© Pool photo by Colin Murty
根据台湾媒体“镜周刊”，包括总统府谘议吴尚雨、民进党前党工邱世元、黄取荣等三人疑涉共谍案，经台北地检署声请羁押禁见获准。台北地检署则表示，报导指涉嫌国安案件业经收押等情事，因全案仍在侦办中，不便回应。
台湾的网络媒体“太报”报道，总统府总统办公室聘用谘议吴尚雨，遭中国情治单位吸收，潜伏在总统赖清德身边，将总统的一举一动透过好友、民进党资深党工邱世元，交给邱世元的好友、民进党籍新北市议员李余典特助黄取荣，黄再前往中国交给中共情治人员，吴尚雨出卖总统，以此收取中共数百万元台币的好处。
《自由时报》报道，知情人士指出，确实有几位绿营幕僚涉及国安案件，泄漏赖清德总统行程等信息，在二月中旬收押，检方仍在厘清相关人士涉案情况，不排除扩大侦办。
此外，台湾前立法院长游锡堃办公室助理盛础缨涉受中国情治单位吸收，疑提供立法院机敏资料，经北检指挥调查局国安站发动搜索，约谈盛到案，讯后廿万元台币交保，并限制出境、出海，及实施电子脚镣监控。
台湾的总统府发言人郭雅慧回应，不针对个案或政治人物的刻意指涉进行评论，但任何人只要涉犯背弃国家，做出伤害人民的渗透或统战行为，都应该受到最严厉的制裁。总统府态度始终一致，不分党派、不问身分，皆勿枉勿纵、依法严办。有鉴于中国对台渗透、统战日趋严重，各项国安法制强化刻不容缓，呼吁不分朝野党派全力支持，共同因应来自威权的威胁。
© Reuters
来者很容易在实皆市的瑞恒达寺庙（Shwe Hintha Taik Thit）迷路。通往寺院的狭窄山道泥土松软，交错的树枝将光线都染成绿色。无论从哪个方向望去，视野总是被层层叠叠的树木、纠缠不清的灌木丛所遮挡，十余座寺院建筑在其中忽隐忽现。
先望见金色的佛塔，再是三座纪念碑和一座钟楼围成的四边形。纪念碑顶端站立着缅甸传说中的神鸟，象征吉祥和平，底端刻着瑞恒达寺庙的光荣历史。这座寺院有一位著名的长老，曾在美国和非洲传教，圆寂于102岁。在他的带领下，瑞恒达寺庙成为研修佛学和僧侣修行的枢纽，也被猜测藏有《三藏经》的手稿。
2025年3月31日，纪念碑前飘浮着酸臭味，像是腐肉发酵后混合了氨水的臭，在40摄氏度的高温下变得黏稠，停滞在空气中。
寺院的建筑物在三天前的地震中坍塌，成了菩提树下的一块块废墟，仅有讲经堂还保留着主体结构。满地都是佛塔的碎片，佛塔上那些神鸟、僧侣和恶鬼塑像都仰面朝天，静静地躺在石砾中。
在3月28日的大地震中，瑞恒达寺庙有17人遇难，包括1个老和尚、5个小和尚和11个修行者。86岁的大住持正在医院接受治疗，68岁的二住持坐在大凉棚内，平静地说天灾降临，人力无为，他为自己还活着感到幸运。死去的人或许是遵循了自然法则，也或许去往了更好的世界。
与老师父的平静同时存在的，是关于曼德勒重灾区SkyVilla公寓的最新传说：12层公寓Sky Villa在三分钟内坍塌成废墟，里面压着两三百个冤魂，石板下回荡着他们的哭笑和敲击声；他们不愿独自死去，紧紧抓住幸存者的身体不让救援者拉出。这个传说在不同人的口中细节各异但情节相似，信者众多，继而有人在废墟上洒驱鬼水。
瑞恒达寺庙的建筑低矮，震后搜救已经结束，僧侣们在等待清理废墟。接下来，能怎么住就怎么住，有地方睡觉就可以。二住持拿出手机展示了自己曾经的居所，湖蓝色墙体用金箔装饰着佛教图样，三层宝塔式屋顶。“有两人压在里面，我因为不在屋内，所以活下来了。”他说。
一阵风从芭蕉树的方向吹来，摇晃着破破烂烂的树叶，吹向寺院一侧直径两米的蓄水池。寺院附近的居民正站在蓄水池边洗澡，裹着浴巾搓手臂，老人坐在池边，洗衣、叹气。
实皆是距离缅甸7.7级地震震中最近的城市。大地从三公里外裂开，绵延百里。在亚达纳邦大桥（Yadanabon Bridge）的两端，地面裂开一米宽的口子，沉降落差从两米攀升至五米。
地震当日，全城断水断电断网。于2008年通车的亚达纳邦大桥被震出裂缝，南面相邻、由英国人始建于1934年的阿瓦大桥（Ava Bridge）则垮塌了一大半。在此之前，两座桥承担着实皆与曼德勒两个重镇，乃至整个伊洛瓦底江两岸的大部分交通连接。
如今，实皆市是缅甸最重要的佛教中心，也是2021年缅甸政变后，政府军与反政府武装的交火地带。实皆市区由政府管理，而周边村镇、山区均被反政府武装控制。
在最需要救援的时间里，往南的两座桥无法通行，往北是交战区，实皆陷入困境。
地震发生后的前两日，关于实皆的传闻众说纷纭。传说实皆的灾情比曼德勒严重几百倍——震后第二日，就有外国救援队抵达曼德勒；也有人说，有缅甸当地志愿者去实皆，但被地雷炸伤；社交媒体上则风传，有两个想去送物资的人被反政府军击毙，当地新闻还说，反政府军在倒塌的寺庙里埋了地雷。
这些信息亦真亦假，在紧急状况下难以核实。在一轮又一轮的传播中，实皆更让外部、特别是外国救援力量踌躇不前。
两位华人志愿者说，他们试图往实皆送施工安全帽，但被军人拦下。刚成年的孩子分不清这些军人到底是政府军还是反对派，但会依据自己的政治立场猜测，这一定是更坏的一方。
地震次日，缅甸反政府武装“人民防卫武装”宣布，将在地震灾区暂停进攻性军事行动两周。同日，缅甸工程师评估亚达纳邦大桥可以通行20吨以下的车辆，但挖机、吊机等大型工程设备仍然无法进入实皆。
第三日，消防车早晚往各社区的大蓄水池送两次水，公共电网每天通1-2小时的电。城市变电站还未修复，均依赖大功率发电机。
第四日，我们跟随一路华人志愿者的物资车进入实皆，过桥要经过两道检查，但如同近来从仰光到曼德勒相似，穿着灰色警服的持枪警察听说车辆要去实皆，就会放行，无需多言。
实皆市区有更多的平房和木质建筑，坍塌数量远超曼德勒，街道上飘散着酸臭味。高温加速了尸体的腐烂，又让气味更加黏腻。
救援力量主要由实皆消防、阳光救援队和本地志愿者组成。人手短缺，以至于选择搜救地点主要靠口耳相传：有人呼喊就来，无人报告则搁置。实皆市长说，目前实皆只有马来西亚一支外国救援队，截至4月1日，他们统计到了300名死者，都是能找到遗体的。
第五日，在一所私立学校的废墟上，来自仰光的救援队已经搜了四天。他们缺少大型的机械，也缺少像金刚链锯这样的破拆工具，搜救只能像老鼠打洞，一点点敲进去。
他们正在设法救出一具中年男性的遗体。地震时，这位父亲正陪女儿在学校面试。女儿的遗体在前一天被找到，他就在女儿身边。
这家私立学校涵盖从幼儿园到中学，刚刚投入运营两年，校长被压在了废墟中。仰光救援队目前只能确定4名成年人和6名幼童被困，是否有更多人，他们也不知道。他们在临街的坍塌区域挖了四天，还没找到孩子，急迫地想要打通进入坍塌中点的通道。
“如果有大吊机，我们就能把盖在上面的水泥板掀掉，现在却只能等待打穿地板。”救援队长说。
唯一值得庆幸的是，缅甸的暑假从4月开始，地震当日这所学校是休学状态，只有被暑期托管的孩子们留在了学校。
第六日，4月2日，中国蓝天救援队派出了36人的队伍前往实皆，分成四个小组在三个地点作业，这是第二支到达实皆的外国救援队。这天下午，我在蓝天救援指挥部蹭着微弱的网络写稿子，总指挥杨羿突然跟我说，实皆挖出一个了。
“是遗体么？”我问。
杨羿点点头，又开了一罐红牛。在此之前，他反复问我实皆情况到底如何，他听说那里有人寻求救援，却无人应答。他问我是不是真的这样，我无法回答。
4月2日，有救援队撤离曼德勒，已经少有人谈论生的希望。中国香港救援队在塌成废墟的Winstar酒店搜救了三天，确定了遗体的位置，调来挖机和吊机，想要在今天挖出来；亲属们依在Sky Villa附近徘徊，希望记者拍下他们亲人的照片，传播出去；搜救志愿者大兵给我发来他作业的情况：“里面受困的是个老年女性，已经没有任何回应，现在还在打通通道，闻到比较大的尸变味道，但还没看到人。”
本地物资车在分发物资，帐篷、蚊帐、饮用水和干粮。女人们牵着小孩奔向物资，难免相互推搡。
我们的物资车在行驶中偶尔停下，便会立刻被围住，志愿者阿倩喊得声嘶力竭，安抚居民，又要保护物资。一位摩托大哥自告奋勇要为我们带路，带我们在全城转一圈，尽量先把物资发向受灾最严重的地方。
摩托大哥带了半圈路，把我们带去了他的寨子。这或许是摩托大哥的私心，但我屡次问实皆当地人，哪里受灾最严重，所有人都只能说出自己身边的建筑物。一个统一、公开、精确的信息发布渠道至今未能建立起来。
实皆最热闹的商业街外被拉起了警戒线，沿街一侧的商户几乎全部倒塌，当地军队即将从一座三层的蓝房子里又挖出一具遗体。这是整条街唯一启动搜救的建筑，只因有人为这座建筑物呼喊过，寻求过帮助。
地震发生那天是佛教徒的斋日，这条街的商铺几乎都没有开门营业，人员伤亡因此大大减少。
在实皆市人民医院，一名16岁的志愿者说，他看到了很多同龄人被送进来，“只有需要救治的才会送进来的，其他人直接被送去殡仪馆了。”因为担心余震，医院在病房楼外搭了三十多顶大帐篷，收治两百多名伤者，僧侣大约占了三分之一。伤者靠亲友扇风，擦拭身体。实皆市人民医院目前只能处理一些简单外伤，稍微复杂些的内出血都需要送去曼德勒。又因为电力受限，X光设备只能间断性工作。
在实皆市的城市主干道，一名蓝衬衫大哥守在倾倒的两层白楼前，害怕有人来偷他房子里的东西。“my country，no heaven（我的国家可不是什么天堂），”他说。
实皆山上的四层尼姑庵全面倒塌，周围人说有数百名尼姑被困。这山以遍布百余座佛教建筑而闻名，政府统计受损的宗教建筑有两百多座。实皆市长4月1日告诉我们，宗教建筑倒塌补助30万缅币（按官方汇率约合人民币1038元），房屋倒塌补助10万（约合人民币346元）或20万缅币；死者每人补助30万缅币，伤者每人补助5万缅币。
气温太高了，已经有市民拉肚子的报告，实皆急需药品、消毒品、驱虫药、蚊香、蚊帐等。关于现场消杀，市长计划每清理完一处，就消杀一处。所谓清理完，就是排除所有生的希望，也清理出所有看得见的遗体。在此标准下，市长在震后第六日说，仍没有全部清理完的受灾点，而他力争在一个月内让城市恢复正常。
沿着盘山公路绕行实皆山，一排小佛像一个接一个地倒下了，年轻的僧侣在帐篷里读经，影子拖在老和尚身后。山顶的小乘佛塔至少倒了两座，乌鸦落在金色的碎片上，叫两声，又飞走。
当我写到这里，蓝天救援队指挥中心突然响起掌声。
“震后112小时，当地时间4月2日14:52，实皆有一位男教师在当地消防的营救下获救！”
实皆市目前有六个临时安置点，政府能提供水和基本食物。除此之外，都有赖社会捐赠。政府正在拓宽渡口，以便轮船将大型机械运往伊洛瓦底江对岸的实皆，给城市搜救以最后的希望。
城市已经难辨过往的样貌，脚下都是生活的碎片，是锅碗瓢盆、玩偶或者全家人的合影。唯有废墟前卖鲜艳热带水果的老太太，和路边木桌上一大盆炸面圈，流露出生活的气息。
在物资车前，几乎都是女人们在争先恐后，肚子异常隆起的老妇人，尚在发育的少女，还有看着就身强力壮的中年女性。两个女孩骑着同一辆电瓶车去领物资，或许是路上的尘土太大，迎风刮起，前座驾车的女孩子一直在抹眼泪。有时候，她们会为物资争夺起来，告状谁多拿了，或是把谁推去一边。
地震前，实皆省就是缅甸最贫困的几个省份之一，作为省城的实皆市情况相对好些，但也绝对谈不上乐观。即便作为缅甸西北部邻近大城市曼德勒的交通枢纽，这里的道路条件也很一般。工业以小型加工为主，包括纺织、铜精炼和黄金冶炼，但技术落后，产能有限。
原本这一带有着相对发达的玉石交易和翡翠加工业，但偏偏这里也是内战的前沿。受政局动荡影响，部分企业停摆。在地震前，停电在实皆就是常事，现在想恢复地震前的水平，恐怕需要一定的时间。
在分发物资的最后时刻，四位实皆警察来到车前，他们住在一起，想要一个蚊帐，只要一个。
离开实皆市去曼德勒会再次通过伊洛瓦底江。日落时分，当地人成群结伴，拎着一桶脏衣服，沿河堤而下，在江里洗澡、洗衣、戏水、游泳。一旁的机器轰鸣着，他们唱歌、泼水，与身后折断的阿瓦大桥，没入橘红的夕阳中。
（感谢三一基金会，在缅志愿者玉倩、小唐、珍妮、阿五、老张、小磊、瑟亚对采访的帮助。）
大多数时候，我们在清明节谈论的死亡与悼念相连，关乎亲密的家人、尊敬的长者或思念的朋友。
今天这个故事，则与1500余位陌生人无人善后的离世有关。过去近10年，台湾首位特殊清洁员卢致宏，亲眼目睹并处理了这些死亡现场。
许多逝者是被社会所遗忘的人，生前深居简出，活得犹如空气，死后只以散发出的气味宣示自己的存在。
除臭、清血迹、灭虫卵，卢致宏用一把刮刀和一罐除臭喷雾，将污浊的“死亡之屋”恢复成“活人能居住的模样”，为沉默的死者保留了最后的体面与尊严。
当独居与老龄化浪潮袭来的当下，我们该如何安放那些在社会角落被遗忘的生命？又能否在人人都会走向的终点做好预备？
从卢致宏宝贵的一手经验里，我们或许能窥见“孤独死”的现实样貌，也能找到亡者生前曾努力活着的一些证明。
推开房门，卢致宏尽可能地憋气。尽管戴有防毒面罩，一股浓重而腥甜的尸臭还是顺着鼻腔涌入了喉咙，他不得不喷洒药剂来遮盖味道。
身上的防护服，让卢致宏走起路来稍显笨拙，当他缓缓靠近卧室，屋内的小飞虫受到惊扰，直接撞向他的脸部和身体。
这几乎是在每一个死亡现场，卢致宏循环往复经历的画面，他已经见怪不怪。早前，他带过一个实习生，刚到现场就逃跑了，卢致宏追到楼下才发现，实习生止不住地在干呕。
工作时，卢致宏的大脑总是“一片空白”。他需要尽快把活儿干完，除此之外什么都不愿想，因为“臭永远都是臭，脏永远都是脏，恶心永远都是恶心，不会因为你工作久了就改变了”。
去年底，三室一厅的房子里，一位七旬独居老人在家中过世多日后，血水渗透到楼下的天花板。老人生前有囤积症，厕所用过的纸巾和捡来的杂物堆满了屋子，“大概有十几二十年的量”。
清理干净需要一周的时间。卧室地板上依稀可见残留的身体组织，卢致宏得用刮刀一寸寸铲掉，通过大致轮廓，他能推断出老人去世时的躺卧姿势。接下来要做的，便是清理掉那些混合着排泄物的血水和爬行的蛆虫。
沉迷累积旧物的逝者，卢致宏在台湾“一年大概能见到一二十例”。他们多以捡垃圾为主，“什么篮球框、网球拍，在他们看来都是宝贝。”最让他触目惊心的一次，有位老人家里叠放了数百个没有清洗过的便当盒，爬满了蟑螂和蚂蚁。
在老龄化问题凸显的台湾，“孤独死”这个源自日本的名词并不陌生，指的是独居者鲜少与家人和外界互动，最终因病、意外或自杀身亡多日后，才被发现的事件。
在卢致宏经手的死亡清洁现场中，“孤独死”占据七八成的比重；而年龄分布上，“孤独死”的老年人与年轻人的比例，几乎是对半分。
比如30岁出头的陈秋艳。她是一位单亲妈妈，跟前夫离婚后，被一位交往的男性骗光积蓄，还欠下债务。绝望之下，陈秋艳在台北的出租屋里服毒自杀身亡。
那套两室一厅的屋内，简单陈列着日用家电，桌上散落着药物，客厅一角则放有大量的儿童玩具。卢致宏的清理工作进行到一半，他留意到墙壁上的小卡片，是一个小朋友的字迹，上面歪歪扭扭地写道：可以陪我一起长大吗？妈妈我爱你。
同样身为单亲爸爸的卢致宏，看到文字时心脏犹如被什么东西撞击了一下。卡片最终被归为“珍贵物品”，转交给了陈秋艳亲属。至今，卢致宏依然为之唏嘘，“她到底面临着多大的绝望，才会愿意抛下孩子走上这条路？”
中壮年“孤独死”逝者在台湾并不少见。几年前，50多岁的计程车司机张德明，带着妻子和两个未成年的孩子在出租屋烧炭自杀。
卢致宏赶到时，门已被撬开，窗户依旧是被胶带封死的状态。不到十坪米（约30平方米）的套房，门边散落着遗体接运人员丢弃的手套、鞋套及裹尸袋。再往里看，地板的角落处赫然放着一个装有炭灰的铁锅。
做出这个决定的数月前，张德明曾向房东提出“拖欠一阵子租金”，等车卖掉后再补上。听到这句话时，房东隐隐觉得不对劲，但还是应允下来，嘱咐他不要轻易卖掉生财工具。张德明很快卖掉车，缴清了房租，之后，他带着全家人踏上了死亡之旅。
在那个现场，卢致宏翻出了数张欠条、账单与法律文书，这或许便是让张德明一家走上绝路的原因。
和卢致宏一起共事过的志愿者林正尉，总结了死亡现场的一些人群共性：上了年纪的老人，多数会在洗澡或起床时，倒在浴缸或卧室；底层男性家里较为常见的是空酒瓶，白酒、药酒、米酒……种类多样，有时，他们还会往里面撒尿。
也有一些特别的。林正尉还记得一个混合了尸臭、排泄物、腌菜等各种奇怪气味的现场，逝者是一位60岁左右的女人，兴许是爱吃腌菜，家里堆满了一瓮一瓮的菜，“大约有三五十瓮”。
年复一年的清洁工作越发让卢致宏感觉到，死亡对于某些人来说，或许只是一个结果。而在走向毁灭之前，他们已经历经了太多未被看到的垂死挣扎，“到最后，他们的心已经死了，只是在等待这一天（死亡）的来临。”
对那些与外界联络甚少的独居者来说，房东或许是每个月最关心自己的那个人——因为要定时催收房租。
这些年，找到卢致宏的委托人，最多的就是房东。最忙的时候，一天能接三四个。
尤其在台北，聚集着各行业的打工者，许多人没有能力买下属于自己的一套房，只能住在廉价出租屋。顶楼的房东为了多赚出租费，会在屋顶加盖一层铁皮房，一个月大概收取6600台币（约1500元人民币）。夏天热的时候，气温达到近四十度，“只要人死在里面，一两天味道就全部出来了。”
卢致宏去过一个蜗居亡者的现场。那栋楼的一层，被当作办公室对外出租，走上没有扶手的步梯到二楼，是四个用夹板隔开的房间，墙上还张贴着租房广告：每月3500台币（700多人民币）。“真便宜。”卢致宏嘀咕，这是他十多年前读书时的房租价格。
尽管早有预期，他还是被接下来眼前那个狭小的空间所震撼。推开房门后，约1坪米（约3平方米）的隔间被单人床、落地扇、零碎物件填满。死者29岁。卢致宏想象着那个“如同待在蜗牛壳”里的租户，不知道对方是如何在逼仄的空间内，度过一个又一个夜晚。
那些不被珍视的人生，在死亡来临时，只是再一次被印证。比如孙哲的消失。这位40岁的单身未婚男性去世两个月后，房东成为第一个看到他的人。
生前，他像个与世隔绝的隐者，没有朋友，只定期把赚来的钱寄回家中。在台湾乡下，父母靠社会救助生活，他们的另一项经济来源，是儿子的收入。
患上抑郁症后，孙哲辞了职。但父母开口要钱，孙哲只能重寻工作。可工作越做越辛苦，待遇越来越差，他的精神疾病也愈发严重。卢致宏在现场挖掘到的信息是，孙哲很长一段时间内，处在工作、失业、就业反复折腾的循环里，“能变卖的全变卖了”。终于熬不住的时候，他选择了自杀。
清理现场那天，孙哲的父母也在。卢致宏找到一个被揉皱了的纸团，是手写的遗书。他把纸团铺平递给孙哲父母。对方看过之后丢到了一边，“这个东西一点用都没有，要找钱，找房契、地契、房产证。”
卢致宏一直想不明白，对方的父母为什么那么冷血，“他儿子失业很久了，因为钱被逼上了绝路。他的父母却一开始就要我们把钱给找出来。”可一切都实实在在发生了，卢致宏觉得，“现实比电视剧还扯。”
每次的入户清洁中，卢致宏会伴随着做遗物整理的工作，他会特意搜集逝者遗留下来的文件资料，以及留给家人的物品或遗言。
不同于影视剧中的桥段，卢致宏即使能找到逝者的遗言，通常不会是在桌面或其他显眼的地方。一次，他在整理一位逝者的书架时，从一个笔记本中翻到了留给家属的遗书。而更常见的情况是，逝者不会留下任何“交待”。
也有家属会当着卢致宏的面，谈论财产要如何分割。他不会做任何干涉，只是静静做着手头的事，但听着那些吵闹的的争执，卢致宏内心会升腾出很深的绝望。在见过的冷漠与狗血现实足够多后，卢致宏认为，所谓血缘，不过是“父母与子女之间的一个关系证明”，再没有更多的意义。
志愿者林正尉受到冲击最大的一次，是入户台北中正纪念堂附近的眷村区，给一位老兵家里做清洁。
整理遗物时，林正尉发现了许多1960年代的军方证件。老人的身份是一名国民党老兵，1949年之后“退来了台湾”。
“太珍贵了，这代表了老人一生的荣耀，也是能证明他身份的一些东西。”林正尉把所有证件收拾好，拿给老人家属。但得到的只有一句：“都丢掉，反正都是垃圾。”
林正尉想象着老人的一生，“他可能一辈子就是个军人，从大陆撤退到这里，养育一大家子。”仅仅是儿子的一句话，一个人一生的痕迹都被抹除掉了。
做志愿者的一年里，林正尉共参与了67场清洁，见识了太多“人性的赤裸”。逝者亲属间，大多都会因财产问题产生口角和纠葛。相对和谐的画面，不是没有，但在林正尉的印象中，只看到过“不到3场”。
林正尉最大的哀伤正在于此。“有时清理到一半，他们的故事就会不见。”他谈起人一生会有的两次死亡，一次是肉体的消亡，另一次，是被记忆淘汰的死亡。
“原来大家只看重钱，而不在意那些故事和经历。这个人的生命曾经是什么样子，他们是你的爸爸或妈妈，都不重要。”
20年前的台湾，死亡还是一个敏感话题。人们通常因“晦气”，对此避而不谈。也是最近十多年，卢致宏这样的特殊清洁员及遗体整容师等职业，频繁出现在台湾公众视野，“死亡，开始变得可以被谈论。”
卢致宏创办的“攸歆特殊清理”，是台湾第一家清理孤独死现场的公司，服务项目包含生前整理、遗物整理、特殊清扫和垃圾屋清理，范围囊括全台湾的所有城市与乡镇。
采访时，他不愿直接聊具体报价范畴，某种程度上这算是“行业机密”，只表示，报价多与少，通常要考虑委托人的距离远近、房屋面积大小、污染源的扩散程度、异味严重程度等，就连委托人家住几层，有没有电梯也要评估在内。
比如运送垃圾的中小型卡车，一趟要差不多5000元人民币。上个月，卢致宏处理过一个清洁现场，用了10辆车运垃圾——这意味着即便不计算其他费用，光是垃圾清运，委托人就花了5万人民币。
团队里现在一共14人，大多来自底层，有的还是聋哑人和抑郁症患者。这些年，成员们进进出出，他也早已习惯这份工作的较大流动性。
与人谈钱，在每个环节都不容易，尤其是和房东的沟通。直到现在，接到的每一通电话里，对方都要不断杀价。有些人甚至在听到清洁费用后，大骂他“土匪”，“趁火打劫”。
最让卢致宏感到为难的，是有时不知道该如何收费。他有遇到一种情况，委托人是一个8岁孩子的邻居。父亲在家中过世后，读国小的儿子整天在家里哭。一开始没人在意，以为是调皮的孩子“正在被教育”。
那次的费用，卢致宏不知该向谁开口，“这不是邻居的问题，我们不能跟邻居收费，可是孩子还小，更不可能跟他收费。”最后，他只象征性地向邻居收取了一点钱。
面对孤苦的老人同样如此，“我们可能整场做完只收个1000块台币，大概200块人民币这样子。”林正尉也清楚做特殊清洁的处境，“这种委托都是赔钱的”。
某种程度上，特殊清洁员还承载着纾解逝者家属悲恸的任务。通过清理现场的遗留物，判断逝者死亡前的状况，他们能更好地帮助家属探寻一些答案，乃至送出一丝慰藉。
卢致宏曾去到一位因心肌梗死去世的父亲家中。老人六七十岁，住在台北的乡村，儿女均在城市打拼。父亲离世仓促，三个孩子没能守在跟前，为这一点，他们心存愧疚，各自抱怨着“后悔”。
不愿看他们沉湎在自责中，卢致宏突然打了个岔。“你们来看，这是你们几岁时画的？爸爸有帮你们收好。”一些彩色的风景画里，有黄色的太阳，灰色的木屋……翻阅着儿时的画作，大女儿和二女儿从当前的情绪中抽离了出来，她们感慨“爸爸有心”，并一起讨论着，哪张画出自自己之手，当时自己几岁。
同在现场的林正尉，也目睹了那一幕，“其实做我们这一行，有一个哲学观或价值观，就是要让活着的人继续好好活着。”
林正尉原本从事艺术工作，是一名策展人。经历了全球新冠肺炎时期的无常后，他于2023年加入了卢致宏的团队。
林正尉还记得第一次去现场前的慌张。逝者是一位50多岁的美国人，在出租屋办公突发疾病，被发现时已亡故多日。幸运的是，在他入户前，卢致宏基本上做完了污染源的清理。“当时味道已经很少，但还是会有一些蛆虫从水泥地的缝隙跑出来。”林正尉只需要做最后的收尾工作，来练习上手。
尽管如此，初期的他还是有些难以适应。工作时，林正尉总是想象着这些“孤独死”的逝者，而自己被关在密闭的小空间里，一待就是一两个小时，等同于陷入另外一种孤独。“我们穿的衣服很笨重，蹲一个小时是很考验耐力的。”
有时候，即使到了清洁现场，若发觉委托人高高在上的姿态，卢致宏也会带着团队离开，甚至会和客户爆发争吵，“不尊重我们，就没有必要忍着，我们是付出身体健康去做这份工作的。”
每年夏天，都是特殊清洁员最辛苦的日子。担心尸臭味会随着空调水管排到室外，影响周边居民的生活环境，他们从来不敢开冷气。窗户也要紧闭。有一次，林正尉刚进入现场几分钟，就热到痉挛，“简直比蒸笼还热”。
他记得卢致宏有一回连续工作了两三个小时，离开现场后，一脱下雨靴，汗水像雨水一样从鞋口流出来。
但从业以来，特殊清洁员一直伴随着被轻视或污名化的过程。有些人会把他们等同于“死亡天使”。偶尔，卢致宏工作的过程中，还会被逝者的同楼层邻居跑来骂。
但卢致宏视自己为拼图者的角色，清洁的过程，如同置身考古现场，通过挖掘屋主的所有物，得以让对方的面貌轮廓变得醒目，以此拼凑出逝者过往的人生。有时细致到对方做什么工作，有什么样的饮食习惯，爱穿什么风格的衣服，好似一个鲜活的人在和自己打照面。
对卢致宏而言，与亡者打交道，他早有渊源。大学时，他就填报了生死系。父母听说后，“气得要死”。在父辈的价值观里，那属于鄙视链最下层。卢致宏却一再让他们失望。毕业前夕，他去殡仪馆实习，做一些接运遗体的工作，之后转正，成为一名正式员工。
等过了30岁，卢致宏看着很多殡仪相关科系的人出来做同样的事情，尤其是后来台湾地区推出了所谓的证照制度，“几乎都能拿到执业证”。这让卢致宏产生一些危机感，认为它是个替代性很高的职业。
而特殊清洁，至少在当时的台湾，算是一个空白，“没有人愿意从事那样的工作，那我可以做做看。”卢致宏一脚踏进了新的领域，开了公司。
即便台湾如今的特殊清洁领域，已有不少人的加入，但总体而言，人们会把它归结为“家政服务”，“认为我们是很低廉很低级的工作”，且短期内，无法得到改善。
台湾一个殡仪从业者曾评价，特殊清洁，仅仅是把东西丢光而已。这句话让卢致宏感到不快，“如果只是丢光东西，那找一些工人来做就好了，我们就没有存在的必要了。”
创业早期，卢致宏甚至幻想过，这份工作他要干一辈子，直到做不动为止。现在，他已经开始痛恨起自己的职业，“一定是哪里出了问题，我才有生意可做，才能接到委托。如果因为案件委托量少到已经让公司撑不下去，就代表是哪里改善了。”
他想起周星驰在《武状元苏乞儿》中的一句台词：如果你真的英明神武，使得国泰民安，鬼才愿意当乞丐呢。
2000年，中国已正式进入老龄化社会。有研究预测，2030年独居人口数量或将达到1.5亿-2亿人，独居率或将超过30%。台湾地区的数据显示，2023年，台湾一人户家庭数量达到332万户，占总家庭户数的36%。
曾做过相关议题研究的高雄餐旅大学通识教育中心助理教授林玫君，归纳出“孤独死”的七个可能成因：独居比例攀升；终身未婚者增加；缺乏经济来源；中年离婚率增加；个人特性；不健康余命延长；老老照护。
在台湾，当一位逝者被发现，且无人料理后事时，房东或社区会先打电话报警。之后，片区殡仪馆把遗体接去，由法医鉴定死因，开具死亡证明。后续的火化、安葬工作，也是由殡仪馆承担。
不过，值得一提的是，台湾有在做一些预防和延缓“孤独死”的举措。如一些流浪街头的个案，会由非营利组织牵线搭桥，解决租房难的问题。林正尉解释，“这些组织会帮忙做他们的担保人，以组织的名义跟房东签约，房东就不会害怕人突然跑了，交不了房租什么的。”
除此之外，当地类似于大陆的社区、街道办事处等政府部门，也会和做特殊清洁的团队保持合作，争取延缓部分人的死亡时间，降低“孤独死”的可能性。
如发现某户家庭有独居者，且被定性为囤积房，里长（社区负责人）会邀请卢致宏帮忙做好住户的清洁和整理工作。
“没有人愿意这样子死。我们也没有多么伟大，也需要赚钱吃喝。”卢致宏说自己目前所扮演的是一个善后者与过渡者的角色，“说难听点，是一个帮政府擦屁股的角色”。
就在清明节前几天，卢致宏还接到西安某民间单位的讲座邀请，分享他在台湾的经验，“因为大陆现在空巢老人的问题很严重，他们单位想要了解台湾的情况，做一个教育培训。”
林正尉参与过一次这样的救助。那是一位90岁左右的贫困老人，家里没水没电，垃圾堆满房屋。社工每天送便当过去，老人默默接受，但面对大家提出的清洁建议，她一概拒绝。
“但她的生活实在太糟糕了。”林正尉记得，持续沟通了三个月后，社工把老人哄骗出去，这才给大家腾出了改造房间的空隙。
那次的现场，他们给老人换了新家具、家电，浴室里安装上了无障碍扶手。等到傍晚老人进门时，看到用遥控器操控的日光灯和冰箱里新鲜的食物，对着一屋子人露出了笑容，“她还告诉我们，已经好几年没吹过冷气了。”
作为死亡的间接见证者，卢致宏对于“孤独死”有着不同的理解。在他看来，判断一个人是否“孤独死”，一个重要的依据是：TA在生前是否孤独。而两者间的区别是，“有些人是享受孤单状态的，它跟‘孤独’不是一回事儿。”
“假如一个人自愿选择了享受独居的生活，有天却意外离世，这样的死，不应该被叫作‘孤独死’。反而是那些被社会所遗弃和遗忘的人的死，才是‘孤独死’。”卢致宏说。
但面对真相是更难的。卢致宏的观察是，可以预见未来会有大量的人在家中死亡，但“没有人愿意去提这个问题”。一个细微的体现是，有人在死去后，邻居都不知道隔壁曾住了谁，“他们唯一有印象的是，TA已经死掉了。是男是女，他们那时候才知道。”
（陈秋艳、张德明、孙哲为化名）
1983年，苏布的第五任头目安德罗波夫在全会上问道：你们谁还相信共产主义？现场无声的回答，其实比任何批评都更具有毁灭性。"意识形态的崩溃往往先于政权的瓦解。"这是弗朗西斯·福山在《历史的终结》中的论断。
苏联的民众，白天在单位纵论宏大叙事，晚上回到家在厨房做饭时，便换了一副面孔，开始抨击社会的各种不公现象，交流听到的各种政治笑话，这便是著名的厨房谈话。
苏俄的六朝元老阿尔巴托夫，评价这一现象时说：这是全民参演的一出荒诞戏，人们其实并不相信。正如著名的历史学家霍布斯鲍姆在《极端的年代》中所说：苏联的失败，不是军事的失败，而是意识形态的破产。
苏联的意识形态，曾经非常自豪的以历史必然性自诩，但在20世纪末却遭遇了全面崩塌。但这场崩塌并非是偶然，而是政治失信、经济失效与精英失节三重维度交织的必然结果。
第一、政治失信。
1956年，赫鲁晓夫掀开了苏联意识形态的神圣面纱，露出了恐怖真实的面容。当秘密报告传遍东欧时，有个记者感叹道：我们仿佛才突然发现，自己虔诚信仰的圣像，背后竟然是个魔鬼。
1981年2月，勃列日涅夫公开自称：我就是沙皇。可是1982年，苏联成立65周年红场阅兵时，勃列日涅夫拿反了讲话稿却浑然不知，这个画面传遍了全国。当领导层成为行走的讽刺漫画时，意识形态的神圣性自然就荡然无存。
阿富汗战争成为了压垮苏联意识形态合法性的最后一根稻草。参战的士兵纷纷在家书里写道：我们在这里保卫的，究竟是革命的理想，还是官僚集团的野心？我们为之战斗的神圣义务，不过是老头子们的权力游戏而已。
1989年柏林墙倒塌时，青年们高喊：我们要真正的社会主义。这句口号暴露了民众对苏联意识形态的根本质疑。波罗的海三国、捷克等国家的胜利更是证明：工人阶级可以不需要所谓的先锋队领导，就能实现自我的解放。所以当意识形态成为统治的工具而非批判的武器时，自然就丧失了生命力。
第二、经济失效。
勃列日涅夫时期，苏联宣称已经进入了发达的社会主义，但现实却是排队成为了全民的日常，莫斯科市民年均排队时间长达1500小时。戈尔巴乔夫在回忆录中承认：当商店货架空空如也时，任何意识形态的说教都是那么的荒诞可笑。
农业集体化的历史创伤更是难以治愈。强制农业集体化导致的大饥荒，夺走了数百万，甚至上千万生命。被誉为俄罗斯良心的索尔仁尼琴在《古拉格群岛》中愤怒的写道：当权者用意识形态的镰刀收割的，不仅是庄稼，更是人性。
1989年，圣彼得堡工学院举行了关于苏联制度优越性的辩论会。当专家高举《资本论》证明计划经济的优越性时，一个学生现场展示了一个走私得来的日本随身听，并说道：这个微型的精密设备，我们的计划经济现在能生产吗？顿时，会场鸦雀无声，意识形态的漂亮话，在技术代差面前显得是那么的苍白无力。
随后，这个学生给出了致命一击的疑问：如果解放人类，就是为了让日本人过上我们这样的日子，那解放人类还有什么意义？我每次见到日本和西欧的商品时，都觉得他们不需要我们去解放，而是我们需要他们来解放。
第三、精英失节。
苏联培育了以意识形态为特权的官僚集团。这个集团自苏联的建政之日起诞生，在勃列日涅夫时代达到腐化的巅峰，这批精英约300万人，他们端坐于苏联金字塔社会的顶端。
特权精英的形成，直接撕毁了平等的承诺。他们可以享受全套的特供服务，子女也拥有红色降落伞体系。比如特权阶层人均消费是普通工人的400倍。小白桦商店的数据显示，特权家庭消费了全国95%的进口奢侈品。这种制度性的腐败，彻底消解了无产阶级先锋队的政治伦理。
1990年6月，在一次“苏布代表谁的利益”的民意调查中，认为苏布代表工人的占比4%，代表人民的占比7%，代表官员的占比高达85%。苏联解体后，叶利钦政府中75%以上的高官都是苏联时期的高官。俄罗斯97.2%的富豪是原来苏联的干部，剩下2.8%则是干部的亲属。
在总结苏布垮台的原因时，有这样一个基本的共识：苏布的精英们，张口就是大义所在，闭口就是历史必然，理论冠冕堂皇，极尽人类美丽言辞之能事，但却口是心非、言行陌路。
1986年，莫斯科音乐节上，时间机器乐队演唱的《转变》引发了全场的共鸣，"我们厌倦了等待承诺的明天"，这句歌词道出了苏联青年人的迷茫。"我们要真相、不要口号"，成为了时代的最强音。
当莫斯科市民在寒风中排队购买面包时，当小白桦商店把普通人拒之门外时，苏联意识形态的祛魅便早已悄然完成。正如撒切尔夫人在1984年的论断：苏联的意识形态早已失败，只是在等现实的追认而已。
所以当1991年戈尔巴乔夫宣布苏联解体时，2.8亿苏联人无人走上街头抵抗。这个用70年构建的意识形态帝国，最终在真理与谎言、理想与现实、承诺与背叛的撕裂中，完成了自我证伪的历史循环。
© Eric Lee/The New York Times
Annelise ReesTwo tiny, remote Antarctic outposts populated by penguins and seals are among the obscure places targeted by the Trump administration's new tariffs.
Heard and McDonald Islands - a territory which sits 4,000km (2,485 miles) south-west of Australia - are only accessible via a seven-day boat trip from Perth, and haven't been visited by humans in almost a decade.
President Trump on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping import tax scheme, in retaliation for what he said are unfair trade barriers on US products.
A handful of other Australian territories were also hit by the new tariffs, in addition to the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, the Falkland Islands and The British Indian Ocean Territory.
"It just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is safe from this," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.
Like the rest of Australia, the Heard and McDonald Islands, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island are now subject to a tariff of 10%. A tariff of 29% was imposed on the Norfolk Island, which is also an Australian territory and has a population of about 2,200 people.
Heard Island, though, is barren, icy and completely uninhabited - home to Australia's largest and only active volcano, Big Ben, and mostly covered by glaciers.
It is believed the last time people ventured on to Heard Island was in 2016, when a group of amateur radio enthusiasts broadcasted from there with permission of the Australian government.
Mike Coffin, from the University of Tasmania, has made the journey to the surrounding waters seven times to conduct scientific research, and is sceptical about the existence of major exports from the island to the US.
"There's nothing there," he told the BBC.
As far as he knows, there are only two Australian companies which catch and export Patagonian toothfish and mackerel icefish.
What is in abundance, however, is unique and spectacular nature.
Richard ArculusThe islands are listed by Unesco World Heritage as a rare example of an ecosystem untouched by external plants, animals or human impact.
"It's heavily colonised by penguins and elephant seals and all kinds of sea birds," said Prof Coffin, who studies the undersea geography of the islands.
He recalls observing from afar what he thought was a beach, only the sands "turned out to be probably a few 100,000 penguins".
"Every time a ship goes there and observes it, there's lava flowing down the flanks [of Big Ben]," he said, describing it sweeping over ice and sending up steam.
It's hard to get a clear picture of the trade relationship between the Heard and McDonald Islands and the US.
According to export data from the World Bank, the islands have, over the past few years, usually exported a small amount of products to the US.
But in 2022 the US imported US$1.4m (A$2.23m; ) from the territory, nearly all of it unnamed "machinery and electrical" products.
The US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.
As with many governments around the world, the tariffs have frustrated Australia's leaders, with Albanese saying they are "totally unwarranted" and "not the act of a friend."
央视新闻客户端
4月4日，尹锡悦发表对国民谈话称，没能达到预期，非常遗憾。
当天上午，韩国宪法法院就尹锡悦弹劾案做出宣判，8名宪法法官一致认为，尹锡悦严重违反了宪法和法律，并于当地时间11时22分宣布尹锡悦被罢免。
尹锡悦成为第二位被弹劾下台的韩国总统
尹锡悦成为继2017年朴槿惠被弹劾下台之后，第二位被弹劾下台的韩国总统。
韩国宪法法院法官当天宣布，尹锡悦宣布紧急戒严违反了戒严法。宪法法院认定尹锡悦发动紧急戒严出动军人进入国会违反宪法，认定逮捕政治界人士违法。
宪法法院表示，尹锡悦违反宪法规定的军队统帅义务。尹锡悦宣布紧急戒严侵犯了国会议员审议表决权、不逮捕特权。尹锡悦严重违法，法所不容。
新华社
△宣判现场
韩国宪法法院4日上午就尹锡悦弹劾案做出宣判，8名宪法法官一致认为，尹锡悦严重违反了宪法和法律，并于当地时间11时22分宣布尹锡悦被罢免。
△宣判现场
尹锡悦成为继2017年朴槿惠被弹劾下台之后，第二位被弹劾下台的韩国总统。
韩国宪法法院法官当天宣布，尹锡悦宣布紧急戒严违反了戒严法。宪法法院认定尹锡悦发动紧急戒严出动军人进入国会违反宪法，认定逮捕政治界人士违法。
△尹锡悦（资料图）
宪法法院表示，尹锡悦违反宪法规定的军队统帅义务。尹锡悦宣布紧急戒严侵犯了国会议员审议表决权、不逮捕特权。尹锡悦严重违法，法所不容。
央视新闻客户端
当地时间4日，韩国宪法法院法官宣布，尹锡悦宣布紧急戒严违反了戒严法。
韩国宪法法院当地时间4日上午11时就尹锡悦弹劾案开庭宣判。宣判过程向公众全程电视直播。
韩国宪法法院现有8名法官，如果有6人赞成，弹劾案即获通过，尹锡悦将成为韩国宪政史上继朴槿惠之后第二位被罢免的总统，之后韩国须在60日内举行新一届大选。如果赞成票不足6票，则弹劾案将被否决，尹锡悦将立即恢复总统职务。
© Shuji Kajiyama/Associated Press
© Agence France-Presse, via El Salvador's Presidency Press Office
（德國之聲中文網）韓國憲法法院在週五（4月4日）上午11點22分宣讀了罷免尹錫悅的判決結果，憲法法院代理院長文炯培表示，參加彈劾案表決的8名法官意全數同意罷免，且該判決在宣讀後「即刻生效」。
尹錫悅本人並未出席週五的裁決。文炯培在宣讀結果時稱，尹錫悅透過「動員軍警破壞國會等憲法機構，侵犯國民的基本人權，違背了維護憲法的義務」，指尹錫悅在國家未處於緊急狀態的情況下宣布戒嚴，違反憲法要求。
文炯培表示，「（尹錫悅）嚴重背叛了作為民主共和國主權成員的人民的信任」，稱他採取的行動超越了憲法賦予他的權力，違反了作為總統的職責，對民主造成嚴重挑戰，對社會、經濟、外交政策等各個領域也造成混亂。
2024年12月3日晚上，尹錫悅在緊急談話中，以「剿滅親朝勢力，維護自由憲政秩序」為由，宣布實施戒嚴，引發國會和民眾的激烈反彈。首爾民眾走上街頭示威，國會緊急投票推翻總統戒嚴令。最終，尹錫悅迫於壓力在頒布戒嚴令數小時後宣佈解嚴。
週五的判決結果指出，尹錫悅在戒嚴當晚試圖將國會議員驅逐出議事堂，企圖妨礙解除戒嚴議決，並透過軍方反間諜單位逮補多名政治人物、律師等舉動，也被法官認可為彈劾理由。
此外，法院也駁回了尹錫悅主張「緊急戒嚴屬於警告性質」的說法，認為該主張悖離《戒嚴法》所界定的戒嚴目的。
對於尹錫悅被罷免，韓國最大在野黨「民主黨」表示，尹錫悅及其所屬政黨「應虛心接受憲法法院的裁決，認真反省、向國民真誠道歉，並立即停止引發對立與分裂的行為，不應再成為國家重建和前行的阻礙。」
執政黨「國民力量」也在判決結果公布後發聲，表態接受判決結果，「我們相信尊重憲院的這一決定是守護民主和法治的方法」，並呼籲民眾避免暴力或極端行為。
示威民眾喜極而泣
尹錫悅確定遭罷免的結果公布後，許多關注法院轉播的民眾拍手或握拳高呼「贏了」、「好了」、「尹錫烈被免職了」，其中一部分喜極而泣。
一名42歲的金姓男子受訪時像韓聯社表示：「真的等了很久......希望下個當總統的人能儘快讓國家正常化。」另一名反對罷免的68歲的林姓男子則認為，8名法官意見一致「難道不是共產黨嗎？」
超過萬名聚集在街頭的尹錫悅支持者悲傷哭泣、憤怒叫囂，另外也有一名男子因不滿判決結果，砸破警車車窗被逮補。
接下來將如何發展？
根據法律規定，韓國必須在60天舉行大選，選出新總統。國務總理韓悳洙將繼續擔任代理總統至新總統就職。
以2017年朴槿惠被罷免為例，當時憲法法院在3月9日裁定罷免時任總統朴槿惠，並於5月9日舉辦總統大選。
民調顯示，曾在2022年總統選舉中以微弱差距輸給尹錫悅的在野黨領袖李在明在提前選舉中保持領先地位，目前仍未出現其他有力挑戰者。
然而，李在明實際上也受到多項法律問題及醜聞纏身，此前因涉嫌違反公職選舉法被判有罪，但今年1月在二審中改判無罪，暫時保住競選總統資格。但韓國檢方已表示對此提出上訴。
（韓聯社、路透社）
DW中文有Instagram！歡迎搜尋dw.chinese，看更多深入淺出的圖文與影音報導。
© 2025年德國之聲版權聲明：本文所有內容受到著作權法保護，如無德國之聲特別授權，不得擅自使用。任何不當行為都將導致追償，並受到刑事追究。
新皮肤 get
小米汽车着火烧死三名从武汉前往安徽池州考公的女大学生，其中一位的父亲发帖称「还是雷军的粉丝」，这事简直就是个隐喻：
爱国企业家雷军－父亲是雷军的粉丝－女儿是体制的追求者－体制保护爱国企业家，于是闭环了。
但现在死了人，闭环出现了裂缝，要不要骂雷军辜负了党和粉丝的期望？估计不少粉丝像这位女大学生的父亲一样，陷入了进退两难。
大家发现没有，前两年虽然时有将马云等资本家挂路灯的呼声，但同时也制造了几尊神一般的企业家，这里面除了雷军，至少还有遥遥领先。
稍一总结，就会明白前一批被骂的是做服务的，直接与C端用户打交道；后一批被夸的是做硬件的，主要跟B端和G端做生意。
远香近臭，无不如此。
同时，这与我们国家重农抑商的传统完全重合。在他们眼里，只有可见的工农财富是正当的、高尚的，而通过文化、商业等服务赚钱，要么是低贱的保姆，要么是无耻的中间商。
甚至契合了这些年一个不见诸明文的追求：向德国而非英美学习。「大国重器」这个词，将背后的小心思暴露得一清二楚。
问题是，只要是人间，凡是被尊为神的，一是不可招惹，否则就是不爱国；二是神一定会辜负粉丝的期待，从无例外。
原因倒也简单无比：失去监督的权力一定导致腐败，神的权力也一样。
当雷布斯们无人敢质疑、更无人敢批评时，他们的行为和产品，就会失去正常的市场淘汰过程，从而落伍、甚至有害。
去年初，我给小孩买电话手表。考虑到遥遥领先的脾气太大，惹不起，便买了雷布斯的。
岂料家长根本无法控制APP的使用时长，甚至小孩可以自己下载。
小米官方客服态度很好，但永远对不起，这是技术设计问题，无法解决，只能谅解。换句话说，用户只能接受。
是的，他们只对自己的技术负责，并不对用户的服务负责。恶猜一下，我甚至觉得他们就是想让小孩上瘾，成为奶头乐，从而离不开。
没有底线的商业，一定会作恶，小孩用品尚且如此，我怎么会买他们的汽车。
李书福曾经说过，汽车无非是四个轮子加两排沙发。草莽期的制造业，话糙活也糙，大家只能认了。
但现在，车速如此之快，小时候连手电筒里的电池都怕爆炸，却在车里装了那么多，安全性如何保障？
大家只想大干快上，抢占市场。油车花了上百年时间才磨出来的安全性，在新能源车面前，几乎是不值一提的过时货。
之所以他们根本不怕，是因为这是产业政策的产物。光伏、新能源汽车现在的利润和国际形象，与这个背景密切相关。
既然是政策的产物，那便是权力的产物。事实上，很多国资投资了新能源车，从而获得了批评的豁免权。
前天晚上与一位汽车自媒体大V吃饭，席间说起合肥被投资的那款明星汽车绑死，每年亏多少亿，至今无法解套。
遥遥领先的车出了问题，谁敢公开？
雷布斯的车烧死了三个女大学生，也是过了多少天才公布？
好在雷布斯还没有遥遥领先的影响力，最终不得不出来认领。
但他一认领，原来以给雷布斯供货为荣的那些厂家，纷纷推说与自己无关。
其实，最该出来认领的是政策制定者和国资投资者。
权贵资本之恶，莫此为甚！
© Jun Michael Park for The New York Times
© Kenny Holston/The New York Times
© Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
© Sai Aung Main/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
BBCApril Hubbard sits on the theatre stage where she plans to die later this year.
She is not terminally ill, but the 39-year-old performance and burlesque artist has been approved for assisted dying under Canada's increasingly liberal laws.
Warning: This article contains details and descriptions some readers may find disturbing
She is speaking to BBC News from the Bus Stop Theatre, an intimate auditorium with a little under 100 seats, in the eastern city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Illuminated by a single spotlight on a stage she has performed on many times before, she tells me she plans to die here "within months" of her imminent 40th birthday. She'll be joined by a small group of her family and friends.
April plans to be in a "big comfy bed" for what she calls a "celebratory" moment when a medical professional will inject a lethal dose into her bloodstream.
"I want to be surrounded by the people I love and just have everybody hold me in a giant cuddle puddle and get to take my last breath, surrounded by love and support," she says.
April was born with spina bifida and was later diagnosed with tumours at the base of her spine which she says have left her in constant, debilitating pain.
She's been taking strong opioid painkillers for more than 20 years and applied for Medical Assistance in Dying (Maid) in March 2023. While she could yet live for decades with her condition, she qualified to end her life early seven months after applying. For those who are terminally ill it is possible to get approval within 24 hours.
"My suffering and pain are increasing and I don't have the quality of life anymore that makes me happy and fulfilled," April says. Every time she moves or breathes, she says it feels like the tissues from the base of her spine "are being pulled like a rubber band that stretches too far", and that her lower limbs leave her in agony.
We meet April as, almost 3,000 miles away, MPs are scrutinising proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. They voted in principle in support of those plans in November 2024, but months of detailed scrutiny have followed - and further votes in the Commons and Lords are required before the bill could possibly become law.
This week, the BBC witnessed a man's death in California, where assisted dying laws are far more similar to those being considered in Westminster.
Critics say Canada is an example of the "slippery slope", meaning that once you pass an assisted dying law it will inevitably widen its scope and have fewer safeguards.
Canada now has one of the most liberal systems of assisted dying in the world, similar to that operating in the Netherlands and Belgium. It introduced Maid in 2016, initially for terminally ill adults with a serious and incurable physical illness, which causes intolerable suffering. In 2021, the need to be terminally ill was removed, and in two years' time, the Canadian government plans to open Maid to adults solely with a mental illness and no physical ailment.
Opponents of Maid tell us that death is coming to be seen as a standard treatment option for those with disabilities and complex medical problems.
"It is easier in Canada to get medical assistance in dying than it is to get government support to live," says Andrew Gurza, a disability awareness consultant and friend of April's.
Andrew, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, says he respects April's decision, but tells us: "If my disability declines and my care needs got higher, I'd still want to be here. To know there's a law that's saying you could easily end your life - it's just really scary."
Before she was approved for Maid, April was assessed by two independent physicians who were required to inform her of ways to alleviate her suffering and offer alternative treatments.
"The safeguards are there," she says, when we press her about disabled people who feel threatened by assisted dying, or whether Maid is being used as a shortcut to better quality care. "If it's not right for you and you're not leading the charge and choosing Maid, you're not going to be able to access it unless it's for the right reasons," she adds.
There were 15,343 Maid deaths in 2023, representing around one in 20 of all deaths in Canada - a proportion that has increased dramatically since 2016 and is one of the highest in the world. The average age of recipients was 77.
In all but a handful of cases, the lethal dose was delivered by a doctor or nurse, which is also known as voluntary euthanasia. One doctor we spoke to, Eric Thomas, said he had helped 577 patients to die.
Dr Konia Trouton, president of the Canadian Association of Maid Assessors and Providers, has also helped hundreds of patients to die since the law was introduced.
The procedure is the same each time - she arrives at the home of the person who has been given approval for Maid and asks if they wish to go ahead with it that day. She says the patients always direct the process and then give her the "heads up and ready to go".
"That gives me an honour and a duty and a privilege to be able to help them in those last moments with their family around them, with those who love them around them and to know that they've made that decision thoughtfully, carefully and thoroughly," she adds. If the answer is yes, she opens her medical bag.
Demonstrating to the BBC what happens next, Dr Trouton briefly puts a tourniquet on my arm. She shows me where the needle would be inserted into a vein in the back of my hand to allow an intravenous infusion of lethal drugs.
In her medical bag she also has a stethoscope. "Strangely, these days I use it more to determine if someone has no heartbeat rather than if they do," she tells me.
A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line
Some 96% of Maid provisions are under "track one" where death is "reasonably foreseeable". Dr Trouton says that means patients are on a "trajectory toward death", which might range from someone who has rapidly spreading cancer and only weeks to live or another with Alzheimer's "who might have five to seven years".
The other 4% of Maid deaths come under "track two". These are adults, like April, who are not dying but have suffering which is intolerable to them from a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".
That is in stark contrast to Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, which says patients must be expected to die within six months. The Westminster bill would not allow doctors to give a lethal dose – rather patients would have to self-administer the drugs, usually by swallowing them.
Death via intravenous infusion normally takes just a few minutes, as the lethal drugs go straight into the bloodstream, whereas swallowing the drugs means patients usually take around an hour or two to die, but can take considerably longer, although they are usually unconscious after a few minutes.
Dr Trouton told me she regarded the Canadian system as quicker and more effective, as do other Maid providers. "I'm concerned that if some people can't swallow because of their disease process, and if they're not able to take the entire quantity of medication because of breathing difficulties or swallowing difficulties, what will happen?"
But opponents argue it's being used as a cheaper alternative to providing adequate social or medical support.
One of them is Dr Ramona Coelho, a GP in London, Ontario, whose practice serves many marginalised groups and those struggling to get medical and social support. She's part of a Maid Death Review Committee, alongside Dr Trouton, which examines cases in the province.
Dr Coelho told me that Maid was "out of control". "I wouldn't even call it a slippery slope," she says "Canada has fallen off a cliff."
"When people have suicidal ideations, we used to meet them with counselling and care, and for people with terminal illness and other diseases we could mitigate that suffering and help them have a better life," she says. "Yet now we are seeing that as an appropriate request to die and ending their lives very quickly."
While at Dr Coelho's surgery I was introduced to Vicki Whelan, a retired nurse whose mum Sharon Scribner died in April 2023 of lung cancer, aged 81. Vicki told me that in her mum's final days in hospital she was repeatedly offered the option of Maid by medical staff, describing it as like a "sales pitch".
The family, who are Catholic, discharged their mother so she could die at home, where Vicki says her mum had a "beautiful, peaceful death". "It makes us think that we can't endure, and we can't suffer a little bit, and that somehow now they've decided that dying needs to be assisted, where we've been dying for years.
"All of a sudden now we're telling people that this is a better option. This is an easy way out and I think it's just robbing people of hope."
So is Canada an example of the so-called slippery slope? It's certainly true that the eligibility criteria has broadened dramatically since the law was introduced nine years ago, so for critics the answer would be an emphatic yes and serve as a warning to Britain.
Canada's assisted dying laws were driven by court rulings. Its Supreme Court instructed Parliament that a prohibition on assisted dying breached the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The extension of eligibility for those who were not terminally ill was in part a response to another court decision.
In Britain, judges in the most senior courts have repeatedly said any potential change to the law around assisted dying is a matter for Parliament, after the likes of Tony Nicklinson, Diane Pretty and Noel Conway brought cases arguing the blanket ban on assisted suicide breached their human rights.
April knows some people may look at her, a young woman, and wonder why she would die.
"We're the masters of masking and not letting people see that we're suffering," she says. "But in reality, there's days that I just can't hide it, and there's many days where I can't lift my head off the pillow and I can't eat anymore.
"It's not a way I want to live for another 10 or 20 or 30 years."
Additional reporting by Joshua Falcon.
© Sophie Park for The New York Times
中国轻工业联合会网站
声 明
4月2日（美国当地时间），美国政府宣布将于5月2日终止对来自中国大陆和香港800美元以下小额包裹的免税政策。美国这一行为，粗暴破坏了中美正常贸易秩序，严重影响了全球产业合作，极大损害了包括美国人民在内的消费者权益。中国轻工业联合会以及广大轻工企业对此表示严重关切和坚决反对。
美国针对小额包裹的免税政策始于20世纪30年代，这一制度方便了美国游客从国外带纪念品回国，并减少额外支出。近年来，随着信息技术和物流业的发展，越来越多的美国民众通过网络平台选购物美价廉的海外商品，享受了贸易全球化发展的红利。此次美方取消小额包裹免税政策，不仅破坏全球轻工消费品产业链供应链的稳定性，而且对美国普通民众造成较大直接损失，是明显害人害己的行为，最终损害包括美国在内的各方利益。
中国轻工业市场化进程早，国际化程度高，始终是自由贸易的坚定捍卫者。我们呼吁国际社会共同抵制贸易霸凌，坚决维护平等互利国际贸易体系。我们强烈要求美国政府尊重市场规律，正视民众需求，停止错误做法。中国轻工行业有信心直面风雨挑战，以更高质量的产品、更加创新的商业模式，继续服务包括美国人民在内的全球人民美好生活需要。
中国轻工业联合会
网站截图
“病得晚，死得快”，是公众对没有痛苦的“好死亡”最直接的理解，但在当前慢性病居多的老龄化社会很难实现。
肿瘤医院的一名护士长曾感慨，这里连个发泄情绪或得到安慰的地方都没有，为了不影响到同病房的其他病人，科室甚至不允许患者家属在病房里大声哭泣。
家在中国人的文化想象中极其重要，多数老人希望自己可以在家里离世，但身患重疾的临终者需要专业的医疗指导，居家面临很大困难。
南方周末记者 黄思琪
责任编辑：曹海东
人们对善终的朴素理解是“病得晚、死得快”，但随着医疗技术发展、慢性死亡增多，临终成为可长可短的过程。视觉中国|图
如果生命的长度和尊严只能二选一，你会怎么选？
这个看似极端的选择，其实每天都在ICU病房上演。现实中，决策权可能并不在你手里。家人往往宁愿靠医学手段延长患者“活着”的状态，也不愿背负“放弃抢救”的道德压力和直面丧亲之痛。
人该如何有尊严地离去？已故作家琼瑶在生前看护失智症丈夫，因插管问题与继子女产生分歧，曾多次呼吁关注死亡的尊严，并立下“不动大手术、不送加护病房、不插鼻胃管”的生前预嘱。
中山大学社会学与人类学学院教授涂炯也想找到答案。2014年博士毕业后，涂炯进入国内一所肿瘤医院，在被业内称为“太平间中转站”的肿瘤科观察癌症患者的疾痛体验。
晚期癌症病人在肿瘤科接受最新的放化疗方案、靶向药或临床试验，直到不再有可供选择的疗法，肿瘤医院也倾向于只收治还有“治疗价值”的病人。这引起了涂炯的好奇：离开肿瘤医院后，晚期病人如何度过生命的最后阶段？那些不被收治入院的患者又去了哪里？
2017年，涂炯正式开启关于死亡和临终照护的研究，在珠三角地区选取多家医疗机构进行田野调查，关注的人群从癌症患者延伸到其他临终者和照护者，这些经历被记录在2024年出版的《如何有尊严地离去？关于临终、死亡与安宁疗护的社会学研究》一书。
“人们对善终的朴素理解是‘病得晚、死得快’，但随着医疗技术发展、慢性死亡增多，临终成为可长可短的过程。”接受南方周末记者采访时，涂炯认为，过去几十年的经济高速发展让人更关注“好活”——如何更好地生活，而我们此刻身处的深度老龄化社会，更需要人停下来思考“优逝”——如何有尊严地离去。
2017年，中山大学社会学与人类学学院教授涂炯开启关于死亡和临终照护的研究。受访者供图
南方周末：在“乐生恶死”的文化环境下，研究死亡要克服哪些困难？
涂炯：在我们的社会观念里，谈论死亡被视为不吉利、晦气。做田野调查时，我发现很难轻易开口和患者讨论对死亡的态度，只能在聊天中等待他们自然提起。
彼时，作为一名青年社会学者，我也收到过身边人善意的提醒：年纪轻轻就被贴上“死亡教授”的标签不太合适。这也从侧面反映，在“过早”的年龄研究死亡不符合“社会期待”。
在这个领域研究久了，很多朋友会来咨询我，家人确诊癌症晚期，应该怎么与他交流，怎么告别。每个家庭、每个具体的临终和死亡事件都不一样，我很怕给错答案，也难以给出合适的答案。
不久前，我带的第一届硕士生里，一位已经毕业、即将步入婚姻的年轻学生意外离世。作为曾经的导师，我想给她的父母打电话，又担心加剧他们的悲伤，纠结许久后，选择用文字留言表达了哀思。现实里的哀伤抚慰对每个人来说都不容易。
南方周末：现在年轻人对死亡的态度呈现分化，一方面喜欢以戏谑的方式谈论和消解死亡，把“活人微死”“淡淡的死感”挂嘴边；另一方面也存在死亡焦虑和回避，不说“笑死”，要说“笑发财了”。你怎么评价这种看似矛盾的死亡观？
涂炯：社会
校对：吴依兰
Getty ImagesStock markets in London, Paris and Berlin fell as trading began on Thursday after US President Donald Trump's sweeping announcements on tariffs.
The UK's FTSE 100 share index was down 1% while France's Cac 40 fell 1.7%.
Earlier Asian markets had slid, while the price of gold, which is seen as a safer assest in times of turbulance, climbed to a record high.
Traders are concerned about the global economic impact of Trump's tariffs, which they fear could stoke inflation and stall growth.
Markets across Asia had fallen sharply after Trump's announcement, with the Nikkei in Japan closing down nearly 3% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index 1.5% lower.
The price of gold hit a record high of $3,167.57 an ounce at one point on Thursday, before falling back.
A combination of a 10% baseline levy and higher duties on a number of other trading partners reverses decades of liberalisation that shaped the global trade order.
"This is the worst-case scenario," said Jay Hatfield, chief executive at Infrastructure Capital Advisors.
"Enough to potentially send the US into a recession," he added, echoing nervous market sentiment.
George Saravelos, head of FX at Deutsche Bank Research, said the new US trade tariffs were a "highly mechanical" reaction to trade deficits, rather than the "sophisticated assessment" the White House had promised.
He warned the move "risks lowering the policy credibility of the [Trump] administration".
"The market may question the extent to which a sufficiently structured planning process for major economic decisions is taking place. After all, this is the biggest trade policy shift from the US in a century," he said.
Getty ImagesCosmetics company Lush and car repair chain Kwik Fit are among firms which have warned they will raise prices due an increase in employers' National Insurance (NI).
Other firms have told the BBC they will reduce how much profit they make, freeze hiring or in some cases cut jobs to cover the higher costs.
From Sunday, employers will have to pay NI at 15% on salaries above £5,000, instead of 13.8% on salaries above £9,100 currently.
The Treasury said the billions raised will be spent on public services, including the NHS.
Lush told the BBC that with 3,600 employees in the UK and Ireland, it would have to find an extra £2.7m per year.
Kasey Swithenbank, Lush's retail head for the UK and Ireland, said: "We are going to be taking small incremental price changes. We are taking an approach where we look at certain categories at key points of the year so hopefully our customers don't feel the full burden straight away."
Kwik Fit, which employs around 7,000 people, estimates the NICs rises will cost it £6.4m.
This will have a knock-on effect on prices, and recruitment, said Mark Slade, its managing director.
"We are really careful to make sure KwikFit is always competitive and benchmarked against the people around us - but the reality is that includes increasing prices."
He added: "There will be some people who aren't replaced over the coming year and that will be in the senior levels."
BBC Breakfast contacted around 200 UK businesses and charities in March, across different industries, from sole traders to large companies to get a sense of the impact of the increase in employer National Insurance Contributions.
Some 121 completed the questionnaire and around 100 of these businesses told us they had at least an approximate idea of how much increases in employer NICSs would cost them.
The costs ranged from £1,000 to £39m depending the size of the business and the number of employees.
Around 60 of the businesses which were planning to increase the staff count before announcement said the Budget had affected these plans.
BBC Breakfast's questionnaire asked employers to choose from a list of actions they would take to manage increases in NICs.
Businesses most frequently told us they would choose a combination of these things.
Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT, said the tax changes, which will cost the firm £100m, will mean it speeds up job cuts it was already planning.
She added that BT is "delighted" with tax relief on infrastructure investment in the Spring Statement and UK planning reforms.
"At the moment, like the country, we are focused on getting BT back to growth," she said.
"Predictability on taxation, on regulation and on planning is super helpful for the investment that goes into infrastructure like ours, which is the digital backbone of the country."
Angela Burns is the chief executive of the Webb Hotel Group, a group of four hotels based in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.
It employs just under 300 people, and she says the NICs rises alone will cost £200,000 a year, with additional minimum wage and pension costs taking that to £600,000.
"It's really tough because our labour force is the main expense in our business," she said.
"As soon as it was announced in the budget in October, we started to look at restructuring, and as people have left, we haven't re employed. So we've actually cut our workforce down from about 320 to about 280 now to prepare ourselves."
She said prices would have to be moved "slightly upwards".
"But it's a balancing act as to what customers are prepared to pay," she added.
Greg Strickland, general manager of trampoline activity firm Jump Xtreme in Bolton, said the changes added £30,000 of costs "overnight".
He said it had cut 16 hours per week off some 40-hour contracts to cover the cost.
Meanwhile Andrew Lane, managing director of Union Industries in Leeds said the firm, which makes industrial doors, shares about half its post-tax profit with employees.
"This is going to hit them," he said. "There will be less money to distribute to our employee-owners."
The government has predicted the changes will raise between £14.6bn and £18.3bn a year over five years when compensation for public sector employers is taken into account.
A Treasury spokesperson told the BBC the government was "pro-business" and that it knew the "vital importance of small businesses to our economy".
They said October's budget "took difficult decisions on tax to stabilise the public finances, including the NHS which has now seen waiting lists fall five months in a row".
They added: "We are now focused on creating opportunities for businesses to compete and access the finance they need to scale, export and break into new markets."
Additional reporting by Oliver Smith & Jennifer Meierhans
ReutersLast year, on 17 September, at around 15:30, a pager which a nurse called Adam was given at the start of his shift at a hospital in Lebanon received a message. The devices had been distributed by Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim group, to thousands of its members, including Adam, and he said it was how he and his colleagues expected to be alerted of emergencies or a disaster.
"The pager started beeping non-stop and, on the screen, it said 'alert'," Adam, who did not want to use his real name for safety reasons, said. The text appeared to have been sent by the group's leadership. To read it, he had to press two buttons, simultaneously, with both hands. Adam did it many times, but the beeps continued. "Then suddenly, as I was sitting at my desk," he said, "the pager exploded".
On his phone, Adam showed me a video of the room, filmed by a colleague minutes after he was rescued. There was a trail of blood on the floor. "I tried to crawl to the door because I had locked it while I changed my clothes," he said. The blast had opened a hole in the wood desk. I noticed a beige-like object. "That's my finger," he said.
Hezbollah is known for being a powerful militia and is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by countries including the UK and the US. But in Lebanon, it is also a significant political movement with representation in parliament and a social organisation. Here, being a Hezbollah member does not necessarily mean you are a fighter. In fact, many are not. Adam told me he had never been one. People can work in the group's large array of institutions that include hospitals and emergency services, for example.
Hezbollah had decided to equip members with low-tech pagers for communicating rather than smartphones which it feared could be used by Israel, its arch-enemy, to gather sensitive information about the group. It turned out, though, that the devices which Hezbollah had distributed were part of a years-long elaborate Israeli plan: an explosive compound had been concealed within the pagers, waiting to be activated – and that is what happened on that day.
SuppliedIn the attack, Adam, who is 38, lost his thumb and two fingers on his left hand, and part of a finger on the other. He was blinded in his right eye, which has been replaced with a glass eye, and has only partial sight in the other. He showed me a picture of him in a hospital bed, taken an hour after the explosion, with his face burned, entirely blooded, covered with bandages. Despite his wounds, Adam remained committed to Hezbollah. I asked him how he felt when he looked at himself like that. "Very good," he said in English. Then, in Arabic, he told me: "Because we believe that the wounds are a kind of medal from God. Honouring what we go through fighting a righteous cause."
But the group is no longer the force it was since being dealt a devastating blow in Israel's bombing campaign and invasion of Lebanon, which followed the pager attacks, and faces serious challenges. At home, there is discontent among some supporters over the lack of funds for reconstruction, while the new government has vowed to disarm the group. In neighbouring Syria, the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime has disrupted the route used by Iran, its main supporter, for the supply of weapons and money.
I visited communities in southern Lebanon that were destroyed by Israel's attacks, and saw that support for Hezbollah appeared undimmed. But, in views rarely expressed to media, others who backed it said the war had been a mistake, and even questioned the group's future as a military force.
AFPYou can listen to more from Hugo in his radio documentary - Crossing Continents: Hezbollah in trouble - here
Hezbollah, or Party of God, was created in the 1980s in response to Israel's occupation of Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. To this day, the destruction of Israel remains one of its official goals. Their last war had been in 2006, which was followed by years of relative calm. Violence flared up again in 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. When Israel started bombarding Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets in around northern Israel, saying it was acting in support of Palestinians. Israel responded with air strikes on southern Lebanon, and tens of thousands of people were forced to flee on both sides of the border.
The pager attacks were a turning point in what had been, until then, an intensifying but relatively contained conflict. The devices exploded as people were working, shopping or at home. About a dozen people, including two children, were killed, and thousands wounded, many of them maimed. The attack caused anger in Lebanon, because of what was seen as its indiscriminate nature. A day later, walkie-talkies used by the group suddenly exploded too. I was at a funeral of some of the victims of the pagers when there was a loud blast. Hezbollah members, desperate, asked us to turn off our cameras or phones, as no-one knew what else could explode.
In the following weeks, Israel carried out a relentless bombing campaign and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Across the country, around 4,000 people were killed and almost 18,000 others wounded. For Hezbollah, the conflict proved to be catastrophic. The group's top leaders were assassinated, many of its fighters killed and much of its arsenal destroyed. Among the dead was Hassan Nasrallah, who had been the head of Hezbollah for more than 30 years, assassinated in a massive air strike on the group's secret headquarters under apartment blocks in the Dahieh, where Hezbollah is based in Beirut.
At the end of November, battered, the group agreed on a ceasefire that was essentially a surrender.
Getty ImagesSouthern Lebanon is the heartland of Lebanon's Shia Muslim community, which is the bulk of Hezbollah's support base, and one of the regions of the country where the group has traditionally had a significant presence. I travelled to the border town of Kfar Kila, which had a pre-war population of 15,000 and was one of the first to fall when Israel invaded. Israel's stated war goal was to allow the return of residents to its northern communities, which had been emptied because of Hezbollah's attacks. In Kfar Kila, there was almost nothing left standing, and yellow Hezbollah flags dotted the huge piles of broken concrete and twisted metal.
A 37-year-old woman called Alia had come with her husband and three daughters, aged 18, 14 and 10. The youngest was wearing a badge with a smiley picture of Nasrallah. "I only knew that this was my house because of the remains of this plant over there, the roses, and this tree," Alia told me. From the street, she pointed at what she could identify in the rubble. "This is the couch. There, the curtains. That was the living room. And that was the bedroom. That's my daughter's bicycle," she said. "There's nothing to recover".
According to the World Bank, costs related to reconstruction and recovery are estimated at $11bn (£8.5bn) across the country. One of Hezbollah's immediate challenges is to give financial help to people affected by the war, which is crucial to keep supporters on board. Those who lost their houses have received $12,000 to cover for a year's rent. But the group has not promised money to rebuild what was destroyed or to give compensation for destroyed businesses. The limited support is already fuelling discontent. Aila's shop had stock worth $20,000, and she was concerned no-one would cover her losses.
Iran, Hezbollah's backer, is one of the group's main sources of funds, weapons and training. But Lebanon's international allies want to cut off any financial support from Iran, to put even more pressure on Hezbollah, and say there will be no help if the Lebanese government does not act against Hezbollah. With the group weakened militarily, critics see this as a unique opportunity to disarm it.
Alia told me: "We don't want any aid that comes with conditions about our arms... We won't allow them to take our dignity, our honour, take away our arms just for us to build a house. We'll build it ourselves."
It is not surprising that Hezbollah's supporters remain defiant. For many, the group is a fundamental part of their lives, essential in their identities. But Hezbollah's power is seen - and felt - beyond its base. Before the war, its military wing was considered to be stronger than the Lebanese national army. A solid parliamentary bloc means that virtually no major decision has been possible without Hezbollah's consent. Because of Lebanon's fractured political system, the group has representation in the government. In short, Hezbollah has had the ability to paralyse the state, and many times has done so.
But the war has diminished the group's domestic position too. In January, the Lebanese parliament elected a new president, former army chief Joseph Aoun, after a two-year impasse that critics had blamed on Hezbollah. In the past, its MPs and allies would walk out of the chamber when a vote was scheduled. But Hezbollah, severely wounded and with its communities in need of help, felt it could no longer block the process, which was seen as vital to unlock some international support. In his inauguration speech, Aoun promised to make the Lebanese army the sole carrier of weapons in the country. He did not mention Hezbollah, but everyone understood the message.
Ultimately, Hezbollah's future may lie with Iran. One of the reasons for Iran to have a strong Hezbollah in Lebanon was to deter any Israeli attack, especially on its nuclear facilities. This is now gone. Other groups backed by Iran in the region, part of what it calls the Axis of Resistance, have also been significantly weakened, including Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. And the fall of the Assad regime in Syria has interrupted Iran's land corridor to Lebanon - and Hezbollah. Even if Iran decides to rearm Hezbollah, it will not be easy.
AFPNasrallah has been succeeded by Naim Qassem, his former deputy, who is not seen as charismatic or influential. From time to time, rumours emerge of internal disagreements. And whispers of dissent among the rank and file are spreading. In southern Lebanon, I met a businessman who did not want to have his name published, fearing that he could become a target on social media. On the wall of his office, he had pictures of Hezbollah's leaders. Now, he was critical of the group.
"The mistakes have been huge," he said. "Hezbollah decided to engage in a war to support Gaza without proper calculations, without consulting the people or the Lebanese state". (To date, Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.) He told me a lot of supporters shared his view. "If Hezbollah don't do a proper reassessment of the situation... they will destroy themselves and harm us along the way. We brought this destruction on ourselves, and we're now suffering".
As part of the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah agreed to remove its weapons and fighters from southern Lebanon, and a Western diplomatic official told me the group had largely done it. Israel was required to withdraw its troops, but has remained in five positions, saying this is needed for the safety of its border communities. The Israeli military has also carried out air strikes on targets and people it says are linked to Hezbollah. Lebanon says the Israeli permanence in Lebanese territory and its attacks are violations of the deal.
Discussions about Hezbollah's disarmament are likely to be difficult and long. A source familiar with the group told me one of the options was for Hezbollah's arsenal, believed to still include long-range missiles, to be put under the control of the state, while its fighters, estimated to be several thousand, could be integrated into the Lebanese army.
The businessman told me: "A lot of the families, especially those of wounded and martyred fighters, are totally dependent on Hezbollah. These people won't disengage from Hezbollah immediately… Without a plan, it would be a recipe for internal conflict. It would drive Lebanese to fight against each other".
For weeks, I tried to interview a representative from Hezbollah, but no-one was made available.
ReutersAdam, the pager casualty, has now returned to his work as a nurse. He no longer does nightshifts, however, as he cannot see well. The explosion also left shrapnel in head and chest. As he gets tired easily, he needs to take constant breaks to rest. Physiotherapy sessions are helping him adapt to using what is left of his left thumb and middle finger.
Prominent in his living room, is a picture he framed, of himself, with his injured hands, holding a pager. He shared with me another picture, of his maimed hand, only now it also bore a tattooed message which expressed that his wounds were a cheap sacrifice in honour of Nasrallah, the late Hezbollah leader. He, like many, still believes in the group's purpose, and the role it plays.
Getty ImagesFundamentally wrong, was how Germany's outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, described the new Trump tariffs.
A unilateral attack - that was the view of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
French President Emmanuel Macron called them brutal, unfounded and certain to have a "massive impact" on the European economy.
He convened an emergency meeting with representatives of French businesses most affected by the newly announced 20% tariffs on EU goods sold to the US and issued a call to arms to European business "not to invest in America for some time until we have clarified things".
"What message would we send by having major European players investing billions of euros in the American economy at a time when [the US] is hitting us?" he said.
For France it's wine, champagne and the aeronautical industry, for Germany it's cars, and for Italy it's luxury goods. It's well known these sectors sell well abroad and now risk being clobbered by US import taxes.
Overall, the chemicals, machinery and equipment industries in the EU are seen as the most vulnerable to the tariffs.
But dig a little deeper and there are other EU sectors, reliant on the US market, that could come as a bit of a surprise.
French cognac, generally dismissed as an old person's tipple in Europe, is the booze of choice for many American rappers, playing a prominent role in the music and lifestyle of stars like Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. More than 40% of French brandy is exported to the US.
Spain exports a lot of gas turbines to the US, alongside tonnes of olive oil.
When we look at which EU countries are most exposed to the US in terms of GDP, the picture is also not quite what you might imagine.
Ireland is highly dependent on the US in terms of goods and services. Those exports - a lot linked to the pharmaceutical industry (which is currently exempt from the 20% tariffs, until the US boosts its own production) and also tech - make up a fifth of Ireland's GDP.
Getty ImagesCyprus, Luxembourg and Malta are more exposed than the EU average in terms of services exports.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Slovakia are in a similar position when it comes to goods.
Germany has a greater exposure to the US than the other major EU economies, at over 5% of GDP, followed by Italy (about 4%), France (3%) and Spain (just over 2%). These figures were collated in 2024 by CaixaBank research based on Eurostat figures for the previous year.
The response to the new US tariffs is being coordinated at EU HQ in Brussels. The European Commission deals with all overarching trade matters for the bloc's members.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claims they hold "a lot of cards", including the strength to negotiate and the power to push back.
The US economy is mighty. It makes up 25% of global GDP.
But the EU single market of 450 million people (the biggest single market in the world) stands very close in size at 22% of global GDP.
So, yes, the EU can bite - hard - as well as bark when it comes to retaliating against Donald Trump's tariffs. Especially if, as EU figures have suggested, the bloc targets US services like Big Tech, possibly including Apple, Meta, Amazon and even Elon Musk's platform X.
But that risks a new backlash by the Trump administration. And the EU wants to avoid upping the ante.
If you take politics into account, not just economics, the EU has less room for manoeuvre than you might think.
Take energy supplies, the EU has been buying US liquified natural gas (LNG) after it weaned itself off Russian gas following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Tricky to reduce or heavily tax those imports. That would badly impact EU consumers, not only US industry, and it would worsen already dismal relations with the US.
Think of all the recent rows over defence spending and Ukraine. Aside from the economic hell the EU sees and hopes to avoid in the new Trump tariffs, the bloc also really wants to sidestep a trade war with the country that used to be Europe's best friend.
Getty ImagesSo, the Brussels plan is: threaten heavy retaliation, hope Donald Trump is persuaded to negotiate, then pray he'll stage a U-turn on tariffs.
The EU's trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, says he's speaking to his US counterparts on Friday. It's an opening gambit. The EU is in no rush to retaliate.
The Trump administration has ruled out any country negotiating its way out of the new tariffs before they become live this weekend. But after that, what could the EU offer the US president to persuade him to back down?
Trump is incandescent about the EU's massive trade surplus. It sells far more goods than it buys from the US. The surplus for 2024 was around $200bn (€180bn; $153bn).
It's the other way round when it comes to services - the US sells far more to the EU than the other way round. That is why the EU thinks its main retaliatory leverage against the US would lie in services, like banks and big tech.
Getty ImagesTo redress the goods imbalance, the EU could offer to buy more LNG from the US, or more military equipment, following its pledge to Washington to do more for its own security.
But that would break a different EU promise - to boost withering European arms industries by trying to buy EU when re-arming EU countries. It is something the US has already objected to, so that's tricky.
Brussels could also cut direct and indirect tariffs on US goods. It could lose quotas on US agricultural produce.
It would be hugely reluctant to comply with another US ask: to water down its much-trumpeted digital regulations, aimed at limiting monopolies and placing restrictions on speech and content in the EU.
How do you price in the possible collapse of the international trading system, EU officials ask.
European firms fret about their markets being flooded by cheap goods from non-EU countries that are also hit by Trump tariffs and seeking to sell elsewhere.
The risk is very real when it comes to China. Trump is slapping more that 50% tariffs on Beijing when you add it all up.
Would the EU have to ratchet up its import duties on Chinese goods to protect itself and could that lead to an unintended trade war with China?
These are anxious and hugely uncertain economic times.
Which is why the European Commission says it also wants to focus on matters it can control - if EU capitals agree - and that is reducing internal barriers within the EU single market.
Those barriers, such as tax regimes, vary from country to country and impact the EU's overall economic growth and competitiveness.
The IMF calculates they're equivalent to a 45% tariff on EU manufacturing; 110% when it comes to services.
That is far higher than the tariffs now imposed on the EU by Donald Trump.
EU countries say they're united in combating those. So far they've been divided over completing their own internal market.
Getty ImagesStock markets in London, Paris and Berlin fell as trading began on Thursday after US President Donald Trump's sweeping announcements on tariffs.
The UK's FTSE 100 share index was down 1% while France's Cac 40 fell 1.7%.
Earlier Asian markets had slid, while the price of gold, which is seen as a safer assest in times of turbulance, climbed to a record high.
Traders are concerned about the global economic impact of Trump's tariffs, which they fear could stoke inflation and stall growth.
Markets across Asia had fallen sharply after Trump's announcement, with the Nikkei in Japan closing down nearly 3% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index 1.5% lower.
The price of gold hit a record high of $3,167.57 an ounce at one point on Thursday, before falling back.
A combination of a 10% baseline levy and higher duties on a number of other trading partners reverses decades of liberalisation that shaped the global trade order.
"This is the worst-case scenario," said Jay Hatfield, chief executive at Infrastructure Capital Advisors.
"Enough to potentially send the US into a recession," he added, echoing nervous market sentiment.
George Saravelos, head of FX at Deutsche Bank Research, said the new US trade tariffs were a "highly mechanical" reaction to trade deficits, rather than the "sophisticated assessment" the White House had promised.
He warned the move "risks lowering the policy credibility of the [Trump] administration".
"The market may question the extent to which a sufficiently structured planning process for major economic decisions is taking place. After all, this is the biggest trade policy shift from the US in a century," he said.
Login