Staff writer, with CNATravelers entering Taiwan from Indonesia are to face fines if they are caught bringing pork products into the nation, the Central Emergency Operation Center for African Swine Fever said yesterday. The announcement came after Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed in a weekly report released on Thursday by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that an African swine fever outbreak has taken place in its Sumatra Province. Increased pig mortality has been reported in North Sumatra and other provinces since late September, and the FAO is drafting recommendations on African swine fever control that would be appropriate for conditions in Indonesia, the report said. Visitors from African swine fever-affected and high-risk countries and regions who attempt to bring pork products into Taiwan face a fine of NT$200,000 (US$6,597) for first-time offenders, followed by fines of up to NT$1 million for repeat offenders, the center said. Indonesia joins Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, North and South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam as countries from which travelers entering Taiwan must have their carry-on luggage checked due to confirmation of African swine fever in those countries or territories, the center said.

By Sean Lin / Staff reporterLawmakers yesterday tightened rules in the Criminal Code related to violence and coercion perpetrated as a collective action, while stiffening penalties on offenders who wield weapons in such acts. The amendments were introduced in the wake of a host of violent incidents in March in central and southern Taiwan that involved street melees. However, the prison term for leaders and enforcers of violence or coercion remain unchanged at six months to five years. People who wield weapons or other dangerous items while attempting to carry out acts of violence or coercion, or whose actions jeopardize public safety or disrupt traffic, would face a 1.5 times longer prison term, the amendments say. The defendant should review the urban plan within two months of a lawsuit being filed to ascertain whether the plan conforms to the law, the amendments say.

By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is not planning to change the way it operates, despite Beijing’s sanctions against US non-governmental organizations working in Hong Kong, NED president Carl Gershman told the Taipei Times in an interview in Taipei on Wednesday, adding that it hopes to work more closely with Taiwan to defend democracy. “We’re not gonna change what we do,” Gershman said when asked if the sanctions would influence the organization’s activities. That’s something between people in Hong Kong and China. Gershman expressed the hope that there could be some temporary settlement of the confrontation in Hong Kong. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in 2012 tasked the Chinese Communist Party with writing a secret communique, Document No.

By Kao Shih-ching, Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerFar Eastern Air Transport (FAT, 遠東航空) chairman Chang Kang-wei (張綱維) yesterday said he aims to resume normal operations at the company, if authorities approve, as he has secured pledges for funds. He remains committed to FAT, Chang said. Later yesterday, Chang sent a letter to FAT employees, saying that management was working to solve the financial problems and hoped they would all remain at their posts. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the ministry would do everything in its power to protect the rights of consumers, FAT employees and travel agencies. FAT’s management should explain how the situation developed, and the company should take full legal and social responsibility for suddenly halting operations yesterday, he said.

The act previously stipulated a prison term of at least seven years for personnel spying for an external force, or three to 10 years if leaked intelligence was not in the three categories. If they leaked other classified information while spying for an external force, they would face a prison term of seven to 10 years, the rules say. The minimum penalty for active or retired intelligence personnel who have been recruited by an external force to conduct espionage missions was raised from three to seven years in prison. The penalty would also apply to personnel found to have attempted to spy for an external force, the amendments say. Intelligence personnel who have accrued seniority and their families should be granted the same healthcare and childrearing benefits that retired military personnel receive, the resolution says.

With 649 of the 650 results declared yesterday, the Conservatives had 364 seats and the main opposition Labour Party 203. Results poured in early yesterday showing a substantial shift in support to the Conservatives from Labour. In the previous election in 2017, the Conservatives won 318 seats and Labour 262. The result this time delivered the biggest Tory majority since Thatcher’s 1980s heyday, and Labour’s lowest number of seats since 1935. He said that if the Conservatives won a majority, he would get Parliament to ratify his Brexit divorce deal and take the UK out of the EU by the current Jan. 31 deadline.

ReutersThe pound yesterday hit multiyear highs against peers after a convincing Conservative Party win in the UK election, which is expected to clear the Brexit political gridlock that has hounded Britain’s markets for years. “We’ve already seen a strong reaction in the pound from the exit poll,” said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney. The pound surged more than 2 percent to reach US$1.3516, the highest since May last year, before settling at US$1.3469. In the onshore market, the yuan surged to 6.9570 against the US, the strongest level since Aug. 2. The Australian dollar rose 0.2 percent to A$0.6925 after briefly touching the highest since July.

By Jason Pan / Staff reporterMembers of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused former premier Simon Chang (張善政) of discriminating against women, while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) vice presidential candidate said that his words had been misconstrued. “I am a woman who is not married and does not have children, which some have made into a big issue,” Tsai wrote on Facebook. “Looking back to when Chang was premier, what did he do for our children?” she asked. DPP Legislator Lin Ching-yu (林靜儀), an obstetrician and gynecologist, said that people must not use sex and physiology as criteria when choosing a president. “I have not seen clean campaigning, because the DPP has no achievements to tout, so it is resorting to negative tactics.”Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-guang

BloombergJapan’s large manufacturers were losing optimism for the first time in more than six years as the government mulled measures to prop up the economy, according to a survey released by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) ahead of its meeting next week. Sentiment among Japan’s biggest product makers slid to 0 from 5, according to the bank’s quarterly tankan survey released yesterday. Confidence has now weakened for four consecutive quarters, with the drop to zero indicating there are now as many pessimists as optimists. Sentiment at large companies outside the factory sector held up better than expected and capital spending plans edged up from the previous quarter. Still, resilience in the service sector suggests the damage from the global slowdown is still largely contained to Japan’s manufacturers.

The deal presented to Trump by trade advisers on Thursday included a promise by the Chinese to buy more US agricultural goods, the people said. Trump on Thursday tweeted that the US and China are “VERY close” to signing a “BIG” trade deal. Discussions now are focused on reducing those rates by as much as half, as part of the interim agreement Trump announced almost nine weeks ago. Even amid the positive signs on trade, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday highlighted the other confrontations between the two sides. “The outcome of US-China trade talks will be a key determinant of the trajectory for 2020 growth.

Reuters, BEIJINGChinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday said that the US had seriously damaged the hard-won mutual trust between the countries by criticizing Beijing over issues such as Hong Kong and the treatment of Muslim Uighurs. “Such behavior is almost paranoid and is indeed rare in international exchanges, seriously damaging the hard-won foundation of mutual trust between China and the United States, and seriously weakening the United States’ international credibility,” Wang said. Wang was speaking at an annual symposium in Beijing on international affairs. Wang said that China would “resolutely fight against external forces that interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs” and “sever the black hands” supporting revolution in Hong Kong. Aquilino called for China to “adhere to the international rights of all, in accordance with international law, as recognized by all nations in the region.”Additional reporting by AP

FAT yesterday morning said that its Web site was temporarily shut down for maintenance, which was what happened on Nov. 23, 2016, the day TransAsia Airways terminated its operations. “Since 2011, people have seen how hard FAT chairman Chang Kang-wei (張綱維) has worked to fund the airline’s operations,” Huang said. We would try to protect employees.”Asked when he had last seen Chang, Huang said that the chairman’s secretary reported he was in his office on Wednesday morning. The CAA formed an emergency response team at 8am yesterday and asked the company’s management to explain the situation, he said. The unexpected announcement has left 500 people stranded overseas, with 169 passengers in China and 331 elsewhere, Fang said.

BloombergNestle SA is selling its US ice cream business that includes brands such as Haagen-Dazs and Drumstick to a joint venture with private equity firm PAI Partners for US$4 billion. The venture, Froneri, was created in 2016 when the Swiss company merged its European ice cream business with PAI-owned R&R. The US ice cream business being divested had sales of US$1.8 billion last year, while Froneri had revenue of 2.9 billion Swiss francs (US$2.95 billion), Nestle said. The deal would give Froneri a 10 percent global market share, compared with Unilever’s 18 percent, Bloomberg Intelligence said, citing Euromonitor data. The ice cream deal also follows Nestle’s decision to cut about 4,000 jobs linked to the direct delivery system of frozen pizza and ice cream to stores, and instead transition to a warehouse model to lower costs.

AP, WASHINGTONThe administration of US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hit Iran with new sanctions that target several transportation firms as it continues its “maximum pressure campaign” against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The sanctions target Iran’s state shipping line and a China-based company that has been involved in delivering missile parts to Iran. “Today’s designations put the world on notice that those who engage in illicit transactions with these companies will risk exposure and sanctions themselves,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for Iran’s UN Mission, tweeted later on Wednesday: “These sanctions are directly targeting ordinary Iranians’ livelihood, but they will not be cowed by pressures by any foreign power. “I do hope the exchange that took place will lead to a broader discussion on consular affairs,” Pompeo said.

Covering the six or so kilometers to Gaomei Wetlands (高美濕地) took me more than half an hour. The wetlands, which lie between the mouth of the Dajia River (大甲溪) and the Port of Taichung (台中港), didn’t exist half a century ago. The building of Gaomei Levee in 1976 led to a rapid accumulation of silt and sand. In 2004, Taichung County Government — which merged with Taichung City in 2010 — demarcated 701.3 hectares of dry land and seashore as Gaomei Wildlife Sanctuary (高美野生動物保護區). This area includes the most-visited part of the wetlands near the tiny settlement of Yuliao (魚寮).