title: 澳洲確診音樂家曾在音樂廳演出 與10記者接觸 21人需隔離

people: 陳時中 鄭麗君

content_text:
中央流行疫情指揮中心5日晚間公布澳洲確診男子為外籍音樂家，文化部長鄭麗君表示，他曾在國家音樂廳演出、召開記者會、接受專訪，並宣布，國家音樂廳近期演出取消。圖／擷自疾管署youtube
中央流行疫情指揮中心5日晚間公布澳洲籍確診案例，為58歲男音樂家，曾與國家交響樂團於2月28日晚上在國家音樂廳演出，3月1日在國家音樂廳小型演奏廳參與演出，演出前曾舉辦記者會，並接受專訪，共與10名記者接觸，初步掌握有21個接觸者需居家隔離，並宣布，國家音樂廳近期演出取消，相關空間即起關閉消毒。

中央流行疫情指揮中心指揮官陳時中表示，這名外籍音樂家入境前雖曾有咳嗽等症狀，但無疫區旅遊史，於2月23日入境時亦無症狀，經研判為境外感染。在台期間曾於音樂廳排練，2月27日晚間因出現咳嗽、流鼻水症狀曾至診所就醫，後於2月28日及3月1日參與演出，3月2日離台。

陳時中指出，音樂家接觸比較多的是合演的團員們，以及舞台跟後台的工作人員，演奏時跟觀眾席的距離超過2公尺，觀眾應該是安全的，團員有需要做居家隔離跟採檢，一部分則需要自主健康管理。

文化部長鄭麗君說，晚間接獲指揮中心通知後，即請國表藝中心朱宗慶董事長進行相關因應作為，包括：國家音樂廳近期所有演出及活動取消，兩廳院國家音樂廳和相關空間即起關閉並將進行消毒，消毒及開放期程由國表藝後續說明。至於團員及其他與個案有密切接觸者，皆依指揮中心聯絡配合進行居家隔離，其餘則配合指揮中心進行自主健康管理。

文化部已責成所屬國家樂團及劇團等表藝團隊，3月份所有國際邀演皆延後辦理，以降低國際邀演造成之風險。至於民間單位的國際邀演，文化部建議若原規劃國際演出者來自旅遊警示區者應謹慎評估是否避免，其他國際演出者則建議應有風險評估，並確實掌握邀演者旅遊史紀錄及健康情形填報。

鄭麗君說，指揮中心今天也公布最新的公眾集會因應指引，各部會皆需依公眾集會因應指引就各管理產業建立防疫原則。


title: 快訊／法國「暴增92例」累積確診377例　死亡再添2例

content_text:
▲法國新冠肺炎病例，暴增92例。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

記者林彥臣／綜合報導

根據紐約時報報導，法國新冠肺炎病例，再新增92例，累積確診達到377例，死亡病例也增加2例，死亡人數達到6人，這是法國自從爆出疫情以來，單日病例增幅最多的一天。

根據歐洲媒體Europe1報導，確診病例當中，其中一名是「巴黎大眾運輸公司」的員工，是一名在巴黎交通網路6號線工作的女士，另外在科西嘉島首度發現3起病例，與當地福音派教會在2月舉辦的一場即會有關。法國衛生部衛生事務總長傑羅姆·薩洛蒙（JérômeSalomon）指出，全國總共有15名重症患者，在加護病房治療當中。

法國總統馬克宏在當地時間5日下午，召集當地的官方與民間公衛專家開會商討對策。衛生部長韋蘭（OlivierVéran）表示，目前法國疫情還仍未進入最嚴重的第三階段，仍是停留在第二階段，政府當局正全力遏制病毒的傳播。

法國總統府發言人恩迪亞耶（Sibeth Ndiaye）表示，法國很不幸地，不太可能擺脫疫情第三階段的到來。

►酒精乾洗手下殺3折！～爆搶防疫神水來囉～


content_text:
▲韓國總理丁世均宣布，從6日起原則上全面禁止口罩出口。(圖／達志影像／美聯社）

記者鄒鎮宇／綜合報導

南韓大邱疫情爆發後，政府開始注重口罩政策，並在5日公布最新的實名制對策，以每人限購2片的形式，按造出生日期到藥局等地點購買，與台灣實施的制度非常相似。

綜合韓媒報導，南韓政府5日召開記者會，表示從9日開始實施口罩對策，民眾需按照出生日期的最後一個數字，到對應的日期（星期一至五）購買，周末則為星期一至五都沒購買的人可去排隊，與台灣選取身分證字號最後一碼的模式相近。

另外，郵局、農協及藥局在6日至8日期間開放，每人每天可購買2片口罩，而外國人想購買口罩需攜帶外國人登錄證及健康保險證。

▲中央流行疫情中心指揮官陳時中。（圖／記者林敬旻攝）

由於南韓每日生產的口罩有限，政府在臨時會議投票表決，決定產量的10%能出口，其餘都需在國內發行，呼籲口罩廠商可以義務提供的數量從50%提升到80%。

事後，韓國總理丁世均宣布，從6日起原則上全面禁止口罩出口，並優先將口罩提供給醫護、檢疫人員。

►酒精乾洗手下殺3折！～爆搶防疫神水來囉～

title: 台灣訂立口罩制度！南韓跟上採取「實名制」限量購買

countries: 台灣 韓國


title: 超帥「北海道知事」防疫爆紅…妻子曝光了！　感謝她：沒辦婚禮還出去找工作

content_text:
圖文／鏡週刊

38歲的日本最年輕北海道知事鈴木直道，因為與日本中央政府不同、積極檢疫，雖然讓北海道的確診人數位居全國第一，卻讓民眾非常安心，又比安倍政府更早宣布公立中小學應至少停課1週，鈴木直道並霸氣喊話「政治判斷的結果我會負責」，相較起慢半拍的日本中央政府，鈴木直道積極又果決的姿態讓他在日本爆紅，不少網友也驚訝口罩下的鈴木直道依然帥氣，過去他和妻子共同受訪的畫面也被翻出。

根據報導，38歲的鈴木直道出身琦玉縣，他不是日本所熟悉的政二代，甚至因為高中時父母離婚、家境不好，高中畢業沒有繼續升學，先參加東京公務員考試並順利錄取，19歲時他再考進法政大學夜間部法律系，專攻地方自治，4年後順利畢業。

2008年，他從東京福祉保健科被調派前往協助財政破產的北海道夕張市，主要負責醫療保險業務，他也主動推動結合地方特色的觀光活動，30歲時以無黨籍身分當選日本最年輕夕張市長，38歲再當選北海道知事，成為日本47個都道府縣最年輕的知事。鈴木過往的醫療業務相關經驗，也被視作他此次不同於慢半拍的日本中央政府，面對疫情積極謹慎的原因之一。

鈴木直道的家庭生活也被日本大眾關注，他2011就和在東京交往6年的女友玉置麻奈美結婚，在擔任夕張市長期間，為了幫助破產的夕張市，鈴木直道主動提出捐出7成薪水和退休金，成為日本最低薪水的首長，鈴木曾受訪表示，感謝妻子陪著他一起負債累累，沒有多餘的錢可以舉辦婚禮，妻子還主動出去找工作，希望可以減輕他的負擔。


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▲「桌球一哥」莊智淵。（圖／記者李毓康攝）

記者顏如玉／綜合報導

國際桌總(ITTF)卡達公開賽進入32強，中華隊僅剩莊智淵參賽，從資格賽打進正賽後，莊智淵首輪面對世界第5的「日本怪物」張本智和，在連輸兩局的情況下上演大逆轉，最終以4比2取得在公開賽的對戰二連勝，挺進16強。

卡達公開賽屬於白金級別的賽事，積分較高，加上今年又迎來舉辦第25週年，原本吸引了不少世界好手參賽，沒想到受到新冠肺炎攪局，開賽前湧現「退賽潮」，光卡達自己的國家隊就有9人退賽，而中華隊原本由鄭怡靜、林昀儒領軍12人參賽，也已退出11人，僅剩莊智淵孤軍奮戰。

世界排名37的莊智淵，在本站從資格賽中發，先以4比1退捷克選手，接著4比2擊敗烏茲別克選手，二連勝挺進正賽，首輪將對上張本智和。

就國際桌總紀錄，莊智淵、張本智和過往交手4次(不包括日本聯賽)，兩人各握有2勝，最近一次相遇為今年初的德國公開賽，當時莊智淵以4比2勝出，如今再度交手，莊智淵在先輸2局的情況下，連拿4局逆轉，以同樣比分再次勝出，挺進16強。

countries: 卡達 日本 烏茲別克 捷克 德國

title: 卡達桌賽／再度逆轉日本怪物張本智和！　莊智淵挺進16強


title: 聯邦盃／兩岸大戰0比2吞敗　中華剩下兩戰輸不得

countries: 印尼 中國 印度 哈薩克 烏茲別克

content_text:
▲聯邦盃，梁恩碩第二點吞敗。（圖／四維體育推廣教育基金會提供）

記者顏如玉／綜合報導

2020聯邦盃亞大區一級賽，中華隊於5日晚間進行第三場賽事面對強敵中國，楊亞依、梁恩碩在前兩點單打都以直落二吞敗，中華0比2提前敗給中國，目前戰績1勝2敗，只要接下來對印度、烏茲別克之役奪勝贏，還有機會取得四月升降賽入場券。

亞大區一級賽事原訂於2月4日至8日在中國東莞進行，但受到武漢肺炎疫情擴大影響，在哈薩克拒絕接手之後，國際網總(ITF)確定延期，並於3月3日到7日改至杜拜舉行。

▲楊亞依。（圖／四維體育推廣教育基金會提供）

中華隊由教練翁宜寧帶隊，隊員為梁恩碩、楊亞依、詹詠然、詹皓晴，中華隊先後以1比2不敵印尼、2比1擊敗南韓，接著第三戰對上陣中擁有3位WTA單打35名之內的強敵，包括第29的王薔、34的鄭賽賽、35的張帥，還有雙打的彭帥／徐一璠。

兩岸對決中，中華隊以3勝8敗居於劣勢，今再度交手，中華隊第一點派出楊亞依，以1比6、2比6不敵鄭賽賽，第二點的梁恩碩，首盤在2比0領先下連輸5局，最後以3比6、3比6敗給王薔，0比2提前落敗。

▲中國好手王薔。（圖／四維體育推廣教育基金會提供）


content_text:
三峽是個好地方。平價小吃跟古早味美食連在地人都會來排隊，好吃程度可見非凡！

東道飲食亭

古早味排骨飯

走進老街已經有回溯時光的感覺，這家店面更是有早期台灣農業時代的懷舊氛圍，店家招牌古早味排骨飯的排骨是用三峽黑豬肉，黑胡椒、醬油醃漬，厚切裹粉油炸後再滷，外層香酥，內部軟嫩非常下飯，粉圓奶茶也令人驚豔！

▲（圖／美食客Yong Dai提供）

鄭記古早味豬血糕

香菜+花生粉天生絕配

據說排隊一小時起跳的豬血糕究竟多厲害？老闆自製豬血糕，並且熬製自家口味的醬油膏，木籠炊蒸出來的豬血糕很彈Q，撒上花生粉跟香菜香氣十足，重點是一支只要台幣20元，不愛香菜也可以跟老闆說不加，但一定要嘗嘗看阿！

▲（圖／美食客RuRu提供）

勇伯豆花

古早味的焦香

使用傳統古法製作，所以豆花帶有一點焦香氣且口感更綿密。另外，還有賣黑糖刨冰，甜度剛剛好的黑糖水可以消解逛累的心情，值得坐下來好好享受一碗古早味點心。

▲（圖／美食客皮皮提供）

陳記米苔目

老店滋味在地人都推薦

這家小吃店專賣米苔目，沒有菜單一碗台幣35元，有分乾米苔目或湯米苔目兩種，吃完覺得不夠店家有提供高湯自行添加，鮮甜濃郁的湯頭廣受吃貨們好評阿，小菜需跟老闆口頭點菜，油豆腐看似平凡實則相當入味，距離老街大概步行6分鐘，不吃可惜！

▲（圖／美食客Len Wang提供）

老街98雞蛋糕

流沙內餡雞蛋糕

不要看它外觀醜醜的，裏頭可是有流沙內餡口感超豐富，尤其是帶點鹹味和顆粒的花生醬跟雞蛋糕超搭，越嚼就越香，乳酪口味則是可以吃到乳酪丁，邊走邊吃散步逛老街超悠閒！

▲（圖／美食客Cheng allen提供）

初原麵場

日式焙煎濃湯拉麵

來到門口可以看見日式屋台的煮麵檯，老闆只有一人煮麵與招呼，店內採用自助式用餐將心力貫注於食材和美味，乳白色系的白雞湯拉麵甘甜濃郁，大白菜清脆，叉燒上桌前會再用噴槍炙燒表面，相當用心的拉麵暖心又暖胃。

▲（圖／美食客Amber CC提供）

禾乃川國產豆製所

豆味香濃

這家主打友善種植的豆製所販賣豆腐、豆漿等產品，其中豆腐冰較為特別，除了有原味和帶有茶香的碧螺春兩種以外，會搭配蜜黃豆和蜜黑豆，吃起來相當綿密，附上一杯無糖黑豆水，是豆味粉必訪的景點！

▲（圖／美食客涵涵兒提供）

八條壽司

台式彭湃日式料理

雖然去年經歷火災肆虐，但是今年修復後已恢復營業，即便其他地方有分店，三峽旗艦店還是很受歡迎，最人氣的生魚片新鮮有海味，大片厚切又平價，還有供應日式串燒和丼飯等日式餐點，超大份量很適合多人朋友一起來聚餐喔！

▲（圖／美食客weii提供）

圖、文／MENU美食誌

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taiwan-subdivisions: 三峽 和美

title: 老店米苔目、排骨飯在地人都排隊吃　藏身在三峽老街的平價美食TOP 8


people:
Kolas Yotaka
蘇貞昌

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Subsidies approved for furloughed, laid off workers

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday approved plans to subsidize furloughed or dismissed workers, as well as companies and entrepreneurs amid business woes caused by COVID-19 outbreak that began in China, with proposed funding totaling NT$4.12 billion (US$137.52 million).

The subsidies, which are to be sourced from the Ministry of Labor’s Employment Stabilization Fund and Employment Insurance Fund, would cover new and expansions of existing projects, Workforce Development Agency Deputy Director-General Shih Chen-yang (施貞仰) told a news conference in Taipei.

To encourage furloughed employees to undergo training while on leave, the ministry has increased the subsidies for training courses from NT$1.9 million to NT$3.5 million and raised the maximum class time for each worker from 100 to 120 hours per month, Shih said.

Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka, center, speaks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday alongside Deputy Minister of Agriculture Chen Tain-shou, left, and Deputy Minister of Labor Lin San-kuei.
 Photo: CNA

Employees who undergo training provided by their employers or the ministry would be paid the minimum hourly wage of NT$158, she said.

Deputy Minister of Labor Lin San-kuei (林三貴) said that the program was implemented late last month and would last three to six months depending on the COVID-19 situation.

People who are laid off amid the outbreak are eligible for monthly unemployment subsidies for six to nine months at 60 percent of their insured salary under their labor insurance plan, Shih said.

Parents who are dismissed during the crisis and have children receiving secondary education would receive a subsidy of between NT$4,000 and NT$6,000 per child, while parents of university students are eligible to receive between NT$13,600 and NT$24,000 per child, she said.

People who are furloughed can apply for a monthly subsidy of 50 percent of the difference between the monthly minimum wage, NT$23,800, and their insured monthly salary under the labor insurance system, Shih said, adding that the subsidies would be paid for three to six months.

For example, an employee whose insured monthly salary is in the highest bracket of NT$45,800 or more would receive NT$11,000 in monthly subsidies, she said.

Employers that hire a person who has been unemployed for at least 30 days would receive a monthly subsidy of NT$5,000 per new hire for up to six months, while those that hire a person who has been jobless for at least three months would receive NT$9,000 monthly per new worker for up to 12 months, Shih said.

Employers that hire a senior or disadvantaged employee would receive between NT$11,000 and NT$13,000 per month per worker hired for up to 12 months, she said.

If the outbreak affects sectors for a prolonged period, the next stage of subsidy programs would be initiated, which would include subsidies for furloughed employees equaling 50 percent of their insured monthly salary and the minimum wage, and 70 percent of the difference when furloughed workers receive training while on leave, Shih said.

At that stage, the public sector would start opening vacancies of three to six months that are paid the minimum wage, she said.

Firms that improve their facilities during the crisis would receive subsidies of NT$150,000 to NT$2 million under an expanded project, while funding for a project concerned with the well-being of employees that covers caregivers for employees in need, employee counseling, stress relief and facilities for employees with disabilities has been raised by NT$24 million, Shih said.

Qualifications for the ministry’s entrepreneurship subsidies have been relaxed, with anyone aged 20 or older who establishes a start-up after Jan. 15 now eligible for subsidies of up to NT$2 million, she said.

As of yesterday, there were 1,951 furloughed employees from 49 entities nationwide, she added.

Employers should still pay furloughed workers the minimum wage of NT$23,800, Lin said.

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content_text:
California on Wednesday declared a state of emergency over COVID-19 as a cruise ship was held off the coast over fears of a new outbreak.

The measures came as the death toll in the US reached 11, including the first fatality in California, and lawmakers in the US Congress agreed to provide more than US$8 billion to fight the disease.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the emergency measures as he reported the death of an elderly person who had taken a cruise to Mexico.

The Grand Princess cruise liner is docked in St Petersburg, Russia, on May 24, 2004.
 Photo: AFP

“The state of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus,” Newsom told reporters.

The emergency proclamation would help the state prepare “in the event it spreads more broadly,” he said.

Thousands traveling aboard the Grand Princess — the same cruise ship on which California’s first victim was thought to have contracted the virus — were held offshore on Wednesday night.

The ship cut short its voyage back from Hawaii after passengers and crew members developed symptoms, but its planned return to San Francisco was held up to carry out testing onboard for people who are potentially infected.

“We’re holding that ship, which [has] thousands of passengers as well, off the coast, and we’ll be conducting those tests,” Newsom told a news conference.

Eleven passengers and 10 crew members were potentially infected with the virus, Newsom said.

About 2,500 passengers plus crew — typically up to 1,150 — were onboard for its Mexico voyage, he said.

Separately, research from Singapore published on Wednesday showed that people with COVID-19 extensively contaminate their bedrooms and bathrooms, underscoring the need to routinely clean high-touch surfaces, basins and toilet bowls.

However, the virus was killed by twice-a-day cleaning of surfaces and daily cleaning of floors with a commonly used disinfectant — suggesting that current decontamination measures are sufficient as long as people adhere to them.

The research letter was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and comes after cases in China where the pathogen spread extensively through hospitals, infecting dozens of healthcare workers and patients.

Researchers at Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases and DSO National Laboratories looked at the cases of three patients who were held in isolation rooms in late January and early last month.

They collected samples from their rooms on five days over a two-week period. The room of one patient was sampled before routine cleaning, while the rooms of the other two patients were sampled after disinfection measures.

The patient whose room was sampled before cleaning had the mildest symptoms of the three, only experiencing a cough. The other two had moderate symptoms. Both had coughing and fever, one experienced shortness of breath and the other was coughing up mucus.

Despite this disparity, the patient whose room was sampled before cleaning contaminated 13 of 15 room sites tested, including a chair, the bed rail, a glass window, the floor and light switches.

Three of the five toilet sites were also contaminated, including the sink.

Air samples tested negative, but swabs taken from air exhaust outlets were positive, which suggests that virus-laden droplets might be carried by air flows and deposited on vents.

The two rooms that were tested after cleaning had no positive results.

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title: Virus Outbreak: California issues emergency state


title: US stymies Chinese attempt to take helm at WIPO

content_text:
NASTY FIGHT:
 Washington said that the appointee, who it backed, is an effective advocate for protecting intellectual property and a leader who can forge consensus

The US defeated a Chinese bid to run the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as Washington seeks to convince nations of the threat posed by Beijing taking a more assertive role on the global stage.

The US-backed candidate, Daren Tang (鄧鴻森) of Singapore, on Wednesday won by a vote of 55-28 in Geneva, Switzerland, over Chinese candidate Wang Binying (王彬穎) among the governments voting for the leadership of the WIPO, which helps develop cross-border policies on intellectual property.

While the agency is relatively obscure, the leadership fight had become a crucial battleground in the bid by US President Donald Trump’s administration to counter China’s growing influence and assertiveness in international agencies and the UN.

Intellectual Property Office of Singapore chief executive Daren Tang, who has been named as the next director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, speaks to reporters at the UN agency’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

The US Department of State had made it a top priority to stop China’s candidate from winning the election.

The fight underlines the growing intensity of the US-China rivalry even after the two nations reached a “phase one” trade agreement.

It was also a reversal of fortune after the US failed to stop a Chinese candidate from taking leadership of another UN specialized agency, the Food and Agricultural Organization. That prompted a new focus by the Trump administration to make its voice heard in multilateral organizations.

“Mr Tang is an effective advocate for protecting intellectual property, a vocal proponent of transparency and institutional integrity, and a leader who can unify WIPO member states by forging consensus on difficult issues,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

Earlier, Pompeo had made clear Washington’s stance that a Chinese citizen must not be allowed to take the job.

US officials decried China’s history of intellectual-property theft, while US Ambassador to the UN Andrew Bremberg made the WIPO fight a top priority.

Writing in the Financial Times last week, US Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Director Peter Navarro said that China should not lead the WIPO because its commitment to protect intellectual property does not match Western standards.

He also accused China of wanting greater influence over the UN to advance its political objectives, such as isolating Taiwan.

Several candidates were running to lead the WIPO and succeed Francis Gurry, an Australian who has led the organization since 2008.

The US had backed Tang, the chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore who has a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington.

The fight between the US and China over the job got nasty, with Chinese officials arguing that the US was trying to suppress its rise.

Beijing accused the US of threatening to withhold World Bank and IMF money to countries that voted for the Chinese candidate, a claim the US denied.

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content_text:
NEW INFECTIONS:
 The CECC said that a woman who had been in contact with an earlier case and a man who traveled overseas were Taiwan’s 43rd and 44th cases

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday published guidelines for hosting large events amid the rise in COVID-19 cases worldwide, while the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan rose to 44.

The agency said that there have been warning signs of community infections in Taiwan; cluster cases involving families and hospitals; and local infections now outnumber imported cases, with the sources of infection in several cases remaining unknown.

The guidelines define large events as those attended by at least 1,000 people, including graduation ceremonies, festivals, sports events and religious, political, cultural, academic and non-governmental organizations’ events.

People take part in an annual Tomb Sweeping Festival event at Yehmei Wukung Temple in Taoyuan’s Sinwu District in an undated photograph. This year’s event has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 Photo: Hsu Chen-hsun, Taipei Times

The guidelines include six risk indicators for assessment: whether the organizer can secure the travel histories of participants; ventilation at the venue; whether at least 1m of separation can be maintained between participants; whether there are fixed seats; the duration of the event; and if hand disinfection is available and masks should be worn.

Organizers can consult local health bureaus or other authorities for an assessment, the guidelines say.

If an assessment finds an event to be high risk, organizers should postpone or cancel it, or host it in another form, they say.

People carry lanterns in a procession at an annual festival to celebrate the birth of the goddess Matsu at Taitung County’s Tianhou Temple in an undated photograph. This year’s event has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 Photo courtesy of Chou Hao-cheng via CNA

However, organizers must follow directives from the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) should Taiwan enter the community infection phase, they add.

People with chronic pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, blood disorders, immunodeficiency diseases, or health issues related to the kidneys, liver and nervous or metabolic system, as well as pregnant women, should avoid large events, the guidelines say.

All events must include disease-prevention measures, including disinfection of the venue and equipment; ensure sufficient hand-washing facilities and ventilation; and avoid grouping too many people in one room, they say.

title: Virus Outbreak: Guidelines issued for large events


content_text:
Lego A/S said its earnings rose last year and that it has so far avoided major damage from the COVID-19 outbreak and plans to keep opening stores in China, the center of the outbreak.

After the Danish toy company on Wednesday posted a 3 percent rise in net profit to 8.3 billion kroner (US$1.2 billion), CEO Niels Christiansen said the group is weathering the virus outbreak’s disruption to supply chains.

“In the short run, it is hard to say, but it seems we are not that vulnerable, mainly because we produce regionally,” Christiansen said.

Lego produces in Mexico for its North and South American markets, in China for its Asian market and the production for Europe comes from factories in the Czech Republic and Denmark.

Christiansen said the manufacturer of the famous colored building blocks was sticking to its plan to open an additional 80 stores in about 20 cities in China, which “remains a strategic growth market.”

Lego has 570 stores around the world carrying the toymaker’s logo.

On top of that, Christiansen said Lego had developed its e-commerce presence on partner platforms and recently renewed its partnership with China’s tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊) as part of plans to engage consumers and shoppers.

Lego, which is based in Billund, western Denmark, and is privately held, said its full-year revenue last year grew 6 percent to 37.9 billion kroner.

That is “despite significant investments in long-term growth initiatives,” the CEO said.

Consumer sales for Lego grew globally 5.6 percent last year compared with 2018.

“We have seen a positive growth in sales while others had a negative growth,” Christiansen said.

Consumer sales grew in all markets: by single digits in the US and western Europe and double digits in China.

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title: Lego posts rising returns


title: Group to protest ‘unfair’ rules on UAV operations

content_text:
Members of the Alliance against Airspace Inequality on Monday said that it would hold a protest on Friday next week against what they see as unfair regulations governing the management of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are to take effect on March 31.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) has been encouraging owners of UAVs weighing 250g or more before September, when the service is free.

The regulations authorize local governments to list air zones where drones are either prohibited or allowed to operate, while the CAA recommends that the six special municipalities only list permissible air zones where drones are allowed, the alliance said.

These permissible areas could cover half of the nation, and children or students might fly their UAVs into prohibited zones by accident, which would make them liable to a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, it said.

The CAA and local governments need to close these loopholes, it said.

Instead of recommending that local governments list permissible areas for drones, the CAA should advise them to list zones where drones are banned, it said.

Local governments should provide more airspace for UAV owners, especially in towns or districts with a population density of 1,000 people per square kilometer, as well as riverside parks in non-metropolitan areas, it said.

Creating drone-friendly environments would help local governments bring in extra tourism revenue, it added.

Local governments should also provide more training sites for people to learn how to operate UAVs, only requiring them to maintain a safe distance from other model aircraft, it said.

The alliance also questioned the high liability insurance premium for drones, which is more expensive than car insurance and covers only casualties caused by drone operations.

The insurance does not even cover financial losses borne by drone owners, it said.

The CAA should make recommendations to drone owners as to calculating the most appropriate liability insurance for them, it said.

“Given that the regulations still have many shortcomings, we hope that local government officials would postpone the announcement of permissible or banned air zones for drones until all complementary measures are in place,” the alliance said.

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title: Taiwan Mobile plans 5G budget

content_text:
EYES FORWARD:
 The company forecast its net profit this year to shrink 11 percent, but expects revenue to expand at an annual pace of 8 percent with growth in mobile

Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大), the nation’s second-biggest telecom operator, plans to spend less than NT$9 billion (US$300.4 million) on 5G infrastructure this year, more than its local peers, in preparation for a third-quarter commercial launch.

The 5G outlay would bring the company’s mobile capital spending to NT$11 billion this year, more than double last year’s NT$4.73 billion, Taiwan Mobile said yesterday.

Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信) have said they plan to allocate NT$6.8 billion and NT$6.2 billion respectively for 5G network deployment this year.

Due to heavy 5G infrastructure rollouts as well as other investment projects, Taiwan Mobile expects its margin for “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization” (EBITDA) to drop to 23.54 percent this year, from 26.84 percent last year, it said.

The company said the dip should be short term and it expects its EBITDA margin to pick up along with the rise of 5G services adoption, which would be low this year.

The company predicts net profit this year to shrink 11 percent to NT$11.17 billion from NT$12.48 billion last year.

As a result, earnings per share would be NT$3.96, down from NT$4.51 last year, hitting the lowest level in 13 years, it said.

Consolidated revenue is to expand at an annual pace of 8 percent to NT$134.53 billion from NT$124.42 billion last year, with mobile business revenue likely to grow 2 percent annually, Taiwan Mobile said.

“5G-enabled services including cloud gaming, streaming content, and enterprise cloud and enterprise connectivity solutions will be the major growing businesses,” Taiwan Mobile president Jamie Lin (林之晨) told investors at a teleconference.

As the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band is considered the optimal spectrum for effective 5G deployment, investors are concerned whether Taiwan Mobile would be able to compete with Chunghwa Telecom and Far EasTone, which hold 90 megahertz (MHz) and 80MHz of the 3.5GHz band respectively.

Taiwan Mobile paid NT$30.66 billion for 60MHz of the 3.5GHz frequency band and 200MHz of the 28GHz frequency band.

“Based on our projections for 5G take-up rates and data traffic growth over the next five to 10 years, Taiwan Mobile owns more than enough [5G] spectrum to service our 7.1 million or 7.2 million users over the next five to 10 years,” Lin said.

Given how expensive the 5G spectrum is in Taiwan, “it is sensible to hold just enough spectrum to create a [higher] return-on-investment for our shareholders,” he said.

Far EasTone on Monday said that the term “big-three telecoms” would become history, as only two companies secured 80MHz in the 3.5GHz band.

“Spectrum is not equal to market share,” Lin said as a response.

Taiwan Mobile has the option to bid for more spectrum in the next one to two years, if 5G adoption accelerates, as the government is prepared to release more spectrum from some already allocated for satellites, Lin said.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Hospital visitors, visiting hours cut

PRECAUTIONS:
 Taipei City Hospital’s Heping branch, epicenter of Taiwan’s SARS outbreak, bars visitors to general wards and limits ICU visitors to 30 minutes a day

Several hospitals around the nation have imposed restrictions on inpatients’ visitors and companions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including limiting visitor numbers, reducing visiting hours and requiring people to present identification to enter their facilities.

The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) in Taipei on Monday began restricting the number of visitors to wards to two per patient, with visiting hours limited to 11:30am to 12:30pm and 7pm to 8pm.

Each inpatient is allowed to have one companion.

A hospital employee in a protective suit crews the entrance to a designated isolation hospital in Kaohsiung yesterday.

Photo: Fang Chih-hsien, Taipei Times

The Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan has suspended all ward visits, with the exception of intensive care units (ICUs), hospice care units and visitors with special permission. Inpatients are allowed one companion, who is required to register with the hospital.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Kinmen Hospital has a two-visitor policy for its wards, with one companion allowed per patient.

It has reduced visiting hours to two short periods: from 11am to 11:30am and 6pm to 7pm.

Taipei City Hospital’s Heping branch, which was the epicenter of the SARS outbreak in Taiwan in 2003, has barred visitors to its general wards, and limited visits with ICU patients to just a half-hour per day, from 12pm to 12:30pm.

Visiting hours at Taipei City Hospital’s other branches have been cut back to 11am to 11:30am and 7pm to 7:30pm for regular wards, and 11am to 11:30am for ICUs, and only two visitors are allowed per visit.

Patients’ companions — limited to one per patient — must present a companionship ID, have their temperatures taken and be free of fever and respiratory symptoms.

Outpatients, inpatients and their companions, and individuals visiting for work-related reasons must present their National Health Insurance cards, national ID cards or related documents when entering each hospital, the Taipei City Hospital said.

They must also wear a mask and provide their “TOCC”— travel history, occupation, contact history and clusters, it said.

Additional reporting by Tsai Ssu-pei


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Rumors about coronavirus outbreak could spark ‘mass hysteria’: doctor

Symptoms believed to come from a viral infection might only be from fear-induced “mass hysteria,” a psychological term describing the spread of a threat, real or imaginary, through a population by rumors, a doctor said on Monday.

Anxiety over becoming infected is turning into mass hysteria in portions of the public, China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital psychiatrist Chou Po-han (周伯翰) said.

For example, a female office worker surnamed Chen (陳), 28, said that she had difficulty breathing, tightness in her chest and insomnia after finding out that a coworker at a desk near hers had just returned from a business trip to China, Chou said.

She claimed that other coworkers exhibited similar symptoms, Chou added.

After screening the patient and evaluating her nervous system, Chou found that anxiety was causing her discomfort, so he prescribed an anti-anxiety medication and psychological support.

The coronavirus outbreak is also taking a toll on the mental health of frontline workers, such as healthcare personnel, who need to maintain constant vigilance, and workers in mask factories, he said.

People who are infected must bear societal prejudice and even hostility, he added.

The panic-buying of masks is likely a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linked to the 2003 SARS epidemic, as the coronavirus outbreak has caused memories of that mass trauma to resurface, he said.

The fight against COVID-19 could continue for another three months or more, but there are ways to sidestep PTSD and alleviate coronavirus stress, Chou said.

Disease-prevention personnel should work in shifts — so they can get adequate rest — and have their health regularly monitored, Chou added.

Family members and local communities should reach out to infected patients and help shoulder the burden of their loneliness, he said.

People must practice media literacy and follow official government updates, Chou said, adding that “a critical eye” is needed to avoid becoming a victim of fake reporting and the anxiety that accompanies it.

Society should offer disease-prevention personnel more praise so that they do not take on blame for mistakes that are not even theirs, he said.

People should consistently practice the government’s disease-prevention measures, such as quarantines, self-monitoring of health, wearing masks and washing hands frequently, Chou said.

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title: Penghu critical to defense of the nation: academic

content_text:
The offshore Penghu archipelago is more strategically important than the former frontline islands of Kinmen and Matsu, a Taiwanese academic has said, while calling on the government to bolster Penghu’s defenses to prevent a Chinese invasion, as losing the islands would imperil the whole nation.

In a Jan. 21 article titled “The Strategic Role of Penghu in the Defense of Taiwan” in the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Defense Situation Monthly, Paul Huang (黃恩浩), an assistant research fellow at the government-funded institute, called on the nation’s armed forces to beef up Penghu’s defenses, which play a crucial role in national defense.

Penghu, or the Pescadores, are an archipelago of 90 islands in the Taiwan Strait that have long been a strategic location since the 17th century, with the Dutch, French and Japanese all launching campaigns against the islands, Huang said.

From a global perspective, Penghu is the first line of defense in the first island chain, which refers to the major archipelagos on the East Asian continental coast: Taiwan, the Kuril Islands, the archipelago of Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, the northern Philippines and Borneo.

Their strategic location means that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would have to take the islands in any invasion of Taiwan.

Penghu is far more important for Taiwan’s defense than the islands of Kinmen and Matsu, Huang said.

Their proximity to China makes it extremely difficult for Taiwan to defend Kinmen and Matsu, which at their closest are only 2km from China’s Fujian Province, Huang added.

In contrast, Penghu, which is about 140km from China, has a more strategic role to play in national defense, he said.

The archipelago is the most heavily guarded of the outlying islands, Huang said, adding that troops are stationed on 16 of Penghu’s 90 islets.

About 70 of the military’s 460 M60A3 tanks are deployed in Penghu, as well as a Kidd-class destroyer at sea, which could be armed with RIM-66A Standard missiles, while the islands’ air defenses are boosted by the Indigenous Defense Fighter and the Tien Kung III surface-to-air missile system.

If Chinese military vessels invaded, troops in Penghu could also fire Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles, Huang said.

The 300km range of the radar station in Penghu’s Xiyu Township (西嶼鄉) allows the early detection of PLA aircraft and vessel movements in the area, covering most of the Taiwan Strait and southeastern coastal areas of China.

The loss of Penghu in the event of a cross-strait military crisis could jeopardize the security of all of Taiwan, Huang said.

As Taiwan is taking steps to build its own submarines, Huang called on the military to deploy submarines in the waters around Penghu to further deter a Chinese invasion, which would help prevent the PLA from crossing the first island chain.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Pharmacists’ union decries prescription pickup policy

The Taipei Pharmacists Association yesterday asked the Taipei City Government to cancel a policy that instructs hospitals to establish an expedited pick-up line, which would allow patients have a prescription filled without ever entering a hospital.

Starting today, the policy allows people to swipe their National Health Insurance (NHI) card at a hospital entrance and wait outside for a pharmacist to bring the medication out to them, which the city government said should reduce the number of people inside hospitals.

The association yesterday wrote a public letter to the city government, asking it to cancel the policy.

The city is robbing pharmacies of their main source of income, as they rely on the income generated from filling prescriptions to continue operations, association president Huang Chin-shun (黃金舜) said.

“Local pharmacists are feeling abandoned,” he said.

The city’s policy is a contravention of the central government’s disease-prevention policy, as people would need to take public transportation to a hospital and then wait in line, increasing their risk of exposure, he said.

The policy is not only cutting the lifeline of local pharmacies, but also forcing hospital pharmacists to do more work, Huang said.

People needing a prescription filled do not need to visit a doctor, as a person’s NHI code is unique and can be accessed at local pharmacies, he said.

The policy aims to reduce the number of people entering hospitals, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said, adding that some people live near a Taipei City Hospital campus and it would not be right to bar them from entering.

About 1,500 people per day visit the Taipei City Hospital, which has several campuses across the city, to get prescriptions filled, and the new policy would pare down that number, she said.

People are still encouraged to visit local pharmacies to fill a prescription, she said, calling for mutual understanding in the fight against COVID-19.

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people: 黃珊珊 黃金舜


content_text:
▲中信兄弟年度口號CHASE」。（圖／翻攝自兄弟Fans Club）

記者歐建智／綜合報導

中信兄弟在官方粉絲團公開今年年度口號「CHASE」，並且推出30秒預告片，預告片最後總教練丘昌榮的畫面，透露出中信兄弟今年新的主場球衣。

去年是彭政閔球員生涯引退年，中信兄弟的年度口號是「「CHIAllenge」，代表「不畏考驗，是一直以來的中信兄弟」、「勇敢挑戰，是始終如一的CHIA式精神」。

中信兄弟5日晚上在臉書粉絲團公布今年年度口號「CHASE」，並且寫著：「警報聲響，風雨來襲；佈達指令，猛象出擊！黃衫軍團，迎接勝利！新一代鋼鐵王者之象「猛瑪•鋼鐸拉」。鋼鐵般堅毅，帶領兄弟黃潮，再度躍起。」

此外也公開「CHASE」形象影片的30秒預告，有李振昌、高宇杰、林智勝、王勝偉、詹子賢、王威晨等人跑畫面，帶出「CHASE」，最後是總教練丘昌榮的畫面。

▲中信兄弟新球衣？（圖／翻攝自兄弟Fans Club）

丘昌榮最後的畫面上，有一個超大亮點，就是中信兄弟今年主場球衣，右臂是藍色、左臂是黃色，有不少球迷已經發現。

「CHASE」中文有追捕、追求、追逐、狩獵之意。形象影片完整版首部曲將於3月20日今年台中洲際球場首戰時首播。

title: 中職／兄弟年度口號「CHASE」　預告片丘總透露新球衣


title: 快訊／來台澳音樂家確診！文化部公布「3月所有國際邀演延後」

content_text:
▲中央流行疫情指揮中心今（5）日晚間公布來台演出的澳洲籍58歲確診案例，文化部長鄭麗君（右1）也到場說明。（圖／記者楊詩益攝）

記者林育綾／台北報導

中央流行疫情指揮中心今（5）日晚間公布來台演出的澳洲籍58歲確診案例，文化部表示，即請國表藝中心朱宗慶董事長進行相關因應作為，包括國家交響樂團（NSO）近期所有演出及活動取消，兩廳院國家音樂廳、相關空間即起關閉並將進行消毒，3月份所有國際邀演皆「延後辦理」。

針對中央流行疫情指揮中心今（5）日晚間公布澳洲籍確診案例，文化部表示，該個案曾與國家表演藝術中心所屬的國家交響樂團（NSO）於2月28日晚上在國家音樂廳演出，並於3月1日在國家音樂廳小型演奏廳參與演出，演出前亦曾舉辦記者會。文化部於晚間接獲指揮中心通知後，即請國表藝中心朱宗慶董事長進行相關因應作為，包括：NSO 近期所有演出及活動取消，兩廳院國家音樂廳和相關空間即起關閉並將進行消毒，消毒及開放期程由國表藝後續說明。至於團員及其他與個案有密切接觸者，皆依指揮中心聯絡配合進行居家隔離，其餘則配合指揮中心進行自主健康管理。

此外，因應此個案發生，文化部已責成所屬國家樂團及劇團等表藝團隊3月份所有國際邀演皆「延後辦理」，以降低國際邀演造成之風險。至於民間單位之國際邀演，文化部建議若原規劃國際演出者來自旅遊警示區者應謹慎評估是否避免，其他國際演出者則建議應有風險評估，並確實掌握邀演者旅遊史紀錄及健康情形填報。

中央流行疫情指揮中心今（5）日甫公布最新之公眾集會因應指引，各部會皆需依公眾集會因應指引就各管理產業建立防疫原則，文化部原預計明（6）日公布防疫因應原則如下：

（一） 藝文活動主辦單位需依據公眾集會因應指引所提示之六項風險評估指標，事先進行風險評估。六項風險評估指標包括：能否事先掌握參加者情形、活動空間通風換氣情形、參加者之間的距離、參加者位置是否固定、活動持續時間、可否落實手部衛生及配戴口罩。

（二） 倘評估決定辦理，主辦單位應依公眾集會因應指引訂定防疫應變計畫。主辦單位必要時需和地方政府衛生單位共同討論防疫應變計畫，請其協助，本部也將設立窗口協助地方政府因應。

文化部及所屬場館自春節期間即已啟動相關防疫措施，包括入口量體溫、提供乾洗手消毒、第一線人員戴口罩、空調系統改通風換氣模式等措施，今日針對中央流行疫情指揮中心最新公布之公眾集會因應指引，文化部將再提高所屬場館防疫措施強度。

屬表演型場館者：（一）入口處要設充足的洗手措施，入口處全面量體溫，額溫三十七點五度以上者協助辦理退票離場。各場館第一線服務人員及與民眾有近距離接觸者應全程戴口罩，活動參與者也應全程戴口罩。（二）座位安排建議採梅花座、間隔座法或其他保持適當距離之安排。（三）進場、散場皆應妥善規劃動線及控管人流。（四）各場館空間每日清潔、消毒，進場前、散場後皆需清潔、消毒。

屬靜態展覽者：（一）入口處要設充足的洗手措施，入口處全面量體溫，額溫三十七點五度以上者協助辦理退票離場。（二）各場館應訂定同一時段、同一空間之容留人數，並規劃適宜動線，參與者相互距離建議保持一公尺以上。（三）各場館空間每日清潔、消毒，每一場次活動前後也需清潔、消毒。

文化部長鄭麗君表示，整體而言，文化部將以「防疫為重，紓困並行，振興在後」，配合指揮中心，本部已編列預算共新臺幣15億元，包括短期紓困方案11億元，以及後續振興措施4億元，期能減少疫情衝擊、協助藝文產業，陪伴藝文產業及藝文工作者度過難關。


title: 小S被老公罵到「邊煮麵邊哭」爆發！　摔東西淚吼：你要把我逼到什麼程度？

content_text:
記者李湘文／綜合報導

藝人小S（徐熙娣）以辛辣大膽的說話方式聞名，近日在節目中聊到老公許雅鈞，卻坦言平時不敢大聲吼對方，讓好友蔡康永也感到難以置信。不過有一回，她因為被老公唸到受不了，才終於在煮飯的時候爆發，氣到大吼：「你到底要把我逼到什麼程度！」

▲小S曾有跟老公吵架邊煮菜邊哭的經驗。（圖／翻攝自臉書／小S 徐熙娣）

小S在《花花萬物》自爆這段吵架經歷，那一次許雅鈞一直為了某件事糾結、責怪她的不是，「我當時在煮麵，已經被他罵到是一邊哭一邊在煮，但他都沒有感受到我那種委屈，還在那邊說妳就是怎樣……」最後她實在委屈到受不了，把手上煮麵的器具一摔，哭著崩潰大吼：「你到底要把我逼到什麼程度！」然後就衝回房間鎖上廁所的門，婆婆來敲門關心，她還是平靜不下來，回應「媽媽，我想要冷靜一下」。

▲小S氣到哭著對老公大吼。（圖／翻攝自優酷）

蔡康永聞言分析，應該是因為當下氣氛還僵著，許雅鈞暫時下不了台，才請媽媽出來幫忙緩和氣氛。不過，小S開玩笑說：「沒有，是我婆婆很餓，她想要吃飯。」一句話讓現場爆笑。


title: Brazilian president sends impersonator to meet the press

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday sent out a trumpet-playing, banana-throwing impersonator to work a crowd in Brasilia, before joining him for a standup routine.

The impersonator, who donned a sash with the yellow and green of Brazil and mimicked Bolsonaro’s trademark drawl, was named by local media as comedian Marvio Lucio dos Santos Lourenco.

As the impersonator greeted well-wishers and journalists gathered outside the president’s residence, he struck up a tune on a trumpet and threw bananas into the crowd, an apparent reference to a rude local gesture Bolsonaro recently used.

Comedian Marvio Lucio stands in front of reporters while dressed as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at Planalto Palace in Brasilia on Wednesday.
 Photo: Bloomberg

When Bolsonaro appeared, journalists attempted to ask about data released on Wednesday showing that Brazil’s economy grew at its slowest pace in three years in the fourth quarter.

The president seemed to direct the question to the impersonator, who was part of his official entourage.

The impersonator responded by repeatedly saying the name and nickname of Brazilian Minister of the Economy Paulo Guedes — a Chicago-trained economist who has pledged to steady the economy and lower unemployment for the president.

Bolsonaro then proceeded to pat Lourenco on the back before taking selfies with the crowd along the barrier outside his residence. The two then shook hands and parted ways.

Meanwhile, Brazilian Special Secretary of Culture Regina Duarte started her tenure on Wednesday by firing six top officials, including one who said rock music pushes people toward Satanism.

Duarte fired Dante Mantovani, head of the National Foundation of the Arts, who had gained notoriety over a YouTube video in which he said: “Rock music leads to drugs, which leads to sex, which leads to the abortion industry, which leads to something much worse, which is Satanism.”

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title: Prince William urges UK and Ireland to move on

content_text:
Britain’s Prince William on Wednesday urged Britain and Ireland not to be “bound” by their shared “troubled past,” during the latest high-profile visit to Dublin by a senior royal.

The prince’s speech, in the middle of a three-day trip to Ireland with his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, echoed similar words delivered by Queen Elizabeth II in her landmark state visit in 2011.

“It is right that we continue to remember those who suffered as a consequence of our troubled past,” William said in a keynote address in the Irish capital attended by Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.

Britain’s Prince William, right, and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, walk in Howth Cliff near Dublin, Ireland, on Wednesday.
 Photo: Reuters

“And whilst many wrongs have been done, it is important that we are not bound by these,” William said.

The whole island of Ireland was under British rule until a war for independence between crown forces and Irish republicans ended in 1921.

A treaty split the territory between a British-run Northern Ireland and a “free state,” which went on to become the modern Irish republic.

Sectarian violence between pro-British unionists and republicans wanting union with Ireland flared in Northern Ireland in the 1960s, leaving more than 3,000 dead on all sides.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended the three decades of violence, which had become known as “The Troubles.”

The queen’s 2011 visit was the first by a British monarch in what is now the Republic of Ireland since her grandfather king George V a century earlier.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed in her footsteps on Tuesday by visiting the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, which commemorates those who died fighting for independence.

The couple left a message on a wreath which read: “May we never forget the lessons of history as we continue to build a brighter future together.”

In his speech on Wednesday, William said that the wreath-laying ceremony was “one of the truly profound moments for Catherine and me.”

“It was a reminder of the complexity of our shared history, and as my grandmother said during her visit in 2011: ‘Our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache and turbulence,’” he said.

“As we look ahead to some changes in our relationship, we must never forget how far we have come together in recent decades in transforming the relationships across our two islands,” William added.

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title: Italy’s ignorance must be checked

content_text:
In total disregard of Taiwan’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Italian government on Feb. 2 suspended all flights from Taiwan. Then, on Feb. 25, it announced that anyone entering Italy who had recently stopped in Taiwan must undergo mandatory home quarantine for 14 days.

This is anti-scientific, runs contrary to the norms of epidemic prevention and damages the dignity of Taiwan. It amounts to serious discrimination and Taiwanese should strenuously oppose it. The government must take immediate countermeasures.

When the Italian government took the initial, wrongheaded decision to ban flights from Taiwan, most Taiwanese refrained from attacking it, hoping that a diplomatic solution could be found.

Within three weeks, Italian authorities proved themselves utterly incompetent in preventing the spread of the coronavirus inside their own borders, yet despite mounting problems in their own country, they decided to inconvenience Taiwanese.

Given the repeated hostility Italy has shown toward Taiwan, it is time to get off the fence.

China Airlines, with its direct flight to Rome, bore the brunt of Italy’s initial crude treatment, and EVA Airways was compelled to postpone the opening of a new route to Milan. Travelers were left scrambling to find places on alternative flights and this resulted in a domino effect of financial losses.

When Italy made the decision to ban flights from Taiwan, this nation only had 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19, while Japan had 20 confirmed cases.

While the Italian government designated Taiwan an epidemic area, it continued to allow Taiwanese to pass through its borders, while at its airports, Taiwanese travelers continued to enjoy priority immigration clearance.

This demonstrates that the decision to include Taiwan as part of the outbreak in China was a political decision by the Italian government to adhere to the WHO’s absurd “one China” definition.

Now, Italy has once again thrown Taiwan into the “one China” melting pot.

Italy has imposed home quarantine measures on anyone entering the nation on or after Feb. 7 who has recently stopped in Taiwan, irrespective of their nationality. It is bad enough that Taiwanese travelers must rip up their travel itineraries, but the decision also does great damage to Taiwan’s image on the international stage.

Italy has many more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than Taiwan, as well as far more deaths.

On Thursday last week, the Central Epidemic Command Center elevated its travel notice for Italy to a level 3 “alert”: all travelers arriving from Italy, regardless of nationality, are to undergo a 14-day home quarantine. This is because the coronavirus has spread from Italy to other nations in Europe, and even as far as South America.

The outbreak has already reached a crisis point in Italy, which is now acting as a virus super vector.

It is therefore totally irrational for the Italian government, whose epidemic prevention methods have failed, to enforce mandatory quarantine measures on anyone who has traveled through Taiwan, while simultaneously refraining from applying comparable measures to people traveling from other nations that have lost control of attempts to prevent the coronavirus spreading.

Italy’s decision punishes Italians and other nationals who have traveled through Taiwan. At an individual level and a national level, Taiwan must stand up for the rights of its people and not allow the Italian government to make a fool of the nation.

Representative to Italy Lee Sing-ying (李新穎), although only in his post for just over a year and on his second diplomatic mission, is duty bound to make a stern representation to the Italian government.

Although Italy is a different kettle of fish from Vietnam and the Philippines — who have also placed travel bans or restrictions on Taiwanese — the government should treat Italy in the same fashion and carry out a detailed review of its bilateral dealings with Rome. It should also appeal to pro-Taiwan forces within the Italian parliament and civic organizations to develop ways to exert pressure on the Italian government.

Taiwan’s civic organizations also have a role to play in raising Taiwanese awareness of Italy’s unfriendly treatment toward the nation. For instance, last year 27,717 Taiwanese tourists traveled to Italy — a decline over recent years. The numbers could fall further if Taiwanese begin to boycott the nation.

Italy also operates a trade surplus with Taiwan. Last year, Taiwan exported approximately US$2 billion of goods to Italy and imported US$2.6 billion.

Whether Taiwan should continue to accept this trade surplus should at the very least be up for discussion.

Although these measures in and of themselves would likely be insufficient to change minds in Rome, it would certainly send a strong signal of Taipei’s intent: Taiwan does not intend to take this lying down.

Tzou Jiing-wen is the editor-in-chief of the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times).

Translated by Edward Jones

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Reopened Louvre bans cash to allay staffs’ virus fears

The Louvre Museum in Paris is temporarily no longer accepting cash as part of new measures that helped persuade employees worried about catching COVID-19 to return to work on Wednesday.

Staff members at the world’s most-visited museum walked off the job on Sunday.

Fears that banknotes might be vectors of disease are not restricted to workers at the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and other masterpieces.

“Cash is finished,” said Andre Sacristin, a union representative at the Louvre. “It is a temporary measure during the epidemic.”

“Money is very dirty and a vector of bacteria,” Sacristin said. “It’s hand-to-hand and there are direct physical contacts.”

At the Versailles Palace in Paris, employees also are worrying about handling banknotes and tickets, although the former residence of French royalty still takes cash for now.

Public health historian Patrick Zylberman said that the fear of getting diseases from money are age-old.

In the Middle Ages, banknotes were cleansed with smoke because it was thought that their use contributed to the spread of plague, Zylberman said.

Zylberman laughed when told of the Louvre’s new refusal of cash payments from the museum’s tens of thousands of daily visitors.

“It’s a bit risible to go backwards by several centuries and act as our predecessors did in the 17th century,” he said. “That shows how nervous people are during an epidemic.”

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title: Virus Outbreak: Outbreak erases hope for growth: IMF

content_text:
WELCOME ASSISTANCE:
 The IMF said it was planning US$50 billion in emergency loans to help poor and middle-income countries with weak health systems manage

The global spread of COVID-19 has crushed hopes for stronger growth this year and would hold global output gains to their slowest pace since the 2008-2009 financial crisis, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday.

The IMF now expects world growth this year to be below the 2.9 percent rate of last year, and revised forecasts would be issued in the coming weeks, Georgieva told a news briefing.

Trade wars pushed global growth last year to the lowest rate since a 0.7 percent contraction in 2009.

The changed forecast would represent a more than 0.4-percentage-point drop from the 3.3 percent growth the IMF in January estimated for this year as US-China trade tensions eased.

“Global growth in 2020 will dip below last year’s levels, but how far it will fall and how long the impact will be is still difficult to predict,” Georgieva said.

She declined to say whether the escalating health crisis could push the world into a recession.

The IMF is making available US$50 billion in emergency funding to help poor and middle-income countries with weak health systems respond to the outbreak, she said after a call with the IMF’s steering committee.

About US$10 billion of that can be accessed by the poorest countries at zero interest for up to 10 years, while many middle-income countries have access to a pool of about US$40 billion at low interest for up to five years.

Ecuador used the latter program in 2016 to get a US$364 million loan after a devastating earthquake.

Larger emerging-market countries such as Brazil, China and India are ineligible for such assistance, as are countries where the IMF has declared debt to be unsustainable, including Argentina.

Georgieva and World Bank president David Malpass underscored the importance of coordinated action to limit the economic and human impact of the virus.

The World Bank on Tuesday said it was providing US$12 billion in immediate funds to help developing countries improve their health services, disease surveillance, access to medical supplies and working capital for businesses.

Less than two weeks ago, the IMF told G20 finance leaders in Saudi Arabia that the virus could shave 0.1 percentage point off its January global growth forecast, a milder scenario based on expectations the coronavirus would be largely contained within China.

That view changed over the past week as the virus spread rapidly outside China to more than 70 countries, Georgieva said.

The shift has increased uncertainty and weakened demand worldwide, hitting trade and tourism hard and slashing demand for oil and other commodities as individuals and businesses take precautionary measures to avoid infection.

In China, even as the spread of the virus has slowed, growth this year would be below the IMF’s most recent forecast for 5.6 percent, Georgieva said.

“What helps is concentrating on actions. Who cares if it will be 0.1 or 0.4 or 0.5? If we act, and focus on that, lives would be saved, suffering would be reduced and the economy would perk up faster,” she said.

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ITALY

More help to endure virus

The government is likely to increase to 5 billion euros (US$5.5 billion) the value of measures to help the economy withstand the largest outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe, Undersecretary to the Ministry of Economy and Finance Laura Castelli said yesterday. “It is likely that the government will reach [5 billion euros]” Castelli said in an interview with daily Il Messaggero. Minister of Economy and Finances Roberto Gualtieri has promised tax breaks and other measures for the affected sectors worth 3.6 billion euros. A government source on Wednesday said this could be raised to 4.5 billion euros, or 0.25 percent of GDP.

CANADA

Central bank eyes rate cut

The Bank of Canada on Wednesday cut interest rates by 50 basis points, because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The central bank said in a statement that the virus represents a significant health threat to people in a growing number of countries, business has fallen sharply in some regions and supply chains have been disrupted. The move matches what the US Federal Reserve has done. The bank said that as the virus spreads, business and consumer confidence would deteriorate, further depressing activity.

BRAZIL

Economy growth sluggish

The economy expanded by 1.1 percent last year, marking a third straight year of frustrating activity following a massive recession, data released on Wednesday from the government’s statistics institute showed. Last year’s growth was less than half the forecast at the start of the year, and its worst performance since bouncing back from the two-year recession in 2015 and 2016, the data showed. Growth last year was led by family consumption, which rose 1.8 percent compared with 2018, and investment that grew 2.2 percent, the institute said.

AIRLINES

Cathay fined over data leak

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (國泰航空) has been fined ￡500,000 pounds (US$646,520) by Britain’s privacy watchdog over a data leak of more than 9 million customers, including passport numbers and credit card details, between October 2014 and May 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office on Wednesday said in a statement that it fined the airline for “failing to protect the security of its customers’ personal data.”

AUTOMAKERS

GM unveils new battery

General Motors Co on Wednesday unveiled a new long-range battery to power an expanded lineup of electric cars as part of an effort to catch sector leader Tesla Inc. The company said its Ultium batteries would have a range of up to 645km between charges, designed for fast charging and adaptable for a variety of vehicles. The company said it is ramping up its move into electric vehicles with several new electric models starting this year including a new version of the Bolt EV.

REAL ESTATE

Norway buys Tokyo complex

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is to buy a 39.9 percent stake in a part of Tokyo’s Otemachi Park Building office complex from Mitsubishi Estate, the fund said yesterday. Norges Bank Investment Management would pay ￥79.7 billion (US$744.4 million) for the stake. Mitsubishi, which is a new joint venture partner for the fund, would remain a majority owner and would manage the property.

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title: World Business Quick Take


content_text:
Taiwan first in Asia for gender equality, based on UN data

Taiwan ranks first in Asia for gender equality based on data from the UN’s gender inequality index, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

Although the nation is not included in the latest Gender Inequality Index (GII) from the UN Development Programme, based on its statistics, if it was included, Taiwan would rank first in Asia for 2018, ahead of South Korea, Singapore and Japan, the ministry said.

Worldwide, it would rank ninth, falling behind top gender-equal nations such as Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands, the ministry said.

Measuring gender disparity in various aspects of human development, including reproductive health and empowerment, the GII also accounts for women’s economic status, which is expressed through participation in labor markets.

About 44.5 percent of Taiwan’s labor force was comprised of women in 2018, while South Korea and Japan followed with 42.7 percent and 44.2 percent respectively, statistics compiled by the ministry showed.

Women in Singapore and Hong Kong had higher participation in labor markets at 45.7 percent and 49.8 percent respectively, while the US was at 47.2 percent, the data showed.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s manufacturing sector is still dominated by men, who made up about 62.3 percent of the workforce, whereas women had a stronger presence in the wholesale and retail sectors, representing 51.3 percent, the ministry said.

In Hong Kong, manufacturing was similarly predominately comprised of men, while in Singapore and South Korea, women remained a minority across all sectors, it said.

In terms of entrepreneurship, females took the reins of about 36.8 percent of Taiwan’s small and medium-sized enterprises, compared with 21.9 percent of large enterprises led by women.

Overall, female-headed enterprises accounted for 36.4 percent of the nation’s corporate landscape, lower than the 39 percent in the US and 38.3 percent in South Korea, the data showed.

While the GII and ministry data shed new light on women’s contribution in Taiwan’s workforce, they fail to factor in women’s financial independence as well as a prevailing wage gap.

Only 68.7 percent of women consider themselves financially independent with an average monthly salary of NT$34,590 (US$1,154.54), a survey released yesterday by online job bank yes123 (yes123人力銀行) showed.

The survey also showed that about 62.2 percent of women have experienced gender discrimination while pursuing employment.

Furthermore, 65.6 percent of women have said that they experienced wage gaps throughout their careers, as they are paid NT$6,591 less on an average than their male colleagues, the job bank said.

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content_text:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Wednesday came from behind to defeat 10-man Union Berlin 3-1 at BayArena to advance to the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal.

Peter Bosz’s side are looking to win the competition for only the second time in the club’s history and join Bayern Munich and Saarbruecken in the last four.

Marcus Ingvartsen gave the visitors a 39th-minute lead, arriving at the back post in time to meet Marius Buelter’s cross and power a header into the bottom corner.

Union Berlin’s Christopher Lenz, right, kicks the ball past Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Kerem Demirbay in their DFB Pokal quarter-final in Leverkusen, Germany, on Wednesday.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

However, Union, who were DFB Pokal runners-up to Schalke 04 as a third-tier side in 2001, were dealt a massive blow 19 minutes from time as defender Christopher Lenz was dismissed for a second yellow card.

Leverkusen wasted little time in making Lenz pay, as Karim Bellarabi equalized just a minute later, drilling a low effort into the bottom corner after being played in on goal by Kai Havertz.

The hosts completed the comeback as Chile international Charles Aranguiz headed home Kerem Demirbay’s 86th-minute corner before Moussa Diaby added gloss to the scoreline in injury-time.

Later on Wednesday, Andre Silva and Daichi Kamada scored as Eintracht Frankfurt made the semi-finals with a 2-0 home win over Werder Bremen.

Portuguese striker Silva scored the opener deep into first-half extra-time from the penalty spot.

Japanese star Kamada tucked away the second goal on the hour, when he volleyed home a cross from Filip Kostic.

However, midfielder Kostic is to miss the semi-finals after being red-carded for a crunching foul on Omer Toprak in the final minute.

On Tuesday, holders Bayern Munich continued their bid for a treble of Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League titles by edging past Schalke 1-0, while Saarbruecken stunned top-flight Fortuna Duesseldorf on penalties to become the first fourth-division side to reach the semis.

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title: Leverkusen and Eintracht reach DFB Pokal last four


title: NT dollar rises on Fed rate cut

content_text:
The New Taiwan dollar yesterday gained NT$0.078 against the US dollar to close at NT$29.960, as a surprise rate cut by US Federal Reserve on Tuesday drove global capital back to the local bourse, traders said.

It was the first time in one-and-a-half months that the NT dollar appreciated past the psychologically important NT$30 mark, data on the central bank’s Web site showed.

The local foreign exchange market has struggled to find direction amid a global outbreak of COVID-19.

Foreign institutional investors last week slashed holdings in local shares over concern that China’s supply chain disruptions could weaken earnings for local firms with heavy operations in hard-hit Chinese cities, a currency dealer told the Taipei Times by telephone.

The Fed’s rate cut prompted global funds to reconsider seeking shelter in the US dollar and other investment tools, said the dealer, who declined to be named.

Analysts have said that the Fed would embark on further monetary easing to bolster the US economy as several states in the US and some European countries have seen a quick increase in COVID-19 cases, unnerving investors.

Taiwan’s central bank has reportedly also stepped in by asking foreign portfolio managers to leave or buy local shares if they aim to stay, another dealer said.

The central bank has shown consistent intolerance for investors seeking to speculate in the local currency, the dealer said.

Foreign institutional investors yesterday increased their holdings in local shares by a net NT$965.68 million, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed, encouraged by a hefty rally on Wall Street overnight.

Turnover at the Taipei Foreign Exchange and the smaller Cosmos Foreign Exchange totaled US$1.56 billion.

Upcoming dividend distributions by local firms would continue to support equities and the NT dollar, analysts said.

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content_text:
‘MAJOR SECURITY RISK’:
 An FBI official said that Americans do not ‘understand the implications of what’s behind it,’ saying it was ‘controlled by a state-sponsored actor’

US officials on Wednesday stepped up warnings about the potential security risks from fast-growing Chinese-owned TikTok (抖音), as a lawmaker unveiled legislation to ban the social media app from government devices.

At a US Senate hearing, officials from the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security said the video-sharing app could be exploited by Chinese intelligence services.

US Senator Josh Hawley, who convened the hearing, said he was introducing a bill to ban TikTok from all US government devices, calling it “a major security risk for the American people.”

TikTok, which is especially popular with teens, is believed to have been the most downloaded app worldwide last year, but US officials have expressed concern over its connections with the government in Beijing.

“TikTok is one example of an application where the average citizen doesn’t understand the implications of what’s behind it,” Clyde Wallace, an official in the FBI’s cybersecurity division, told the hearing.

“It’s basically controlled by a state-sponsored actor,” he said.

While the various data points collected by TikTok might not seem sensitive, Wallace said the information might be aggregated and “used for many purposes.”

In his written testimony, Wallace said Chinese-owned social media applications might collect personal data including biometrics, contact lists, location data, and bank and credit card details.

“Any and all data can be transferred to other locations and associated entities to include the Chinese parent company,” he said.

Homeland Security cybersecurity official Bryan Ware echoed those fears, saying that TikTok data could become part of a large database exploited by China.

“China has amazing programs in collection of data and developing artificial intelligence and analytics against that data for purposes that we don’t fully know ... and that should give us great concern,” Ware said.

“There’s certainly no place for applications like TikTok on government devices and government networks,” he said.

Adam Hickey, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s security division, said the aggregation of data from TikTok “makes it easier for intelligence services to either recruit or hack into systems used by government employees.”

New America Foundation cybersecurity fellow Samm Sacks said Chinese regulations might enable the government to “essentially require anything that they want of these companies” even if some privately push back at the requests.

TikTok said its operations were not influenced by the Beijing authorities.

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title: US lawmakers told of risks from China’s TikTok


content_text:
The reason transitional justice is such a complicated undertaking is that the one-party state committed such an array of crimes.

As time passes and democratization progresses, Taiwanese of the new era stand with both feet on Taiwanese soil and identify with the values of constitutional democracy.

They have come to transcend differences in historical perspective, political position and ethnic identity, and now reflect on and address the mistakes of the one-party state from the vantage point of humanitarianism, human rights, justice and fairness.

In the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections, they blocked extreme conservatism and the restoration of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to power, allowing the incumbent pro-Taiwan administration to continue.

In doing so, they removed the main political obstacle hindering President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文): She can focus her efforts on implementing transitional justice, let the perpetrators and their order be judged by history, and bring justice to the victims and the nation.

The rehabilitation of 228 Incident victims focuses on the government’s illegal behavior and its responsibilities. It cannot be denied that the 228 Incident involved hooligans who took the chance to stir things up and persecute Mainlanders, but most of these thugs were punished for their crimes when resistance was quashed by the army and during the Martial Law era.

However, the goal of the authoritarian regime’s rule of terror was to provide long-term protection for a one-party state and its consolidation, suppression by the military and police, and the plundering of innocent people. This is what lies at the bottom of the 228 Incident and White Terror era — and this is the reason the rehabilitation of individual cases needs to continue and why these victims must never be forgotten.

The Transitional Justice Committee has encountered many obstacles during its investigation of political archives.

When the archives were first turned over to the committee, the original agencies extended the declassification dates.

The Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) family murders, the death of Chen Wen-chen (陳文成), the murder of writer Henry Liu (劉宜良) — better known by his pen-name Jiang Nan (江南) — the Formosa Incident and other incidents are major injustices of paramount importance. They are a test of Tsai’s determination and a test case for the National Security Bureau.

The public knows that classification involves the internal dark traditions of the one-party state and its terror mechanisms, which placed its spies’ rules above national laws.

In the democratic era, there is no reason why state documents more than 30 years old should not be brought into the light for all to see — unless there is a legal reason or because of the principle of proportionality.

Using major cases to set precedents is often the only way for members of the public to be exonerated. Taiwanese must not worry that a pursuit of truth and reconciliation would destroy national unity. The surviving lackeys of the one-party state, who refuse to repent, are the ones destroying national unity.

This month, the National Security Bureau’s actions will reveal which departments and which officials are public enemies — Taiwan’s history, ethnic reconciliation and national revival cannot be held hostage.

Tseng Chien-yuan is vice president of the Northern Taiwan Society and an adjunct associate professor in National Central University’s department of Hakka language and social sciences.

Translated by Perry Svensson

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title: Nothing can stand in the way of bid for justice


content_text:
OPTOELECTRONICS

Largan revenue falls 10.53%

Largan Precision Co (大立光) yesterday posted weaker-than-expected revenue of NT$3.67 billion (US$122.5 million) for last month, up 45 percent year-on-year, but down 10.53 percent from January. Combined sales for the first two months of this year totaled NT$7.78 billion, a 32 percent year-on-year increase, the company said. Analysts have provided a dim outlook for revenue this month as an outbreak of COVID-19 in China continues to negatively affect production while jamming up inventories across sales channels.

MANUFACTURING

More Global PMX staff return

Global PMX Co (智伸科), which makes auto parts and medical components, yesterday said that the rate of returning workers at its Chinese factories in Jiashan, Zhejiang Province, and Dongguan, Guangdong Province, has reached 80 percent, while no orders for its gasoline direct injection and transmission products have been canceled by clients amid the COVID-19 outbreak. In the first two months of the year, consolidated revenue decreased 15.02 percent year-on-year to NT$611.94 million, the company said in a statement.

INTERNET

Vivotek’s revenue edges up

Internet Protocol security solutions provider Vivotek Inc (晶睿科技) on Wednesday reported that revenue last month increased 0.97 percent month-on-month to NT$497 million, up 13.4 percent from a year earlier. As the firm’s three major plants are in Taiwan, it has not faced the production disruption experienced by most electronics companies operating in China, while it has a sufficient supply of raw materials for this quarter, the company said. Combined revenue in the first two months totaled NT$990 million, down 8.39 percent from NT$1.08 billion in the same period last year, company data showed.

OPTOELECTRONICS

Newmax to boost spending

Camera lens maker Newmax Technology Co’s (新鉅科) board of directors has increased capital spending to NT$3.92 billion for capacity expansion and equipment purchases at its manufacturing facilities in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), up from the NT$2.73 billion it planned earlier. The company on Wednesday said that it would use its own capital and bank loans to finance the additional fund needs. Newmax reported revenue of NT$217 million for the first two months of the year, down 43.9 percent annually.

CHEMICALS

Ample revenue hits record

Ample Electronic Technology Co (勤凱科技), which supplies conductive paste to passive components maker Yageo Corp (國巨), on Wednesday said that revenue last month hit a record high of NT$82.7 million, up 63.83 percent year-on-year, as customers replenished inventories. Combined revenue in the first two months jumped 60.95 percent annually to NT$163.34 million, it said in a statement.

WIND POWER

CIP suppliers get go-ahead

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) yesterday said that it has given local suppliers the green light for its wind farm projects off Changhua County. The Danish energy firm has raised a total of US$3 billion through a combination of equity and senior loans from financial institutions and export credit agencies. CIP said that it is relying heavily on Taiwanese suppliers to help build its Chang Fang (彰芳) and Xidao (西島) wind farms to comply with the government’s localization rules.

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title: Taiwan Business Quick Take


content_text:
National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) yesterday said he hoped that telecoms could set 5G monthly service fees at below NT$1,400 when the service is launched later this year.

Chen made at the statement in a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee, where he was scheduled to brief lawmakers on 5G developments in the country.

The commission concluded the nation’s first 5G spectrum auction on Feb. 21, with total bids in the auction’s first and second phases topping NT$142.19 billion (US$4.75 billion), the third highest in the world after Italy and Germany.

National Communications Commission Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang speaks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee yesterday.
 Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Taiwan has joined nearly 40 countries around the world in releasing spectrum for the development of 5G services, Chen said, adding that telecoms are focused on launching 5G services in the third quarter.

The service is expected to create 510,000 jobs and US$134 billion in value by 2035.

Lawmakers have expressed concern that 5G monthly fees might be exorbitant after telecoms paid so much money to secure spectrums.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said that the bids in the nation’s first 5G auction were higher than that in South Korea by NT$$43.05 billion.

South Korean telecoms charge consumers a basic 5G service fee of NT$1,444 per month for limited data, he said, adding that fees for unlimited data could go as high as NT$2,101.

Taiwanese consumers would find the prices unacceptable, Lee said.

Service fees could run even higher as the construction costs for 5G are much higher than that for 4G, Lee said.

Moreover, telecoms have to maintain and build 4G and 5G systems simultaneously for 10 years, which could further push up costs, he said.

A 5G license is valid for 20 years, but with the speed of technology advancements, 6G could arrive in five to 10 years, and telecoms might find it difficult to recover their investments in 5G, independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) said.

Trying to allay their concerns, Chen said that 5G fees in Taiwan would not be as high as those in South Korea, where a 5G license is valid for only five years.

In the initial stage, Taiwan’s 5G service would cost about the same as 4G service when it was launched, he said.

Taiwan Mobile Co has announced that it plans to offer an early-bird price of NT$1,399 per month for 5G service, he said.

Competition should gradually lead to price declines, he said.

Aside from revenue from mobile communications service, telecoms can earn additional revenue from applications developed through 5G technology, such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and self-driving vehicles, he said.

About NT$60 billion of the 5G auction bids would be used to construct base stations in the nation’s remote areas, encourage the development of innovative applications and subsidize economically disadvantaged consumers, he said.

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people: 趙正宇 李昆澤

title: NCC hoping for 5G monthly fees of below NT$1,400


content_text:
Spending through credit cards and electronic payment tools in January reached NT$273.1 billion and NT$3.52 billion (US$9.12 billion and US$117.49 million) respectively, down 6.12 percent and 14.23 percent each from the previous month, statistics released yesterday by the Financial Supervisory Commission showed.

The fall reflected a consumer shopping spree ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, with credit card spending soaring in December last year, Banking Bureau Chief Secretary Phil Tong (童政彰) said.

Spending likely recovered last month, boosted by online shopping amid a global outbreak of COVID-19 and aided by tuition payments via credit cards ahead of the new school semester, the commission said.

“Facing the virus outbreak, more people chose to stay home, buy groceries online and use food delivery services,” a commission official said.

E-payment service provider Jkopay Co (街口電子支付) reported a record transfer amount of NT$2.21 billion for January, accounting for 78 percent of the industry’s total, commission data showed.

Jkopay also ranked first in terms of spending in January at NT$1.56 billion, followed by Line Pay Money with NT$317 million and AllPay Financial Information Service Co (歐付寶) with NT$133 million, the data showed.

EasyCard Corp (悠遊卡), which offers stored-value cards, saw its transfers and spending total less than NT$1 million for January after the company conducted a trial of its new e-payment service last quarter, the data showed.

The number of people using electronic payment tools in January totaled 7.26 million, up 4.91 percent from a month earlier and 62.05 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

Among the nation’s 34 banks, Cathay United Bank (國泰世華銀行) ranked first in terms of credit card payments at NT$43.2 billion, followed by E.Sun Commercial Bank (玉山銀行) at NT$41.8 billion and CTBC Bank (中國信託銀行) at NT$39.5 billion, the data showed.

Separately yesterday, the commission said that it would provide special guidance on disease-prevention measure for 10 listed companies that are expected to draw thousands of shareholders to their annual general meetings this year.

One firm reported that more than 1,000 people attended its meeting last year, while the other nine had fewer than 1,000 each, the commission said.

Among the nation’s 1,649 listed companies, 86 percent, or 1,417 companies, plan to hold their shareholder meetings in June, it said.

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title: Use of credit cards and e-payment dropped in January


title: Lawmakers should pass the ICMW

content_text:
The nation’s concerted effort to avoid potential loopholes in disease prevention efforts against COVID-19 has called into question its handling of illegal migrant workers.

The government and the public have been working together to combat the coronavirus, and Taiwan has been hailed as the most effective Asia-Pacific nation to contain it.

However, this somehow seems to have opened a Pandora’s Box.

In the past, as a society, we have tended to agree to disagree on some of the controversial issues that are politically and culturally divisive. To some extent, we leave them untouched so that the nation can move forward. Now, dealing with the coronavirus has let those controversies come to the surface.

One example is the story of “Xiao Ming (小明),” and the controversial legal and political problems over the nationality status of a boy whose father is Taiwanese and mother Chinese.

Another and more serious problem is the handling of illegal migrant workers.

The government has taken an ambiguous, but negative, attitude in the past, partly because a solution would greatly affect the status of the nation’s domestic labor force.

Some people argue that fear of heavy fines and deportation could keep potentially ill illegal migrant workers from seeking medical treatment, thereby become a loophole in disease prevention efforts.

It makes no sense to blame such people when there has been a long-term unfriendly atmosphere and work to ensure that their basic human rights are protected through legislation is long overdue.

We should seize this opportunity to urge the legislature to incorporate the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW) into law. It has a symbolic function to create a societal momentum for change.

The dispute should be divided into two levels.

The first level deals with the legality of a migrant worker.

National Immigration Agency statistics show that there could be up to 52,000 illegal migrant workers who have absconded from their jobs or overstayed their visas.

It is possible that some might intentionally break the law to stay here for job opportunities, but it is more likely that they have been subject to torturous, abusive and exploitative treatment, sexually harassed or assaulted. This is a national shame.

“In the past six years, reported cases of foreign female migrant workers being sexually assaulted are up to 633,” a Control Yuan report said.

Objectively speaking, most Taiwanese tend to have a biased and discriminatory attitude toward Southeast Asian migrant workers, mainly due to their nations’ economic development. However, we should reflect upon ourselves: When these migrant workers left their homes and loved ones to come here to work, they made a great contribution to our infrastructure and economic growth, and most importantly, to making our culture more diverse and inclusive.

We really owe a great debt to them. It is our moral obligation to provide them the necessary assistance and support. The most important step is to change the discriminatory atmosphere in society.

When we are friendly, they would gradually and naturally come to us for help. As a result, the problem of absconding or overstaying can be resolved.

A second level goes to the legality of allowing a migrant worker to bring family members with them.

I would argue that it is their inherent basic human right.

According to Article 44 of Regulations on the Permission and Administration of the Employment of Foreign Workers (雇主聘僱外國人許可及管理辦法), no foreign worker is allowed to bring their family to reside in Taiwan in principle.

Owing to the nation’s overall interest and social security concerns, lawmakers decided to restrict the right to family reunifications. However, now circumstances have changed.

When the regulations were being discussed, we knew little about migrant workers and made restrictions out of fear.

Today, Taiwan is hailed as a regional beacon of universally recognized values, that is, democracy, freedom and respect for human rights.

Passing a law last year to create a National Human Rights Commission was a milestone for our nation. If we are really worthy of the name “a nation built on the basis of human rights,” then now it is time to pass an implementation act of the ICMW provisions to better protect migrant workers.

I would like to quote Mab Huang (黃默), Soochow University’s Liberal Arts chair professor and founding editor-in-chief of the Taiwan Human Rights Journal: “The increasing number of migrant workers will definitely bring change to our population structure. If our values and human rights standards go hand in hand with it, and are not only limited to an economic perspective, but further expand the new residents’ rights and implementation of international human rights standards, Taiwan will definitely become a more diverse, open democratic society.”

Huang Yu-zhe is a political science undergraduate at Soochow University and has been accepted to National Chengchi University’s Graduate Institute of Law and Interdisciplinary Studies.

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content_text:
Mbappe bags hat-trick as PSG crush Lyon to reach Coupe de France final

Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the Coupe de France with a thumping 5-1 win at Olympique Lyonnais.

FIFA World Cup winner Mbappe took his goal tally in all competitions to 30 in a win that was eased by Fernando Marcal being sent off just before Neymar put the French champions ahead in the 64th minute from the penalty spot.

The defeat ends Lyon’s five-match unbeaten run that included an impressive 1-0 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League and last weekend’s triumph over local rivals AS Saint-Etienne.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, left, scores in their Coupe de France semi-final against Olympique Lyonnais at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France, on Wednesday.
 Photo: AFP

“It was a solid, serious display full of concentration,” PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said. “After the [Borussia] Dortmund match [lost 2-1], Mbappe has responded brilliantly. He uses his speed so intelligently... He is in good form.”

Mbappe equalized for the visitors with a simple tap-in just three minutes after Martin Terrier had given the raucous home fans hope with a neat 11th-minute opener.

The 21-year-old was also key to PSG taking the lead in the 64th minute from the penalty spot.

Collecting the ball out on the left wing, he casually saw off two Lyon defenders before floating over a cross to fellow forward Edinson Cavani, who controlled the ball only for Marcal to then handle before the Uruguay striker could let his shot go.

Neymar slotted home the subsequent spot-kick after confirmation of the handball by the video assistant referee, while Marcal had to leave the field after being handed a red card.

“I prefer to say nothing about the penalty,” said Lyon boss Rudi Garcia, whose side face PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue final next month. “When you are 10 against 11 playing such a strong team, it’s no longer a contest.”

Mbappe made sure of the Parisian’s visit to the Stade de France next month with a superb solo effort with 20 minutes left, embarrassing Bruno Guimaraes and Marcelo before calmly slotting past Anthony Lopes.

Pablo Sarabia added a fourth with a stinging low strike 11 minutes later and Mbappe completed his hat-trick in stoppage-time, tapping home Neymar’s cross after good work on the left from the world’s most expensive soccer player.

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title: Hon Hai revenue falls sharply from outbreak

content_text:
Apple Inc’s manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday reported its biggest monthly drop in revenue in about seven years, as the COVID-19 outbreak continued to play havoc with its business.

In a stock exchange filing, the company, which assembles Apple’s iPhones, reported that revenue sank 18.1 percent last month to NT$217.5 billion (US$7.26 billion) compared with a year earlier, which represented the biggest monthly fall since March 2013 and the third straight month of decline.

The company has warned that the coronavirus outbreak would hit its bottom line in the first quarter.

Hon Hai, known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) outside of Taiwan, is among manufacturers worldwide grappling with virus-related curbs that have disrupted supply chains and dampened demand.

Apple, its top client, last month rescinded this quarter’s sales guidance, citing a slower ramp-up of manufacturing in China amid travel restrictions and an extended Lunar New Year break.

Hon Hai, whose share price has dropped nearly 10 percent this year, warned earlier this week that revenue would fall more than 15 percent in businesses including consumer electronics and telecommunications products in the first quarter.

It added that revenue would recover thereafter as production returns to normal in virus-hit China.

The company said it did not expect to see any revenue growth in the first half and made a “mild downward revision” from its original guidance of “slight growth” for the year due to the coronavirus.

The company has pledged to resume normal production in China, its top manufacturing base, by the end of this month.

Any significant disruption at Hon Hai would cloud Apple’s timeline for new phones.

Hon Hai is China’s largest private employer and the largest exporter. The company relies on thousands of suppliers to all be up and running, and as many as 1 million workers to turn up at its factories.

Despite what is likely to be a record decline in revenue this quarter, the company expects full-year sales to be impacted by as little as 1 percentage point.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg

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content_text:
An innovative Mercedes “dual-axis steering” system is “classic Formula One,” but could be protested at next week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix and would be banned next year anyway, Formula One managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn said.

The Briton, a former Ferrari technical director who ran the Honda and Mercedes teams, and also won titles with his eponymous Brawn GP team in 2009, told reporters that he was amused by the development.

“I’ve not got that engaged with it. I’ve watched it from a distance with some amusement because it’s classic Formula One,” he said on Tuesday after a sponsor signing with online bookmaker 188BET at England’s Silverstone Circuit.

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas conducts Formula One pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain, on Friday last week.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

“Someone’s come up with an innovation, they believe it’s correct and allowable, and there’s other teams that don’t think it’s correct and allowable, and the real test will come in Melbourne,” he said.

Formula One has a well-worn process for challenging innovations that exploit loopholes in the rules, with teams making a protest to stewards and presenting their arguments. The stewards then make a ruling, which can in turn be appealed.

“That’s happened for time forever, and I’ve been involved in a lot of those arguments in my history so I watch with some amusement,” Brawn said.

His 2009 team stole a march on the rest of the paddock with a “double-diffuser” that allowed eventual champion Jenson Button to win six of the first seven races before rivals caught up.

An official complaint by rivals before the opening race in Melbourne failed, as did an eventual appeal.

Mercedes’ system allows a driver to change the toe of the front wheels into corners and on the straights by pushing and pulling on the steering wheel, rather than just rotating it.

Mercedes technical director James Allison said in testing that the system was no surprise to FIA, which had been kept informed along the way.

“The regulations next year, because they are defined more clearly, you couldn’t run that system next year,” Brawn said.

“The other important thing is the governance system is changing [next year], which will mean that even in-season there could be adjustments made to the regulations if there was a serious enough issue,” he added.

Discussing the season ahead, Brawn said that Lewis Hamilton’s champions Mercedes were again the team to beat, albeit with some reliability issues to overcome.

“Red Bull look to be quietly getting on with things, they look to be in a good position. Ferrari look like they’ve got a bit of work to do,” he said.

“There’s a fascinating battle in the midfield and certainly Racing Point have put the cat amongst the pigeons. They look to have a very competitive car,” he said.

Canadian-owned Racing Point have raised eyebrows with a car that they admit is a clear copy of last year’s title-winning Mercedes.

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title: Mercedes’ steering system likely to be banned: F1 official