Netflix has more than 60 million customers in the US, accounting for more than half of broadband homes. However, it is on pace for its fewest customer additions since the company split its streaming service from its DVD business in 2011. BROAD CLIENTELENetflix added about 28 million customers in Europe over the past three years, and it is on pace for its most gross additions yet — all while raising prices. Netflix is experimenting with lower-cost plans in India and Indonesia, countries that are home to more than 1.5 billion people. Netflix investors are to get a better sense of its progress on Jan. 21, when the company is slated to release fourth-quarter earnings.

Hon Hai, known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), said in a statement that, based on company policy, it would not comment on market rumors about its clients or products. The company has begun assessing its standard operating procedures while authorities investigate the matter, Hon Hai said, adding that it would not indulge employees implicated in such acts. The statement came after the Chinese-language online Mirror Media reported on Tuesday that top managers at Hon Hai have been involved in misappropriating assets since at least 2016, by selling defective iPhone casings, originally meant for destruction, under the table. The vendor had also told Hon Hai executives of the matter, but to no avail, it said. Hon Hai executives should shoulder the responsibility, Gou said.

AFP, MACAUChinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday landed in Macau as the territory prepares to mark 20 years since the former Portuguese colony was returned to China, a celebration that stands in stark contrast with months of unrest in neighboring Hong Kong. Since the 1999 handover by Lisbon, Macau has witnessed little of the dissent that has exploded in Hong Kong during six months of often violent pro-democracy protests as large chunks of the population seethes under Beijing’s rule. Tomorrow, Xi is to preside over the inauguration of incoming Macanese chief executive Ho Iat Seng (賀一誠). Security checks were also increased in Hong Kong’s ferry terminals and on the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge linking the two territories. However, while Macau has grown rich and been politically stable in the 20 years of Chinese rule, it has many vulnerabilities.

By Chung Li-hua and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew Party legislator-at-large nominee Chiu Yi (邱毅) has been called a “traitor” on social media after appearing on Chinese television twice over the past week discussing Taiwan’s military defense systems. Government reports calling the Kestrel missiles “anti-tank missiles” were an exaggeration, Chiu said. This is further evidenced by the formation of the Quick Reaction Company at the 202nd Military Police Command Headquarters in Taipei, the commander of which is a woman, Chiu said. Appearing on the program again on Sunday, Chiu said that while the Kao Hsiung has a phased array radar system and a vertical launching system — which are standard equipment on destroyers worldwide — the systems aboard the Kao Hsiung are outdated. Tsai has been imploring the public to stand united against China and assuring them that the Taiwanese military can resist a PLA invasion, he said.

By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterMany people say they feel “not very safe” or “very unsafe” about Taiwan’s childcare environment, a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) showed. Respondents were told that a score of 6 or higher was considered a passing score, TFCF said. News reports represent just a “small number” of cases of child abuse, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital child psychiatrist Sophie Liang (梁歆宜) said. Unexplained injuries, changes in behavior and daytime wetting are some signs that could indicate that a child is under stress, she said. Although posting an incident online might draw attention, people should report abuse through official channels, TFCF said.

After the Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives approved the bill 377-48 on Wednesday last week, the Republican-led Senate on Tuesday passed it 86-8. The legislation has been forwarded to the White House, with US President Donald Trump expected to sign it into law. The act also requires the US secretary of defense to submit a report on establishing a high-level and interagency US-Taiwan group to tackle new cybersecurity issues within 180 days of the act taking effect. The ministry thanked the US for again demonstrating its firm support for Taiwan-US military cooperation, and for its concern about Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, she said. America is the leader of the free world, in large part because we are able to defend our values.

Wang was listed as a suspect and released on bail of NT$250,000 (US$8,269) yesterday morning, but authorities would have to wait to talk to Chang Wei, who was not in Taiwan. The investigation has found that about 30 travel agencies allegedly created forged documents and bogus itineraries to help Chinese officials enter Taiwan illegally, colluding with Hung Ching-lin (洪慶淋), a retired journalist formerly with the Chinese-language China Times and the alleged mastermind of the operation, officials said. After his release, Chang An-le told reporters: “My son is running a proper travel agency, which collects service fees from Chinese tourists. He has reportedly registered more than 100 nonprofit organizations and shell companies, which he allegedly used to organize purportedly short-term cross-strait exchange programs. These organizations allegedly used forged documents to apply with the National Immigration Agency for entry permits for Chinese nationals to visit Taiwan on “package tours,” bypassing background checks for people associated with the Chinese government.

The European Green Deal announced by the European Commission is the first comprehensive plan to achieve sustainable development in any major world region. Again, the critics would regard the talk of public consultations as naive fluff. Both are urgently searching for a path of public consultations, but after the fact. The European Green Deal shows government as it should be, not government subordinated to corporate interests. Europe’s Green Deal is in fact a demonstration of successful European social democracy — in an operational rather than a narrow partisan sense.

By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe Taiwanese economy is forecast to expand 2.58 percent next year, following an estimated 2.62 percent growth this year, with private investment lending further support, albeit at a slower pace, Academia Sinica said yesterday. “Indeed, we are less optimistic [than the DGBAS] because major economies around the world are slowing down, which is unfavorable to Taiwan’s exports,” Academia Sinica research fellow Ray Chou (周雨田) said. In that case, GDP growth for next year could surge to 3.81 percent, Academia Sinica said. However, if downside risks materialize, economic growth could soften to 1.47 percent, it said, adding that chances of the extreme scenarios happening are slim. Academia Sinica revised up its projection for this year’s GDP growth from 2.01 percent to 2.62 percent.

By Ann Maxon and Jason Pan / Staff reportersChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday defended calling President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) an “ill-starred woman” (衰尾查某, literally “droopy-tailed woman”) on Tuesday, despite criticism from politicians across party lines. Has Tsai Ing-wen not brought misfortune to Taiwan?” Wu asked. “I find such a political culture unacceptable and we will not accept any personal attacks against women using such language,” Tsai said. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and New Power Party (NPP) Secretary-General Wu Pei-yun (吳佩芸) have both demanded an apology from Wu. Tsai has demonstrated that a woman president can lead the nation and be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, she added.

AFP, TOKYOA Tokyo court yesterday awarded ￥3.3 million (US$30,122) in damages to journalist Shiori Ito, who accused a former TV reporter of rape in one of the most high-profile cases of the #MeToo movement in Japan. The civil case made headlines in Japan and abroad, as it is rare for rape victims to report the crime to the police; according to a 2017 government survey, only 4 percent of women come forward. Ito, 30, has become an outspoken symbol for #MeToo in Japan, where the movement against sexual harassment and abuse has struggled to take hold. Yamaguchi continues to deny any wrongdoing and had filed a countersuit against Ito, seeking ￥130 million in compensation. She said she hoped that the case would change what she called the “underdeveloped” legal and social environment surrounding rape in Japan.

By Lisa Wang / Staff reporterNewly installed solar power capacity is expected to increase about 38 percent next year, thanks to a lower-than-expected feed-in-tariff (FIT) reduction of 3 percent, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. However, the ministry in January compromised for an average reduction of 4.5 percent annually for new solar capacity deployed this year. The smaller cut is to boost solar installations and help the government reach its solar installations goal,” TrendForce analyst Sharon Chen (陳君盈) said in a statement. At least 550MW of new solar capacity must be connected to the grid each quarter of next year for the government to reach its goal, Chen said. TrendForce expects solar module prices to fall 6 percent annually next year, as most suppliers are not planning to expand capacity.

By Hsieh Ying-shih and Kao Szu-chi 謝英士，高思齊Last week, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, the environmental organization Germanwatch released this year’s Climate Change Performance Index, in which Taiwan was ranked 59th. In that year, the Democratic Progressive Party administration announced its plan to transition the nation’s energy resources to 50 percent natural gas, 30 percent coal and 20 percent renewable energy by 2025 — not a huge shift in reliance on fossil fuels. When renewable energy facilities are built, trees have to be cleared to make space for the transmission lines and substations that relay power to the grid. Considering how far the nation’s climate performance has gone off track, maybe more emphasis should be placed on adaptation. For example, the traditional territories in the process of being assigned to the nation’s Aborigines make up nearly a quarter of Taiwan’s total area, so the key role of Aborigines in this age of climate change should not be overlooked.

By Wu Chia-ying, Wu Po-hsuan and Rachel Lin / Staff reportersStudent associations can use university rosters for the purposes of holding student elections, the National Development Council said on Tuesday, after the National Taiwan University (NTU) Student Association reported that the university had denied its request for the list. Universities should provide guidance to student associations and other organizations in their exercise of student self-government, an anonymous council official said, citing Article 33 of the University Act (大學法). However, use of personal data should still abide by the principle of proportionality described in Article 5 of the Personal Data Protection Act, the official said. Although the council believes providing the association with a student roster would not involve the Personal Data Protection Act, it also mentioned that the use of personal data should adhere to the principle of proportionality, NTU said. The ministry is to ask NTU to provide its student association with a roster and to take measures to protect the data, it added.

BloombergAn adviser to China’s central bank urged authorities to take measures to prevent “systemic risks” from the failure of local government borrowing platforms, and warned of a “chain reaction” should defaults be allowed to damage market confidence. Stronger LGFVs could also seek to go public or acquire listed firms to boost their financing abilities, he said. However, Ma said that government intervention is still needed to prevent “systemic financial risks” and local governments should also take on some responsibility to come up with measures to address hidden debts. A similar incident last year briefly jolted China’s bond market as well. LGFVs have 8.5 trillion yuan of notes outstanding onshore and US$69.8 billion in offshore markets, data compiled by Bloomberg showed.