title: Virus Outbreak: Priest thanks Taiwanese for donating NT$120m

content_text:
Father Giuseppe Didone yesterday issued an open letter thanking Taiwanese for donating NT$120 million (US$3.98 million) in six days to a fundraising campaign he launched to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

Didone on Wednesday last week appealed for donations to the Camillian Saint Mary’s Hospital Luodong to purchase emergency medical provisions, including masks and protective gowns, for health workers in Italy.

Although the fundraising deadline was originally set for Wednesday next week, Didone said he had decided to stop accepting contributions yesterday after “exceeding all expectations” by raising NT$120 million from more than 20,000 donors.

Father Giuseppe Didone in Yilan County yesterday thanks Taiwanese for donating more than NT$120 million to help fight COVID-19 in Italy.
 Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times

In the letter, the priest said the hospital is determining what types of supplies it can purchase in Taiwan without breaching government restrictions on the purchase and export of medical supplies.

For items that cannot be purchased in Taiwan, the hospital will ask its parent organization — the Camillian order — for help obtaining them abroad, he said

The hospital also hopes to send a portion of the funds to Camillian order leadership in Italy to be used based on the recommendations of local public health authorities, Didone said.

“In the last few days, I’ve seen a late-stage cancer patient come to the hospital to make a donation. I’ve seen an old vegetable vendor waiting in line to donate surgical face masks and some of her earnings. Can you imagine how it has moved me to see this?” he said, adding that the outpouring of support from Taiwanese has “made me even more certain of the reason I decided to spend my life here.”

The hospital’s fundraisers said many of the donors wished to repay the order’s Italian priests, who have spent decades building healthcare services in rural Taiwan.

Didone, who first came to Taiwan in 1965 and is now in his 80s, established special care centers for intellectually disabled people in Penghu and Yilan counties, and currently works at Camillian Saint Mary’s Hospital in Luodong.

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content_text:
During a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan on March 24, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) suggested that Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) consider inviting Hong Kongers to Taiwan to serve as recruits in the Republic of China (ROC) military because they “hate Chinese more than Taiwanese do.”

Hong Kong is under Chinese jurisdiction, and openly recruiting citizens of an enemy state to serve in Taiwan’s military is slightly provocative.

Chen Po-wei deserves credit for bringing up the issue of the military’s national identification at the legislature. The political warfare thinking in the armed forces is only weakly identified with Taiwan and there is confusion over who the enemy really is.

For instance, the military song I Love Chunghwa (我愛中華) that soldiers chant at night roll call does not differ at all from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Chinese nationalism, and it would not be out of place if sung by soldiers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The armed forces’ military songs have long abounded with a nationalism aiming toward a “Greater China,” an idea almost completely disconnected from today’s Taiwanese society.

It is understandable that the ROC military adopted an aggressive militarist stance under the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) past authoritarian regime, as its ultimate goal was to retake the Chinese territory it had lost.

Today, when the Taiwanese public’s only wish is to defend Taiwan, the military should abandon the idea of “restoring the glory of Chunghwa and reconquering the mainland,” and instead identify with Taiwan and safeguarding the homeland.

I performed my military service on one of the outlying islands in the Matsu archipelago in 2015, one year after the Sunflower movement. During my time of service, I did not understand why soldiers had to sing I Love Chunghwa, a song I could not relate to.

Singing Good Night! Formosa! (晚安台灣) — a song written by Taiwanese rock band Fire Ex that became widely known during the movement — would be a much better choice, as the lyrics are filled with a tender feeling toward the homeland and it more powerfully evokes among soldiers a willingness to safeguard Taiwan.

The military’s main combat force is made up of people under 40, most of whom identify as Taiwanese.

In addition to the need for advanced weaponry and expertise in combat skills, the military must have strong psychological readiness, which comes from identification with one’s country.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages across China and causes an economic slump, Beijing has been trying to provoke conflict by flying its warplanes around the nation and its fishing boats ram Taiwanese coast guard ships in the nation’s territorial waters.

If Taiwan fails to further raise its awareness of who the enemy is, the long-existing confusion regarding national identity within the military could become a point of leverage for China’s psychological warfare.

The Ministry of National Defense should revise military songs and the general spirit of military propaganda and political warfare to keep up with the times.

Regardless of how the ministry plans to revise military songs — either by choosing other songs or commissioning new compositions — the most important task is to incorporate symbols of Taiwanese identity into the songs, thereby allowing the military to sing the same tune as Taiwanese society.

Hsu Hao is a personal trainer.

Translated by Chang Ho-ming

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people: 蘇貞昌 陳明通 陳柏惟

title: Military songs do not reflect identity


content_text:
PANDEMIC:
 Economists predict the worst recession in the country’s history, which could see the unemployment rate almost doubling to nearly 10 percent

Australia’s central bank yesterday kept rates at record lows and pledged to keep three-year government bond yields at its 0.25 percent target as it predicted the COVID-19 pandemic would trigger a massive economic decline.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on March 19 announced an out-of-cycle rate cut to 0.25 percent and an unprecedented stimulus package, which included an unlimited quantitative easing program.

The board yesterday confirmed all of the elements of that package, saying that it would not raise interest rates until it made progress in achieving its employment and inflation goals.

Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe speaks during a news conference in Sydney on March 19.
 Photo: Bloomberg

The decision comes as some economists predict the worst recession in Australia’s history, which would see the unemployment rate almost doubling to near 10 percent.

Economic indicators yesterday offered a foretaste of the pain to come with March job vacancies posting their largest drop in more than a decade.

“There is considerable uncertainty about the near-term outlook for the Australian economy,” RBA Governor Philip Lowe said in a short post-meeting statement.

“Much will depend on the success of the efforts to contain the virus and how long the social distancing measures need to remain in place,” Lowe added. “A very large economic contraction is, however, expected to be recorded in the June quarter and the unemployment rate is expected to increase to its highest level for many years.”

Restrictions on people movement and gatherings have forced many businesses in hospitality, retail, transport, education and even community services to shut down. Businesses that remain open face falling sales and increasing operational restrictions.

A survey released yesterday by the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) showed that total job advertisements last month fell 10.3 percent from February, the steepest decline since January 2009, when the global financial crisis was raging.

Separately, a service sector index showed that activity last month shrank for a fourth straight month, as it fell to the lowest in 11 years.

It was not all gloom, with another survey released yesterday by ANZ and Roy Morgan showing that consumer sentiment bounced last week after two months of drastic declines, as a government “JobKeeper” plan to subsidize some workers somewhat lightened the mood.

In anticipation of a steep contraction in GDP, the central bank has so far bought A$38 billion (US$23.46 billion) of Australian government bonds — or nearly 7 percent of outstanding stock — to help keep borrowing costs low.

The functioning of the bond market has improved since it launched its quantitative easing program on March 20, the bank said, adding that “smaller and less frequent purchases” would likely be required.

That remark led to a sell-off in long-term bonds, sending 10 year yields to a 10 day high of 0.951 percent. The Australian dollar also spiked to a one-week high of A$0.6168 against the greenback.

“That extremely aggressive pace of [bond] purchases can’t be sustained for long,” Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics Ltd said. “A case could still be made for corporate bond purchases, as spreads have continued to widen.”

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title: RBA warns of slump, keeps rates low


title: Samsung says profit to rise on virus demand

content_text:
Samsung Electronics Co expects higher first-quarter profits, as millions of people working from home in COVID-19 lockdowns turn to cloud data services, pushing up demand for its chips, it said yesterday.

The pandemic is wreaking havoc across the global economy — Samsung itself had operations suspended at 11 overseas assembly lines as of yesterday — and is widely expected to cause a recession.

Analysts expected that the company’s smartphone and consumer electronics businesses would be buffeted by falls in consumer demand, but changing behavior patterns — at least initially — among the vast numbers of people forced to stay at home around the world have generated a silver lining for the world’s biggest smartphone and memory chipmaker.

People visit the product gallery at Samsung Electronics Co’s headquarters in Seoul yesterday.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

In the first three months of this year, operating profits edged up 2.7 percent from last year to about 6.4 trillion won (US$5.27 billion), Samsung forecast in an earnings estimate.

The figure — higher than expectations — was based on sales of 55 trillion won, up 5 percent year-on-year.

“There has been high demand for memory chips for data servers, as an increasing number of people are now working from home due to the outbreak,” Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research analyst Tom Kang said. “We are also seeing a hike in demand for laptops, because we have many companies that are not fully ready for working digitally.”

Shares in Samsung yesterday closed up 1.8 percent, having fallen nearly 20 percent from a record high in January amid concerns over the pandemic and its economic repercussions.

Samsung had pinned its hopes for this year on the introduction of its new 5G and premium smartphones, including its new folding Galaxy Z flip phone, hoping that they would boost purchases.

However, increasing uncertainty going into the second quarter is expected to “exacerbate troubles,” an industry source said on condition of anonymity.

Global smartphone sales fell 14 percent in February year-on-year, with China seeing a decline of nearly 40 percent, Counterpoint said.

“Semiconductor earnings look set to increase on the back of memory chip price hikes,” HMC Securities & Investment senior vice-president Greg Roh said, but added that the consumer electronics and IT and mobile divisions would “likely see their earnings decline.”

Samsung’s key sales regions of North America, Asia and Europe are among the hardest-hit by the virus, James Kang of Euromonitor said.

“With suspended retail businesses, reduced shipments and weak consumer sentiment, sales in those regions could plunge dramatically in the second quarter,” he said. “A new lineup of premium products will play a key role in how successful Samsung will be in cushioning the blow.”

Adding to Samsung’s challenges, company vice chairman and de facto leader Lee Jae-yong is being retried over a sprawling corruption scandal that could see him return to prison.

He is not being held in custody during the proceedings, but a guilty verdict could deprive the firm of its top decisionmaker.

Samsung withholds net profit and sector-by-sector business performance data until it releases its final earnings report, expected later this month.

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title: EDITORIAL: Nation must stay vigilant

people: 林佳龍 陳時中 蘇貞昌

content_text:
Although only three new cases of COVID-19 were reported yesterday — all of them imported — the domestic situation over the next two weeks is still worrisome, especially amid a lack of common sense demonstrated by people who flocked to the nation’s tourist hotspots during the four-day Tomb Sweeping Day holiday. This happened just days after the government announced social distancing guidelines and started implementing stricter measures regarding public transportation.

The government has done a stellar job so far of containing the virus, and Taiwan is one of the few places in the world where people are not locked down and suffering from cabin fever.

The nation’s accomplishments have repeatedly been lauded in the international media — even making it to CNN’s front page on Sunday — which boosts Taiwan’s international profile and should be celebrated.

However, all of this seems to have led to a false sense of security both on the government’s and the public’s part.

Although the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan remains relatively low, there has been a steady flow of domestic infections; and while there is no need to panic, such lack of fear amid a global crisis is alarming, as the virus rages on.

The government seems to have placed a great deal of trust in the public to follow the rules and has been reluctant to lay down the law like other countries have done.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said before the holiday that he was reluctant to tell people not to travel, adding that it is a good thing to go out and relax as long as people followed social distancing rules or wore masks.

He cited Taiwan’s low number of cluster infections and people who had returned from abroad being under self-quarantine as reasons for not ordering people to stay at home.

Chen added that domestic travel is still considered safe and that there was no need to be overly anxious.

The government does not want people to panic, but perhaps it could have changed its tone to reflect the severity of the situation, as some took its lax stance to heart and completely forgot that there is a pandemic.

Those who visited certain hotspots nationwide are being asked to monitor their health for 14 days. This includes informing their employers or schools of their travel history. However, local Chinese-language media have already reported about a couple allegedly lying to teachers at their child’s preschool about their travels during the holiday.

It is up to people to keep Taiwan the safe place it has been since the outbreak began — and not just those who traveled during the holiday; everyone should remain vigilant and practice social distancing.

Taiwanese still have the luxury to go outside and live their lives — those who think that disease prevention rules are cumbersome should think of the rest of the world under lockdown.

A total lockdown seems unlikely here, but the government’s tone is starting to change. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has hinted that the nation might restrict domestic travel for the next long weekend if people do not follow the rules over the next two weeks. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said that the government does not plan on canceling the May 1 long weekend “as long as people remain self-disciplined.”

Taiwanese need to remain vigilant and alert in the coming weeks, and be thankful for the freedom that they enjoy, instead of abusing it.

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title: Volkswagen ruled liable in UK class-action suit

content_text:
BRITISH ‘DIESELGATE’:
 The ruling added pressure on the automaker just after it said that it is preparing to close most of its European plants due to the pandemic

German auto giant Volkswagen AG yesterday faces the threat of a hefty “dieselgate” payout in Britain after a court on Monday ruled in favor of more than 90,000 Volkswagen drivers whose vehicles cheated emissions tests.

Following adverse rulings and compensation payouts elsewhere, the British High Court ruled that Volkswagen is also liable in Britain.

The ruling adds pressure on Volkswagen just after the automaker last month said that it is preparing to shutter most of its European plants, joining a slew of other automakers as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts supply chains and sends demand plummeting.

The British judgement concerned “defeat devices” installed in about 1.2 million Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT and Skoda diesel vehicles in Britain, which artificially lowered emissions.

The court found that the devices were a “fundamental subversion” of EU tests designed to limit noxious pollutants, and is to rule later on compensation to the owners.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to fitting 11 million vehicles worldwide with software to make engines appear less polluting in regulatory tests than in real driving conditions.

The legal fallout has so far cost Volkswagen more than 30 billion euros (US$32.58 billion) globally in costs, fines and compensation, most of it in the US and Germany.

‘DAMNING JUDGEMENT’

Gareth Pope, head of group litigation at Slater and Gordon, which represents about 70,000 of the British claimants, welcomed the “damning judgement.”

It “exposes Volkswagen’s disregard for EU emissions regulations and public health in pursuit of profit and market dominance,” he said.

Pope said that Volkswagen must end the “shameful episode” and settle with the plaintiffs, but the automaker said that it would consider grounds for appeal.

“While Volkswagen is disappointed that the outcome was not in our favor, the judgement relates only to preliminary issues,” it said in a statement.

It was still to be determined whether vehicle owners had suffered actual losses, Volkswagen said.

NOT GIVING IN

“We will continue to defend our position robustly,” it added.

The ruling was “hugely significant” for vehicle owners “battling for four years to hold Volkswagen to account,” said Bozena Michalowska Howells of the law firm Leigh Day, which also represents claimants in Britain.

She called on Volkswagen to “do the right thing and put their customers first by entering into settlement negotiations,” saying that it would avoid “further years of litigation.”

About five weeks ago, Volkswagen struck a compensation deal with consumer groups in Germany that represent owners of vehicles caught up in “dieselgate.”

The 830 million euro compensation deal fended off a collective lawsuit brought by 400,000 diesel vehicle drivers.

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content_text:
The WHO Secretariat has been playing a decisive role in excluding Taiwan’s participation in the global body, three Taiwanese-American groups said in a joint letter to the global health body on Monday, after the WHO said it does not make decisions on membership.

The joint letter was endorsed by the North American Taiwanese Medical Association, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) and the North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association in response to the WHO’s statement titled “Information sharing on COVID-19” published on March 29.

“The question of Taiwanese membership in WHO is up to WHO Member States, not WHO staff,” said the letter, quoting the WHO statement.

The WHO logo is pictured at its building in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 2.
 Photo: Reuters

However, “it is the WHO Secretariat that has been playing a decisive role in excluding Taiwan’s participation. Their manipulation of meeting agenda regarding Taiwan’s participation during past annual [World Health] Assembly precludes the decisions by Member States and a transparent democratic process,” the letter said.

Taiwanese’s human rights are not a matter to be determined or voted by the WHO Secretariat, nor the member states, which runs counter to the idea of “health for all,” the letter said.

When the US Congress returns to session, the FAPA would do its utmost to help pass Senate Bill No. 249 to direct the US Department of State to develop a strategy to regain Taiwan’s observer status in the WHO, FAPA president Minze Chien (簡明子) said in the letter.

“We will also continue to advocate for the ultimate goal of Taiwan’s full membership in the global health body,” he said.

The WHO on Sunday issued another statement titled “How the World Health Organization works with all people, everywhere” to reiterate its interaction with Taiwanese experts and uphold its “one China” policy.

While the WHO soon retracted the second statement, Watchout (沃草) — a Taiwan-based Facebook page promoting civic participation in politics — saved a copy and shared it on Facebook on Monday.

The UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 passed by member states in 1971 recognized the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China,” which is “a one China policy,” the WHO’s second statement said.

“There have been occasions when it was clear that there was general support among WHO countries for Taiwan to take an observer seat at the World Health Assembly. Between 2009 and 2016, it did so under the name ‘Chinese Taipei,’” it said.

“But having a seat at the WHA, or not having a seat at the WHA, does not affect, in any way, whether an area or population benefits from WHO expertise and guidance. WHO helps all people, everywhere,” it said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it has noticed the second statement, but could not comment on it as the WHO had retracted it.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Groups question WHO claims on membership


content_text:
By Wu Pei-hua and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Sinagpore-based online shopping platform Shopee has launched a short-term charity to help stray animals in Taiwan and relieve the strain on animal carers as the COVID-19 outbreak has led to a reduction in adoptions.

The outbreak has lowered the adoption rate by 50 percent compared with the same period last year, the group Love Dog Taiwan said on Monday.

Shopee has listed more than 40 products needed most by groups caring for animals, including diaper pads, canned dog food, cat litter and collapsible pet bowls ,on its Web site that the public can buy for the groups, brand marketing division director Liao Chun-huang (廖君凰) said.

A dog is pictured in an undated photograph after Singaporean e-commerce platform Shopee on Monday said it was working with animal rescue groups to raise resources for stray animals in Taiwan.
 Photo courtesy of Shopee

Shopee would ship the items for free to the groups involved in the project, including the Animal Protection Association and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Liao said.

Sixteen pet product companies have joined the project, which is to run until April 19, she added.

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title: Shopee project to help shelter animals


title: Virus Outbreak: New cases drop in China

content_text:
China yesterday reported a drop in new COVID-19 cases after closing its borders to virtually all foreigners to curb imported infections, while the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, saw no new deaths for the first time.

China had 32 new confirmed cases on Monday, down from 39 a day earlier, the Chinese National Health Commission said.

All of the 32 cases involved travelers arriving from overseas, compared with 38 imported cases a day earlier.

The overall number of imported infections so far stands at 983, the commission said.

Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, reported only two new confirmed cases in the past 14 days.

It is due to allow people to leave the city today for the first time since it was locked down on Jan. 23 to curb the spread of the virus.

With China well past the peak of infections in February, authorities have turned their attention to imported cases and asymptomatic patients, who show no symptoms, but can still pass on the virus.

China has shut its borders to foreigners as the virus spread globally, although most imported cases have involved Chinese nationals returning from overseas.

The number of inbound travelers to China through airports has fallen to under 3,000 per day from about 25,000 late last month, before China reduced the number of international flights.

It also started testing all international arrivals for the virus this month.

The total number of confirmed cases in China stood at 81,740 as of Monday, while 3,331 people have died, the commission said.

Wuhan, where daily fatalities had fallen to fewer than 10 since late last month, had no new deaths on Monday.

China reported 30 new asymptomatic cases on Monday, nine of which involved incoming travelers.

Of the new asymptomatic cases, 18 were in Hubei.

About one-quarter of the asymptomatic cases were also imported, the commission said.

Last week, China began disclosing the number of asymptomatic cases for the first time, after growing public concerns over the potential of “silent” carriers to spread the disease.

Fears have also been growing over a potential resurgence in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in December last year.

After a number of asymptomatic cases were confirmed in the city, local authorities revoked the “epidemic-free” status of 45 residential compounds on Monday.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Wisconsin primary moving forward

content_text:
PUBLIC SAFETY:
 The state’s ability to hold a vote could have significant implications for the general election, with the governor saying people are scared of going to the polls

Wisconsin is asking hundreds of thousands of voters to ignore a stay-at-home order in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to participate in today’s presidential primary election, becoming a test case for dozens of states struggling to balance public health concerns with a core pillar of democracy.

The US National Guard would help run voting sites across the state after thousands of election workers stepped down fearing for their safety. Dozens of polling places would be closed, but those that are active would open at 12pm GMT.

Results are not expected to be released election night. In the wake of a legal battle over whether to conduct the election as scheduled, a court ruling appeared to prevent results from being made public earlier than Monday next week.

Dividers stand in the polling location for residents of Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Monday.
 Photo: AP

The election day chaos that loomed over Wisconsin, a premiere general-election battleground, underscored the lengths to which the coronavirus outbreak has upended politics as the Democrats seek a nominee to take on US President Donald Trump this fall.

Former US vice president Joe Biden hopes the state will help deliver a knockout blow against US Senator Bernie Sanders in the nomination fight, but the winner of today’s contest might be less significant than Wisconsin’s decision to allow voting at all.

Its ability to host an election under the lash of a growing pandemic could have significant implications for upcoming primaries and even the fall general election.

“This is a warning sign for November and a problem that states need to take all steps to avoid,” said Wendy Weiser, director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s democracy program. “Americans should not have to choose between their health and their right to vote.”

Democrats in and out of Wisconsin screamed for the low-profile contest to be postponed, yet Republicans — and the conservative-majority state Supreme Court — would not give in.

The partisan split was colored by a state Supreme Court election in which a lower turnout was thought to benefit the conservative candidate.

While Trump’s health advisers encouraged all Americans to stay home, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Andrew Hitt downplayed the heath concerns.

The state had reported nearly 2,500 coronavirus infections and 77 related deaths as of Monday night.

“Wisconsin voters are pretty determined,” Hitt said, adding that Wisconsin residents are still going to the grocery store, the liquor store and even boating stores classified as essential businesses. “I can’t really think of something more essential than voting.”

Hitt said that he would be among those voting in person, even though he did not have a mask to cover his nose and mouth.

On Friday, Trump recommended that all Americans wear masks if they leave their homes.

“I don’t have one. I’m sure most of Wisconsinites don’t have masks,” Hitt said. “This isn’t New York City.”

On the day before the election, it was unclear for hours whether polls would open at all.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued an executive order on Monday afternoon to postpone the election. Less than four hours later, the state Supreme Court sided with Republicans who said that Evers did not have the authority to reschedule the race on his own.

Conservative justices on the US Supreme Court quickly followed with a 5-4 ruling that overturned a lower court’s decision expanding absentee voting.

Evers himself had questioned whether he had the power to reschedule the election, but he said the worsening situation, including an increase in COVID-19 deaths, made clear there was no way to safely move forward.

The Democrat said he sought the delay because he was motivated by protecting public health.

“The people of Wisconsin, the majority of them, don’t spend all their waking hours thinking about are Republicans or Democrats getting the upper hand here,” Evers said. “They’re saying they’re scared. They’re scared of going to the polls.”

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people: 沈榮津 邱顯智

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Postponing tax payments a better solution, NPP says

Both the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have “missed the point” with their proposals to help businesses and people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Power Party (NPP) said yesterday.

The solution is to postpone the collection of individual income and enterprise income taxes, and increase tax credit and deductibles, it said.

Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) on Monday said that the ministry would soon introduce coupons allowing people to make purchases of up to NT$1,000, adding that they would receive a 25 percent discount for each purchase.

Shen said the measure would boost domestic demand by at least 10 times by encouraging people to shop.

The KMT, on the other hand, said that giving people cash is more practical, but that it should exclude the rich and focus on people experiencing financial difficulties.

NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said that neither coupons nor cash would boost the economy after the pandemic eases.

“The KMT caucus and the economics ministry have missed the point with their proposed measures. We believe what should be done now is to delay the levying of individual and enterprise income taxes, and raising tax credits and deductibles,” Chiu said.

Both workers and businesses have suffered tremendously because of the pandemic and whether they can survive the second quarter is a big question, he said, adding that their financial burden would only increase when they have to pay taxes next month.

Postponing the collection of income taxes is the least the government can do to ease their burden, Chiu said.

Relief measures should look after both individuals and enterprises so that they would have no trouble getting through the second quarter, he said, adding that the Executive Yuan should keep this in mind when it drafts its special budget plan.

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title: Virus threatening server supply chain: TrendForce

content_text:
Global server shipments could register a smaller-than-expected increase in the second half of the year as the COVID-19 pandemic hits supply chains in Southeast Asia, Taipei-based market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said in a report on Monday.

Pointing to the spread of the coronavirus in nations such as Malaysia and the Philippines, which are home to major manufacturing sites of server components, TrendForce senior analyst Mark Liu (劉家豪) said that the industry is facing a potential problem in its supply chain as early as the third quarter.

“Given that several of Intel [Corp]’s assembly facilities are located in Malaysia, should the country extend its national lockdown, the production schedule of servers will be impacted in the mid to long-term as a result,” Liu wrote.

Upcoming disruptions in the production of server components in the Philippines could also affect the overall supply chain, Liu said, citing Samsung Electronics Co’s server DRAM packaging operations, which are based in Luzon, after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday extended the lockdown in Luzon to April 30.

“Despite normal levels of production at the moment, Samsung will have to re-evaluate its capacity assignment in the future,” Liu wrote, adding that he expects more uncertainties for already tight DRAM supply.

Global shipments of servers are expected to continue on an upward trend this year on the back of strong demand from the top US providers of cloud services — Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corp, Facebook Inc and Google.

However, that growth could be capped if the pandemic continues to accelerate in the second half of the year, TrendForce said.

The report forecast a 3 percent year-on-year increase in server shipments this year, down from TrendForce’s previous estimate of a 5 percent increase.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Taiwan looks south for its second batch of mask donations

FIGHTING TOGETHER:
 Seven to eight of the 18 countries targeted by the New Southbound Policy have asked about mask supplies, an official said

Seven to eight countries included in Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy would be among the next recipients of its donation of more than 1 million masks to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The nation on Wednesday last week announced that it was donating 10 million masks to countries hit hard by the pandemic.

It said that healthcare workers in the US, Europe and the nation’s diplomatic allies would be among the first recipients of the 10 million masks, while it would assess its aid plan to other countries, including those targeted by the New Southbound Policy.

Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱) told a news briefing in Taipei that seven to eight of the 18 countries included in the New Southbound Policy have asked for help to meet their demand for masks.

The nation plans to donate more than 1 million masks to these and other countries not included in its first round of mask donations, he said, adding that healthcare workers would still be the priority.

While Ger did not name the countries, a source familiar with the matter said Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia and India had asked about mask supplies.

Japan has not asked Taiwan for masks, but as it is a close partner of the nation, the government would take it into consideration when planning its next stage of foreign aid, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary-General Kuo Chung-shi (郭仲熙) said.

Meanwhile, two Taiwanese compatriot leaders in Tokyo yesterday donated 6,000 masks to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, with 3,000 going to ethnic Chinese students and the other 3,000 to Taiwanese students there, Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) wrote on Facebook.

Masks are not easily available in Japan’s store shelves, he said, adding that the office has forwarded the donated masks to students in need.

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content_text:
King’s Town Bank (京城銀行) on Monday reported that net profit for last quarter halved from a year earlier to NT$894 million (US$29.65 million), curtailed by slowing economic activity and stock investment losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tainan-based lender saw its lending in the first three months of the year increase 1 percent, a relatively slow pace, as customers turned conservative amid the pandemic.

The bank, which focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises, has less exposure to businesses in the food and beverage and tourism industries, which have been hardest hit during the pandemic, so it has not received many applications for loan relief, King’s Town spokesman You Qi-wei (尤其偉) told the Taipei Times by telephone.

“We might need to wait until the second half of this year to see if a rapid increase in corporate lending emerges, as investment momentum could be weakened amid the ongoing pandemic,” the bank said.

Stock investment losses eroded handling fees and interest income, as the TAIEX dropped 28 percent from January to last month, causing net profit for last month to decline 98.9 percent annually to NT$6 million, King’s Town said.

Earnings per share last month were NT$0.01 and totaled NT$0.91 for the January-to-March period, the bank said.

“We are not the only bank that has been hit by the bear market. As some of our peers might also have fallen into the red in March due to their larger investments in local shares, I think we did okay,” You said, adding that the bank at one time had more than NT$4 billion of local shares.

To weather volatility on global financial markets, the bank would avoid foreign bonds with ratings of “BBB-” and focus on those with ratings of “A-” or “BBB+,” a manager surnamed Hong (洪) said.

Despite slumping crude oil prices, the bank has no immediate plans to cut holdings of foreign corporate bonds issued by energy companies, which account for 20 percent of its total bond investments, Hong said.

The bank aims to keep its net interest margin — a gauge for bank profitability — at 1.74 percent this year, flat from the end of last year, despite the central bank’s rate cut of 25 basis points, Hong said.

“We will not lower our interest rates for demand deposits, as they are too low, and we will trim lending rates based on borrowers’ credit profiles,” he said.

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title: King’s Town first-quarter net profit plummets 50%


content_text:
MLB, union mulling playing all games in Arizona: sources

Putting all 30 teams in and around Phoenix, Arizona, and playing in empty ballparks was among the ideas discussed by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the players’ association on Monday.

The sides held a telephone call to talk about paths forward for a season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, people familiar with the discussion said.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because no details were announced.

Ideas are still in the early stage and the Arizona option would have many obstacles to overcome, the people said.

Half of the MLB clubs hold spring training in Arizona, the other half in Florida.

Arizona’s advantage is 10 spring training ballparks, plus the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field all within about 80km. Florida’s spring training ballparks are spread by as much as 350km.

“It allows for immediacy of a schedule, where you might be able to begin it and televise it, provide Major League Baseball to America,” said Scott Boras, baseball’s most prominent agent. “I think players are willing to do what’s necessary because I think they understand the importance of baseball for their own livelihoods, and for the interest of our country and providing a necessary product that gives all the people that are isolated enjoyment.”

“It gives them a sense of a return to some normalcy,” Boras added. “You talk to a psychologist about it and they say it’s really good for a culture to have sport and to have a focus like that, where for a few hours a day they can take their minds off the difficult reality of the virus.”

Baseball’s season had been set to start March 26, but spring training was halted on March 12.

After the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for eight weeks, the MLB said it would not open until the middle of next month at the earliest.

Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said that the MLB is examining different options and he did not want to speculate.

“But, obviously, we’d all love to find a way to play, provided we could do safely, and that would be the priority,” Daniels said.

The players’ association would want to survey its members to determine whether they would support such a plan, one of the people said.

“You’re going to be largely separated from your families and you’re going to have to function in a very contained way. It’s not a normal life, this idea,” Boras said. “You’re going to have an identified group of people. You’re going to have a constantly tested group of people and you’re going to have a very limited access of those people to the outside world so that you can assure a very uncontaminated league, if you will, to produce a product that is inspirational to our country.”

Chase Field, with artificial turf and a retractable roof, could be the site of daily triple-headers, Boras said.

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title: [ LETTERS ]

content_text:
WHO failed to listen

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

WHO director-general

April 2, 2020

Dear Dr Tedros,

We hope this letter finds you well. We are the presidents of three Taiwanese-American organizations, the North American Taiwanese Medical Association, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs and the North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association.

We welcome the recent decision by the WHO to initiate a public discussion on Taiwan’s participation, after months of silence and your Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward’s infamous performance during an interview.

We sincerely hope your statement on March 29 can serve as the driving engine for Taiwan’s full participation in the global health body.

However, as concerned civic organizations, we are not convinced of the WHO’s statement that “the question of Taiwanese membership in WHO is up to WHO member states, not WHO staff.”

The WHO’s chief executive agency, the Secretariat, has been unilaterally denying Taiwan’s observer status and membership by distorting the meeting agenda of past annual assemblies. In other words, your WHO staff have been deciding Taiwan’s membership application on behalf of member states.

Taiwan’s participation beyond the annual assembly is also arbitrarily determined by the Secretariat. Of all 187 technical meetings Taiwan has applied to attend since 2009, only 30 percent were approved by your staff.

When the WHO Secretariat has the full authority to invite Taiwan to join, it fails to do so.

Most importantly, we argue that Taiwan’s public health is not a subject to be decided by the WHO Secretariat, nor by the member states. Human rights of 23.5 million Taiwanese should not be put up for a vote.

Discriminating against Taiwan also gravely violates the WHO’s constitution, which states: “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

Ultimately, we believe that only by correcting the WHO’s past unjust practices could we achieve the objective of “health for all,” especially when Taiwan is a country to give more than to receive. It is in the interests of your WHO and the global community to have a seamless public health network.

The failure to listen and share Taiwan’s early warning about the novel coronavirus on Dec. 31 last year has cost thousands of lives.

We shall not repeat this history again.

Sincerely,

Minze Chien (Ph.D.)

Formosan Association for Public Affairs president

PoFu Hsieh (D.D.S.)

North American Taiwanese Medical Association president

Bill Wu (Pharm.D.)

North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association president

Global water crisis

Sixty-three million people suffer from a lack of clean water resources and every 21 seconds, a child dies from waterborne diseases. To fetch water, women and children in Eswatini have to spend six to eight hours a day walking under the fervent sun, enduring the scorching heat.

These are just a few examples of the 21st-century global water crisis, an ongoing yet hidden tragedy happening around us, in real life.

Living in more developed regions, we have access to clean water around the clock: the incessant running water from the fountain, the sink within a minute’s walk.

Gradually, we take our good fortune of having access to water resources for granted, but little do we know that an entirely opposite phenomenon holds true on the other side of the world, in the rural areas of Eswatini.

Prompted by this, a group of Taiwanese students decided to take action and help promote knowledge about the water crisis.

The students formed the Fuhsing Key Club and started to work with the Thirst Project overseas.

The Thirst Project is a youth water charity organization that raises funds to build wells in countries lacking clean water, such as Eswatini and Uganda, providing a platform for high-school students to raise funds and donate.

After coming across this organization, the Fuhsing Key Club decided to become one of the water-fighters.

They contacted the Thirst Project and received permission to create Thirst Project Asia, a division of the Thirst Project. Since then, they have been posting information about the organization on their Instagram account, thirstproject_asia, including facts about the water crisis, how to raise funds and water-lacking countries.

In addition, they also give fundraising speeches and have set up a booth to raise funds during their school anniversary. This group of Taiwanese students want to contribute a little to the world.

There are ways to help prevent the water crisis other than raising funds: conserving water in our everyday lives, reusing water to water plants and closing the faucet as soon as possible.

The story of these students sets an example: Anyone can make an impact on the environment.

We might not experience the first-hand influence of the water issue, but every effort weights significantly.

Taiwan ranks 19th among the countries that lack clean water resources: if we don’t take action now, we will never know what will happen to our water usage in the future.

Iain Li

Taipei

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content_text:
NOT ACCEPTABLE:
 David Clark called himself an ‘idiot’ for flouting lockdown rules twice. The prime minister said that in normal times she would have sacked him

New Zealand Minister of Health David Clark has been demoted after he ignored national lockdown rules and drove his family to a beach 20km from his home.

Last week Clark was photographed going for a mountain bike ride 2km away from his Dunedin home.

He apologized for the incident, saying it showed poor judgement at a time when New Zealanders were being urged to stay at home and only exercise in their local area.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during a news conference at the parliament building in Wellington on Monday last week.
 Photo: Bloomberg

Now Clark has revealed a further indiscretion, calling himself an “idiot” for deciding to drive his family 20km to the Doctor’s Point beach on the first weekend of lockdown.

Lockdown rules state that cars should only be used to purchase essential supplies such as food or medicine, and exercise should be taken in the local area only.

Clark said the revelation came about as part of his preparation for appearing in front of the epidemic response committee yesterday, requiring him to provide New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern “with a complete picture of my activity outside my home during alert level 4.”

Clark said the beach trip during level 4 lockdown was a clear breach, and he had offered his resignation to Ardern — who had not accepted it.

“At a time when we are asking New Zealanders to make historic sacrifices I’ve let the team down. I’ve been an idiot, and I understand why people will be angry with me,” Clark said in a statement.

“As the health minister, it’s my responsibility to not only follow the rules but set an example to other New Zealanders… I’ve apologized to the prime minister for my lack of judgement and offered her my resignation,” he said.

Ardern responded swiftly to Clark’s revelation, stripping him of his associate finance minister portfolio and demoting him to the bottom of the Cabinet rankings.

Political commentators say it is likely Clark will lose the health portfolio when the coronavirus crisis is resolved, and criticized him for failing to show his face regularly or taking on more of a leadership role, leaving that job to New Zealand Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

“Under normal conditions, I would sack the minister of health. What he did was wrong, and there are no excuses,” Ardern said in a statement. “But right now, my priority is our collective fight against Covid-19. We cannot afford massive disruption in the health sector or to our response. For that reason, and that reason alone, Dr Clark will maintain his role.”

“But he does need to pay a price. He broke the rules,” she added.

Ardern said New Zealanders expected their ministers to uphold the rules that they themselves had set, which were trying circumstances for everyone to adhere too.

Under level 4 lockdown, which New Zealanders have been under for nearly two weeks, Kiwis cannot leave their homes except for essential supplies such as food or medicine, and could only take brief bouts of exercise in their local area.

“I expect better, and so does New Zealand,” Ardern said.

Clark is not the only high-profile New Zealander to flout the rules. All Blacks first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga has apologized after he was filmed kicking and passing a rugby ball with other professional players at his local park.

“I want to start off by saying this was not an organized training. There were no communications beforehand saying that we should train in this park together. It was by coincidence that I rocked up and they were there training,” Mo’unga said on social media, but Ardern and NZ rugby have both criticized the meet-up.

Mo’unga went on to say he intended to run around the park alone, but “instinct” made him pick up the rugby ball.

“It’s something that I’ve learnt that even [though it was] my natural instincts, it’s something I need to be more careful of and I will be more careful of,” he said.

Cases of coronavirus have begun to stabilize and decline in New Zealand, with experts saying the country might be the only Western nation with a chance of totally eradicating the disease.

“This does suggest that what we are doing as a nation is working,” Ardern said at her daily media briefing. “We do appear at this early stage to be on track”

Fifty-four new cases of the virus were confirmed yesterday, bringing the total to 1,160.

One person has died from the virus, an older woman with pre-existing health conditions on the west coast of the South Island.

Twelve people are being treated for the virus in hospital, with four of those requiring intensive care.

More people recovered from the illness yesterday than contracted it, Bloomfield said, an encouraging milestone.

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title: Virus Outbreak: N Zealand health minister demoted


content_text:
JAPAN

Virus cushions spending dip

Consumer spending in February fell at a slower-than-expected pace, as households scrambled for protective masks, toilet paper and staple food amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, while spending on travel and entertainment slumped, government data showed yesterday. Household spending fell 0.3 percent from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight month of declines, but it was a smaller drop than a median market forecast, which called for a 3.9 percent decline. Spending on toilet paper jumped 47 percent from a year earlier, while spending on domestic package tours slumped 37 percent, the data showed.

VIETNAM

Rice exports could resume

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the government to resume rice exports, but to limit the volume for this month and next month to 800,000 tonnes, a government statement said yesterday. The volume would be 40 percent lower than a year earlier, the government said, adding that 400,000 tonnes would be exported this month. The plan is awaiting government approval, as a March 25 ban prohibited new rice export contracts to ensure a sufficient domestic supply amid the pandemic.

UNITED STATES

Cash sped up to small firms

The Federal Reserve on Monday said that it would create a new facility to help speed the flow of funds to small companies through the government’s coronavirus stimulus program. The program would provide term financing to banks backed by the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, the central bank said in a statement. Banks have reportedly struggled to understand eligibility details and smaller lenders have especially said that they would exhaust their ability to loan under the program before the Department of the Treasury made funds available. The central bank’s move would help banks bridge that gap by lending to the banks and accepting the Paycheck Protection Program loans as collateral.

ARGENTINA

Virus delays bond payoffs

The government on Monday announced that it is postponing payment on US dollar-denominated bonds until next year to prioritize spending on the pandemic. The decree covers interest and amortization of capital on public debt issued under Argentine law in US dollars. No announcement has been made on debt issued in the US or elsewhere. It did not specify the total amount affected, but media organizations reported that it could reach US$10 billion, with the first payments due next month. The country in February postponed payment on the equivalent of US$1.7 billion in peso-denominated debt.

GHANA

China debt hefty: minister

China must do more to help ease the debt burden of African countries facing economic calamity from the pandemic, Ghanaian Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta said during a conversation on Monday with Washington-based Center for Global Development president Masood Ahmed, which was posted on the think tank’s Web site. “African debt to China is US$145 billion or so, over US$8 billion of payments is required this year... So that needs to be looked at,” Ofori-Atta said. African governments are calling for US$100 billion in assistance, including support for a moratorium on all external debt and eventually some debt write-offs.

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title: World Business Quick Take


content_text:
A : Are you Hakka then?

B : How do you know about that?

A : Because we have some Hakka friends who also do their tomb sweeping after Lunar New Year, not on Qingming Festival.

B : So, why do so many people do it on Qingming Festival?

A : 你該不會是客家人吧？

B : 這你怎麼會知道？

A : 因為我的客家朋友掃墓的時間也是在農曆年後，不在清明節那天。

B : 咦？那為什麼很多人都在清明節連假掃墓呢？

English 英文:

Chinese 中文:

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title: EVERYDAY ENGLISH


content_text:
The Open Championship has been canceled for the first time since World War II due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 149th Open was scheduled to take place at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England, in July, but with the pandemic ripping the sporting schedule to shreds, the event has became the first of the sport’s four majors to be canceled this year.

Golf’s oldest major is to be hosted at the same venue in the county of Kent in July next year.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry poses with the claret jug after winning The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland on July 21 last year.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

“The Open was due to be played in Kent from 12-19 July but it has been necessary to cancel the championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and the R&A’s advisers,” organizer the R&A said in a statement on Monday.

St Andrews is still to host the 150th Open, but a year later than scheduled in 2022.

“Our absolute priority is to protect the health and safety of the fans, players, officials, volunteers and staff involved in the Open. We care deeply about this historic championship and have made this decision with a heavy heart,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said. “We have explored every option for playing The Open this year, but it is not going to be possible. We rely on the support of the emergency services, local authorities and a range of other organisations to stage the Championship and it would be unreasonable to place any additional demands on them when they have far more urgent priorities to deal with.”

“We appreciate that this will be disappointing for a great many people around the world but we have to act responsibly during this pandemic and it is the right thing to do,” he said.

The Open is the latest high-profile tournament to be axed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II last week, while soccer’s Euro 2020 and the Olympics have been pushed back a year.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry won last year’s Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

“Obviously I’m disappointed that I won’t get to defend the Open Championship this year but I feel the R&A have made the right decisions based on people’s health and safety. See you all in Royal St George’s in 2021,” Lowry wrote on Twitter.

Royal St George’s has hosted The Open 14 times, most recently in 2011, when Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke won the event.

The Open, which started in 1860, was also not held from 1915 to 1919 because of World War I.

“Postponement or cancelations is something that we have become accustomed to until everyone is safe and safe to do our sport. It is a shame, but there are things bigger than golf at the moment,” England’s Danny Willett, who won the 2016 Masters, told the BBC.

Both this year’s Masters and PGA Championship were postponed in March because of the pandemic, and were rescheduled after The Open postponement.

The PGA Championship, which was initially due to be held next month, is now set to be staged from Aug. 6 to 9 at Harding Park in San Francisco.

The US Open has been moved from June to Sept. 17 to 20, the week before the Ryder Cup clash between Europe and the US.

The Masters, which usually takes place this month, is now slated to go ahead from Nov. 12 to 15 at Augusta National.

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title: The Open canceled for first time since WWII


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Lockdown has cut Britain’s vibrations, seismologists find

The dramatic quietening of towns and cities during lockdown in Britain has changed the way the Earth moves beneath our feet, scientists said.

Seismologists at the British Geological Survey (BGS) have found that their sensors are twitching less now that human activity has been curtailed, leading to a drop in the anthropogenic din that vibrates through the planet.

The fall in the human hum that rings around the world means that, in theory at least, the scientists should be able to detect smaller earthquakes in the UK, and more distant tremors in Europe and in countries further afield than their equipment usually allows.

“Seismometers measure ground vibrations and the vibrations we want to record are from earthquakes, but because they are so sensitive they pick up other sources too, including human activity, so road traffic, people walking past and nearby factories,” said Brian Baptie, a seismologist at BGS in Edinburgh. “All these things generate vibrations and those propagate through the Earth.”

Human-induced vibrations, known in the trade as “cultural noise,” spread through the planet differently to tremors from earthquakes and tend to die away a few kilometers from their origins.

Yet seismometers placed near urban centers still pick up plenty of noise that makes it harder for scientists to analyze the more valuable seismic data.

The UK’s network of sensitive instruments picked up markedly fewer vibrations last week as the coronavirus lockdown took hold, the researchers found.

“We had a look at the data from some of our seismic stations around the UK and we do see an effect,” Baptie said.

At some sensors, cultural noise is running at five decibels lower than normal, about a quarter down on usual readings.

Similar falls have been spotted by Belgian seismologists based in Brussels.

The BGS operates a national network of about 80 seismometers from the Shetland Islands to Jersey, which provide a constant ear to the ground. The data are pored over by BGS scientists and fed into a global network that is used to monitor earthquakes anywhere on the planet.

In contrast to low-frequency tremors, cultural noise vibrations are high-frequency waves, about 1 hertz (Hz) to 100Hz, that tend to travel through the surface layers of the Earth.

“In theory, this reduction in noise means we should be able to detect more earthquakes in the UK, in Europe and all around the world,” Baptie said.

If so, it would shed light on the frequency of different magnitude earthquakes and, in the case of more distant tremors, how the seismic waves are affected by the Earth’s structure and the characteristics of the shifting faults that unleash them.

Researchers at the BGS now hope to check all their seismometers for the fall in human noise with the aim of producing a map to reveal which areas of Britain have seen the most stark declines in the human hum.

However, the hunt for smaller earthquakes might take longer than the lockdown holds.

“We aren’t in a particularly active region,” Baptie said. “So we may not get anything in the short term.”

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content_text:
Business closures might cause suicide rates to spike, while young people who enter a frozen job market are likely to have shorter life spans

It is the most dramatic government intervention into our lives since World War II. To fight the COVID-19 outbreak, governments across the globe have closed schools, travel and businesses big and small. Many observers have fretted about the economic costs of throwing millions of people out of work and millions of students out of school.

Now, nearly a month after the US and many other countries took sweeping suppression steps that could last months or more, some public health specialists are exploring a different consequence of the mass shutdown: the thousands of deaths likely to arise unrelated to the disease itself.

The longer the suppression lasts, history shows, the worse such outcomes will be. A surge of unemployment in 1982 cut the life spans of Americans by a collective 2 million to 3 million years, researchers found. During the last recession, from 2007 to 2009, the bleak job market helped spike suicide rates in the US and Europe, claiming the lives of 10,000 more people than prior to the downturn.

This time, such effects could be even deeper in the weeks, months and years ahead if, as many business and political leaders are warning, the economy crashes and unemployment skyrockets to historic levels.

Already, there are reports that isolation measures are triggering more domestic violence in some areas. Prolonged school closings are preventing special needs children from receiving treatment, and could presage a rise in dropouts and delinquency. Public health centers would lose funding, causing a decline in their services and the health of their communities. A surge in unemployment to 20 percent — a forecast now common in Western economies — could cause an additional 20,000 suicides in Europe and the US among those out of work or entering a near-empty job market.

None of this is to downplay the chilling death toll COVID-19 threatens, or to suggest governments should not aggressively respond to the crisis.

A recent report by researchers from Imperial College London helped set the global lockdown in motion, contending that coronavirus could kill 2 million Americans and 500,000 people in the UK unless governments rapidly deployed severe social distancing measures.

To truly work, the report said, the suppression effort would need to last, perhaps in an on-again, off-again fashion, for up to 18 months.

In the US, the White House last week said the final toll could rise to 240,000 dead. States have responded to the dire warnings and the escalating number of cases revealed each day, by extending stay-at-home shutdowns.

The medical battle against COVID-19 is developing so rapidly that no one knows how it will play out or what the final casualty count will be.

However, researchers have said history shows that responses to a deep and long economic shock, coupled with social distancing, would trigger health impacts of their own, over the short, medium and long term.

Here is a look at some:

SHORT-TERM CONSEQUENCES

Domestic violence

Trapped at home with their abusers, some domestic violence victims are already experiencing more frequent and extreme violence, said Katie Ray-Jones, the chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Domestic violence programs across the US have cited increases in calls for help, news accounts reported — from Cincinnati to Nashville, Portland, Salt Lake City and statewide in Virginia and Arizona.

The YWCA of Northern New Jersey, in another example, told reporters that its domestic violence calls have risen up to 24 percent.

“There are special populations that are going to have impacts that go way beyond COVID-19,” said Ray-Jones, citing domestic violence victims as one.

Vulnerable students

Students, parents and teachers all face challenges adjusting to remote learning, as schools nationwide have been closed and online learning has begun.

Some experts are concerned that students at home, especially those living in unstable environments or poverty, would miss more assignments.

High-school students who miss at least three days a month are seven times more likely to drop out before graduating and, as a result, live nine years less than their peers, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report.

Among the most vulnerable: the more than 6 million special education students across the US. Without rigorous schooling and therapy, these students face a lifetime of challenges.

Special needs students “benefit the most from highly structured and customized special education,” said Sharon Vaughn, executive director of the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at the University of Texas. “This means that they are the group that are most likely to be significantly impacted by not attending school both in the short and long term.”

In New Jersey, Matawan’s Megan Gutierrez has been overwhelmed with teaching and therapy duties for her two nonverbal autistic sons, eight and 10. She is worried that the boys, who normally work with a team of therapists and teachers, will regress.

“For me, keeping those communications skills is huge, because if they don’t, that can lead to behavioral issues where they get frustrated because they can’t communicate,” Gutierrez said.

MEDIUM-TERM CONSEQUENCES

Soaring suicides

In Europe and the US, suicide rates rise about 1 percent for every 1 percentage point increase in unemployment, according to research published by lead author Aaron Reeves from Oxford University.

During the last recession, when the unemployment in the US peaked at 10 percent, the suicide rate jumped, resulting in 4,750 more deaths. If the unemployment rate increases to 20 percent, the toll could well rise.

“Sadly, I think there is a good chance we could see twice as many suicides over the next 24 months than we saw during the early part of the last recession,” Reeves told reporters.

That would be about 20,000 additional dead by suicide in the US and Europe.

Less than three weeks after extreme suppression measures began in the US, unemployment claims rose by nearly 10 million.

US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said the rate could reach 20 percent and US Federal Reserve economists predicted as high as 32 percent.

Europe faces similarly dire forecasts.

Some researchers have cautioned that suicide rates might not spike so high.

The conventional wisdom is that more people will kill themselves amid skyrocketing unemployment, but communities could rally around a national effort to defeat COVID-19 and the rates might not rise, said Anne Case, who researches health economics at Princeton University.

“Suicide is hard to predict even in the absence of a crisis of biblical proportions,” Case said.

Last week, the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, relaxed its strict social isolation policies after the apparent suicides of two senior cadets last month, the Gazette, a Colorado Springs newspaper, reported.

While juniors, sophomores and freshmen had been sent home, the college seniors were kept isolated in dorms, and some had complained of a prison-like setting.

Now, the seniors would be able to leave campus for drive-thru food and congregate in small groups per state guidelines.

Public health crippled

Local health departments run programs that treat chronic diseases such as diabetes. They also help prevent childhood lead poisoning and stem the spread of the flu, tuberculosis and rabies.

A severe loss of property and sales tax revenue following a wave of business failures will likely cripple these health departments, said Adriane Casalotti, chief of government affairs with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, a nonprofit focused on public health.

After the 2008 recession, local health departments in the US lost 23,000 positions as more than half experienced budget cuts.

While it has become popular to warn against placing economic concerns over health, Casalotti said that, on the front lines of public health, the two are inexorably linked.

“What are you going to do when you have no tax base to pull from?” she asked.

Carol Moehrle, director of a public health department that serves five counties in northern Idaho, said that her office lost about 40 of its 90 employees amid the last recession.

The department had to cut a family planning program that provided birth control to women below the poverty line, and a program that tested for and treated sexually transmitted diseases.

She worried that a depression will cause more harm.

“I honestly don’t think we could be much leaner and still be viable, which is a scary thing to think about,” Moehrle said.

LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES

Job-loss mortality

Rises in unemployment during large recessions can set in motion a domino effect of reduced income, additional stress and unhealthy lifestyles.

Those setbacks in income and health often mean people die earlier, said Till von Wachter, a University of California, Los Angeles, professor who researches the impact of job loss.

Von Wachter said that his research of past surges in unemployment suggests that displaced workers could lose, on average, a year and a half of lifespan.

If the unemployment rate rises to 20 percent, this could translate into 48 million years of lost human life.

Von Wachter cited measures he believed could mitigate the effects of unemployment. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act approved by the White House last month includes emergency loans to businesses and a short-time compensation program, which could encourage employers to keep employees on the payroll.

Young people suffer

Young adults entering the job market during the coronavirus suppression might pay an especially high price over the long term.

First-time job hunters seeking work during periods of high unemployment live shorter and unhealthier lives, research shows.

An extended freeze of the economy could shorten the lifespan of 6.4 million Americans entering the job market by an average of about two years, said Hannes Schwandt, a health economics researcher at Northwestern University, who conducted the study with Von Wachter.

This would be 12.8 million years of life lost.

Thousands of college graduates are to enter a job market at a time global business is frozen.

Jason Gustave, a senior at William Paterson University in New Jersey who would be the first in his family to graduate from college, had a job in physical therapy lined up. Now his licensure exam is postponed and the earliest he could start work is September.

“It all depends on where the economy goes,” he said. “Is there a position still available?”

WHAT COMES NEXT

In the weeks ahead, a clearer picture of the disease’s devastation would come into focus, and governments and health specialists would base their fatality estimates on a stronger factual grounding.

As they do, some public health experts have said, the US government should weigh the costs of the suppression measures taken and consider recalibrating, if necessary.

Jay Bhattacharya, who researches health policy at Stanford University, said he worries that governments worldwide have not yet fully considered the long-term health effects of the impending economic calamity.

The coronavirus can kill, he said, but a global depression will, as well.

Bhattacharya is among those urging government leaders to carefully consider the complete shutdown of businesses and schools.

“Depressions are deadly for people, poor people especially,” he said.

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title: COVID-19 lockdown takes its own toll on health


content_text:
Before boarding a flight from northeast China back to Beijing in late February, Bunny Fan called her landlord’s agent to make sure she could even get back into her apartment. No problem, she was told.

The next day, the 27-year-old office worker found herself standing in the pouring rain outside of her building in China’s capital, pleading with an elderly security guard to let her inside.

However, he said that the rules had tightened since she got on the airplane and it took her nearly a month to jump through all the hoops of China’s vast new virus bureaucracy to get back home.

“That old grandpa guarding the gate seemed to have more power and control over my life than a god,” Fan said, recalling the episode. “How is it that me — a person who listens to the government, and followed every order — ended up not being able to go home for a month?”

Fan’s ordeal shows how the Chinese government’s efforts to get the economy moving again after weathering the worst of China’s COVID-19 outbreak is clashing with the reality on the ground. Migrant workers looking to finally travel back to their jobs in Beijing and other major cities must cope with constantly changing quarantine policies enforced by local officials whose decisions often seem arbitrary.

The move to end the lockdown in Wuhan — the city at the epicenter of COVID-19 — today could spur even more problems. The opening of surrounding Hubei Province last month spurred rare clashes between police from two different forces as authorities in neighboring regions sought to prevent a second wave of infections.

China reported 31 additional confirmed coronavirus cases by the end of Thursday last week, with 29 of them from abroad, according to a statement from the Chinese National Health Commission. It has more than 82,000 cases overall.

For migrants like Fan, it is difficult to do the right thing even when trying to follow all the rules. Like many workers who traveled back to see family over the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, Fan had returned to her hometown in Yanji near the North Korean border.

On the morning of Feb. 29, she was ready to finally resume work at her company in the tourism sector after the government extended the holiday period to try and control the virus. Fan was assured by her apartment operator, Ziroom, an online rental platform that helps owners lease property, that she would have no trouble getting back into her co-rented apartment.

Under the impression that she would immediately go into a 14-day quarantine after getting back to Beijing, Fan did not bring any spare clothes — not even socks or underwear. Instead, she stashed her suitcase with disinfectant, rubber gloves, instant noodles, ham, kimchi and her mother’s home-made dumplings.

Fan caught an early flight back to Beijing and arrived at her residential complex in the eastern district of Chaoyang at about noon. The security guards at the front gate peeped through a small window and asked her to stand outside in the rain, which was turning from a drizzle into a heavy downpour.

After waiting for about 20 minutes, the elderly man at the gate informed her that policies had changed that morning. Now to get in, Fan would need her flatmate to also spend 14 days quarantined with her — something that was impossible because she could not get approval to work from home.

For the next four hours, Fan called around in desperation looking for a place to stay. She telephoned the police and government hotlines, but they said the earliest they could get back to her would be in one to five days.

She rang up Ziroom, which said they could help her look for vacant apartments elsewhere, but the rooms would not come with blankets or daily sanitary supplies such as toothbrushes or toilet paper.

Fan also did not have any money to stay in a hotel. Earning about US$1,200 a month, she spent one-third of her income on rent. She had just handed over payment for her lease, spending the last bit of her savings.

Fan’s flight back to Beijing had cost 2,000 yuan (US$281) and hotels required a 14-day upfront payment.

Finally, she found a friend who agreed to go through quarantine with her and take her in. For Fan it was a godsend, even though she spent the next month wearing her friend’s clothes, pajamas and even socks.

The next hoop she had to jump through was obtaining a barcode issued by the government to prove that she had undergone the 14-day period quarantine. On day one she signed in to a mini-program operated by the Beijing government on WeChat. For the next two weeks, she registered her whereabouts and temperature every day. Because she was paranoid that policies would change again, she even recorded videos of herself daily as evidence.

The QR codes generated by WeChat and Alipay have become a convenient tool for Chinese authorities to monitor the virus outbreak, while also triggering privacy concerns and challenges for people seeking to leave the country.

Fan’s final challenge was an entry and exit permit to her residential complex. For that, she needed the health QR code generated on WeChat and documented proof that she was staying under quarantine with her friend from local officials. The authorities demanded that her friend’s landlord scan his ID, provide proof that he owned the apartment and sign a letter to vouch for Fan.

“I felt like they were trying to make me prove that my dad was my dad, and my mum was my mum,” said Fan, who was so frustrated during her quarantine that she began seeking therapy online. “I wanted to cry, but I was so frustrated it didn’t even make sense to cry.”

On the day before she decided to go back to her apartment, Fan rang the neighborhood committee hotline, telling them that she had obtained all the documents required. They were still unsure whether she could go back. Out of anger, her friend grabbed the phone and yelled at them, saying if they still refused to give Fan a permit she would soon run out of money and starve.

“She asked them are you going to be responsible if she starves to death, are you going to take care of her if she has no money to put food on the table,” Fan said. “That’s when they finally relented.”

Fan recorded them giving her clearance to go home, just out of fear that the security guards on the ground again would not let her in.

She was right to be afraid. When Fan got to the gates of her residential complex, the elderly man on security watch said he had no idea whether she could be let in. Fan had to play back the entire recording, walk him through the documents and throw a fit before he finally agreed to give her an entry and exit permit.

“I’m just so freaked out by the word ‘policies’ — policies are the sky and earth, policies keep changing every day,” Fan said. “When I look back at this whole experience, it seems that no one is at fault, but it does make me realize that when you’re a little nobody, you can be so helpless.”

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title: One worker’s journey home shows China is not normal yet


content_text:
In first, US brands white supremacists as foreign terrorists

The US on Monday branded a Russian far-right organization a terrorist group, the first time it has targeted purported white supremacists with action frequently used against jihadist groups.

The move comes after ambivalent messages about white supremacists by US President Donald Trump, who notoriously defended participants in a neo-Nazi rally.

The US Department of State said the Russian Imperial Movement runs two paramilitary training camps in Saint Petersburg and has pulled in neo-Nazis from across the Western world, including Swedish militants who carried out violent attacks.

Members of the Russian Imperial Movement Dmitry Gaydun, right, and Sergei Zinchenko pose for a picture with weapon simulators at a training base in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Feb. 28, 2015.
 Photo: AFP

“This is the first time the United States has ever designated white supremacist terrorists, illustrating how seriously this administration takes the threat,” State Department counterterrorism coordinator Nathan Sales said.

“We are prepared to target any foreign terrorist group, regardless of ideology, that threatens our citizens, our interests abroad or our allies,” he said.

The Russian Imperial Movement and three of its leaders were blacklisted as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, meaning they will not be admitted to the US and that any US assets they hold will be blocked.

The designation also aims to have a chilling effect on banks and other institutions overseas unlikely to want to deal with a US-described terrorist group.

Sales said that two extremists from Sweden, known for its generosity toward refugees, traveled in August 2016 to Saint Petersburg to undergo 11 days of paramilitary training with the group.

They returned to Sweden and carried out a series of attacks, including a bombing outside a migrant center in Gothenburg that gravely injured one person, the State Department said.

“This group has innocent blood on its hands,” Sales said.

The monarchist movement has deployed volunteers to fight in nationalist causes, including on behalf of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.

“It’s incredible. It’s nonsense, of course,” Denis Gariyev, one of three leaders put on the blacklist, said of the designation.

“In the same way you could recognize tens of thousands of volunteers as terrorists. Yes, we took part as volunteers,” he said of the group’s participation in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

He denied that the group promoted racial supremacism, saying: “We couldn’t do so because we are an Orthodox organization.”

“This is politics. Probably they want to use us as a bogeyman. They need an ‘image of the enemy,’ after all,” he added.

The group’s Web site says its militants train in martial arts and knife-fighting in the belief that “not being a warrior for a modern man in Russia is criminal weakness.”

A Russian court in 2012 banned a group Web site as extremist, according to the Ministry of Justice, but Moscow has not designated the group as a whole as terrorist.

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content_text:
Serbian coach Radomir Antic, the only person to manage Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona, died on Monday at the age of 71 following a long illness.

“The Atletico de Madrid family is mourning the passing of Radomir Antic, one of our legendary coaches. You will forever live in our hearts. Rest in peace,” the club wrote on Twitter.

Spanish sports daily Marca said that Antic had been suffering from a serious illness for a long time.

Serbia soccer coach Radomir Antic speaks at a news conference in Belgrade on June 28, 2010.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

Antic, who first moved to Spain as a player with Real Zaragoza in 1978, managed Atletico across three different spells between 1995 and 2000, leading the club to a league and cup double in his first season.

He also coached Barcelona during the second part of the 2002-2003 campaign after replacing Louis van Gaal.

His first stint at one of Spain’s big clubs came during a 10-month spell with Real Madrid in 1991-1992.

On the international stage, he led his native Serbia to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where his team beat Germany 1-0 in the group stage, but failed to advance to the knockout rounds.

The Serbian Football Federation paid tribute to Antic as it confirmed the news of his death on its Web site.

“All those who knew Radomir will from now on have an emptiness in their heart, and Serbia can be proud to have had such a man who was abroad and represented a source of pride,” the federation wrote.

After leaving Partizan Belgrade in 1976 to sign for Fenerbahce, Antic moved to Zaragoza for two years before finishing his career in England with Luton Town.

He helped the club achieve promotion to the English top flight in 1981-1982 and then scored the goal that helped them stay up on the final day of the following season.

“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Town legend Radomir Antic, at the age of 71. A true Hatters hero, for promotion and preventing relegation. The thoughts of all at Kenilworth Road are with his family and friends at this terribly sad time. Rest in peace, Raddy,” the club wrote on Twitter.

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title: Serbian coach Antic dies aged 71 after long illness


content_text:
Boeing Co on Monday said that it would repeat a test flight of its astronaut capsule following last year’s botched demonstration, which NASA considered a perilous close call.

The company is looking to fly a second Starliner capsule, once again without a crew, possibly this fall, Boeing spokesman Jerry Drelling said, adding that astronauts fly aboard the following mission if all went well.

The Starliner’s debut in December last year was marred by software errors. The capsule ended up in the wrong orbit and, as a result, could not reach the International Space Station as intended.

Investigators later determined that the capsule could have been destroyed in flight — twice — as a result of the mistakes.

“Flying another uncrewed flight will allow us to complete all flight test objectives and evaluate the performance of the second Starliner vehicle at no cost to the taxpayer,” the company said in a statement.

Boeing earlier this year said that it took a US$410 million charge in its fourth-quarter earnings, to pay for a potential repeat.

NASA hired Boeing — along with SpaceX — to transport astronauts to and from the space station, and ease the space agency’s costly reliance on Russian rockets for launching crews.

SpaceX is on track to launch two NASA astronauts aboard its Dragon crew capsule next month. It would be the first human launch from Cape Canaveral since NASA’s space shuttle program ended in 2011. The company is shooting for mid-to-late May.

SpaceX’s first test flight of its crew Dragon a year ago, without a crew, was successful.

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title: Boeing to redo test flight of astronaut capsule after flop


title: Liverpool jettison furlough plan after stinging criticism

content_text:
Liverpool on Monday were forced to apologize as the English Premier League club ditched their controversial plan to furlough non-playing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, while FIFA urged players and clubs to reach agreement over wage reductions.

Liverpool faced stinging criticism from fans and former players after revealing over the weekend that the club planned use the British government’s furlough scheme.

Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s US-based owners, wanted to put about 200 employees on enforced leave while the British government paid 80 percent of their wages.

Fellow top-flight teams Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City have already furloughed staff, but it was table-toppers Liverpool — with a pretax profit of ￡42 million (US$51.8 million) for last season — who came in for the most criticism, in part due to their reputation as a club with a strong bond to Merseyside’s working-class community.

The fierce backlash sparked a sudden climbdown as Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore wrote an open letter to supporters announcing that the club would opt for “alternative means” to the furlough route after consulting “key stakeholders.”

“We believe we came to the wrong conclusion last week to announce that we intended to apply to the Coronavirus Retention Scheme and furlough staff due to the suspension of the Premier League football calendar, and are truly sorry for that,” Moore wrote.

With the Premier League postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus outbreak, Manchester City and Manchester United said that they would not be using the British government’s job-retention scheme.

Liverpool’s U-turn came as England’s top-flight teams, among the richest in the world, were under increasing scrutiny, with British government ministers warning bosses and players they should “think carefully” over their next moves.

FIFA on Monday urged clubs and players to reach agreement on taking wage reductions to protect clubs who are suffering financial damage, sources said.

It also recommended that players’ contracts be extended until the end of the interrupted seasons and that the transfer window should not open until that time.

The call from FIFA came as Premier League clubs were locked in talks with players and their representatives about taking pay cuts.

The English top flight is lagging behind other European leagues.

In Spain, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid players have agreed to pay cuts of 70 percent.

Many politicians have urged action from the Premier League and in a poll conducted last week, 92 percent of respondents said they backed pay cuts, but some leading players resent the political pressure.

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has criticized the British government and the Premier League for placing players in a “no-win” situation.

“In my opinion it is now a no-win situation,” Rooney wrote in a newspaper column. “Whatever way you look at it, we’re easy targets.”

Meanwhile, Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor, head of the English players’ union, said that he would not take a cut to his ￡2 million salary.

“The PFA will make donations and the PFA is involved in the players’ charity,” Taylor told the Guardian when asked if he would accept a reduction in salary.

Taylor added that his members believed the Premier League’s suggestion of a proposed 30 percent wage reduction across all top-flight clubs was impractical given the teams’ differing financial positions.

“You can’t have one suit fitting all sizes because there is such a variance in income and expenditure,” he said.

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