title: 病患抱怨還要隔離多久？ 暖醫列出「他可能不知道」被推爆

content_text:
2020-03-05 00:06:17

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕台灣政府祭出防疫措施，避免中國武漢肺炎疫情擴大，台北榮總胸腔內科醫師蘇一峰在臉書指出，有被隔離的民眾抱怨「到底還要隔離多久？」蘇醫師對此列舉「他可能不知道」的眾多事情，被網友推爆。

蘇一峰寫道：「我的住院病人略為抱怨的問說，到底還要隔離多久，他只是肺炎拖了4天來急診，怎麼就要懷疑武漢肺炎被隔離，今天又要採檢！到底還要採檢多少次.....！？要我跟他保證今天的採檢已經是最後一次了！」

但患者可能不知道，主治醫師也相當希望他能夠解除隔離，每次要進入病房診視前，蘇一峰必須先花20分鐘、在全身出汗的情況下穿上整套隔離服，連採檢時都要小心翼翼，閃避噴嚏與咳嗽噴出的分泌物，卸下隔離衣還會差點跌倒。

蘇一峰也提到，患者也可能不知道，在美國每次採檢須自費10萬台幣，台灣這些費用都由政府吸收。

患者還不知道的事情是，大量第一線醫護、檢疫人員加班工作，甚至有人現在深怕把疾病傳給家人，暫居醫院宿舍或在外租屋。

蘇一峰說：「您生病的不舒服我能體會，衷心希望你能早日康復，希望您忍受自己小小的不方便，因為在台灣有許多人的犧牲才能讓疫情目前還能得到控制。」

網友們對於蘇一峰的心境給予鼓勵與加油，留言稱讚「感恩有你們，因為有你們的付出我們才能得到健康的身體！」、「方便病患，但怕遇到的是當成隨便和理所當然的病患」、「 謝謝你們的付出～辛苦了」、「台灣之光，祈求保佑您們平安」、「社會需要更多同理心。感謝您」。

蘇一峰臉書全文

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: 網友 臉書

countries: 美國 台灣 中國

things: 租屋 防疫


taiwan-subdivisions: 屏東 桃源

title: 不受疫情影響 屏東祕境「哈尤溪」天天客滿

content_text:
2020-03-04 23:43:12

〔記者蔡宗憲／屏東報導〕近年爆紅的屏東霧台鄉祕境「哈尤溪」，夢幻的七彩岩壁宛如仙境，雖然武漢肺炎疫情重創全台觀光旅遊業，但這個火紅景點卻是每天300人預約客滿，屏縣長潘孟安也前往體驗推薦，整天人潮滿滿、看不到口罩遮臉的景象，宛如不受疫情衝擊的世外桃源。

哈尤溪岩壁因鐵、硫磺、石英等礦物形成紅、黑、黃、白等顏色，七彩斑斕的岩壁搭配溪水巨石美如仙境，還有溫泉可以體驗，每年枯水期最適合到訪哈尤溪，汛期因安全問題會封閉。

有「雲豹之湯」美名的哈尤溪，由於過去曾發生部落私設關卡收費、非法招攬旅遊，重挫霧台觀光形象，成立自然人文生態景觀區後，目前透過上網登錄等方式開放名額，雖然搭配交通、解說每人要價1500元，但名額仍是瞬間秒殺。


content_text:
民航局近期公開上線的「無人機管理規範系統」，台北市作為外國觀光客必造訪城市，其觀光政策對北部發展十分重要，但3月31日新制上路後，交通局規劃卻傾向禁飛空拍機，恐嚴重打壓相關產業發展。對此，台北市議員李明賢4日拜會台北市長柯文哲，柯P看到管制範圍則是大嘆「怎麼都是禁航區？」、「交通局要研究看看那些還可以開放！」。

《民航法》新制3月31日即將上路，初步規範多達11縣市全面禁飛(現南部4縣市已改為負面表列開放空域)，北市也僅開放福德坑成為唯一可自由飛行的「綠區」，為此，台北市議員李明賢昨(4)日下午拜會台北市長柯文哲，爭取北市開放更多可讓無人機飛行的「綠區」；柯文哲對此也持正面看法，承諾「先開完公聽會後，看看可以開放到什麼程度！」。

立委洪孟楷、台北市議員李明賢預計本周五(6日)將邀集313反不平等聯盟、無人機應用發展協會等團體、學界代表舉行《爭取開放空域 2020不是空拍機末年》公聽會；在公聽會之前，李明賢昨日下午也主動拜會北市府爭取開放更多空域，「北市不能只開放一個福德坑，2020不能變成空拍機末年！」

會談過程，交通局長陳學台特地拿出「台北市無人機管制範圍圖」，說明紅黃兩大管制區，其中紅色是禁航區、黃區屬於限航區，而限航區60公尺以下屬於北市管轄，法令主要是民航局擬定管制；不過，市府幕僚會中也坦言，最近確實也接到很多陳情，希望開放更多空域。

柯文哲看到管制範圍則是大嘆「怎麼都是禁航區？」、「交通局要研究看看那些還可以開放！」甚至對於陽明山未來也被禁飛感到不可思議，反問「怎麼會這樣？」

因柯市長指示，陳學台現場承諾，下周三(11日)將邀集相關單位開會研議，一定會收集各團體意見，並持續與民航局保持聯繫。

「福德航空飛行模型運動協會」日前也找到李明賢辦公室陳情，經過協調爭取後，才讓北市採取正面表列方式，「保留福德坑成為北市唯一合法無人機飛行地點」；但不少團體仍爭取開放更多空域。

title: 柯P見無人機驚呼：「怎麼都是禁航區？」李明賢爭取空域


content_text:
2020-03-5

牡羊座

衝動不是天使，是魔鬼。

整體運：★★★★☆

今天很難控制自己的情緒，因衝動而得罪他人，今天還是沉默些好，安分會讓你得到更多的尊重；愛情要求甚高，對方的一個小舉動都會使你胡思亂想，愛他就相信他，以免錯失佳緣；今天工作雖然有點麻煩，但是卻能學到寶貴的經驗。

愛情運：★★★★☆

已婚者很能瞭解另一半的心思，你的關心與體貼讓對方頗為感動，感情升溫快速。

事業運：★★★☆☆

事業運普通，有點偷懶的心態，挺會摸魚的！放慢腳步輕鬆一下無妨，但不要誤了正事喔！

財運：★★★★☆

資金周轉靈活的話，不妨嘗試長線投資。

貴人星座：獅子座

幸運數字：0

吉時吉色：11:00-12:00脆梅青

開運方位：正東方向

金牛座

運勢順暢的一天，行動就能有不錯的收穫。

整體運：★★★★★

工作上貴人助力強，能得心應手，早上是衝刺的好時段，不妨投入全部精力行動，下午方可放鬆一下。協調好人際關係，朋友是你遇到困難時最好的幫手，且他們並不計報酬。與異性接觸易讓對方心生好感，言語間多一些幽默，可讓異性主動靠近。

愛情運：★★★★☆

異性緣不錯，多與人接觸你會感受到自己是很有魅力的喔！

事業運：★★★★☆

事業運小佳，助力挺多的，自己不會太辛苦，能快樂的度過一天唷！

財運：★★★★☆

財運旺旺日，賺錢機會多，而且今日對財務利潤敏銳度很強，頗適合金錢遊戲，也適合買賣。

貴人星座：巨蟹座

幸運數字：1

吉時吉色：10:00-12:00乳酪白

開運方位：東北方向

雙子座

理財切忌墨守成規。

整體運：★★★☆☆

戀愛中的人今天的心事很容易被對方看穿，不如開誠佈公地告訴對方，反而還會有圓滿的解決。你會對工作環境有點厭倦，喜新厭舊的情緒摒棄才好。理財也不能墨守成規，與時俱進會讓你財越理越多。

愛情運：★★★★☆

有機會在聚會中遇到與你心靈相通的對象，談話投機，容易陷入一段浪漫的愛戀。

事業運：★☆☆☆☆

事業運很背，不宜輕舉妄動，也別做任何重大的決定，以免判斷錯誤外還有破壞職場上的和諧度。

財運：★★★★☆

賺錢企圖心很強，腦中會冒出許多賺錢的方式，但計劃過多遲遲不能決定，做實際的考慮為佳。

貴人星座：雙魚座

幸運數字：0

吉時吉色：22:00-23:00燻鮭紅

開運方位：東北方向

巨蟹座

擁有極強的時間觀念會讓你獲得不少機會。

整體運：★★★★☆

感情生活穩定，伴隨小吵小鬧，升溫反而越快。朋友應酬花費較多，但這是很好的感情投資，不用太心疼。將工作視為第一位，升遷的慾望強烈，給自己造成較大的壓力，應注意勞逸結合。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

戀愛運普通，照照鏡子裝扮美美帥帥的，對愛情會有幫助唷！

事業運：★★★★☆

撥雲見日的一天，先前的工作計劃基本能實現，不過也要注意與夥伴的合作關係，不能過於意氣用事。

財運：★★★☆☆

普通的一天，專心的工作吧，不適合計劃財務問題！工作上與錢有接觸者，要特別謹慎小心。

貴人星座：摩羯座

幸運數字：1

吉時吉色：20:00-22:00珊瑚橙

開運方位：東北方向

獅子座

多外出走走，是今天幸運的重點。

整體運：★★★★☆

感情上發展迅速，單身的你今天因自信而魅力大增。家人關懷倍增，讓自己的內心溫暖如春，做起事來勁頭也變得更足，能超額完成工作。財運上多留意身邊的小事，從中能挖掘出很不錯的機會。

愛情運：★★★★☆

顯得很注重穿著打扮，容易給另一半賞心悅目的之感，感情升溫。

事業運：★★★★☆

看似驚險萬分的任務到了你的手裡卻會成了好事，諸事都較為順利圓滿。

財運：★★★★☆

多與朋友聯絡，會有意外商機。

貴人星座：巨蟹座

幸運數字：0

吉時吉色：14:00-15:00羽絨白

開運方位：西北方向

處女座

調節自我，放鬆身心。

整體運：★★★☆☆

夫妻在相處中會有些小摩擦，但是要明白，跌跌撞撞才是生活。財運上不太順利，除非掌握了大量可靠而又實用的商業訊息，否則不要輕易進行投資活動。工作上宜做決策，但要在資料充足的前提下。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

一心放在工作上，對身邊一直默默守候你的另一半有所忽略，抽些時間陪陪對方吧！

事業運：★★★☆☆

運勢較平穩，適合安排、計劃下一步的工作，太過急進、求好心切反而易出錯。

財運：★★☆☆☆

不宜想金錢的問題，一想到錢會破壞今日的心情！

貴人星座：水瓶座

幸運數字：2

吉時吉色：04:00-06:00嫩芽綠

開運方位：正南方向

天秤座

切忌少說多做。

整體運：★★☆☆☆

心動不如行動，不趁早表露自己的心意則會錯失良機，今天便是個表白的吉日。他人的理財心得今天可不見得能幫得你的上忙，自身的感受反而更有效果。工作中別只顧著說，小心因此而招惹麻煩。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

對另一半有什麼要求都可以提，對方很容易滿足你；單身者小心爛桃花纏身。

事業運：★★☆☆☆

人際關係方面易出現狀況，做好該做的事，若沒得到別人認同，少去干涉他人的事情，以免招來反感。

財運：★★☆☆☆

有很強的賺錢能力與企圖心，偏偏在守財規劃上略顯薄弱。

貴人星座：水瓶座

幸運數字：7

吉時吉色：23:00-24:00和闐玉白

開運方位：東南方向

天蠍座

感情低潮日，多聽聽別人的意見有望好轉。

整體運：★☆☆☆☆

夫妻感情易出現裂痕，少與另一半爭辯，讓父母長輩出面可扭轉局面；單身者戀愛運不佳，多把微笑掛在臉上可有所改善。財運較弱，在與他人有金錢往來時，需留意票據是否齊全，以免引起錢財糾紛。

愛情運：★★☆☆☆

感情問題慢慢浮上檯面，若能擺正心態，積極處理，自可安然度過難關。

事業運：★☆☆☆☆

今天不適合挑戰有卡住跡象的計劃，容易鑽牛角尖，鎖在自己的視角裡。

財運：★☆☆☆☆

宜將心力放在正財，免得投機不成又賠了心情。

貴人星座：天蠍座

幸運數字：2

吉時吉色：05:00-07:00玫瑰紅

開運方位：正東方向

射手座

紙包不住火。

整體運：★★★☆☆

你的不專情行為有被愛人發現的可能，容易出現感情危機，在乎對方的話就一心一意的對他好，如不想糾纏下去還不如及早分手；今天的思維很清晰，有助於業務工作者與客戶洽談生意；把臥房的傢俱挪動一下，有利於增強運勢。

愛情運：★☆☆☆☆

撲朔迷離的一天，主觀會讓對方的好意盡失，多點包容可以化解莫名其妙的誤會。

事業運：★★★★☆

有機會受到邀請參加大型Party，或是團體活動，讓你興奮不已，但工作有點心不在焉唷！

財運：★★★☆☆

在投資上過度主觀，堅持己見，恐畫地自限。

貴人星座：處女座

幸運數字：7

吉時吉色：15:00-16:00橄欖綠

開運方位：東北方向

摩羯座

壓力較大，覺得不堪負荷。

整體運：★★☆☆☆

今天有機會邂逅一段情緣，但太過感性衝動，愛情來得快也幻滅得快，徒然令自己難受。財運方面相當穩定，不過卻沒有什麼心情去仔細研究市場的進展，有點心不在焉。今天可以做點輕量運動，舒緩下身心。

愛情運：★★☆☆☆

對方的情緒低落或壓力甚大時，多給予關懷與正面意見，別讓暗藏企圖者有機可乘！

事業運：★★★☆☆

運勢平穩，對工作沒有太多慾望，求穩心重，做事踏實。只是略欠創造力，工作上不易有突破。

財運：★★★☆☆

喜歡以小搏大，投機意念較強，不把小錢看在眼裡。

貴人星座：金牛座

幸運數字：6

吉時吉色：05:00-07:00瑪瑙黑

開運方位：正西方向

水瓶座

待人處事宜把握分寸。

整體運：★★☆☆☆

辦公室工作者切勿利用上班時間炒股，易被老闆發現，引起不良的影響。今天與戀人沒有什麼獨處的時間，不過抽出點點時間打個電話給他，也會讓彼此心情不錯。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

適合約會，閒暇時不妨邀約情人到郊外走走，會有意想不到的甜蜜效果喔！

事業運：★☆☆☆☆

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

財運：★★☆☆☆

花錢慾望強烈，應注意克制。

貴人星座：雙子座

幸運數字：5

吉時吉色：07:00-09:00青金石藍

開運方位：正西方向

雙魚座

今天的情緒比較不錯，做事會比較輕鬆。

整體運：★★★☆☆

雖未把上班的心態調整過來，但輕鬆愉快的氣氛還是讓上班情緒高漲不少；情侶們心情顯得比較雀躍，但表情會有些故作神秘；晚上盡量不要久待戶外，容易傷風感冒。

愛情運：★★★☆☆

已婚者心情不太好，易怒，對另一半的勸說很反感，調整好心態運勢可提升。

事業運：★★★★☆

與人交流默契度高，適合拜訪客戶、談判薪金等，易獲得令你滿意的結果。

財運：★★☆☆☆

易因衝動，看合夥人不順眼而拆夥，導致損失。

貴人星座：雙子座

幸運數字：7

吉時吉色：04:00-06:00葡萄紫

開運方位：東南方向

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title: 每日星座運勢／金牛運勢順暢的一天  行動就有收穫


countries: 瑞士 澳洲 英國

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人的一生中總有些重要時刻或特殊回憶，需要被記錄、需要被見證。日記或筆記本在過去無疑是見證時光的實體見證，但其實將之留諸於一深刻事物之上，也能坐收銘記之用。瑞士鐘表品牌積家（Jaeger-LeCoultre）邀請到多位品牌好友，除親身體驗客製REVERSO翻轉系列腕表，同時也分享那些他們生命中的珍貴一瞬。

像是曾演出電影「爭寵」（THE FAVOURITE）、「變種特攻」（X-MEN）的英國男演員尼可拉斯霍特（NICHOLAS HOULT）選擇將兒子姓名首字母的雕刻在腕表之上，除了象徵家庭情感的緊密連結，也決心有朝一日將這枚腕表傳世傳家；曾於2019年參加日內瓦鐘表沙龍的亞曼達·塞佛瑞（AMANDA SEYFRIED），在腕表上將十年前從動物收容所領養的澳洲牧羊犬身影巧妙留存，「FINN一直是我的良伴，總是無條件地支持我...戴上刻有他的小臉在背面的腕錶，表背每天緊貼著我的皮膚，讓我時刻記得我們之間的相遇是多麼的特別。」

1931年問世的積家Reverso系列，最早因馬球運動需要保護腕表，因而設計出可翻轉式的特殊結構。而空白表背此後因而成為創意的畫布，或假以雕刻、或飾以彩繪琺瑯，衍生無限可能；而這項服務並適用於所有金屬的REVERSO翻轉系列腕表，無論全新或二手，擁有者都能在購買時或日後委託工坊進行雕刻或量身訂製，將動人的難忘時光，就此定錨腕間。

問世於1931年的積家Reverso表款，以其長方形、可翻轉的表殼，獨樹一格。圖 / Jaeger-LeCoultre提供。曾演出電影「變種特攻」（X-MEN）的英國男演員尼可拉斯霍特（NICHOLAS HOULT）選擇將兒子姓名首字母雕刻在腕表之上，強調家族親情的緊密連結。圖 / Jaeger-LeCoultre提供。可翻轉的表殼，從初始的保護用意、演變成今日多樣化的客製細節。圖 / Jaeger-LeCoultre提供。從肖像圖案翻刻至表殼之上，需要精緻與純熟手藝。圖 / Jaeger-LeCoultre提供。

title: 銘刻回憶  積家品牌好友  以Reverso見證珍貴時光一瞬


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▲烏干達奧圖凱一棵非洲酪脂樹上停滿了蝗蟲。（圖／新華社)

記者楊庭蒝／綜合報導

有網友3日在Twitter上PO初一則影片，拍攝者於車中向車外錄影，影片中鮮黃色的蝗蟲佈滿道路，飛在空中的數量多到可以遮擋住行車的視線，並表示給你看看什麼叫做蝗災！這恐怕連十萬隻鴨子都不能抵擋牠們的攻勢了，誇張的景象也讓其他網友不敢想像如果真的入境大陸，會有什麼樣的後果。

影片中車子行駛於一條相當寬的路面上，本來路面應該是呈現柏油的灰黑色，但被蝗蟲佔據呈現鮮黃色，車子引擎蓋上也停有數隻，身形看來要比常見的品種大許多，而空中也有數不清的蝗蟲在飛舞，數量甚至多到讓駕駛與前車看不清路況，只能被迫緩慢前行，雖然拍攝的時間與地點不明，但從車上乘客的對話可以推測，應該不是從中國境內拍攝。

▲遇上蝗蟲過境駕駛只能緩慢行駛。（圖／翻攝自Twitter／@deepeyes2018）

根據港媒《巴士的報》，印度當局為了應對蝗災，下令空軍派遣無人機在空中投藥以消滅蝗蟲，結果執行任務的3架無人機中，有1架發現被「擊落」在地，只剩殘骸，而剩下2架則有去無回。

大陸國家林業和草原局（林草局）為了應對蝗災已緊急通知，如果災情持續爆發，最快有可能在6、7月從巴基斯坦、印度入侵西藏，到時候將面臨監測技術缺乏、防控困難等不確定因素，因此要求相關單位做好防控。

先前有陸媒報導中國政府計劃出動10萬隻「鴨鴨大軍」出征滅蝗，也有大學教授聲稱中國自古有「牧鴨治蝗」的手段，隨後《中國經濟網》透過各管道證實後之後，得到的回覆是「胡說八道」、「子虛烏有」。

title: 柏油路面變成「鮮黃色」駕駛嚇呆　蝗蟲大軍過境影片曝光

references: 網友 Twitter

countries: 巴基斯坦 烏干達 印度 中國


taiwan-subdivisions: 大林 嘉義縣

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嘉義縣簡姓職業軍人藉由線上遊戲認識16歲高校女生「小文」（化名），雙方見面時，簡某竟變身狼人，在學校廁所脅迫小文發生性關係並拍下影片。（情境照）

2020-03-04 23:58:45

〔記者蔡宗勳／嘉義報導〕嘉義縣簡姓職業軍人藉由線上遊戲認識16歲高校女生「小文」（化名），雙方見面時，簡某竟變身狼人，在學校廁所脅迫小文發生性關係並拍下影片，「小文」遭性侵後情緒不穩，父親得知女兒遭強暴，計誘簡某出來，發現其手機還有多名女子性愛影片，痛打一頓後報警處理，簡某正由所屬部隊管束中。

嘉義縣警方獲報、申請搜索票後，由憲兵陪同到嘉義大林鎮中坑營區帶回19歲簡姓軍人，警訊時，簡某看到被害人家屬提供的性愛影片，承認犯行，訊後被依妨害性自主、兒童及少年性剝削防制條例罪嫌移送嘉義地檢署，檢察官複訊後交給部隊管理。

簡姓男子去年底透過線上遊戲認識高校女生「小文」，兩人常相約打怪，簡男因是職業軍人、手頭寬裕，常主動提供各式寶物、武器幫助小玉，讓「小文」以為遇到「好哥哥」，會在線上吐露一些心事，予簡某可乘之機。

簡男認為「小文」年幼可欺，上月8日簡假冒警察身分約「小文」在大林某校園見面時，恫嚇「小文」被網友提告要求賠償，幸好他負責受理，脅迫「小文」和他發生關係才可以免除官司，接著強拉進入廁所發生關係。

「小文」遭強暴返家，舉止異於往常，家屬以為女兒被霸凌，私下找女兒的閨密從旁了解，這時「小文」痛訴自己不僅被性侵，還被拍下影片，人生頓時變黑暗。

「小文」父親得知，為了替女兒討回公道，以另一女同學想購買寶物為由約簡男見面，簡某想說又有獵物上鉤赴約，「小文」父親確認簡男就是污辱女兒的狼人後，就痛毆一頓，接著要求刪除手機內的性愛影片，結果發現簡某手機還有十多段不同女子疑被性侵影片，「小文」父親痛斥簡某為「嘉義李宗瑞」後報警處理，警方到場後查扣手機，持續調查其他受害者後，昨天約談簡某到案，並呼籲被害人出面報案。

title: 16歲女兒遭軍人性侵拍影片 父計誘逮狼驚見受害人眾多


title: 騎車玩手遊被攔 通緝犯嗆：我就神經病！

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2020-03-04 23:45:50

〔記者王捷／台南報導〕陳姓男子邊騎車邊玩手機遊戲，結果被警方攔下來，警方原本只打算開紅單，結果一查陳男有通緝身分，警員好心跟他說，要玩手機遊戲也等到定點再玩，沒想到陳男一時失控，就嗆警員他就有神經病，不然要怎樣？引起路邊的民眾注意，警方以道路交通管理條例31-1條，開了陳男一張罰單，訊後送往地院執行。

20多歲的陳男沒有工作，生活全靠家人接濟，不過陳男很少回家，平常四處投靠朋友，去年他犯下一件竊案需要執行，但因為沒有回家，所以不曉得自己被通緝，4日凌晨2時許，他騎車出門買消夜，但是他邊騎車邊玩手機遊戲，讓警方遠遠就看到他。

警方趁著陳男等紅燈的時候，將陳男攔下，拿出紅單準備開罰，並勸他應該等到定點在玩手機，邊騎車邊玩很容易出意外，但陳男卻一臉不爽嗆稱，反正他就是神經病，同時警方也從他的身分證發現他的通緝身分，現場將他上銬，陳男因此大呼小叫，直呼自己是神經病，引起路邊民眾的注意。

雖然陳男自稱是神經病，但他未提供身心障礙手冊，訊後警方將他解送到法院執行，並對他依交通管理條例31-1條開罰，處1000元罰鍰。


title: 蔡阿嘎遭黑衣惡煞襲擊 孕妻送醫畫面曝光

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2020-03-04 23:57:11

〔記者鄭景議／台北報導〕百萬YouTuber蔡阿嘎昨（3）傳出與老婆二伯出門時，遭到不明人士持鐵鎚攻擊，蔡阿嘎晚間拍影片放上YouTube，其中包括孕妻「二伯」的送醫畫面，以及蔡阿嘎的傷勢都曝光，蔡阿嘎也在影片中直言，直接攻擊孕婦，「這太誇張了」。

蔡阿嘎在影片中指出，當時是要跟妻子二伯出門買東西，停等紅燈時一個黑衣不明男子，先衝過來向「二伯」揮了一拳，然後持鐵鎚攻擊蔡阿嘎，膝蓋以及手肘都被槌到，隨即落跑；社區大樓的保全說，該名黑衣男大概4小時前就在附近徘徊埋伏。

「二伯」送醫後，醫師向蔡阿嘎夫妻解釋，先開安胎藥，並安裝胎心音，如持續宮縮，會繼續留院觀察，並建議蔡阿嘎打安胎針，因為已經懷孕35周，將進行生產前抽血檢查，預作準備。

蔡阿嘎說，夫妻倆生活單純，沒有與人結怨，實在想不通怎麼會被不明人士攻擊，不知道目標是誰，夫妻倆甚至長子蔡桃貴都可能是目標，會配合檢警調查，攻擊孕婦實在太誇張了，一定會追究到底。

北投分局也在稍早公布嫌犯逃跑畫面，並發新聞稿指出，歹徒犯案後立即徒步逃離現場。警方目前已針對被害人陳述訪查現場目擊民眾，積極偵辦中。


title: Lacoste gloves made in Xinjiang internment camp

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A watchtower is pictured on a high-security facility near what is believed to be a re-education camp on the outskirts of Hotan in China’s Xinjiang region on May 31 last year.Photo: AFP
Gloves made in China for the popular French brand Lacoste appear to have been sewn at a factory where Uighur Muslims face forced ideological and behavioral re-education, a US-based labor rights group said.

Lacoste, known for its iconic green crocodile logo, says it halted shipments after learning of labor abuse in its supply chain from Washington-based labor group Worker Rights Consortium.

The group alleges that Uighurs and other ethnic minorities are being forced to sew the Lacoste-branded gloves.

A Lacoste spokeswoman said that the Chinese factory had been visited by auditors, who interviewed workers and did not report any concerns.

“Lacoste prohibits the use of forced, mandatory or unpaid labor of any type,” company spokeswoman Nathalie Beguinot said.

She said that 95 pairs of gloves from the factory in question were sold in Europe and that unsold gloves made at Yili Zhuo Wan Garment Manufacturing Co (伊犁卓萬服飾製造公司) have been warehoused.

Worker Rights Consortium executive director Scott Nova said that Lacoste and other buyers should have known better than to trust auditors who interview workers on site, where they cannot speak freely.

“Given the climate of terror the government has created in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, given its intensive efforts to conceal proof of forced labor from foreign eyes, and given the pervasive surveillance apparatus that makes a confidential conversation oxymoronic, no worker is going to tell a factory auditor that her employer and the government are breaking the law by forcing her to work against her will,” Nova said.

Yili Zhuo Wan officials could not be reached for comment.

Last year, nonprofit group reports described forced labor and indoctrination of hundreds of people inside the factory.

The people were swept up as part of a massive Chinese government crackdown that by some estimates has locked away more than 1 million minorities, most of them Muslims, over the past three years, the reports said.

The Chinese government denies this. It has said that the detention centers are for voluntary job training and that it does not discriminate based on religion.

The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) last year interviewed two former Yili Zhuo Wan workers, who said they were forced to study Mandarin and praise the government.

One, a trained seamstress, said that she was paid about US$37 for her first month and a half of work.

Amy Lehr, who coauthored a CSIS report that included claims of forced labor in Xinjiang said: “This is basically state-encouraged forced labor and part of a much broader pattern of extremely severe human rights violation. It’s an attempt to eradicate a culture and religion.”

It is illegal to import products of forced labor into the US.

Lacoste says the gloves went only to France.

US Representative James McGovern, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China chairman, said that he would like to stop the import of all forced labor-made goods.

“No one should profit from the horrific human rights crimes being committed in Xinjiang,” McGovern said.

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American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei chairman C.W. Chin yesterday announces the publication of the group’s latest Business Climate Survey.Photo: CNA
Most US companies in Taiwan are optimistic about the nation’s economy this year and beyond, saying the COVID-19 outbreak would not affect firms in the manufacturing industry and the effect on the service sector would likely be short-lived, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) said yesterday.

About 60 percent of respondents in a survey of AmCham members expressed confidence in Taiwan’s economic growth in the next 12 months, a sharp increase from 46 percent last year.

“The level of confidence would likely have been higher, if not for the coronavirus outbreak that erupted during the survey period” from January to Feb. 17, AmCham chairman C.W. Chin (金奇偉) said.

While a phase 1 trade deal between the US and China helped lift sentiment, Taiwan’s progress on energy and labor policies, as well as its regulatory framework, also lent support, Chin said.

The chamber is the most influential international business organization in Taiwan, with about 1,000 members from more than 500 companies in the global business community.

Member firms expressed satisfaction about how the government is coping with COVID-19, which has infected 42 people in Taiwan — less than in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea, Chin said.

However, COVID-19 has dented revenue growth expectations, with 77.67 percent of respondents expecting an increase in the next 12 months, down from 80.45 percent last year, the survey found, adding that the confidence level was higher, at 86.6 percent, prior to the epidemic.

Manufacturing member firms in Taiwan have maintained normal operations, but tourism-oriented firms, such as hotels and airlines, were taking a hit, Chin said.

“Hopefully, the impact will prove short-lived once the virus is contained,” he said.

The chamber welcomed Taiwanese manufacturers moving production to the nation from China, the survey said, adding that 10.75 percent of members plan to do the same.

Of the respondents, 35 percent expect to increase their staff numbers in Taiwan this year, the group said, citing innovation and market expansion as the main sources of growth.

Cross-strait relations, energy, labor policies and trade ties with the US continue to top the list of concerns among US firms, although they were less worried about the issues than last year, Chin said.

US companies hope to see sufficient power supply and voltage stability, without steep hikes in the price of electricity, as the government seeks to phase out nuclear power by 2025, he said.

Respondents also believe that more flexibility is needed regarding regulations on working hours and overtime pay to meet the needs of a knowledge-based economy, Chin said.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Most US firms positive on Taiwan: AmCham survey


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Epistar eyes profit from Apple’s mini LED switch

BENEFITS OF TAIWAN:With Epistar’s main production in Taiwan, it can avoid outbreak issues in China, as it stands to become Apple’s sole mini-LED chip supplier
LED chipmaker Epistar Corp (晶電) is set to profit this year from Apple Inc’s use of mini-LED displays in its new line of products, TF International Securities Group Co (天風國際證券) said in a report yesterday.

The US tech giant is expected to launch 6 products using mini-LED displays by the end of the year — including in its flagship laptop MacBook Pro with a new 14.1-inch model replacing the older 13.3-inch one, as well as in its range of tablets from the iPad mini to the iPad Pro, TF International analyst Kuo Ming-chi (郭明錤) said.

Apple is also expected to launch a new 27-inch iMac Pro equipped with a mini-LED display in the fourth quarter of this year, he said.

The new product launches are estimated to contribute about US$180 million to the sales of LED chip suppliers this year, he added.

Hsinchu-based Epistar would be the first to profit, as the firm’s research and development center and its main production site are located in Taiwan, enabling it to sidestep some of the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, Kuo said.

As the company leverages an advantageous 4-inch wafer production process with design patents from Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd from a previous cross-license agreement, Epistar is forecast to become Apple’s sole supplier in LED chips for its new mini-LED display products, he added.

Epistar has adjusted upward its capital expenditure from an earlier budget of NT$5 billion (US$166.45 million) to NT$6 billion for this year in light of rising orders for mini LED chips, company spokesperson Rider Chang (張世賢) was cited as saying at an investors’ conference last week by the Chinese-language news site Cnyes.com.

The company also plans to increase the utilization rate at its Wuxi plant in China’s Jiangsu Province to increase gross margin, Cnyes.com reported.

Kuo forecast Epistar’s gross margin would improve to between 15 and 25 percent this year, compared with minus-2.7 percent last year, while revenue is forecast to increase between 10 and 20 percent on an annual basis from NT$15.96 billion last year, Kuo said.

Epistar remained in the red last year with net losses of NT$3.94 billion, or losses per share of NT$3.48.

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people: 鄭文燦 蔡英文

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Criminal Investigation Bureau officer Tsai Kun-yi reports on cases of misinformation related to COVID-19 at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA
Authorities have investigated 178 cases of alleged misinformation regarding COVID-19, 45 of which were created by Chinese cyberwarfare units with the aim of disrupting efforts to contain the disease and undermine Taiwan’s national security, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday.

Of the 178 cases investigated from Jan. 23 to yesterday, 78 cases involving 112 people have been forwarded to prosecutors for indictments, including the proven falsehoods of “President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was rushed to a hospital for treatment after contracting the Wuhan virus” and “Taoyuan has imposed restrictions and locked down the city,” bureau Deputy Commissioner Chu Tsung-tai (朱宗泰) said.

Investigators found that overseas Internet Protocol (IP) address were used in 45 cases, Chu said, adding that because of their use of simplified Chinese characters and phrases commonly used in China, they were most likely the work of Chinese netizens and cyberwarfare units.

Chu cited as an example a person using the name Zhang Xiang (張湘) with an IP address in China’s Hebei Province last week circulating on Facebook a doctored image, which purportedly showed a decree bearing the seal of Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) ordering that all traffic and public transportation be locked down and prohibiting residents from leaving the city due to an outbreak of the coronavirus.

Fourth Investigation Corps Captain Lin Chih-cheng (林志誠) said that another IP address in China was last week used to disseminate a message that “there are more than 817 confirmed Wuhan virus cases in Taiwan and more than 500 deaths, with the outbreak especially severe in Pingtung County and Tainan.”

Such messages originating from IP addresses in China are easily identified as part of a deliberate misinformation campaign due to their sensational claims and conspicuous inaccuracies, which can be readily fact-checked through local media reports and government information, as well as their use of simplified Chinese characters and common Chinese phrases, Lin said, adding that sharing the messages on social media could result in criminal prosecution.

Lin cited as an example a 26-year-old Taichung resident surnamed Chang (張), who was on Tuesday questioned by prosecutors and faces charges for spreading rumors related to the virus situation punishable by up to three years in prison and an NT$3 million (US$99,973) fine.

Chang had posted on a popular gaming chat site a message traced to China saying that the “armed forces have placed Taipei under military control as the virus situation escalates,” which was accompanied by a photograph of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre’s “Tank Man,” Lin said.

“When detained by Taichung police on Monday, Chang said that he did not create the message, but failed to verify its content before forwarding it to friends and posting it to the site,” Lin said.

Chinese cyberwarfare units have capitalized on the epidemic and redoubled their misinformation efforts to disrupt Taiwan’s disease-prevention efforts, sow confusion, cause distrust of official communications by health authorities and undermine national security, Lin said.

The bureau said that prosecutors have also questioned a man in Changhua County for allegedly spreading rumors, as he called in to TV talk shows to discuss the epidemic and defend his son, a businessman working in China who returned to Taiwan recently, which was deemed as providing misleading information to the public.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Authorities find 45 cases of Chinese misinformation


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Virus Outbreak: Pharmacist group calls for ‘single-track system’

The government should promote a “single-track system” for the separation of prescribing and dispensing medicine, Tainan Pharmacists’ Association president Wu Chen-ming (吳振名) said.

National Health Insurance (NHI) partner pharmacists have helped the government in many programs, but most people — even some government officials — are unaware of them, Wu said.

These include collecting and destroying leftover and abandoned medications to prevent environmental pollution, and promoting campaigns against drugs, smoking and betel nut use, as well as medication safety in schools and communities, he said.

Pharmacies play a “very important role” in promoting public health, he said.

As of June 20 last year, there were 31,186 pharmacists in Taiwan, 30.23 percent of whom worked at community pharmacies, association data showed.

There are about 8,000 pharmacies in Taiwan, Wu said.

From 2007 to 2012, the number of pharmacies partnered with the NHI system increased from 4,061 to 5,284, he said.

The growth slowed afterward and was “almost semi-stagnant” from 2015 to 2018, Wu said, adding that in the period, the number of partner pharmacies increased from 5,950 to 6,224.

Each year, Taiwan recruits about 1,100 pharmacy students, he said.

The slowing growth might suggest that the government has failed to promote the separation of prescribing and dispensing, which might have caused pharmacists to become hesitant to partner with the NHI system, Wu said.

If “single-track” separation of prescribing and dispensing cannot be implemented, the number of partner pharmacies might fall from about 6,000, as younger pharmacists are unwilling to enter communities and open NHI partner pharmacies, he said.

Community pharmacies’ assistance in the sale of masks amid a COVID-19 epidemic allowed Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to say in an interview that “Taiwan’s real-name system for the sale of masks is the only one in the world that has succeeded,” Wu said.

Many pharmacists have accepted an increasing number of masks to be sold at their establishments and adjusted their operations to comply with the government’s changes to the way masks are sold, he said.

“They can only swallow their grievances and complaints,” Wu said, adding that the importance and function of community pharmacies is now second only to borough offices.

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Virus Outbreak: Minister vows to help major airlines survive crisis

Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung speaks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The government would use all available resources to help the nation’s two largest airlines weather a crisis caused by COVID-19, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.

The Executive Yuan last week approved a budget of about NT$16.85 billion (US$560.96 million) proposed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to bail out and boost the nation’s tourism industry and transport businesses, which have been severely affected by the global coronavirus epidemic.

However, there have been concerns that the budget might not be sufficient to cover all of the financial losses sustained by travel agencies and airlines.

In addition to the budget, which was appropriated under the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Restoration (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Tourism Bureau have their own operational funds, Lin said before a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee.

The ministry would consider increasing the relief budget if there are not enough funds, he said, adding that priority should be based on the public interest.

About NT$4.2 billion of the budget would be used to support the nation’s two largest carriers — China Airlines and EVA Airways — which were forced to cancel scores of flights due to the outbreak, as well as duty-free shops in airports, Lin said.

The government would also reduce royalties, aircraft landing fees and other charges, he said, adding that the shortage in revenue would be compensated by the fund.

“They [the airlines] represent the nation. We should exhaust all possible means to support them under such a challenging situation,” Lin said.

“We also hope that they will hang in there, and not ask travel agencies and travelers to share their losses,” he said.

“Should the global COVID-19 outbreak persist, we will recommend that the government prepare a special bailout package for airlines,” he added.

Asked about the ministry’s plan to transport Taiwanese returning to the nation for next month’s Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, Lin said that the government yesterday launched a special taxi service at airports to ensure that public transportation does not become a hole in disease-prevention efforts.

This would help to more effectively control the flow of arriving travelers, particularly those from China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Italy and Iran, he said.

The service would ensure that travelers quickly arrive at their homes and begin a mandatory 14-day home quarantine after signing a health declaration or home quarantine notice, he added.

Lin expressed support for Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp’s (THSRC) decision to cancel all non-reserved seating during the holiday and to require all passengers to reserve seats under their real names.

The measures would help to prevent the spread of the virus, particularly in peak hours, when there is a lot of foot traffic in and out of high-speed rail stations, he said.

THSRC yesterday announced that it would install a total of 12 infrared thermal scanners at Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Zuoying stations before the holiday.

Two in Taoyuan have begun operations, it said.

The ministry has also already discussed allowing ministry officials to work remotely and breaking down big meetings into smaller ones should the disease continue to spread, with video conferencing an option if necessary, Lin said.

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Virus Outbreak: World Bank unveils US$12bn virus aid

MOVING FAST:The bank is to provide fast-track grants and low-interest loans to help developing nations provide better healthcare access and boost disease surveillance
The World Bank on Tuesday announced an initial US$12 billion in immediate funds to assist countries grappling with the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak that has spread quickly from China to about 80 countries.

World Bank president David Malpass said there were still “many unknowns” about the fast-spreading virus and “much more” aid might be required, but he declined to elaborate.

The announcement underscored escalating concern about the economic and human impact of the virus.

The WHO warned of a global shortage of protective equipment to fight the disease, as well as price gouging as the death toll from the respiratory illness mounted.

Also on Tuesday, the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move to try to prevent a global recession, and G7 finance officials said they were ready to adopt fiscal and monetary measures where appropriate.

Malpass called on countries to coordinate their actions on a regional and international level, saying the speed and breadth of the response would be critical to saving lives.

“We’re announcing today an initial package of immediate support that will make available up to US$12 billion to respond to country requests for crisis financing of their immediate needs and also to lessen the tragic impacts of the crisis,” he said.

“The point is to move fast; speed is needed to save lives,” Malpass said during a teleconference with reporters. “There are scenarios where much more resources may be required. We’ll adapt our approach and resources as needed.”

The bank’s International Development Association, which helps the world’s poorest countries, could also receive additional funds in the second quarter if its Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) is triggered, which has not occurred yet, Malpass said.

That would not require global health officials to declare the outbreak a pandemic, he added.

Poor countries with weak health systems were the most vulnerable in such outbreaks, he said, but past experience with Ebola and other outbreaks showed that taking the right measures quickly could lessen transmission of the disease and save lives.

He also cautioned countries against taking measures that would further limit trade.

Several countries had already requested aid, Malpass said, but declined to name them.

The World Bank said the US$12 billion in fast-track grants, loans and low-interest loans would help developing countries provide better access to health services, strengthen disease surveillance and bolster public health interventions, as well as work with the private sector to reduce the impact on economies.

About US$4 billion of the funding would be reprogrammed from other World Bank instruments, officials said.

The World Bank said its International Finance Corp (IFC) would work with commercial bank clients to expand trade finance and working capital lines as countries scramble to get needed supplies to contain the virus.

The IFC would also work with corporate clients in strategic sectors, such as medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, to sustain supply chains and limit downside risks.

Separately, the World Bank and the IMF said they would adopt a “virtual format” for their spring meetings next month instead of convening in Washington, given concerns about the fast-spreading coronavirus.

The meetings, scheduled this year for April 17 to 19, usually bring about 10,000 government officials, journalists, businesspeople and civil society representatives from across the globe to a tightly packed, two-block area of downtown Washington, which houses the institutions’ headquarters.

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Wolves stalk liberal democracies that ignore history’s lessons

When the German playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote that “all power comes from the people,” he went on to ask the rather important question: “But where does it go?”

Liberal democracy’s signal achievement in the half-century after World War II was to answer that question in a way that promoted social consensus and solidarity.

Although governments were chosen by majorities of equal citizens, they worked within a constitutional order based on the rule of law, democratic institutions and accepted values and rights. They governed with the consent of a minority that they respected.

By the end of the 1980s, some believed that this system of governance, which engendered economic success and political stability, had won the day against any alternative. Communist and fascist authoritarianism were discredited. A mood of triumphalism set in, breeding complacency.

Things look a lot less rosy for liberal democrats today.

For starters, the boom and bust of the first decade of this century took its toll. So, too, did the encouragement of an unrestrained form of globalization that took little account of the social consequences of lower comparative labor costs in developing countries for workers in developed countries.

Freer trade and more open exchange were not accompanied by labor-market and social-security policies to mitigate their negative effects. Moreover, China, now the world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, distorted international market rules to its own advantage.

Two other issues further discredited democratic governments. First, social inequity grew alarmingly in many countries, most notably the US, leading citizens to question whether they lived in fair societies.

Second, migration from poorer to richer countries, fueled by poverty and demographic factors, created tensions in developed economies. Living standards were squeezed, and people postponed their hopes for a better quality of life.

Some now see a clash between illiberal democracy and undemocratic liberalism. Elites are thought to want to curb what they see as the irrational and undeliverable hopes of the majority, while the majority fights to overturn the checks and balances that moderate the popular will.

The growing disillusion with democratic government is evident in the rise of leaders such as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and, of course, US President Donald Trump.

The US president appears reckless in his attitude to the US Constitution, the rule of law, freedom of the press and civil political debate. The US used to be the standard bearer for liberal democracy and human rights, but the Trump administration prefers tough-guy authoritarians to democrats, and even attacks democratic US allies.

Others indulge in their own forms of populism. In Britain, the Conservative Party’s rejection of close ties with Europe is accompanied by threats to assault institutions that have hitherto restrained executive power.

These include Britain’s independent courts and judges, its world-class public-service broadcaster, the BBC, and any civil-society organization likely to disagree with the executive.

There is no need to exaggerate; the world has not written the last act in the history of liberal democracy. Still, there are enough signs of trouble to make sensible Americans and Europeans recall Europe’s slide into tyranny in the 1930s, and to resolve to act now to prevent anything like that from happening again.

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Virus Outbreak: No new coronavirus cases, CECC says

HOPE FOR THE BEST:Asked about his remark that a local outbreak is inevitable, Chen Shih-chung said that in light of the global picture, it would be wise to plan for the worst
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, center, gestures during a news conference at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
There were no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 yesterday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said, adding that 12 patients have been discharged from hospital following treatment.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a news conference in Taipei that investigations into two cases had been closed, as the virus did not spread further.

The two cases — the nation’s 33rd, a man in his 30s who traveled to Japan, and 39th, a woman in her 60s who traveled to Egypt and Dubai, United Arab Emirates — were both considered to have been infected overseas.

The center is most concerned about the 34th case, which developed into a cluster of cases, because the 42nd case is a relative of a person who was in the same hospital ward, meaning that there might be a chance that the virus spread to the local community, Chen said, adding that it would closely monitor the situation.

Presenting a diagram of the possible contacts of the confirmed patients associated with the 34th case, Chen said that 22 of 29 family members, 76 of 91 medical practitioners and 153 of 279 others have all tested negative for COVID-19, but added that the investigations and screenings were ongoing.

Of the nation’s 42 confirmed cases, one person has died and 12 people have been discharged following treatment, while the remaining patients are hospitalized in stable condition, the center said.

As many people have urged the center to provide clear instructions for holding events, Chen said that it has drafted a new version of its COVID-19 prevention guidelines for large events, which was yesterday to be discussed by government departments and is expected to be published today.

The guidelines would not be rigid rules, but would include suggestions for events of more than 1,000 people, a number suggested by the WHO, such as conducting risk assessments and personnel control; maintaining good air ventilation and keeping people 1m apart; and setting up an emergency response plan.

Asked to elaborate on his remark at the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning that “in the long run, local transmission [of COVID-19] is inevitable,” Chen said that in light of the global epidemic and with asymptomatic cases being reported, he is not naive enough to believe that Taiwan can avoid a local outbreak.

“It would be best if we could avoid a local outbreak, but we will not make preparations under that assumption,” Chen said.

“We must make preparations as though we are facing a more serious situation,” he said.

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Virus Outbreak: Outbreak drags HK business outlook to record low

Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurants are pictured in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The restaurants are closed “until further notice,” as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to affect the territory’s food and beverage industry.Photo: AP
Hong Kong’s business outlook hit a record low last month, according to data released yesterday, as a novel coronavirus outbreak added to the territory’s troubles following months of political turmoil.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the territory’s economy plunged to its lowest mark since the gauge began, worse than the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the global financial crisis in 2007-2008.

Hong Kong’s economy is reeling from the US-China trade dispute, pro-democracy protests last year and now the coronavirus — a triple whammy that has created a situation Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan (陳茂波) described as “exceptionally austere” as he delivered his annual budget last week.

Chan said the economy is facing “enormous challenges this year,” and predicted a range of 0.5 percent growth to a 1.5 percent contraction this year.

The PMI index fell to 33.1, dropping below the previous low in April 2003, according to IHS Markit, whose report added the PMI averaged 39.9 so far for the first quarter.

The gauge has been below the 50 level that divides expansion and contraction since April 2018, though it had risen in December last year and January.

Markit surveys about 400 private companies in Hong Kong across manufacturing, construction, wholesale, retail and services to generate the index.

The survey responses are collected in the second half of each month.

“The latest PMI flashed red warning lights on the dire private-sector conditions across Hong Kong in February amid the coronavirus outbreak, with the headline index plunging to an unprecedented level since the survey started in July 1998,” IHS Markit principal economist Bernard Aw (歐韋良) said in the report.

“The average PMI so far for the first quarter of 2020 points to a deepening recession, raising the urgency for policy support,” Aw said.

The figures come just days after China’s PMI last month was at 35.7 points, well below the 50-point mark that separates growth and contraction every month.

This was down from 50 points in January and the worst level since China began recording the figure in 2005.

It was also nowhere near expectations of a smaller contraction, at 45.0, according to a Bloomberg poll of analysts.

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Virus Outbreak: COVID-19 could push airlines to merge: airline boss

From left, Airlines for Europe A4E managing director Thomas Reynaert, Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith, International Airlines Group CEO Willie Walsh, Deutsche Lufthansa AG CEO Carsten Spohr, easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary pose as they attend the Europe Aviation Summit in Brussels on Tuesday.Photo: Reuters
The spread of COVID-19 could force weak airlines to merge with competitors, the head of Air France-KLM and the A4E association of European airlines said on Tuesday.

“There are quite a few weak carriers around the world,” Benjamin Smith said at the association’s annual meeting. “I believe this will accelerate consolidation.”

Dozens of airlines scaled back or halted flights to China in January as the coronavirus outbreak gained steam in the country, with people reluctant to travel and governments erecting travel restrictions.

Last week, airlines moved to reduce flights to Italy where the largest outbreak in Europe is under way.

“It’s clear we have yet to see the full effect of the COVID-19 on the air transport sector,” Smith said.

Following many others, on Tuesday Scandinavian airline SAS AB announced it was suspending all flights to and from Italian cities Milan, Bologna, Turin and Venice, from yesterday to March 16.

The move followed updated travel recommendations from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, advising against non-necessary travel to the region.

The Swedish-Danish carrier announced earlier in the day that it was pursuing a number of cost-cutting measures to mitigate the impact of reduced demand.

It also said that, in addition to already suspended flights to mainland China, it would now suspend flights to Hong Kong.

Last month the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that airlines operating in the Asia-Pacific region stand to lose a combined US$27.8 billion of revenue this year due to the epidemic.

Governments have come under mounting pressure to help support businesses, as the outbreak disrupts the economy.

“Any taxes which could be limited or temporarily lifted would be appreciated by the industry,” Smith said.

The A4E association is composed of 16 European airlines, including Air France-KLM, EasyJet PLC, International Airlines Group SA (which owns British Airways PLC, Aer Lingus Group PLC, Iberia and Vueling Airlines SA), Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Ryanair Holdings PLC.

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A man wearing a mask walks past wigs on display at a shop in Taipei’s Ximending area yesterday.Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP

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A government plan to issue travel-based “stimulus coupons” to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak could benefit up to 350,000 local businesses, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said yesterday.

Shen introduced the scheme at the Legislative Yuan as part of a NT$2 billion (US$66.6 million) stimulus plan from the Executive Yuan’s NT$60 billion special budget bill.

The Cabinet on Thursday last week approved the bill to finance strategies to combat the spread of COVID-19, which has infected 42 people in Taiwan, with one death, and help local industrial and commercial sectors hit hardest by the outbreak.

In the initial stage, about NT$600 to NT$800 worth of stimulus coupons would be issued in both paper and electronic forms, Shen said.

More than 140,000 restaurants and diners, 280,000 businesses in shopping centers, 10,000 night market vendors, and 1,700 arts and culture venues are expected to accept the coupons, he said, citing data from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

After adjusting for double counting, the coupons could be used at about 350,000 businesses once they are issued, Shen said.

Under the ministry’s plan, the coupons would be tied to domestic travel, and issued in four categories: food and drink, night markets, shopping centers, and arts and culture.

However, it has not decided how to distribute the coupons, whether they should only be given to Taiwanese or also to foreign travelers, or how they would be used, it said.

Asked if the coupons would be issued prior to the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday from April 2 to April 5 to boost consumption during the spring break, as some people have suggested, Shen said that it was unlikely.

He said that the coupons would likely be issued between six and 12 months after the spread of COVID-19 slows down, to help hard-hit small and medium-sized businesses.

“With the outbreak still continuing, we should concentrate on outbreak prevention and control,” Shen said.

The ministry also plans to use more than NT$20.4 billion in the special budget bill to provide subsidies and loans to businesses most affected by the outbreak and to boost domestic demand, which is flagging due to the drop in the number of foreign visitors.

The budget would also be used to build new mask production lines, buy masks from local manufacturers and help export them overseas when that becomes possible.

The Legislative Yuan is reviewing the special budget.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Ministry plans coupons to stimulate economy


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The COVID-19 outbreak has unexpectedly brightened the business outlook for Taiwanese developers with projects in less populous areas.

Shining Building Business Co (鄉林建設) and Taiwan Land Development Corp (台灣土地開發) said that sales in more rural areas ramped up over the 228 Memorial Day holiday last weekend.

Taichung-based Shining Building sold three apartments in its newly completed complex on the hillside of New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), with the potential buyers increasing by 30 percent during the three-day weekend, company chairman Lai Cheng-yi (賴正鎰) said.

The developer also sold an upscale apartment with hot spring facilities in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), and is in talks to lease office space near the Shilin Official Residence Park (士林官邸公園).

“I’m surprised by the sales, as other sectors have been struggling during the outbreak, which has kept people at home,” Lai said.

The deals all share one thing in common: They are located in areas with plenty of greenery, fresh air and scenic views, he said.

The developers’ luxury hotel Lalu (涵碧樓) near Nantou County’s Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) was also packed over the weekend, he said, again citing travelers’ desire to avoid urban destinations.

Likewise, Taiwan Land Development said it expects business to increase at a development in Hualien County.

Hualien’s property market has been aided by the January completion of the Suhua Highway improvement project that shortened the drive to the region from Taipei by two-and-a-half hours, the company said.

Housing transactions in Hualien in the first two months grew 12.6 percent from the same period last year and could climb higher, the company said, citing government figures.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, more than 100,000 vehicles used the highway, and another 16,000 traveled on it last weekend, it said.

Taiwan Land Development’s mixed-use complex New Paradiso (新天堂樂園) in Hualien attracted 400,000 visitors in January and the number reached 70,000 over the weekend, despite concerns about COVID-19, it said.

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title: Buyers seek open areas due to virus: developers

taiwan-subdivisions: 士林 淡水 北投


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Nazi cautionary dramas wade into political, factual disputes

New series from Amazon and HBO explore alternate histories where Nazism took root in the US, shining a light on modern anti-Semitism and white supremacy
Hollywood mustered its creative forces in the 1940s when Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany sought to conquer the world, with Humphrey Bogart standing up to the fascist regime in Casablanca and director Ernst Lubitsch mocking it and its dictator in To Be or Not to Be.

More than 70 years later, an increase in hate crimes, emboldened white supremacists and political upheaval have prompted TV and filmmakers to revisit Nazism. The works are varied and their receptions mixed, but they share a goal: to use fiction to learn from 20th-century totalitarianism and its horrors, including the Holocaust that claimed the lives of 6 million Jews.

In Amazon’s Hunters, an unlikely group of 1970s New Yorkers target German Nazis who have brought their genocidal quest to the US.

HBO’s The Plot Against America is based on Philip Roth’s novel that posits a repressive early 1940s US government led by Charles Lindbergh, the real-life aviation hero and anti-Semitic isolationist.

The Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit is in Lubitsch’s satirical mode, deepened by tragedy.

Preceding them was The Man in the High Castle, the 2015 to 2019 Amazon series based on Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi novel of the same name about a fallen US ruled by World War II victors Germany and Japan.

The war has had other screen comebacks. During the political and social turmoil of the mid to late-1960s, cynical and irreverent films including King Rat and What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? were released alongside traditional battle epics such as the star-laden Battle of the Bulge.

“We seem to have waves of interest in both the Holocaust and World War II, not always at the same time,” said Sharon Willis, a film academic and professor at the University of Rochester in New York.

“I feel that, collectively, we return to these terrains when we have some kind of problem to work out that we think is related to them,” she said.

David Simon, executive producer of The Plot Against America, unabashedly labels the six-episode series debuting in the US on March 16 “a political piece.” The cast includes Winona Ryder and John Turturro, and early reviews were admiring.

“It’s a critique of xenophobia and demagoguery and the use of ‘the other,’ the fear of ‘the other’ to drive political power and to create a political dynamic,” Simon said, a pattern that he said predates US President Donald Trump. “The demonization of the immigrant cohort has been going on for as long as the republic.”

Ironically, he had originally passed on bringing Roth’s novel to the screen, because it appeared irrelevant.

“The first time somebody approached me about the adaptation was in 2013, right after [former US president Barack] Obama’s second inauguration. And I thought to myself that it seemed like an artifact” in an increasingly inclusive society, Simon said.

The subsequent election and its results forced him to reconsider that view, he said, citing restrictive immigration policies as an area of profound concern.

The late Roth’s book proved “allegorical to what we’re dealing with now, and the vulnerable cohorts now are not necessarily Jewish Americans, although anti-Semitism has increased,” Simon said.

“The real vulnerable [groups] are people with black and brown skin, immigrants and Muslims,” he said.

As for why he is asking viewers to seek clarity in the rearview mirror, Simon said that history provides a sturdy, well-vetted foundation on which to build a meaningful allegory.

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Democratic presidential hopeful former US vice president Joe Biden, left, arrives on stage with his wife, Jill, center, and sister, Valerie Biden Owens, for a Super Tuesday event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.Photo: AFP
A resurgent former US vice president Joe Biden yesterday seized momentum in the race to become the Democratic challenger to US President Donald Trump with a string of Super Tuesday victories, including the key prize Texas, against his main rival, US Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders, a 78-year-old leftist who wants to reshape the US’ economy, had been the clear leader and was looking for a knock-out blow on the most consequential voting day on the primary calendar.

Instead, the results signaled a remarkable comeback for Biden, who was projected to win at least nine, and possibly 10, of the nomination contests held across 14 states.

Just one week earlier, the 77-year-old saw his campaign teeter on the edge of collapse. Now he is vying once again for front-runner status.

“It’s a good night and it seems to be getting even better. They don’t call it Super Tuesday for nothing,” Biden told cheering fans in Los Angeles.

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, won his home state of Vermont, and was projected to win Colorado and Utah.

He was also ahead in California, the biggest delegate-rich state of all, with a nine-point lead as the count continued yesterday morning.

Biden was projected to win in Alabama, Tennessee and Massachusetts, and had won in Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia and even Minnesota — a state where Sanders had been expected to win handily.

Well after midnight, the projection was made for Biden to win Texas, the second-largest state, and by the morning he had a narrow lead in Maine with three-quarters of the vote counted.

Sanders had been polling ahead in both states.

“We expected a surge. We got a tsunami,” tweeted analyst David Axelrod, chief strategist for former US president Barack Obama’s two presidential campaigns.

“New race. Completely,” he said.

A defiant Sanders celebrated his own wins earlier in the night by tearing into Trump, calling him “the most dangerous president in the history of this country.”

However, he also attacked Biden for having voted for the invasion of Iraq and painted him as tarnished by billionaire contributors.

“We’re taking on the political establishment,” Sanders said. “You cannot beat Trump with the same-old, same-old kind of politics.”

Biden saw the results as proof that his bid to bring US politics back to the center, after four years of Trump’s right-wing populism, is on a roll.

“We are very much alive,” he told a crowd in Los Angeles. “Make no mistake about it, this campaign will send Donald Trump packing.”

A key takeaway from Biden’s long list of wins was his strong support among African Americans — vital for any Democratic presidential candidate.

He seemed to fare less well with the large Hispanic electorate, which in California reportedly went heavily for Sanders, but a victory in Texas, which also has a diverse population, suggests Biden has the capacity to build a broad coalition.

That was bolstered by Biden winning all five other southern states on the ballot on Tuesday.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, 78, and US Senator Elizabeth Warren, 70, were the other big-name candidates.

Despite spending record amounts of his own money on advertising, it was an embarrassing debut for billionaire media entrepreneur Bloomberg, who failed to win any state — although he did get a consolation victory in American Samoa.

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title: Biden seizes momentum with Super Tuesday surge


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The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a 12-year sentence for Chuang Yu-hsieng (莊育賢), who had been found guilty of strangling his girlfriend, surnamed Lee (李), at a motel in Taichung.

The verdict was the final ruling in the case.

Chuang had appealed the first ruling after a district court convicted him of manslaughter and sentenced him to 10 years and two months in prison.

The High Court in October last year then sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

In their ruling, the Supreme Court judges said that the sentence should be upheld because Chuang had not shown remorse for committing the crime, and he had not apologized to his girlfriend’s family, nor did he offer them financial compensation.

The couple had been living together and were reportedly planning to marry.

Chuang took Lee out on a car trip and they checked into a Taichung motel on July 18, 2018, investigators said.

The next morning they were seen arguing over breakfast.

Prosecutors said that Chuang at first denied the killing, saying that Lee had committed suicide.

After being presented with evidence, he later admitted to strangling Lee in a fit of anger, they said.

Minutes later, he found that she was still breathing, so he took a towel from the bathroom to strangle her to death, they cited him as saying.

Chuang dragged the body to the bathroom to clean it, then carried it to the car and drove along a highway between Taichung and Nantou County, looking for a place to dump it, but did not find a a suitable spot, investigators said.

Chuang checked into another motel later that night. The next day he crashed his car into a guard rail on Highway No. 6. Police arrived to find him in a nervous state.

He attempted to jump off the side of highway and kill himself, but police grabbed him first.

Police officers then discovered Lee’s body in the car’s trunk.

In another case, the Taipei District Court yesterday approved the detention of a Taipei City Motor Vehicles Office official surnamed Yuan (袁), after prosecutors began investigating him for corruption on Tuesday.

Yuan is accused of receiving bribes of NT$1.3 million (US$43,279) a year.

He reportedly colluded with businesses to enable drivers to pass the physical test for their drivers’ license, among other things.

Prosecutors have questioned six other people and carried out searches.

Yuan was detained along with businessman Lee Hung-chang (李宏章), while the other five were released on bail ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$250,000.

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title: Court upholds sentence in strangling case


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Taipei City Hospital rejects mass nurse resignations rumor

OPEN SPACES:The Taipei City Government said that people filling prescriptions at hospitals would be told to wait outside for staff to deliver their medicines
By Tsai Ssu-pei, Shen Pei-yao and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang, left, speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Shen Pei-yao, Taipei Times
Taipei City Hospital yesterday rejected a rumor that 50 of its nurses wanted to resign en masse due to worries over COVID-19.

It is normal for some personnel to quit their jobs before and after the Lunar New Year holiday, with 104 people resigning from January to March 2018, 77 in the same period last year and 86 people this year, the hospital said.

Medical staff battling the COVID-19 outbreak are under greater pressure than during the SARS outbreak in 2003, hospital vice dean Weng Lin-chung (翁林仲) said.

The hospital’s Heping Fuyou Branch, its only branch designated to treat or quarantine COVID-19 cases, has 29 negative-pressure isolation wards staffed by 26 nurses, Weng said, adding that none of the nurses have tendered their resignation.

The hospital said that it was prepared and ready for COVID-19, as it had been conducting regular exercises under the guidance of the Taipei Department of Health.

It called on people to observe disease-prevention measures, such as wearing masks; frequently washing their hands; refraining from touching their eyes, ears and the mouth; avoiding crowded areas; and regularly measuring their body temperature.

Separately yesterday, the Taipei City Government said that starting tomorrow, people who want to fill out prescriptions at the city’s hospitals would be asked to wait outside the buildings, where pharmacists would deliver their medicines.

The measure is expected to reduce hospital visits by 1,500, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said.

Taipei City Hospital allows visitors in after taking their temperature and confirming their identity, Huang said, but added that the Heping branch is an exception.

In related news, the Taoyuan Department of Health announced that 11 hospitals offering emergency room services would ban all visits to hospitalized patients starting tomorrow.

The ban excludes relatives of people who are in a critical condition, the Taoyuan City Government said.

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people: 顧立雄 沈發惠

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: FSC mulls easing fines for not holding shareholder meetings

The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) is considering easing punishments for companies that fail to hold shareholders’ meeting by the end of June due to the COVID-19 outbreak, as health authorities suggest that people cancel or avoid public gatherings of more than 1,000 people, FSC Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday.

Publicly listed companies must hold their annual general meetings by the end of June or face a fine of NT$240,000 to NT$4.8 million (US$7,990 to US$159,798), according to the Securities and Exchange Act (證交法).

The commission would also encourage companies to use an electronic voting system operated by Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corp (TDCC, 台灣集中保管結算所) to reduce the possibility of infection, Koo said.

Listed companies with paid-in capital of more than NT$10 billion and more than 10,000 shareholders have been asked to offer the e-voting tool, dubbed “Stockvote,” to their shareholders, the commission said.

Last year, shareholders who used the system accounted for 52.54 percent of the total, TDCC data showed.

“Big companies might find themselves in an awkward situation if they have more than 1,000 shareholders to attend the meetings,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Sheng Fa-hui (沈發惠) said at the meeting.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), the biggest assembler of Apple Inc’s iPhones, for example, drew more than 3,000 people to its shareholders’ meeting last year, about 1,000 more than the number of attendees in the previous two years, Sheng said.

While most listed companies are to convene their shareholders’ meetings in June, some that usually have the meetings in April or May might decide to postpone them to June because of the virus fears, he said.

Shareholders who have respiratory symptoms or a fever should be allowed to attend the meetings to exercise their rights, but companies need to take extra measures to prevent infection, Koo said.

The commission is expected to make public its relaxed rules later next month at the earliest, he said.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Thailand clarifies its virus policy

U-TURN:The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried ‘Chinese pressure’ for an about-face in the border policy of Sarawak, Malaysia, which reimposed a ban on visitors from Taiwan
By Lu Yi-hsuan, Wu Liang-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNA
A tourist wearing a mask poses for a photograph at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday.Photo: EPA-EFE
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued a clarification regarding quarantine policies in Thailand, saying that Taiwanese visiting the nation would not be placed under quarantine if they do not have pneumonia-like symptoms.

Thai Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday wrote on Facebook that travelers passing through “countries or affected areas” such as Taiwan, Japan, Germany, South Korea, China, France, Singapore, Italy, Iran, Hong Kong and Macau would have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, with no exceptions.

The post was later removed without explanation.

The Thai Ministry of Public Health late last month announced that its officials would be empowered to order people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 to undergo quarantine and treatment.

That announcement has also been withdrawn, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand said yesterday.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on Tuesday night told reporters that there were no laws in place to enforce a quarantine.

Under Thai law, such regulations must be announced in the Royal Thai Government Gazette before they go into effect and there are have been no such announcements, Prawit said.

Department of East Asia and Pacific Affairs Deputy Director Su Ying-chun (蘇瑩君) yesterday said that the Thai ministry’s announcement was aimed at returning Thai citizens and foreigners arriving from affected areas, suggesting that these people should place themselves under self-observed quarantine if they had come into contact with COVID-19 patients or exhibited symptoms of the disease.

People traveling to Thailand from affected areas should wear masks and refrain from participating in large events, Su said.

In related news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried “Chinese pressure” for a U-turn in the border policy of Malaysia’s Sarawak state, which yesterday again banned the entry of people arriving from Taiwan, despite having lifted the restriction on Tuesday.

The Sarawak state government yesterday issued an announcement prohibiting the entry of visitors who had traveled to China (including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau), South Korea, Italy and Iran.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia said that the about-face was the result of “strong Chinese intervention.”

Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the ministry sternly reiterated to Sarawak that “Taiwan is not a part of the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan is not governed by the Chinese government.”

The change to the travel restrictions was originally made after a group of Taiwanese educators were denied entry to Sarawak on Friday last week.

The state government on Feb. 1 announced that foreign nationals who had visited China in the 14 days prior to their arrival would be refused entry.

Although Taiwan was not directly mentioned in that order, about 60 Taiwanese who arrived at Sarawak’s Miri Airport were denied entry and sent back to Kuala Lumpur, their preceding point of origin.

The group was able to enter Kuala Lumpur, but not Miri, because while the Malaysian federal government has not banned travelers from Taiwan, the Sarawak state government has its own regulations.

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taiwan-subdivisions: 岡山 板橋

content_text:
Police nab parolee after Taipei robbery

SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES:Three men in their 20s have also been questioned after a hostess died in a Banciao apartment, from what police suspect was a drug overdose
Police officers detain Ou Li-yuan in Kaohsiung on Tuesday after he broke parole and allegedly robbed a betel nut stand in Taipei.Photo copied by Su Fu-nan, Taipei Times
Police on Tuesday captured a parolee after he escaped his home by cutting off his electronic tracking bracelet with an electric chainsaw and then allegedly committed a robbery in Taipei.

At about 10pm on Monday, Ou Li-yuan (歐力源), 53, removed the tracking bracelet and drove a car to Taipei, where he allegedly robbed a betel nut stand of NT$6,000, police said.

He headed south on the highway and police caught him driving around Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (岡山) at about 4pm on Tuesday.

He was transferred yesterday to Taipei and placed in detention.

Under questioning, Ou said he committed the robbery because he had gambling debts of about NT$100,000, police said.

Ou was sentenced to life imprisonment, after being found guilty of robbing a young passenger — he was driving his brother’s taxi — and raping her at knife-point in Taipei in April 1997.

After serving almost 20 years, Ou was paroled in August 2017, on condition that he wear the tracking bracelet and not leave his residence in Hualien between 10pm and 5am each day.

However, prosecutors said that Ou is now likely to serve an additional 25 years in prison.

In other news, police on Tuesday questioned three men in their 20s after a woman was found dead after a party at an apartment in New Taipei’s Banciao District (板橋).

Two roommates, surnamed Hsieh (謝), 28, and Cheng (鄭), 26, decided to hold a party at their apartment on Sunday night, and prepared food, alcohol and “narcotic coffee powder” — a mixture of narcotics and stimulants disguised as coffee, police said.

The pair called a friend surnamed Lee (李), 26, to join them, and then used a messaging app to contact an escort agency, which sent over a hostess surnamed Wu (吳), 31, who arrived at about 1am on Monday, police said.

Wu was found unconscious and not breathing the next day, so Hsieh called an ambulance, but she was pronounced dead after being rushed to a local hospital.

Under questioning, the three men admitted to partying with Wu and ingesting “narcotic coffee powder,” which they dissolved in hot water to drink, police said.

According to police, Hsieh said that Wu felt ill at about 6am on Monday, so he took her to his room to rest, and thought she was sleeping.

They only went in to check on her in the evening, and found her unconscious and not breathing, so they gave her CPR and called 119, Hsieh said.

Police yesterday said that the trio face narcotics charges, as Wu had likely died of an overdose, while Hsieh faces an additional charge of negligence causing death.

The powder’s composition was still being tested and an autopsy was being conducted, police said.

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title: Police nab parolee after Taipei robbery


content_text:
By Lo Chi and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Inspections of 11 municipal sports centers and 15 private gyms in Taipei and New Taipei City have found several inadequacies in relation to disease-prevention measures, the Consumer Protection Committee said.

The inspections, conducted from Feb. 8 to 23, found that all 26 facilities had complied with some measures and provided alcohol somewhere on site, the committee said.

However, eight did not take people’s temperature when they entered and 20 did not provide medical-grade isopropyl alcohol for people to disinfect their hands after entering, it said.

Fifteen facilities did not post that they were stepping up efforts to disinfect and clean equipment, while staff of two did not wear masks, it added.

Gyms are confined spaces that serve many people and users take turns on exercise equipment, the committee said, instructing gym owners to remain vigilant and take people’s temperature on entry.

The committee also called on gym owners to offer alcohol for people to disinfect their hands; comply with government requirements to step up efforts to disinfect and clean facilities; and post notices about disease-prevention efforts.

The crucial disease-prevention measures are to take the temperature of visitors and have people frequently wash their hands and wear a mask when necessary, it said.

The committee said that it has forwarded a request to the Ministry of Education, which oversees gyms, to pressure facilities to increase their prevention efforts.

Gym staff should remind visitors to monitor their health and take necessary precautions, it added.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Gyms fall short on disease-prevention checks


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Government bans export of thermometers due to virus

By Wu Chi-lun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Customs Administration Deputy Director-General Peng Ying-wei at a news conference in Taipei yesterday holds a notice announcing temporary export restrictions on thermometers.Photo: Wu Chi-lun, Taipei Times
The government has banned the export of most types of thermometers until the end of this month, the Customs Administration said yesterday.

Those who want to export thermometers by sea, air, other postal method or by courier service must first apply for permission from the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the customs agency told a news conference in Taipei.

The ban aims to ensure an adequate domestic supply of thermometers for combating the COVID-19 outbreak, it said.

People traveling abroad are allowed to carry up to two thermometers with them, the agency said, adding that this is a reasonable number for personal use.

Travelers do not need to apply with the authorities to carry two thermometers through customs, it added.

However, those found carrying more than two thermometers in their carry-on or checked baggage, or found shipping thermometers abroad by any means without prior permission, would be subject to a fine of up to three times the value of the devices in accordance with the Customs Anti-smuggling Act (海關緝私條例), it said.

The thermometers would be seized by customs officials, it added.

Customs officers have been instructed to check packages for thermometers during the ban, Customs Administration Deputy Director-General Peng Ying-wei (彭英偉) said.

The ban applies to infrared thermometers, forehead contact thermometers, ear thermometers, digital thermometers and thermal imaging cameras, but not to mercury thermometers.

The government previously implemented a ban on the export of masks, which on Feb. 13 was extended until the end of next month.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Paper lauds disease-prevention efforts

ONGOING IMPROVEMENT:The paper cites data up to Feb. 24, which placed Taiwan 10th in number of cases, but it has since fallen to 16th among virus-affected nations
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang holds up a paper published in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
A paper published in the latest issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association praises the government’s response measures to COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said yesterday.

The paper, authored by C. Jason Wang (王智弘), an associate professor of pediatrics and director of Stanford University’s Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention, introduces Taiwan’s response measures to the coronavirus from three aspects: big data analytics, new technology and proactive testing, Chuang told a news conference at the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) in Taipei.

Taiwan was expected to have the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases due to its close proximity to China, the large volume of cross-strait air traffic, the 850,000 Taiwanese residing in China and its 2.71 million Chinese visitors last year, the paper says.

However, Taiwan has been on constant alert and ready to act on epidemics originating from China since the SARS outbreak in 2003, it says.

The paper only includes information up to Feb. 24, when only 30 confirmed cases had been reported in Taiwan, which then had the 10th-highest number of cases among nations affected by the coronavirus, Chuang said.

With 42 confirmed cases as of yesterday, Taiwan is 16th in number of confirmed cases among affected nations, demonstrating that its ranking has fallen amid a number of outbreaks worldwide, he said.

Taiwan was quick to recognize and manage the crisis, implementing border control, case identification, containment and resource allocation measures, as well as frequently communicating with and educating the public while fighting misinformation, the paper says.

The paper introduces the CECC and its actions, including conducting onboard health assessments of passengers on direct flights from Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the epidemic — from as early as Dec. 31 last year and recording people’s travel history in the National Health Insurance system, which has allowed physicians to identify high-risk people.

The CECC has also controlled the allocation and price of masks, used government funds to increase mask production and held daily media briefings to reassure and educate the public, it says.

“Understanding the action items that were implemented quickly in Taiwan and assessing the effectiveness of these actions in preventing a large-scale epidemic may be instructive for other countries,” the paper says.

“Although we still face many challenges ahead as the battle against COVID-19 continues, we are grateful that the academic wrote the paper to allow the world to know the efforts being made in Taiwan,” Chuang said.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Outbreak could hit economy hard: Bank of Japan

GROWING CONCERNS:Fears of a recession have risen, as Japanese companies report that earnings have been affected due to a slowdown in exports and consumption
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda briefs reporters during the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 22.Photo: AFP
Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda yesterday said that the COVID-19 outbreak could inflict big damage on the economy, stressing the central bank’s readiness to take “appropriate action” to underpin a fragile recovery.

Japan’s economy had been expected to recover in the current quarter, but the outbreak has hurt exports and consumption through a decline in Chinese tourists, Kuroda told parliament.

“If the epidemic is prolonged, it could also affect production,” he said.

“We need to be mindful that the impact from the outbreak could be big,” Kuroda said, adding that consumer sentiment is already being hurt from the health crisis.

The remarks underscore a growing concern among BOJ policymakers over the widening fallout from the outbreak, which is hurting an economy already reeling from last year’s sales tax hike and natural disasters that disrupted production.

Heightening fears of a recession are piling pressure on the BOJ to follow in the footsteps of other central banks and ramp up stimulus as early as this month’s rate review.

The BOJ’s policy rate has stood at minus-0.1 percent for several years and the central bank has been purchasing tens of billions of yen (millions of US dollars) of government bonds and other assets to help keep credit cheap and stave off deflation as the population in the world’s No. 3 economy ages and shrinks.

While robust capital expenditure and government spending continue to underpin growth, the fate of Japan’s recovery depends largely on how long it takes to contain the outbreak, Kuroda said.

“We will carefully watch economic and market developments, and take appropriate action as needed,” he said.

More than 60 percent of Japanese firms said that their earnings were being hurt by the outbreak, a survey showed yesterday, adding to market fears that it could tip the world’s third-largest economy into recession.

However, the central bank’s policy decision could be a close call as some at the BOJ feel monetary policy can do little to eradicate fears about the outbreak that are keeping people at home, they said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliament committee that the government would take steps to protect jobs and mitigate the hit to the economy from the outbreak.

“We’ll closely watch global economic developments, and take sufficient and necessary economic and fiscal policies” to address risks, Abe said.

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content_text:
A man walks by the Olympic rings in front of the Japan Olympics Museum in Tokyo yesterday.Photo: Reuters
Japanese Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Seiko Hashimoto on Tuesday said that the contract to hold the Tokyo Olympic Games only specifies the event has to be held during 2020.

Hashimoto’s response to a question in the Japanese Diet’s upper house implies that the Olympics could be held later in the year and would not have to start on July 24 as planned. The Paralympics are to open on Aug. 25.

The Tokyo Olympics are being threatened by the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The IOC [International Olympic Committee] has the right to cancel the Games only if they are not held during 2020,” Hashimoto told parliament. “This can be interpreted to mean that the games can be postponed, as long as they are held during the calendar year.”

However, the suggestion of a possible change of plan was quickly batted back at a meeting of the IOC executive board in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“We are going to have the games on the 24th of July,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said at a briefing.

IOC president Thomas Bach and Tokyo organizers have repeatedly said that they expect the Olympics to open on schedule.

Others have suggested that the spreading virus could force the cancelation or postponement of events, or moving them to other cities.

The IOC said earlier on Tuesday that it has a “full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, taking place from July 24 to Aug. 9, 2020.”

Bach then made the unusual move of stepping out from the first day of a two-day meeting at IOC headquarters to make a statement.

“I would like to encourage all the athletes to continue their preparation for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with great confidence and with full steam,” he said.

Bach also praised a panel created last month that brings together the WHO, public authorities in Japan, and Olympic officials in Tokyo and Lausanne.

In an interview last week with only Japanese media, Bach had declined to “fuel the flames of speculation” about reports of cancelation or postponement.

Hashimoto was asked if she believed that the Olympics should be held even if the outbreak becomes worse than it is now.

“We are making the utmost effort so that we don’t have to face that situation,” she said.

Any decision to move the games back would affect international broadcasters, who would have sway over any changes.

The IOC gets 73 percent of its US$5.7 billion income in a four-year Olympic cycle from selling broadcast rights. About half of that TV income is from US network NBC.

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics were held in October, but the games have shifted to summer, largely because it is the only time slot open for sports broadcasters.

North America in the fall is filled with the NFL, college football, baseball, basketball and hockey. Europe is jammed with soccer in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy, as well as rugby and cricket.

A decision about the Olympics likely must be made in the next few months, former IOC vice president Dick Pound said last week.

The Olympics have been canceled only three times in modern history, all during wartime.

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title: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Contract says Games can be held later


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: French TV says sorry to Italy for ‘Corona Pizza’ gag

Italian Minister of Economy and Finances Roberto Gualtieri, left, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio attend a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome on Tuesday.Photo: AP
A French television channel on Tuesday apologized to Italy for airing a mock advertisement for “corona pizza” in which a coughing chef hacks green phlegm onto Italy’s national dish.

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio slammed the 10-second gag on the satirical Made in Groland program on Canal+, in which the red tomato base, white mozzarella and green mucus make up the colors of the national flag, as “bad taste and unacceptable.”

Globally, more than 3,100 people have died of COVID-19 and more than 92,000 have been infected.

Italy is the worst-hit in Europe, with 79 deaths and more than 2,500 people infected.

“Here’s the new Italian pizza, which is going to spread around the world,” the fake ad says.

Countries from Britain to China and France have reported cases of people bringing the virus back with them from Italy.

“Making fun of the Italians like that, with the coronavirus emergency we are facing, is profoundly disrespectful,” Di Maio said, adding that he had ordered the Italian embassy in Paris to voice Rome’s displeasure.

He insisted the media were “morally obliged” not to spread disinformation, saying that the Italian economy was paying the price.

The tourism sector in Italy has been hit particularly hard, with lots of airlines cutting or reducing flights to the north, where the outbreak is concentrated, and hotels reporting widespread cancelations, while monuments and museums lie eerily empty.

Soon after Di Maio’s comments, Canal+ issued a statement saying that its joke was “in very bad taste.”

Canal+ said it had removed the clip from its reruns and replay channel, and was “sending a letter of apology to the Italian ambassador to Paris this [Tuesday] afternoon.”

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content_text:
AUSTRALIA

GDP growth beats forecasts

The economy grew at a slightly faster-than-expected rate of 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, official data showed yesterday, in the last reading before bushfires and COVID-19 fully hit. GDP grew a fraction more than the 0.3 to 0.4 percent rate predicted by economists, even as business investment outside the mining sector tailed off. The Bureau of Statistics said it was monitoring a series of natural disasters closely, and warned that “more impacts are expected from both the bushfires and COVID-19 in the March quarter.”

EUROPEAN UNION

Inflation slips last month

Inflation across the 19-nation eurozone last month eased largely due to lower energy prices, statistics agency Eurostat said on Tuesday. Consumer prices last month were 1.2 percent higher from a year earlier, down from January’s 1.4 percent growth, it said. The decline was in line with market expectations. Energy prices weighed on inflation, falling 0.3 percent over the year. Stripping out volatile items, core inflation edged up last month to 1.2 percent from 1.1 percent.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES

India’s top court drops ban

The Indian Supreme Court yesterday overturned a ban on banks handling cryptocurrency transactions from exchanges and traders. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in April 2018 ordered financial institutions to break off all ties with individuals or businesses dealing in virtual currency, such as bitcoin, within three months. The ban led to plummeting trade volumes and exchanges shutting their businesses. “Investments had stopped and start-ups were staying away from starting business in the crypto and blockchain space in India, which will change now that the Supreme Court has said that the RBI circular was unconstitutional,” said Nischal Shetty, CEO of WazirX, an Indian cryptocurrency exchange.

PHARMACEUTICALS

Takeda eyes antiviral drug

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co yesterday said it is developing a drug to treat high-risk individuals infected with COVID-19. The Japanese company said in a statement that it is also studying whether its currently marketed and pipeline products might be effective treatments for infected patients. “We will do all that we can to address the novel coronavirus threat,” vaccine president and response team head Rajeev Venkayya said in a statement.

AUTOMAKERS

Toyota China sales fall 70%

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp yesterday said that its auto sales in China fell 70.2 percent last month due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Toyota, the first major global automaker to report its sales for last month in China, said it sold 23,800 Toyota and premium Lexus vehicles. The China Passenger Car Association said that China’s overall passenger vehicle sales dropped 89 percent in the first 23 days of last month.

STEEL

Jingye acquires British Steel

Chinese steelmaker Jingye Group (敬業集團) said that it would complete its ￡1.2 billion (US$1.53 billion) buyout of British Steel PLC, despite uncertainty over the control of British Steel’s French unit. Jingye said in a statement on Tuesday that it would acquire British Steel’s main plant in Scunthorpe, England, even though it does not yet have a reply from the French government about the French unit. Completion of the deal is to take place on Monday next week, saving 3,200 jobs in Scunthorpe, Teesside and elsewhere.

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title: World Business Quick Take


content_text:
Scientists find clues to origin of lifespan gap between sexes

From humans to black-tailed prairie dogs, female mammals often outlive males — but for birds, the reverse is true.

Now researchers have said that they have cracked the mystery, revealing that having two copies of the same sex chromosome is associated with having a longer lifespan, suggesting that the second copy offers a protective effect.

“These findings are a crucial step in uncovering the underlying mechanisms affecting longevity, which could point to pathways for extending life,” the authors wrote. “We can only hope that more answers are found in our lifetime.”

The idea that a second copy of the same sex chromosome is protective has been around for a while, supported by the observation that in mammals — where females have two of the same sex chromosomes — males tend to have shorter lifespans.

In birds, males live longer on average and have two Z chromosomes, while females have one Z and one W chromosome.

Scientists said that they have they have found the trend is widespread.

Writing in the journal Biology Letters, the team said that they gathered data on sex chromosomes and lifespans across 229 animal species, from insects to fish and mammals.

Hermaphroditic species and those whose sex is influenced by environmental conditions — such as green turtles — were not included.

The results revealed that individuals with two of the same sex chromosomes live 17.6 percent longer, on average, than those with either two different sex chromosomes or just one sex chromosome.

The team said that the findings back a theory known as the “unguarded X hypothesis.”

In human cells, sex chromosome combinations are generally either XY (male) or XX (female). In females only one X chromosome is activated at random in each cell.

As a result, a harmful mutation in one of the female’s X chromosomes would not affect all cells, and hence its impact can be masked. By contrast, as males only have one X chromosome, any harmful mutations it contains are far more likely to be exposed.

The team found that in species where males have two of the same sex chromosomes, males live on average 7.1 percent longer than females.

However, in species where the sex chromosome pattern is the other way around, such as humans, females live 20.9 percent longer on average than males.

The team said that the extent of the longevity gap might reflect other factors at play, including that males tend to take more risks when it comes to securing a sexual partner, including fighting.

“These pressures to travel far to find a mate, establish a territory and compete with other members of your sex are not seen often in females,” said Zoe Xirocostas, a coauthor of the research from the University of New South Wales.

However, there are other possibilities as to why the longevity gaps differ, including that estrogen appears to protect the ends of chromosomes from being damaged — a process linked to aging.

“Our study suggests that the unguarded X is an underlying genetic factor that can influence lifespan, but many external factors can influence longevity in different ways, such as predation, risky behaviors, establishing territories and access to quality nutrition,” Xirocostas said.

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