Italy raised 6.55 billion euros (US$7.31 billion) in its first 5G auction in 2018 and Germany obtained 6.5 billion euros in its auction last year, it said. However, all of the telecoms targeted the 3.5GHz frequency band, of which a total of 270 megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth was placed on auction. Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信) secured 90MHz of bandwidth in the 3.5GHz band, followed by Far EasTone Telecommunications (遠傳電信) with 80MHz. Bids for 3.5GHz bandwidth totaled NT$136.43 billion. The 1.8GHz frequency band failed to attract any bids, the commission said.

By Jason Pan / Staff reporterLawmakers and legal experts yesterday called for an investigation into the involvement of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Secretary-General Alex Tsai (蔡正元) in the case of self-confessed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強), saying that Tsai breached the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) by allegedly collaborating with China to interfere in the recent presidential and legislative elections. New Power Party Chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said he asked the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to initiate an investigation into Tsai, as he believed the evidence showed that China was using its “representative in Taiwan” to meddle in the spy case and influence the outcome of the elections. DPP legislators Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) and Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) echoed the call, with Lee saying that Tsai appears to have contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法), as well as laws governing elections and referendums. “Prosecutors only have to find out the role played by Alex Tsai, whether he was acting on behalf of the Chinese government. If so, then he broke the law and this can be prosecuted under the Anti-infiltration Act,” Lee said.

By Ann Maxon / Staff reporterWecare Kaohsiung and other groups are pressing ahead with their efforts to recall Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), despite his loss in the presidential election and Han’s pledge on Wednesday to work hard for the city’s residents. A total of 1,030 residents were interviewed on Monday and Tuesday and 53 percent said they support the campaign to recall Han, while 32 percent said they do not. Several civil groups last month submitted 30,000 petition papers to the Central Election Commission in a bid to launch a recall vote on Han. If they succeed, a recall vote could be held in May or June. Now that Han has returned to Kaohsiung, the recall campaign is something he must face, Chen said.

By Su Meng-chuan, Chou Hsiang-yun and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerFoodpanda couriers yesterday went on strike across the nation to protest a company decision to reduce their pay. Couriers would have to work 1.5 times more to earn enough to eat, the protesters said. Foodpanda Self-help Group convener Liu Yun-cheng (劉雲程) accused the company of unilaterally changing their contracts without first consulting couriers. The seemingly high pay should take into consideration that couriers have to shoulder other expenses, such as gas, scooter repair and insurance fees, Liu said. The demonstrators added that Foodpanda’s unrestricted contracting of new couriers has led to lower orders and squeezed margins for deliverers.

AFP, WASHINGTONThe US economy showed less-than-stellar growth in the final weeks of last year, but produced solid holiday sales and enters the new year with a “modestly favorable” outlook, the US Federal Reserve said on Wednesday. On the day the US and China signed a long-awaited partial trade truce after months of conflict, the Fed said tariffs continued to weigh on the economy in some regions. “In many districts, tariffs and trade uncertainty continued to weigh on some businesses,” the report said. However, “expectations for the near-term outlook remained modestly favorable across the nation,” it said. Overall economic growth in the area “slowed to a slight pace,” it said.

Some schools leave decisions about phone restrictions to each classroom, while allowing phone use under specific circumstances. The student can use such a phone to contact their parents or for academic purposes with their teacher’s permission, Hsu said. Affiliated Senior High School of National Chung Hsing University requires students to turn off their devices at school, unless a teacher says otherwise. Taichung Municipal Chang-Yie Senior High School keeps its junior-high students’ phones for them and requires senior-high students to turn off devices. The Ministry of Education said schools have autonomy to define phone use regulations, as long as decisions are made through a democratic process involving teachers, parents and students.

Chinese companies are leading the fundraising, accounting for 97 percent of the proceeds raised, the data showed. There are 196 Chinese companies listed on major US exchanges with a combined market value US$1.2 trillion, Bloomberg’s data showed. Among those firms, BeiGene Ltd (百濟神州) and Alibaba are the only two with a second listing in Hong Kong. Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla on Tuesday said that he expected Glaxo to pursue an IPO in three to four years. However, Glaxo chief strategy officer David Redfern said in an interview at the meeting on Wednesday that an IPO is not the only option.

A small number of European companies in China are involved in BRI, the EU Chamber of Commerce in China said in a survey of its members released yesterday in Beijing, with transparency topping the list of challenges European companies face. A slightly larger number of European companies have seen positive knock-on effects through access to new logistics options and increased trade flows with countries hosting projects, it said. Given the initiative’s scale, most respondents referred to their level of involvement as “crumbs from the table,” the report said. While it has advocated for the program to be more open, the chamber said it was not yet an inclusive, open global initiative. About a quarter of respondents indicated that the BRI was changing, trending toward improvement rather than worsening across various aspects of the initiative.

Nepal has one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage even though the practice was banned five decades ago and the legal marrying age is 20. Such marriages are declining but child rights activists warn an increasing number of underage couples are eloping for “love marriage” — a term used to describe unions by choice. ‘BETRAYING MY FUTURE’Tamang said voluntary child marriages, like forced unions, still pose the same risks, including dropping out of school, domestic violence and health problems. While the Nepali government has implemented a national strategy to end child marriages — punishable by jail terms and a fine — by 2030, it acknowledges the program can only be successful if the roots of the problem are tackled. Meanwhile, underage love marriages are rarely reported to authorities, with families only seeking legal recourse if they disapprove of unions such as inter-caste marriages.

BloombergEuropean auto sales last month jumped to a record high, fueled by an end-of-the-year buying frenzy ahead of tough new emission penalties for automakers and changes in consumer incentive programs. Passenger-vehicle registrations rose 21 percent to 1.26 million, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said yesterday. The double-digit percentage gain was enough to push annual sales 1.2 percent higher to 15.8 million, reversing the previous year’s slight drop. Sales more than doubled in the Netherlands ahead of an increase in the tax rate for electric company vehicles to 8 percent from 4 percent. BMW AG, Volkswagen’s Audi and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz also reported higher sales last year.

AP, HONG KONGThe “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unknown in China could continue after a 2047 deadline if loyalty to Beijing is upheld, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) said yesterday. Hong Kong has been wracked by often violent anti-government protests since June last year, although they have diminished considerably in scale following a landslide win by opposition candidates in elections for district councilors late last year. Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese rule in 1997 with a promise that it would maintain its own capitalist economy and Western-style institutions for 50 years. Beijing routinely accuses political opponents in Hong Kong of seeking to split the territory from China with the backing of foreign forces. “I would be very surprised if Lam’s warning would be heeded in Hong Kong,” Tsang said.

By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterA majority of respondents in a post-election opinion poll urged President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to initiate a cross-strait dialogue, while Beijing’s latest moves indicate that it might be considering softening its Taiwan policy, the pan-green Cross-Strait Policy Association said yesterday. Up to 78 percent said they support Tsai’s call for “peace, reciprocity, democracy and dialogue” across the Taiwan Strait in her speech, he said. A dialogue between the pan-green and pan-blue camps might pave the way for a new cross-strait dialogue, association researcher Chang Yu-shao (張宇韶) said. For a cross-strait dialogue to happen, leaders from the two sides must agree on certain political bases, association president Stephen Tan (譚耀南) said, urging Beijing to acknowledge the existence of the Republic of China (ROC). Asked about the planned US deployment, Tan said that Taiwan-US ties are in a dynamic balance and would change in correlation to cross-strait relations.

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporterCtiTV News has been fined NT$600,000 (US$20,033) for broadcasting a false statement by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Tainan City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) in one of its political talk shows, the National Communications Commission said yesterday. Viewers had complained about an episode of News Tornado (新聞龍捲風) aired on June 24 last year, the commission said. Hsieh’s comments were determined to be rumors intended to cause panic, the commission said. “In this case, the host should have pressed Hsieh for evidence to support his claims, but failed to do so,” it said. CtiTV has been fined a total of NT$5.63 million for contravening the act 11 times since last year, he said, adding that seven of the infractions were related to coverage of Han.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should be mindful of the risks that the cards pose to people’s basic rights and refrain from hastily passing a budget, the groups said. The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday agreed to hold extraordinary meetings until Wednesday next week, with marathon sessions running through today and tomorrow. During two question-and-answer sessions in May and September last year, opposition and some DPP legislators called into question “glaring” inadequacies in laws regarding the protection of personal information, Ho said. Taiwan Forever Association secretary Peng Chih-cheng (彭至誠) said that the Household Registration Act has no reference to chipped identification cards or protection regarding personal information. Contracting outside sources to make chip-embedded identification cards could lead to duplication and people’s information being leaked to China, Peng added.

Democrats released the files on Tuesday as they prepared to send articles of impeachment to the US Senate for Trump’s trial. The documents add new context to their charges that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Democrats as he withheld military aid. In the letter, Giuliani requests a meeting with Zelenskiy “as personal counsel to President Trump and with his knowledge and consent.”In the letter, Giuliani said he would be accompanied at the meeting by Victoria Toensing, a Washington attorney and Trump ally. In several of the documents, Parnas communicated with Giuliani about the removal of Yovanovitch. The ambassador’s ouster, ordered by Trump, was at the center of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.