efforts shortened the half-year delivery schedule to just one month. Even more valuable is that those companies, which have spent decades competing against each other, are collaborating to achieve one goal that might not be profitable at all.

Second, the “national team” companies are prioritizing the construction of mask production lines, which means that exports from their core business are likely to be delayed and they would have to negotiate production capacity with customers, even though that could lead to consumer complaints and revenue losses.

The collaboration between the government and local manufacturers on mask production is a model that could be used in future endeavors. Doing so could help boost production during a shortage of something else or prevent hoarding by customers who fear a shortage. Similar cooperation was seen when developers created applications showing mask sales restricted to National Health Insurance-contracted pharmacies and major convenience store chains, and state-run Chunghwa Post Co was assigned to deliver them to contracted pharmacies nationwide. All these efforts reflect the planning done by government agencies and the teamwork between the public and private sectors.

The government is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, and so far it has worked. While it is clear that fewer people are lining up for masks, the government still needs to closely monitor supply and demand to ensure there is sufficient supply, especially for those in health facilities. The nation must also review its strategic stockpiles of medical equipment, including masks and other protective gear, in preparation for any possible public health emergencies.

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

title: EDITORIAL: Gauging mask supply and demand


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Envoys praise Taiwan’s measures against virus

Foreign envoys in Taiwan have praised the government’s “quick” and “effective” response to prevent the spread of COVID-19, saying the nation has set an example other countries can learn from.

While the virus represents a challenge to the world, Taiwan’s preventive measures have been effective, Australian Office in Taipei Representative Gary Cowan said on Saturday.

“We should say that Taiwan seems to have taken very effective measures, and information flow to Taiwanese people and to us foreign officials and citizens has been very good and that has given us a lot of confidence,” Cowan said.

The government has taken good care of foreign officials who do not have the necessary documents to collect two masks per week at pharmacies under the current rationing system, Cowan said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been providing two adult-size masks per week to foreign diplomats and their family members because they are excluded from the rationing system introduced on Feb. 6, under which masks can only be sold to National Health Insurance card or Alien Resident Certificate holders.

Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi said the government has responded very decisively and quickly to virus prevention efforts.

Taiwanese have taken great care with epidemic prevention, which is an example Japan can learn from, he said.

The response to the coronavirus requires the cooperation of the international community, hence Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly as an observer is essential, Izumi said.

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


content_text:
Joe Biden revives White House bid

‘WINNING BIG’:The former US vice president received the backing of about 60 percent of black voters in South Carolina, easily defeating frontrunner US Senator Bernie Sanders
Former US vice president Joe Biden speaks on stage after declaring victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday.Photo: AFP
Former US vice president Joe Biden on Saturday notched up a resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, reviving his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and positioning him as the leading rival to frontrunner US Senator Bernie Sanders.

The victory, powered by support from African-American voters, was the 77-year-old Biden’s first in the race and might give him momentum going into “Super Tuesday” tomorrow, when 14 states go to the polls.

“Just days ago the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead,” Biden told hundreds of supporters at a victory rally in the South Carolina capital, Columbia.

“You’ve launched our campaign on the path to defeating [US President] Donald Trump,” he said.

“We have the option of winning big or losing big,” Biden added in a dig at Sanders’ prospects against Trump in November’s election.

With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Biden had 48.4 percent to 20 percent for the 78-year-old Sanders.

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who spent US$23 million on advertising in South Carolina, was next with 11.4 percent, but announced he was quitting the race even before the final results were published.

Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has been challenging Biden for the centrist vote, had 8 percent, while US Senator Elizabeth Warren had 7 percent.

A victory in South Carolina, where African-Americans make up about 60 percent of the Democratic primary electorate, was seen as crucial to Biden’s hopes of reviving his flagging campaign.

Sanders has been the clear leader in the overall race, winning two of the first three contests and finishing in a virtual tie in Iowa with the 38-year-old Buttigieg.

South Carolina was seen as a key test of Sanders’ support among African-Americans — crucial to a Democratic victory in November — but he only received the backing of about 15 percent of black voters, while Biden received 60 percent, according to exit polls.

Biden finished fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in Nevada, and desperately needed a win in South Carolina ahead of Super Tuesday, which decides one-third of the delegates who formally choose the Democratic nominee at the July party convention.

“The biggest question is whether this will slingshot Joe Biden into victory in some Super Tuesday states,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Sabato said Biden’s primary win — his first in three attempts at securing the Democratic presidential nomination — also increases the pressure on the other centrist candidates to leave the race.

Buttigieg, Warren, US Senator Amy Klobuchar and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg have all made it clear that they would stick around at least through Super Tuesday.

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

title: Joe Biden revives White House bid


title: Control Yuan urges ministry to boost Internet security

content_text:
By Chung Li-hua
and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Control Yuan building is pictured in Taipei on Jan. 17 last year.Photo: Taipei Times
The Control Yuan on Friday last week urged the Ministry of Civil Service to tighten Internet security after an investigation into how the personal information of civil servants was leaked online.

The Control Yuan said in a report that the leak began in June 2012, but was not discovered until last year.

The leak included data of people working in central and local governments that were submitted from 2005 to 2012, and affected up to 240,000 people, or 70.77 percent of all civil servants employed in 2012, the report said.

While the ministry had said that most of the people affected by the leak were not in the military, the report said that whether documents held sensitive information was not dependent on a civil servant being in the military or not.

The personal information of more than 2,000 people working for the Investigation Bureau and its subordinate units was compromised, the report said.

The effect of such a breach on national security is incalculable, the report said.

Much of the equipment involved in the leak has already been written off, the report said.

The Investigation Bureau, the National Center for Cyber Security Technology and the Criminal Investigation Bureau agreed that even with modern technology, it would be difficult to recreate the process leading to the breach, it said.

As an A-level security information unit, the failure of the ministry to comply with government endeavors to tighten information security, as well as its delayed inclusion of civil service data under the Internet Security Management System, placed the personal information of civil servants at risk, the report said.

The report said that the ministry being classed as “medium” security was an overestimation, which the center concurred with.

It called on the ministry to initiate changes, foster in-house information security personnel instead of relying on subcontractors and more strictly adhere to the Internet Security Management System.

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


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: China manufacturing activity plunges

RESPONSE IMPACTS:An economist said that disruptions to supply chains from the virus outbreak would likely remain even if factories in China return to full production
China’s manufacturing last month plunged by an even wider margin than expected after efforts to contain a virus outbreak shut down much of the world’s second-largest economy, an official surveyed showed on Saturday.

The monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI) issued by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing industry group fell to 35.7 from January’s 50 on a 100-point scale, with numbers below 50 indicating activity contracting.

A sub-measure of imports plummeted, highlighting the effects of COVID-19 in Asia, and on other suppliers of components and raw materials to factories in China, which assemble most of the world’s smartphones, toys, home appliances and other consumer goods.

“Supply chains are likely to remain disrupted even if China’s factories go back to full production,” due to spreading travel bans and other antivirus controls abroad, ING Bank NV economist Iris Pang (彭藹嬈) said in a report.

It was “incredibly unlikely” that the global flow of goods would recover even by next month, Pang said.

The PMI decline was widely anticipated after the Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year holiday to keep factories and offices closed, but the figure was even more severe than many forecasters expected.

Many analysts expected a result in the low 40s, which already would have been the lowest since the PMI first was issued in 2002.

Other major economic indicators “are expected to decline significantly” in the first quarter, government economist Zhang Liqun (張立群) said in a statement.

The PMI highlighted the bigger blow suffered by the small, mostly private companies that are the country’s economic engine, produce goods for global brands and supply components for smartphones and other consumer electronics.

A measure of production fell to 26.1 among small enterprises, while the measure for bigger companies was 28.3.

The measure for imports fell to 31.9 from 57 in January.

The official PMI draws on a sample of companies that is weighted toward larger, state-owned companies that serve the Chinese market. A separate PMI with more private companies and exporters is to be released today by a Chinese business magazine.

The previous lowest PMI readings were in the mid-40s following the 2008 global financial crisis.

Regulators say Chinese industry is reviving, but activity still is weak.

The 18 million small, mostly private companies that account for the bulk of industrial activity and employment are back to operating at one-third of normal levels, officials said on Thursday.

Chinese Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology Zhang Kejian (張克儉) said that activity is increasing by about 1 percent per day.

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


content_text:
Two migrant workers yesterday check their cellphones in Taipei.Photo: CNA
Checking the legality of foreign caregivers in hospitals should not be a priority as the nation works to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) reiterated yesterday.

His position was backed up by Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i (林萬億).

“I do not care about the [legal] status of foreign caregivers in hospitals, I only care if they are healthy, if they comply with the hospitals’ policies and if they understand the hospitals’ rules, so that they do not create a burden for the hospitals,” said Chen, who also heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

“There are different types of illegal foreign workers, but if they are related to the COVID-19 situation, the CECC is not going to interfere with the duties of the competent authority,” he told reporters who quizzed him about comments he made on Saturday, when he said he was opposed to launching a crackdown on undocumented migrant caregivers at a time when the nation’s healthcare workers are already heavily burdened with efforts to contain COVID-19.

An Indonesian working illegally as caregiver on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the nation’s 32nd case and triggering fears that the nearly 50,000 undocumented migrant workers in the nation could create a loophole in the epidemic-prevention system.

The woman, who has overstayed her visa, had worked as a caregiver to an elderly man in a hospital who became the nation’s 27th case.

“I disagree with the need to strengthen reporting of undocumented workers at present. For hospitals, it does not matter if one is a documented or undocumented migrant worker or a family member of a patient,” Chen said on Saturday. “What matters to us is whether they have any questionable travel history, or illnesses, and if they know how to look after the patient.”

Although he “of course discourages” the hiring of undocumented caregivers, cracking down on these workers at this moment would only create an acute shortage of people to look after patients and place more strain on healthcare professionals, he said.

Lin said that migrant workers’ legal status should not be a government priority in its efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and a complete disease-prevention system can only be built when all migrant workers, legal or not, receive adequate COVID-19 information.

Focusing on reporting channels and punishment for undocumented migrant workers would only prompt them to go into hiding rather than pay attention to prevention promotions, creating more uncertainties, Lin said.

The Ministry of Labor on Friday said it that it had created a search system in collaboration with the National Immigration Agency to track down undocumented migrant workers and would soon put it in practice.

Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said the system would be able to check the employment or residency status of migrant workers who accompany their employers seeking care at hospitals.

A total of 48,545 undocumented migrant workers were believed to be in the nation at the end of January, with 290 in detention centers, National Immigration Agency statistics showed.

Additional reporting by Lee I-chia

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

people: 陳時中 林萬億

title: Virus outbreak: Migrant workers’ status not a top priority: ministers


title: Virus Outbreak: US tightens travel curbs after first COVID-19 death

content_text:
US President Donald Trump waves at the media as he arrives at the White House in Washington on Saturday.Photo: EPA-EFE
Seeking to reassure the American public, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that there was “no reason to panic” as COVID-19 claimed its first victim inside the US.

The White House also announced new restrictions on international travel to prevent its spread.

Trump, speaking only moments after the death in Washington state was announced, took a more measured approach a day after he complained that the virus threat was being overblown and that his political enemies were perpetuating a “hoax.”

“This is very serious stuff,” he said, but still insisted the criticism of his administration’s handling of the virus outbreak was a hoax.

Trump appeared at a hastily called news conference in the White House briefing room with US Vice President Mike Pence and top public health officials to announce that the US was banning travel to Iran and urging Americans not to travel to regions of Italy and South Korea where the virus has been prevalent.

He said 22 people in the US had been stricken by the disease, of whom one had died and four were deemed “very ill.”

Additional cases were “likely,” he added.

Trump said he was considering additional restrictions, including closing the US border with Mexico in response to the virus’ spread, but later added: “This is not a border that seems to be much of a problem right now.”

“We’re thinking about all borders,” he said.

Travel to Iran was already quite limited, although some families are allowed to travel there on a visa.

Trump described the Washington fatality as someone having a high medical risk before contracting the virus.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said there was “no evidence of link to travel” abroad in the case of the person who died.

The US has about 60 confirmed cases. Trump’s tally appeared to exclude cases of Americans repatriated from China or evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The Washington case was the first death in US, but not first American to die: A 60-year-old US citizen died in Wuhan, China, early last month.

Trump said healthy Americans should be able to recover if they contract the virus, as he tried to reassure Americans and global markets spooked by the virus threat.

He encouraged Americans not to alter their daily routines, saying that the country is “super prepared” for a wider outbreak, adding: “There’s no reason to panic at all.”

He added he was not altering his own routine either.

“You’re talking about 22 people right now in this whole very vast country. I think we’ll be in very good shape,” Trump said.

The US president also said he would be meeting with pharmaceutical companies at the White House today to discuss efforts to develop a vaccine to counter the virus.

Trump spoke a day after he had denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a “hoax” cooked up by his political enemies.

Speaking at a rally in South Carolina, he accused Democrats of “politicizing” the virus threat and boasted about preventive steps he has ordered in an attempt to keep the virus that originated in China from spreading across the US.

Those steps include barring entry by most foreign nationals who had recently visited China.

“They tried the impeachment hoax... This is their new hoax,” Trump said of Democratic denunciations of his administration’s virus response.

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


title: Drone registration rules take effect from March 31

content_text:
Owners who fail to register their uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 after new regulations added to the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法) take effect on March 31.

People must register their drones if their maximum takeoff weight is 250g or heavier, the regulations say.

However, government agencies, academic institutions or legal persons would have to register their drones regardless of their weight.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said that drone registration numbers would be presented in the form of QR codes, which must be shown on the body of the drones using labels or engraving.

Drone owners could also have the registration numbers painted on their drones or use other methods, as long as they are legible at all times, it said, adding that registration numbers must not be effaced or fall off when owners are flying their drones.

“We have reached an agreement with local government officials to focus on making the public aware of the new regulations at the initial stage of law enforcement and would only penalize drone owners if their use of drones injures people or damages facilities, or if they refuse to follow the law after repeated warnings,” CAA Flight Standards Division Director Clark Lin (林俊良) said yesterday.

Owners of drones weighing 250g or more are asked to register because they are big enough to harm people, the agency said, adding that it had consulted regulations in the US and EU before deciding on the requirement.

Until Sept. 30, drone owners can register for free, and registration is valid for two years. Starting on Oct. 1, drone owners would have to pay a registration fee of NT$50 per vehicle.

Drone owners can register on the Web site for drone management at drone.caa.gov.tw, the agency said.

The site would enable owners to check where they can fly their drones legally and request an extension when their registration expires, it added.

The new UAV regulations require drone owners to be at least 16 years of age. Those who have not yet turned 20 must include in their registration written consent from a parent or legal guardian, the agency said.

All personal data entered on the drone management Web site would be protected by the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法), it said.

However, if registrants are found to have entered false information or submitted forged documents, they would face criminal charges, the agency added.

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


content_text:
Toys, gaming and sports item exports reach 23-year high

GLOBAL DEMAND:The finance ministry said a rise in exports of fitness gear was due to increasing research and development in the industry in Taiwan
Taiwan’s exports of toys, and gaming and sports items last year reached a 23-year high, largely because fitness awareness is on the rise worldwide, boosting demand for fitness equipment, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

Outbound sales of toys, and gaming and sports items totaled US$2.43 billion, up 7.9 percent from a year earlier, ministry data showed.

Exports of fitness equipment totaled US$1.05 billion last year, up 17.7 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

The spike in fitness equipment exports reflected Taiwan’s increasing strength in research and development in the area, as well as solid global demand, the ministry said.

However, despite the increase, toys, and gaming and sports items made up only 0.7 percent of Taiwan’s total outbound sales, compared with the peak of 4 percent in 1992, or US$3.3 billion, it said.

The US was the largest buyer of Taiwanese toys, and gaming and sports items last year, accounting for 48.1 percent of the total, ahead of China (9 percent), the UK (4 percent), Germany (3.4 percent) and the Netherlands (3.3 percent).

The US was the largest buyer of sports items at 62.4 percent, with the Netherlands and the UK a distant second, the ministry said.

The US bought 33.4 percent of Taiwan’s golfing exports last year, ahead of China (26.5 percent), Japan (15.4 percent), the UK (6.1 percent), South Korea (4.2 percent) and Vietnam (3 percent), the data showed.

China’s share of golfing equipment purchases from Taiwan might rise, as the number of people taking up the sport there is increasing, the ministry said.

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


content_text:
Virus outbreak: Museums remind people of VR tours on their Web sites

A section of the National Palace Museum Web site that offers a virtual-reality tour of exhibits is pictured yesterday.Screen grab from the National Palace Museum Web site
With several major cultural, religious and sports events postponed or canceled and people spending less time in public due to concerns about COVID-19, online exhibitions are offering people a way of enjoying art and culture while staying home

Several of the nation’s museums, including the National Museum of History in Taipei, the National Palace Museum and the Chimei Museum in Tainan, offer virtual reality (VR) tours of their collections or special exhibitions on their Web sites.

Some of the online exhibitions offered by the history museum, which has been closed since 2018 for renovations, include “From Lines to Network: Chen Cheng-po and His Collection of Painting and Calligraphy” (線條到網絡：陳澄波與他的書畫收藏) and “A Window to Eastern Chou: Eastern Chou Relics Excavated from Honan” (東周實相：河南出土東周文物展).

Launched last year, the National Palace Museum’s virtual reality experience lets people see both the inside and outside of the museum and several of its most popular exhibits, including the Meat-shaped Stone (肉形石) and the Jadeite Cabbage (翠玉白菜).

The Chimei Museum, which launched its VR experience in 2017, has made all of its permanent exhibitions available in virtual reality.

Its online tour even allows users to see parts of the museum that are usually closed to regular visitors, such as the Chimei Hall and the roof terrace.

While the Taipei International Book Exhibition, which had been scheduled for last month, was postponed until May, organizers are promoting the sales of books linked to the show via online bookstores.

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


title: EVERYDAY ENGLISH

content_text:
A: Did you know that this year is the 350th birthday of composer Ludwig Beethoven?

B: So that’s why concert halls and orchestras around the world are putting on Beethoven’s music. I’m not very familiar with classical music and I’m not sure why he is so popular.

A: In so many ways, Beethoven served as a link between the past and the future.

A : 你知道嗎？今年是作曲家貝多芬的三百五十歲誕辰哦！

B : 難怪全球各大音樂廳和樂團都在演出貝多芬的作品，我對古典音樂不熟，也不清楚他為什麼那麼受歡迎。

A : 從各種角度而言，其實貝多芬都具有承先啟後的地位哦。

English 英文:

Chinese 中文:

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


content_text:
Walter Lohman On Taiwan: Free trade: A worthy legacy of Madam President

Negotiation of a US-Taiwan FTA is something that American friends of the “beautiful island” have been talking about for a really long time. What has changed that makes it worth another run?

Well, first, let’s talk about what hasn’t changed.

When Heritage Foundation analysts first proposed an FTA with Taiwan in 1987, they touted Taiwan’s status as America’s sixth largest trading partner. As for Taiwan, it traded more with the US than any other country in the world. Today, Taiwan is still in the top ten of US trading partners, while the US is Taiwan’s second largest.

In 1995 — the first year of Heritage’s Index of Economic Freedom — Taiwan ranked the 6th freest economy in the world, out of 101. Last year, it ranked 10th out of 180.

Now, that’s a darn good, sustained record of economic achievement.

Yet, the numbers have always failed in persuading Washington about the value of an FTA.

Proponents have made a geopolitical case. The US cannot afford to have Taiwan absorbed by China. Period. To prevent that, Taiwan needs to diversify its economic partners. Because the biggest difference between now and 30 years ago is Taiwan’s excessive economic dependence on China.

Partly, this is natural. China is going to be Taiwan’s biggest trading partner for many reasons, most notably proximity. Free traders in the US are not looking to subvert naturally occurring interaction between these two economies. They just want trade to take its normal, market-directed course.

The problem is that when the region is being stitched together with formal trading arrangements that exclude Taiwan, when China offers unmatched incentives to Taiwanese investors, trade (and the influence that comes with it) tilts toward China more than it should. An FTA with the US, and the example its sets for others, would help rebalance this equation.

But alas, geopolitics have not convinced American leaders either.

In fact, from China’s accession to the WTO until the election of President Trump, their overriding impulse has been to avoid offending China. If that meant no FTA with Taiwan, well, then, no FTA.

Besides, there are always so many other things on America’s trade agenda. Bush negotiated FTAs with Singapore, Australia, and South Korea. Under Obama, there was TPP. The Trump administration opened trade disputes with South Korea, Japan, and India.

Then there is China. Sure, the administration’s attention to China has been uncomfortable for Beijing. There are many in Washington, and in Taipei for that matter, who celebrate this. But the attention to China has also sucked all the oxygen out of the government offices necessary to negotiate an agreement.

Herein, however, lies opportunity.

Criticize the phase one China deal all you want. But pro-China-trade or anti-China-trade, there is a reality here that is good for Taiwan. The temperature of the US-China economic relationship has cooled and will likely remain cool through the US election. It may be stable for the next 2 years — given the structure that has been put in place, e.g., the phasing of future negotiations and new regular consultations.

Add to this the settlement of differences with South Korea and Japan, and passage of USMCA, and it means new government resources are available. The US will use these to reach an FTA with the UK, and now, it looks like, with Kenya.

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


title: Rockets win in OT against Celtics as Grizzlies upset LA

content_text:
The Boston Celtics’ Jason Tatum, center, takes a shot over Russell Westbrook, left, and P.J. Tucker of the the Houston Rockets during their NBA game at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday.Photo: AFP
Russell Westbrook delivered a game-high 41 points as the Houston Rockets defeated the Boston Celtics 111-110 in overtime to cap a season sweep on Saturday.

James Harden, who made just seven of 31 baskets and had five turnovers, gained a small measure of redemption from his poor shooting night by making two late free throws.

Harden’s free throws gave Houston the lead and then the Rockets defense took over, forcing Boston’s Jaylen Brown to miss his late shot to clinch the victory.

Harden finished with 21 points after being double-teamed most of the night. Robert Covington had a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds for Houston, who won their sixth straight.

“We had a lot of attention on James Harden,” Celtics guard Brown said. “We forgot about the other MVP over there.”

Jayson Tatum finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Brown added 22 points for the Celtics. Marcus Smart scored 26 points and Daniel Theis tallied 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Brown hit the buzzer-beating three-pointer that forced overtime. He grabbed a loose ball after Tatum missed two free throws with five seconds left and Boston trailing 104-101.

“I thought the right team won,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I thought they were better than us — not by much, but at least by one.”

Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies, clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA Western Conference, snapped a five-game skid with a 105-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rookie Ja Morant scored 27 points and tied his season high with 14 assists for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

In other games, it was:

‧ Cavaliers 104, Pacers 113

‧ Spurs 114, Magic 113

‧ Hawks 129, Trail Blazers 117

‧ Heat 116, Nets 113

‧ Suns 99, Warriors 115

‧ Knicks 125, Bulls 115

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


title: Auckland Blues end Stormers’ unbeaten run

content_text:
Auckland Blues winger Joe Marchant, left, attempts a tackle on Stormers winger Seabelo Senatla during their Super Rugby match at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.Photo: EPA-EFE
The Auckland Blues stunned the South Africa-based Stormers 33-14 on Saturday to end the last unbeaten start this season in Super Rugby.

The Blues raced to a 20-0 lead midway through the first half in Cape Town and led 27-14 at halftime through a double by winger Joe Marchant and one try by flanker Dalton Papali’i.

Flyhalf Otere Black kicked two second-half penalties to complete an 18-point game from him and the Stormers were outplayed for their first loss in five games.

The Stormers, who have never won the Super Rugby title, still lead the overall standings, but the South Africa-based Sharks are just a point behind, the Jaguares two behind after the Argentina-based side’s 39-24 win over the South Africa-based Bulls.

The Stormers were matched up front for the first time this year and that set the tone for the surprise.

No. 8 Juarno Augustus and wing Sergeal Petersen threatened a comeback for the Stormers late in the first half with their tries to close it to 20-14, but Marchant sped in for his second before the end of the half and the incisive Blues pulled away again.

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


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Australia, Thailand report first COVID-19 fatalities

Health officials check the body temperature of policewomen before an anti-government rally in Bangkok yesterday.Photo: AFP
A 78-year-old man died in a Perth hospital yesterday, marking Australia’s first COVID-19 fatality, after returning from the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan last month, while a 35-year-old Thai man who also had dengue fever died in Thailand on Saturday.

The Australian man was initially sent to the Howard Springs facility in northern Australia after becoming ill on the flight back from Japan and was then moved to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, where he died yesterday morning.

His 79-year-old wife, who also tested positive for the virus, remains isolated in the hospital in a stable condition and there is no risk to the community, said Andrew Robertson, Western Australia’s chief health officer.

Elsewhere in the country, two new cases emerged in the past few days in Sydney and the Gold Coast after a man and a woman returned from trips to Iran.

Australia over the weekend banned incoming travel from Iran for non-nationals, and Australian Minister of Health Greg Hunt said he has asked the deputy chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, to consider the appropriate level of travel advice for Italy.

Restrictions on travel from China were extended last week.

“Right from the outset, we’ve made it clear that we will take strong action, but that Australia is not immune,” Hunt said in Melbourne yesterday.

There are now 27 confirmed cases in Australia, he said.

The death came just days after the Australian government activated an emergency plan to deal with the outbreak, when Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the risk of a global pandemic is “very much upon us.”

Thailand has recorded 42 cases since January, with 30 of those recovering and 11 still being treated in hospitals, the Thai Department of Disease Control said.

Thai health officials said the dead man had worked in the retail sector, where he had come into contact with many tourists during the early stages of the outbreak.

“This was a case of local transmission, and he was at risk, because he had exposure to Chinese tourists,” department Director-General Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen told a news conference.

The patient was first admitted to a private hospital for dengue fever on Jan. 27. He was later diagnosed with COVID-19 and on Feb. 5 transferred to the government’s main treatment center, Suwanchai said.

He died from multiple-organ failure late on Saturday.

New measures to deal with the spread of the disease — earlier introduced by Thailand’s National Committee on Communicable Diseases — came into effect yesterday.

Health officials can now order those suspected of being infected to be quarantined and to undergo treatment. Officials can also order the closure of venues and public areas to contain the virus.

China yesterday reported 35 more deaths from COVID-19, taking the toll in the country to 2,870.

The number was lower than the 47 fatalities reported by Chinese authorities on Saturday.

The Chinese National Health Commission also reported 573 new infections, bringing the total number of cases in mainland China to 79,824.

Armenia yesterday confirmed its first case of COVID-19, an Armenian citizen who recently returned from Iran and who was in a stable condition in hospital.

The British government said there were 12 new confirmed cases yesterday, increasing the total to 35.

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


content_text:
Virus outbreak: COA says there is no indication that pets have been infected with COVID-19

HONG KONG STORY:The World Organization for Animal Health and the WHO have said there is no evidence cats and dogs could become infected or transmit the virus
There is no evidence that pets or other domesticated animals have been infected with COVID-19 or could spread it to humans, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.

The council’s statement came after the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department issued a notice that a dog living in the home of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 had tested positive a week earlier for the virus.

The World Organization for Animal Health and the WHO have said there is no evidence that pets such as cats and dogs could become infected or transmit the virus, the council said.

The dog, which was under quarantine along with its owner, had nasal and oral samples that were confirmed as “weak-positive” for the virus, although its anal samples tested negative for the virus and it has not shown any symptoms, the council said.

The test results could be the result of close contact between the owner and the dog or environmental contamination of its mouth and nose, the council said.

The Animal Health Research Institute has developed a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for detection of the virus and plans to employ positive control samples for the experiment, the council said.

The council would discuss with experts sample taking and testing methods so it can conduct tests on samples from animals.

It plans to test 10 animal samples daily initially and expand its testing capacity depending on the development of the COVID-19 outbreak

Pet owners should follow proper sanitation and hygiene habits, such as washing hands thoroughly after touching their pets, and to help their pets stay healthy, the council said.

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


content_text:
Virus outbreak: More than 3,000 masks seized from woman’s luggage

The Customs Administration yesterday announced it had confiscated more than 3,000 masks from a Taiwanese woman who had them in her checked luggage for a flight to Singapore, the biggest individual contravention since a ban on mask exports was implemented on Jan. 24.

Under the ban, which is to end on April 30, each passenger can take no more than five boxes of masks, or 250 masks in total, on a flight abroad.

The number of mask contraventions by flight passengers had significantly declined since the second half of last month, customs officials said.

However, a woman scheduled to fly to Singapore on Tuesday was found to have 3,270 masks in her luggage, they said.

She was allowed to keep the legal maximum of 250 masks and the rest were sent to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, they added.

Customs officials are also screening mailed packages, flight cargo and express company deliveries, and since Jan. 24, 851 violations have been detected, with a total of 171,450 masks being confiscated.

While fewer airline passengers appear to be trying to carry more than the legally permitted number of masks out of the country, the ban does not seemed to have stopped people from trying to send masks abroad through Chunghwa Post services or express delivery companies, they said.

The customs office at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport seized a total of 3,289 masks in 48 packages on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Customs Administration said it would intensify the screening of packages sent through the post office and express delivery services, adding any masks found would be confiscated, regardless of the number.

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


title: Virus Outbreak: Virus time bomb: Americans without insurance

content_text:
Like many Americans, bartender Danjale Williams was worried about the growing threat of COVID-19.

What made the 22-year-old in Washington even more frightened: The thought of medical bills she just could not afford, as one of almost 27.5 million people in the US who do not have health insurance.

“I definitely would second guess before going to the doctor, because the doctor’s bill is crazy,” she said. “If it did come down to that, I don’t have enough savings to keep me healthy.”

As the virus begins spreading in the west of the country, where the first death was reported on Saturday, public health experts warned that the US has several characteristics unique among wealthy nations that make it vulnerable.

These include a large and growing population without medical insurance, the 11 million or so undocumented migrants afraid to come into contact with authorities and a culture of “powering through” when sick for fear of losing one’s job.

“These are all things that can perpetuate the spread of a virus,” University of California, Riverside, epidemiologist Brandon Brown said.

The number of Americans without health insurance began falling from a high of 46.7 million in 2010 following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, but has risen again over the past two years.

The current figure is about 8.5 percent of the population.

Public health experts often worry about the destructive potential of a pandemic in poorer parts of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. These regions have hospitals that are ill-equipped to stop the spread of infectious diseases or to adequately care for patients needing breathing assistance, which the most severe cases of COVID-19 require.

By contrast, the US has some of the world’s best hospitals and medical staff, but those not lucky enough to have good insurance through their employer, and not poor enough to qualify for state insurance, often opt out of the system entirely.

A routine doctor’s visit can run into hundreds of US dollars for those without coverage.

“I think that it’s possible if this has the sustained spread, that might highlight some of those healthcare disparities that we already know about and are trying to work on, but haven’t figured out a way to solve,” said Brian Garibaldi, the medical director of Johns Hopkins Hospital’s biocontainment unit.

That is not to say uninsured people have no recourse if they fall seriously ill. US law requires that people who are truly sick get the care they need, regardless of ability to pay.

Abigail Hansmeyer, a Minnesota resident who along with her husband is uninsured, said that if she did fall ill, “we may seek out the emergency room for treatment.”

However, being treated does not mean the visit was free, and the uninsured can be lumped with huge bills after.

“So we have to very carefully consider costs in every situation,” the 29-year-old said.

One of the key messages the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put out about the coronavirus is to stay home if you have mild respiratory symptoms, except to go to the doctor once you have called in and if they think you need to.

“But a lot of people, depending on their jobs, their position and their privilege, are not able to do that,” Brown said.

The US is alone among advanced countries in not offering any federally mandated paid sick leave.

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