content_text:
最新刊於《自然微生物學》的研究指，實驗性抗病毒藥物 Molnupiravir 可治療雪貂的武漢肺炎（COVID-19）感染，並可能可在 24 小時內完全抑制致病冠狀病毒 SARS-CoV-2 傳播，這亦是首度發現有口服藥物可快速阻斷該病傳播。不過，專家提醒研究結果暫時只是來自動物實驗，要被廣泛採用仍言之尚早。

Molnupiravir 最初被佐治亞州立大學發炎、免疫力與感染中心教授 Richard Plemper 團隊發現對治療流感病毒有效。Plemper 指，很早就注意到 Molnupiravir 具有針對感染呼吸道 RNA 病毒的廣譜活性，餵食該藥予受感染動物時，亦能令其脫落的病毒顆粒數量降低幾個數量級（order of magnitude），從而大大減少疾病傳播，因此成為有力控制 COVID-19 疫情的候選藥物。

在研究中， Plemper 的團隊在雪貂身上測試 Molnupiravir 阻止 SARS-CoV-2 傳播的能力。團隊解釋，由於過往研究顯示雪貂被冠狀病毒感染時，與人類產生的反應相近，而牠們之間很易傳播 SARS-CoV-2 ，但大多不會發展出嚴重病徵，與年輕人間的傳播非常相似。

團隊首先感染雪貂，其後當確認雪貂從鼻脫出病毒顆粒時，開始使用 Molnupiravir 治療。團隊發現當受感染雪貂服用 Molnupiravir 後，在同一個籠生活的雪貂不會因接觸而感染 COVID-19 ，相反只服用安慰劑的則會感染同一籠雪貂。團隊指，當數據轉化為成在人類身上，即是 COVID-19 患者可在服用該藥物 24 小時後變得無感染性。

Plemper 向《霍士新聞》表示，如果 Molnupiravir 被證明有效，將會提供另一工具對抗疫情，特別是該藥不需住院或任何形式的醫療協助就可以使用。他認為，該藥可真正預防或減少患者出現嚴重病徵的可能性。

不過， Plemper 提醒研究結果只是來自動物實驗，要被廣泛採用，仍言之尚早。

該抗病毒藥目前正於出現 COVID-19 併發症住院治療患者身上進行臨床測試。

來源：MediaXpress, Oral drug blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission, 3 December 2020Fox 5 Atlantic, Georgia State researchers say oral antiviral stopped spread of coronavirus in animal study, 4 December 2020

報告：Cox, R.M., Wolf, J.D. & Plemper, R.K. (2020). Therapeutically administered ribonucleoside analogue MK-4482/EIDD-2801 blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets. Nat Microbiol (2020). doi: 10.1038/s41564-020-00835-2

文／Alan Chiu

journalist: 立場科學

events: 武漢肺炎 疫情 COVID-19 冠狀病毒

title: 【武漢肺炎】首發現口服抗病毒藥　一日內完全抑制傳染　專家提醒：僅在雪貂測試 | 立場科學 | 立場新聞


content_text: 「瑜豐珠寶設計」公司去年10月在台中市長榮桂冠酒店設櫃，沒幾個月即遇上新冠肺炎疫情，所幸在公司本已有相當基礎下，經營穩健。負責人彭武瑜回想，因為堅持誠信、真實，以及能緊跟潮流而行，使得他不僅32歲時第一次創業即成功，且多年來即使遇到風浪也能安然度過。57歲的彭武瑜說，當完兵後，曾在保險公司擔任講師，後來和好友一起轉換跑道進入台北市一家珠寶公司從事銷售。3年時間裡，他習得了珠寶銷售的技巧，也看到了商機，爭取叔叔的支持，因此拿土地向農會貸款300萬元，做為創業基金，自行創業，並在3、4年間把叔叔的錢還清，從此在珠寶界做出一番天地。 彭武瑜銷售的珠寶，許多科技界、建築界和醫界人士都是他的客戶。他說，珠寶必須具有獨特性和稀有性，客戶才會收藏。因此，他特別注意找尋特殊的物件，經精心設計，令人印象深刻，希望擁有。他創業之初即喜歡選擇在精品店設櫃，接觸高層客源，也積極參加國內外的珠寶展，長期下來，打下堅實的客戶基礎。原本，彭武瑜已因私人因素呈半隱居狀態，但有感於多年來光是自己收藏的東西就不少，「不流通一下也沒什麼意義」， 因此選擇了安全性高的飯店設點；真正的用意，還是希望能讓這些珠寶的光彩能與大家分享。

events: 新冠肺炎 疫情

title: 第一桶金／飯店設櫃 珠寶賣出商機


content_text:
2020/12/05 05:54

〔記者洪定宏／高雄報導〕高雄凌晨驚傳3輛汽車飆速追逐，雙方從三民區尬車數公里到鳥松區追撞後，波及路邊無辜的4輛計程車，尬車的1人受傷，但無生命危險。

警方指出，今（5）日凌晨約2點30分，盧男開車行經三民區建工路與大豐路口，看到與他疑似有財務糾紛的王男，通知藍姓友人開小貨車，一起攔截王男。

王男發現後，立刻驅車離開，盧男與藍男分別開車在後追逐，從建工路右轉鳥松區本館路，疑因車速過快，發生車禍，波及停放路旁的4輛計程車，王男雙腳擦傷送醫治療，無生命危險。

警方調閱路口監視器，釐清肇事責任歸屬，若有交通違規，將開單告發，並依公共危險罪嫌偵辦。

taiwan-subdivisions: 高雄 鳥松區 三民區

title: 3車高雄街頭瘋狂尬車 波及4輛小黃1人受傷


content_text:
娛樂中心／綜合報導

男星彭于晏不僅是是許多女孩的夢中情人，拍戲拼命三郎的個性也讓不少人相當敬佩，但近日彭于晏傳出在拍攝電影《緊急救援》時，險些發生溺水的意外，險象環生的恐怖畫面曝光後，也讓粉絲看得心驚膽戰。

▲彭于晏新電影近日即將在中國上檔。（圖／翻攝自彭于晏工作室微博）

彭于晏在電影《緊急救援》，飾演交通海上應急反應特勤隊隊長高謙，新片也即將在12月18日上映，官方微博為了宣傳，陸續上傳不少花絮片段。4日晚間，《緊急救援》微博放上一段拍攝花絮，影片中，只見彭于晏穿著專業的潛水服與黃色安全帽，身上還掛著幾條繩索，親自下水拍攝。

▲彭于晏親自下水拍攝，卻差點發生意外。（圖／翻攝自緊急救援微博）

但沒想到水流速度驚人，一波大浪襲來讓彭于晏措手不及，整個人直接被沖入了水裡，彭于晏的腿還疑似被東西勾住，完全無法掙脫浮出水面。幸好工作人員發現後，在第一時間就跳入水中搶救，才沒讓危機擴大，不過驚險的畫面曝光，仍讓不少粉絲嚇壞了。

▲彭于晏最後被工作人員救上岸，並無大礙。（圖／翻攝自緊急救援微博）

而彭于晏事後受訪時，也談到了這場戲，但他僅僅淡然地表示，「這些經驗都是我的養分，這部電影拍完後也讓我更懂得生命可貴，自然可畏的道理。」敬業態度讓粉絲相當心疼，紛紛留言「安全第一啊」、「彭于晏拍戲很拼真的不是說說而已」、「拍緊急救援真的吃了很多苦，差點搭了命」、「還好我的男神沒事」、「這部戲真的是用生命在拍」。

▲彭于晏拍戲相當敬業，讓粉絲心疼又佩服。（圖／翻攝自彭于晏工作室微博）

journalist: 綜合

title: 彭于晏拍新片傳意外！遭沖水底「浮不上來」 搶救畫面曝光 | 娛樂星聞


content_text:
In a global chocolate war,it is Hershey against West AfricaAccusations by the Ivory Coast and Ghana are a further hit to the reputations of chocolate makers,which have come under pressure for their role in deforestation, child labor and poverty

Some in the world’s chocolate markets see a hefty premium charged by the largest cocoa producers as blunt instrument wielded by the OPEC of confections — a tool of a faraway cartel that artificially inflates the price of a precious commodity.

To the leaders of Ivory Coast and Ghana, where most of the world’s cocoa is produced, the argument is something else entirely: a lifeline for farmers who would otherwise be held hostage to giant corporations.

Now those competing viewpoints — globalization reduced to a chocolate bar — have collided in spectacular fashion, thrusting the normally secretive machinations of some of the world’s biggest chocolate companies, cocoa traders and processors into rare public view.

The governments of Ivory Coast and Ghana have accused Hershey Co — the maker of Kisses, Reese’s and other chocolate treats — of trying to skirt around the US$363-a-tonne premium they have slapped on cocoa, aimed at boosting incomes for hard-pressed farmers. They also said Mars Inc changed its buying patterns to avoid paying the charge.

Hershey last month upended markets when it unexpectedly bought large amounts of cocoa through the futures market, squeezing the New York contract.

“Some chocolatiers and trade houses have adopted covert strategies to circumvent the farmer income improvement mechanism with the aim of collapsing it,” Le Conseil du Cafe-Cacao managing director Yves Kone and Ghana Cocoa Board chief executive Joseph Boahen Aidoo said in a statement on Monday, adding that they would do “whatever is within our power to protect the over 3 million farmers from impoverishment.”

In retaliation, Ivory Coast and Ghana suspended all of the Pennsylvania-based company’s sustainability programs, a move that could hurt sales to ethically minded consumers.

“It is unfortunate that Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana have elected to distribute a misleading statement this morning and jeopardize such critical programs that directly benefit cocoa farmers,” Hershey said in a statement, adding that it was paying the premium, known as the Living Income Differential (LID), for cocoa purchases from the 2020-2021 season. “We buy a substantial supply sourced from West Africa.”

Many cocoa growers in West Africa live below the poverty line, growing beans on only 1 or 2 hectares.

Chocolate makers and cocoa processors agreed to pay the West African nations the LID and other charges on top of futures prices, but after the COVID-19 pandemic slashed demand, companies needed to cut costs to weather a second wave of lockdowns from Paris to Los Angeles.

Since then, some exporters in Ivory Coast stopped buying cocoa, asking to pay a smaller quality premium known as the Country Differential, making it harder for the nation to sell about 250,000 tonnes of cocoa still left on the books.

There has also been reluctance to pay the charge in Ghana.

“Ivory Coast and Ghana might be sending a stern warning to the trade, but they also need to be able to sell their cocoa of which they have plenty of,” said Judy Ganes, president of J. Ganes Consulting, who has followed the cocoa market for more than 30 years and previously worked for Merrill Lynch. “This is a stare down for sure with gloves off, and [it] will be interesting to see who blinks first.”

Hershey’s unexpected move to source cocoa through the exchange sent this month’s contracts on ICE Futures to a record premium over March. The company highlighted at the time that it was buying cocoa with the LID, but that there were still beans in the market that were sold prior to the implementation of the premium.

Hershey also said it needed cocoa from other origins to keep the consistency and taste its customers expect.

“The conspiracy and machinations by your company to evade the payment of the LID demonstrates your passive commitment to improve the incomes of three million West African cocoa farmers,” Kone and Aidoo said in a letter to Hershey on Monday, adding that failure to comply with the orders would mean companies could lose their licenses to operate in the nations.

The regulators also took aim at Mars, saying that the maker of Twix migrated the bulk of its cocoa butter purchases from its traditional processors, buying from Asian grinders JB Cocoa and Guan Chong Berhad instead just to avoid paying the premium.

Mars said it “categorically disagrees” with the allegations and highlighted that it was the first major manufacturer to support the LID.

The accusations are a further hit to the reputations of chocolate makers, which have come increasingly under pressure for their role in deforestation, child labor and poverty.

Earlier this year, a report sponsored by the US government said that child labor worsened a decade after the US$100 billion chocolate industry pledged to reduce it.

Hershey is an especially big name, as an icon whose bars helped power US troops across Europe during World War II.

Companies running sustainability programs on behalf of Hershey would also be barred from operating them, the nations said.

The move could have “significant implications for cocoa farmers and local communities,” said Antonie Fountain, managing director at the Voice Network, which has called for more industry regulation.

The group argued in its 2020 Cocoa Barometer report that farmers need to receive about US$2,800 a tonne, up from US$1,600 a tonne.

“Whatever happened in the futures market in the past two weeks has been entirely legal, the question is whether these things should be legal or whether you should be able to force all companies to pay a fair price to farmers,” Fountain said. “Shutting down the sustainability programs is exactly the wrong thing to do because it hurts the farmer.”

Ivory Coast and Ghana also accused Chicago-based cocoa processor Blommer Chocolate Co, which usually processes large amounts of beans for Hershey, of collaborating, according to a separate letter sent to the Cocoa Merchants’ Association of America in which the nations withdrew their membership from the group.

“We regret that there has been an expression of doubt about the industry’s support of cocoa farmer income levels and, more specifically, the Living Income Differential,” Blommer said in a statement on Tuesday. “Despite the impact of COVID-19 on chocolate demand, Blommer expects to purchase its average annual tonnage of cocoa from Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana with full LID pricing for delivery in calendar 2021, with a majority having already been purchased to date.”

The nations also said that Olam International Inc, the third-largest cocoa processor, pursued a strategy of reducing the amount of Ghana and Ivory Coast beans from its recipes.

The Singapore-based trader reiterated its “strong support” for farmers and boosting their incomes, in line with the objectives of the LID.

“As one of the largest buyers of cocoa from Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, our commitment is unwavering and we continue to support and purchase cocoa from both countries,’ Olam head of cocoa Gerry Manley said.

Ivory Coast’s regulator confirmed the letters and the statement. Ghana Cocoa Board spokesman Fiifi Boafo could not comment when reached by telephone on Monday.

The cocoa squeeze in New York might not be as bad for Ghana and Ivory Coast as the nations have argued so far. That is because Hershey’s purchase, while big for an exchange delivery, is only a fraction of their total production. With New York prices much higher than London futures, which form the basis to which the LID premium is added, there is now a bigger incentive for other chocolate makers to buy again in the physical market, brokers and traders said.

Ivory Coast and Ghana have in the past threatened to suspend chocolate firms’ sustainability programs to get them to buy cocoa with the LID, a tactic that has previously worked, but market conditions are “vastly different” now, Ganes said.

While many companies have supported the idea of boosting farmer incomes, many have struggled to manage risk as the LID and other surcharges cannot be hedged. That becomes even more acute at times of slowing demand.

The problems Ivory Coast and Ghana “face now are a direct result of trying to impose a poorly thought out premium for all their cocoa no matter how much they produce,” said Derek Chambers, a former head of cocoa at Sucden, who retired in 2018 after 50 years trading. “Both origins will be unable to sell their all their cocoa and will be left at the end of the season with surplus stocks. This is no way at all to help their farmers.”

Ivory Coast and Ghana also said that they are reviewing their membership of the Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC) in London, and “reconsidering the incentives and the licenses granted to members of the FCC which are directly or subtly rejecting LID.”

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

title:
In a global chocolate war,
it is Hershey against West Africa


content_text:
華新科（2492）於盤前公告，由於未達最低收購數量，華新科公開收購閎暉（3311）一案未成就，據統計，參與應賣的股數僅占閎暉股份0.236％，低於原訂目標5～9.9％股權。

華新科日前宣布以每股30元價格，公開收購閎暉5～9.9％股權，希望拉高對閎暉持股，公開收購之前，華新科持有閎暉15％股權，並掌握兩席董事席次。

不過在公開收購期間，僅14.2萬股參與應賣，以閎暉股本約6億元計算，等於僅0.236％的閎暉股東參與應賣，未達最低收購門檻300萬股，因此華新科盤前公告，該公開收購一案未成就。

華新科表示，本次公開收購收購期間，參與應賣之閎暉實業股份有限公司普通股數量為142,030股，因公開收購之條件並未成就，實際成交數量為0股。

此外，華新科指出，本次公開收購未達「最低收購數量」，原向應賣人所為之要約全部撤銷，由台新國際商業銀行股份有限公司之「台新國際商業銀行股份有限公司公開收購專戶」轉撥回應賣人之原證券集中保管劃撥帳戶。

journalist: 工商時報 李淑惠

title: 未達最低收購數量 華新科公開收購閎暉未成


content_text:
方順吉拍攝反毒微電影，老婆小獅也跨刀拍攝。（記者陽昕翰攝）

〔記者陽昕翰／新北報導〕方順吉受邀與內政部警政署的刑事警察局合作，推出公益單曲及反毒微電影，嬌妻小獅也跨刀拍攝，對過去染毒污點，方順吉選擇正向看待，「講到方順吉，一個是百萬童星、一個是毒品，既然揮不去避不掉，我要如何善用，發揮到最大的社會效益。」

童星出身的方順吉，2003年因服食搖頭丸遭勒戒，2006年又持大麻被捕，提及年少時沾毒，他說：「當時爸媽身體不好，家裡沒有經濟來源，我除了唱歌最大的興趣就是運動，但因為脊椎滑動需要開刀，導致意志消沉，自甘墮落。」

至今沒再碰毒的方順吉娶妻生子，今年也入圍了台語歌王，卻坦言：「到現在還是會有網友，質疑我以前吸毒的事，所以我主動到醫院驗毒，感謝邀請單位百分之百相信我。」不忘向酸民喊話，「假如對我有質疑，我都可以再去驗，你們可以幫我付錢。」

things: 台語 經濟

title: 方順吉撕沾毒形象 揪老婆一起反毒