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受政府停摆拖累 美国第四季度GDP仅增1.4%

2026年2月20日 23:53 / 联合早报

美国上个季度国内生产总值按年率计算增长1.4%，低于预期。图为纽约时报广场的人潮。 （法新社）

受去年政府停摆影响以及消费者支出放缓，美国第四季度经济增长增速低于预期，但减税和人工智能投资预计将支撑今年的经济活动。

美国商务部经济分析局星期五（2月20日）发布的第四季度国内生产总值（GDP）初步数据显示，上个季度国内生产总值（GDP）按年率计算增长1.4%，不及预期的增长2.8%。路透社调查的经济师此前预测GDP增速为3.0%。

美国第三季度实际GDP增长4.4%，2025年全年经济增长2.2%。无党派的国会预算办公室（CBO）估计，由于联邦雇员提供的服务减少、联邦政府在商品和服务上的支出下降以及补充营养援助计划（SNAP）福利的暂时削减，政府停摆将使第四季度GDP增速下降1.5个百分点。

国会预算办公室预测，大部分损失的产出最终将会恢复，但仍有70亿至140亿美元（88.79亿至177.57亿新元）的损失无法弥补。

在报告发布前，美国总统特朗普发声批评停摆并施压降息，他在其社交媒体真相社交上发帖称：“政府停摆至少使美国GDP下降了两个百分点。这就是为什么他们要以小规模再次停摆的原因。不要再停摆了！还有，降低利率！”

这份因创纪录的43天政府停摆而推迟发布的报告，强调了经济扩张中就业岗位的缺失，以及“K型”经济模式——高收入家庭生活优渥，而低收入消费者则在进口关税导致的高通胀和工资增长停滞的双重压力下苦苦挣扎。

这些状况造成了经济学者和特朗普反对者所称的“负担能力危机”。去年仅新增18.1万个就业岗位，是自2009年大衰退以来疫情之外的最低水平，远低于2024年的145.9万个。

康宁汉姆发威 活塞NBA轻取尼克斯摘四连胜

2026年2月20日 19:13 / 联合早报

（纽约法新电）美国职业篮球赛（NBA）经过全明星周末后恢复常规赛，东部领头羊底特律活塞（Detroit Pistons）在球星康宁汉姆（Cunningham）的统治级表现带动下，客场以126比111轻取纽约尼克斯（New York Knicks），拿到四连胜。

活塞两年前还是东部垫底，如今完成重建，更在上周超越上届总冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆（Oklahoma City Thunder），战绩登上全联盟第一。

面对近12战10胜、东部第三的尼克斯，康宁汉姆砍下42分、13次助攻和8个篮板，帮助活塞完成常规赛对尼克斯三战全胜的战绩，再次巩固自己作为最有价值球员有力竞争者的地位，将活塞的战绩提升至41胜13负。

虽然继续领跑联盟，但活塞未被多数专家视为总冠军热门。康宁汉姆赛后也说，球队还没有证明什么，需要在季后赛继续努力。

他说：“现在还是常规赛，所以我们只需要一点一点地继续努力、继续成长、继续变得更好，并为季后赛做好准备。我们有一个很好的开局，显然我们对此感觉很好。但一切真正重要的事情还在后面。”

骑士追上尼克斯 大王吞15连败队史纪录

在其他比赛中，布朗（Brown）贡献23分、13次助攻和15个篮板的精彩表现，带领波士顿凯尔特人（Boston Celtics）以121比110击败金州勇士（Golden State Warriors），巩固东部第二。

克利夫兰骑士（Cleveland Cavaliers）则在112比84轻取布鲁克林网队（Brooklyn Nets）收获六连胜后，战绩追平35胜21负的尼克斯，并列东部第三。

而西部的萨克拉门托大王（Sacramento Kings）以94比131惨败给奥兰多魔术（Orlando Magic）后，吞下队史纪录的15连败。

西部第二的圣安东尼奥马刺（San Antonio Spurs）以121比94大胜菲尼克斯太阳（Phoenix Suns），豪取七连胜后，战绩来到39胜16负，继续在西部紧追42胜14负的雷霆。

尚穆根陈诗龙起诉“网络公民”主编 案件下周开庭 | 联合早报

发布/2026年2月20日 19:15

这起诽谤案定下个星期四和星期五，在高庭举行两天的“账目结算、估算与调查”聆讯，由林茵倩法官审理。 （档案照片）

国家安全统筹部长兼内政部长尚穆根及人力部长陈诗龙医生起诉“网络公民”主编许渊臣诽谤，案件将于2月26日和27日在高庭开庭审理。

根据新加坡法庭所发出的每周庭审通告，这起民事诉讼定下个星期四和星期五，举行两天的“账目结算、估算与调查”聆讯，由高庭法官林茵倩审理。一般上，在诽谤案件中，这类聆讯旨在估算答辩人所须支付的赔偿金额。

代表两名部长的是高级律师文达星与其团队，许渊臣目前没有代表律师。

这起诽谤案源于彭博社在2024年12月12日刊登的一篇题为《新加坡豪宅交易愈发隐秘》（Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasing Shrouded in Secrecy）的报道。文章被指含有多项不实陈述，同时提及尚穆根和陈诗龙个别买卖洋房的交易。

有三家网络媒体因转发有关文章，而接到更正指示，其中包括“网络公民”。尚穆根和陈诗龙通过律师在2025年1月入禀高庭，起诉担任“网络公民”主编的许渊臣。

延伸阅读

尚穆根陈诗龙起诉彭博社诽谤 案件4月7日开审 两年接八次更正指示 “网络公民”再被列为假信息源

两名部长也起诉彭博社和撰写文章的记者诽谤，审讯日期目前定在4月7日至16日，为期八天。

泰国成中国无人机销俄新枢纽 出口额暴增八倍 | 联合早报

发布/2026年2月20日 19:28

泰国成中国无人机销俄新枢纽 出口额暴增八倍

图为乌克兰武装部队人员在演练反无人机袭击。俄乌战争2022年爆发以来，泰国已成为中国无人机销往俄罗斯的转运站，显然是为了规避西方国家的对俄制裁。 （法新社）

（曼谷彭博电）随着西方国家加大对俄罗斯的制裁力度，泰国正悄然成为中国民用无人机销往俄罗斯的重要转运枢纽。

贸易数据显示，自2022年俄乌战争爆发以来，泰国对俄无人机出口与自中国进口量同步激增，这一趋势已引起乌克兰和美国的关注。

彭博社对泰国官方贸易数据的分析显示，在2025年的前11个月里，俄罗斯从泰国进口了价值1亿2500万美元（约1亿6000万新元）的无人机，占泰国无人机出口总量的88%，而且这一数额是2024年的八倍。

同一时期，泰国从中国进口1亿8600万美元（约2亿3622万新元）的无人机，几乎占了泰国无人机产品的全部进口额。

官方数据也显示，泰国2022年出口的无人机不到100万美元，且没有任何一架销往俄罗斯。

一名知情人士告诉彭博社，这一趋势已引起乌克兰官员的注意。

美国国务院拒绝就无人机经泰国转运一事置评，但国务院一名发言人说，中国一直在支持俄罗斯的战争行动，提供了约八成俄罗斯在冲突中使用的军民两用零部件。

西方情报机构认为，东南亚已成为输俄设备的重要转运渠道。

位于柏林的国际战略研究所（IISS）经济制裁、标准与战略高级研究员沙吉娜说：“东南亚地区绝对值得关注……国家可能会变，但方法不会变——利用空壳公司经第三国转运。”

泰国海关总署署长潘通强调，从泰国出口中国制无人机是合法贸易行为，泰国政府也不强制商家从中国进口无人机时申报用途。

潘通说：“我们做好准备采取行动，但必须先有法律依据。” 他也同时指出，泰国商务部外贸司正在对此事展开调查。

俄罗斯因为侵略乌克兰而受到国际制裁。根据欧盟与美国的制裁公告，虽然大多数被制裁的商品经由中国大陆和香港进入俄罗斯，但莫斯科一直试图利用转运路线来规避欧洲的限制。

西方国家较早前揭发和打击阿拉伯联合酋长国和哈萨克斯坦等中转路线后，俄罗斯开始寻求新的转运点，而东南亚成了新的重要通道。去年10月已有两家泰国公司因支持俄罗斯军方而受到欧盟制裁。

经由泰国转运俄罗斯的货运量增加一事表明，西方国家要限制俄罗斯取得武器和军民两用技术的渠道面临高度困难。

虽然泰国与俄罗斯的整体贸易活动有限，去年双边贸易额仅为23亿美元，但两国在经济、文化和政治领域的联系日益紧密。

去年，赴泰旅游的俄罗斯游客人数创下历史新高，达190万人次。去年第一季，俄罗斯人在泰国购置了价值超过3000万美元的房产，仅次于中国和缅甸的买家。

打破尘封近24年世界纪录 英女将基莉田径女子室内800米夺魁

发布/2026年2月20日 19:29

基莉打破尘封近24年、在她出生当日创造的田径女子室内800米的世界纪录。 （取自世界田径联合会Instagram）

（利埃文路透电）英国女将基莉·霍奇金森（Keely Hodgkinson）在星期四（2月19日）打破田径女子室内800米的世界纪录，将旧纪录提高了近一秒。

在法国利埃文举行的世界田联室内巡回赛金标赛中，基莉以1分54秒87夺冠，打破斯洛文尼亚名宿约兰达·采普拉克（Jolanda Ceplak）所保持的1分55秒82世界纪录。有意思的是，约兰达创造世界纪录的日期，正是24年前基莉出生的日子（2002年3月3日）。

基莉在赛后通过世界田联官网说：“谢谢这群了不起的观众，我在整圈比赛中都能听到你们的声音。”

这位英国名将本赛季状态火热，上周末在英国室内锦标赛中就跑出1分56秒33。

在利埃文这一站，她从一开始就掌控比赛节奏，200米通过时间为26.47秒，400米为55.56秒。到600米时（1分25秒06），23岁的她已经远远甩开身后选手。

基莉在2021年东京奥运会上获得女子800米银牌，并在2024年巴黎奥运会上夺得金牌。

Anonymous donor gives Japanese city of Osaka 46 pounds of gold bars to fund water pipe repairs

February 20, 2026 / 6:25 AM EST / CBS/AP

Tokyo—Osaka has received a hefty gift of gold bars worth 560 million yen (about $3.6 million) from an anonymous donor asking for its specific use: to fix the Japanese city’s dilapidated water pipes.

The gold bars weighing 46 pounds in total were given to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau in November by the donor who wants to help improve aging water pipes, Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama told reporters Thursday.

“It’s a staggering amount and I was speechless,” Yokoyama said. “Tackling aging water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation.”

The mayor said his city will respect the donor’s wishes and use the gift to improve waterworks projects.

Concern over the safety of Osaka’s waterworks systems grew after a massive sinkhole swallowed a truck and killed the driver last year.

Firefighters attempt to rescue a truckdriver after his vehicle was swallowed by a sinkhole, in Yashio city, Saitama, Japan, Jan. 28, 2025. STR/JIJI Press/AFP/Getty

The sinkhole, which was about 33 feet wide and 20 feet deep, was linked to a damaged sewer pipe in Saitama, north of Tokyo.

Osaka had 92 cases of water pipe leaks under city roads in the fiscal year ending March 2025, the city’s waterworks official Eiji Kotani told The Associated Press on Friday. With the population of 2.8 million, Osaka is the country’s third-largest city that serves as a western Japanese capital.

Most of Japan’s main public infrastructure was built during the rapid postwar economic growth. Urban development in Osaka, a regional commercial hub, started earlier than many other cities and its water pipes and other infrastructure are also aging earlier, Kotani said.

The skyline of Osaka, Japan, is seen in an undated file photo. Krzysztof Baranowski/Getty

Osaka needs to renew a total of 160 miles of water pipes, he said. Renewing a 1.2 mile segment of water pipes would cost about 500 million yen ($3.2 million), according to Kotani.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is running in the Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate primary, posted a campaign video that features footage of multiple people saying, “F— Trump.”

“They said it. We’re all thinking it,” Stratton wrote in a post on X when sharing the video.

The video kicks off by showing three different people say, “F— Trump, vote Juliana.”

ILLINOIS GOV PRITZKER DONATES $5M TO SUPER PAC BACKING LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S SENATE CAMPAIGN

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks during a news conference on Jan. 28, 2025, about the impact of President Donald Trump’s order to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is at right.(Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The candidate then appears and declares, “They said it, not me. I’m Juliana Stratton, and I’m proud to have lived my whole life on the South side of Chicago. I’m not scared of a wannabe dictator. I’m running for Senate to stand up to Donald Trump.”

Referring to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, she declares, “I’ll abolish ICE and hold Trump accountable for the crimes he’s committed.”

She then says, “Just like they said,” before three more people declare, “F— Trump.”

DUFFY GIVES ILLINOIS 30-DAY ULTIMATUM AFTER AUDIT FINDS 1 IN 5 NONCITIZEN TRUCK LICENSES ISSUED ILLEGALLY

President Donald Trump gestures at the end of his speech after touring the Coosa Steel Corporation factory in Rome, Ga., Feb. 19, 2025.(SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

One of the people to drop the f-bomb on the president is Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who has endorsed Stratton. Gov. JB Pritzker, who has also endorsed the Senate candidate, then appears next to the lieutenant governor and says, “Vote Juliana.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois announced last year that he would not seek re-election in 2026.

ILLINOIS DEM SENATE CANDIDATES SPLIT ON BACKING SCHUMER AS LEADER

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., meet with demonstrators protesting outside the immigration processing and detention facility on Oct. 10, 2025 in Broadview, Ill.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly are also running in Illinois U.S. Senate Democratic primary.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Trump EPA to weaken rule limiting harmful mercury, air toxics from coal plants

February 20, 2026 11:05 AM UTC / Reuters

By Valerie Volcovici

节点运行失败

Item 1 of 2 Fumes rise from the coal-fired Huntington Power Plant in Huntington, Utah, U.S., October 28, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo/File Photo

[1/2]Fumes rise from the coal-fired Huntington Power Plant in Huntington, Utah, U.S., October 28, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• EPA plans to weaken limits for mercury emissions, air toxics set in 2024
• Environmental groups warn rollback puts babies at risk from elevated mercury levels
• EPA says rollback will reduce costs for utilities, free up more baseload power

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – The Trump administration announced on Friday it will roll back air regulations for power plants limiting mercury and hazardous air toxics at an event in Kentucky, a move it says will boost baseload energy but that public health groups say will harm public health for America’s most vulnerable groups.

President Donald Trump’s EPA has said that easing the pollution standards for coal plants would alleviate costs for utilities that run older coal plants at a time when demand for power is soaring amid the expansion of data centers used for artificial intelligence.

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But environmental groups have said that weakening standards for mercury, a neurotoxin that can impair babies’ brain development, and other air toxics will lead to higher health-related costs.

The Biden-era Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, which updated standards set in 2012 under the Obama administration, had still been in force after the Supreme Court declined to put the rules on hold after a group of mostly Republican states and industry groups led a legal challenge to suspend it.

That rule would reduce allowable mercury pollution from the coal plants by 70%, emissions of nickel, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals from coal plants by two-thirds and result in health cost savings of $420 million through 2037, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

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The EPA said in a statement on Wednesday that the 2012 MATS rule provides “an ample margin of safety to protect public health,” and that its proposed 2024 additions would cost more than they benefit.

Utilities had been phasing out aging coal-fired generators, which are major sources of mercury and carbon emissions, but Trump has promised to reduce barriers to meet rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers.

He declared an “energy emergency” last year to justify moves to keep open aging coal plants that have been set for closure and exempt aging coal plants from key air regulations.

Last spring, he issued a proclamation inviting coal plants to request by email to be exempt from MATS regulations for two years as part of his administration’s energy emergency. Sixty-eight plants were granted exemptions.

Last week, the EPA announced it was repealing the “endangerment finding,” which gave the agency the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and the White House directed the Pentagon to purchase power from coal plants for military use.

Coal-burning power plants are among the largest sources of hazardous air pollution, including mercury, lead, arsenic, and acid gases, as well as major sources of benzene, formaldehyde, dioxins and other organic hazardous air pollutants.

Coal plants generate less than 20% of U.S. electricity, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Aurora Ellis

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4 tons of cocaine seized from “narco sub” off Mexico as El Salvador makes record drug bust at sea

February 20, 2026 / 6:34 AM EST / CBS/AP

The navies of Mexico and El Salvador announced big drug seizures in the Pacific Ocean this week of more than 10 tons of cocaine, in contrast to deadly strikes by the U.S. government that just this week left 11 people dead on three boats suspected of carrying drugs in Latin American waters.

The latest announcement came Thursday, when Mexico said it had seized about four tons of suspected drugs and detained three people from a semisubmersible craft, or so-called “narco sub,” 250 nautical miles south of the port of Manzanillo.

Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said via X that the seizure from the sleek, low-riding boat with three visible motors brought the weekly total to nearly 10 tons, but he did not provide detail on the other seizures.

Mexican authorities said the seizure was made with intelligence shared U.S. Northern Command and the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force South.

Officials released video of the seizure, showing a naval vessel intercepting the narco sub and images of the confiscated narcotics.

“This represents a direct and multimillion-dollar blow to the financial structures of organized crime, by preventing millions of doses from reaching the streets and protecting the safety of Mexican families,” García Harfuch wrote on X.

On Sunday, El Salvador’s navy announced the largest drug seizure in the country’s history of 6.6 tons of cocaine. The navy had intercepted a 180-foot boat registered to Tanzania, 380 miles southwest of the coast. Navy divers found 330 packages of cocaine hidden in the boat’s ballast tanks. Ten men were arrested from Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama and Ecuador.

On Thursday, Salvadoran authorities gave access to the seized ship FMS Eagle, which had just arrived in the port of La Union. Images released by the navy showed more than 200 wrapped bundles lined up on the deck.

The Trump administration has pressured Mexico to make more drug seizures over the past year. The trafficking of drugs like fentanyl was the president’s justification for tariffs on Mexican imports.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has responded with a more aggressive stance toward drug cartels than her predecessor, that has included sending dozens of drug trafficking prisoners to the United States for prosecution, including 37 individuals last month.

Sheinbaum has also expressed her disagreement with strikes by the U.S. military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean against boats suspected of carrying drugs.

At least 145 people have been killed in those strikes since the U.S. government began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” last September.

The U.S. strikes this week included two vessels carrying four people each in the eastern Pacific Ocean and another boat in the Caribbean carrying three people. The administration provided images of the boats being destroyed, but not evidence they were carrying drugs.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard seized over 2,000 pounds of cocaine while attempting to intercept a boat that was trafficking drugs off Puerto Rico. The crew of the alleged drug-ferrying boat “began evasive maneuvers” before throwing their cargo overboard and fleeing, the Coast Guard said.

https://x.com/OHarfuch/status/2024510892314951734/video/1

回理会斋戒月发放430万元援助金 惠及逾1万人

2026年2月20日 19:48 / 联合早报

尚达曼总统（左一）星期五到阿尔马华达回教堂与回教徒一同开斋。尚达曼在开斋前和救济金受惠家庭成员交流。 （谢智扬摄）

新加坡回教理事会将在今年的斋戒月发放430万元援助金，为1万零500名受益人提供救济。

回理会星期五（2月20日）发文告宣布，其中350万元来自本地回教徒常规捐献的回教救济金（zakat），80万元则来自未能履行斋戒义务者缴纳的赎罪施舍款。

受惠对象包括目前每月领取救济的家庭、指定福利院的回教徒居民、社区关怀长期援助计划（ComCare Long-Term Assistance）受惠者、由家庭服务中心转介的家庭，以及来自低收入家庭的高等学府回教徒学生。

今年斋戒月从星期四（19日）开始。尚达曼总统星期五到阿尔马华达回教堂（Masjid Al-Mawaddah）与回教徒一同开斋。主管回教事务代部长兼内政部高级政务部长费绍尔副教授陪同出席。

约100名回教社区领袖、救济金受惠者及福利机构住户参加活动。

费绍尔致辞时说，这笔救济金将协助家庭应付日常开销，包括教育与医疗需要，并支持他们逐步自立。

“这体现了我们作为一个社群彼此扶持的共同责任，让每个人都能有尊严、有希望地生活。”

他指出，救济金不仅缓解眼下的需求，也有助于陪伴个人与家庭恢复生活稳定、重建信心，在持续支持下迈向更稳固与独立的未来。

费绍尔：探讨新方法让援助更容易取得 惠及更多家庭

费绍尔说，当局正探讨新做法，让援助更容易取得，并惠及更多家庭。这包括检讨并对齐经济状况评估标准，与国家标准接轨，让更多家庭受惠。“确保最后一里路的援助送达有需要的人，至关重要。”

回理会指出，我国“回教堂救济金社会发展计划”（ZakatSD@Mosques）自2023年在六所回教堂试行后，已扩展至全国超过60所回教堂。

计划由驻点回教堂的人员提供现场咨询服务，评估个人或家庭需要，并转介相关援助，包括即时现金补助和购物券。去年有超过1100人获得相关即时救济，其中约600人随后纳入每月救济计划。

根据《回教法令》，回理会负责征收与分配相关救济基金，目前每年为超过6500户家庭提供定期救济。回理会也与政府机构及各回教堂合作，使救济安排与现有社会援助计划衔接。

2025年，回理会发放430万元年终救济金，协助超过6000个家庭，包括8000多名儿童的教育开销。