Spain temperatures break May record‘EATING UP SPRING’: Temperatures are 10oC to 15oC above the seasonal average and a city northwest of Madrid experienced its first ‘tropical’ May night on FridayThe GuardianParts of Spain are experiencing their hottest May since records began, as a mass of hot, dry air blows in from Africa, bringing with it dusty skies and temperatures of more than 40°C. “In many places the temperature did not fall below 25°C, something practically unheard of in May.”A woman cools off in a fountain during a heat wave in Cordoba, Spain, on Saturday. The city of Segovia, northwest of Madrid, also experienced its first “tropical” May night on Friday as temperatures remained above 20°C. A recent Aemet study found that the arrival of 30°C temperatures across Spain and the Balearic islands had come an average of 20 to 40 days earlier over the past 71 years. However, it said there was no indication this year that the unusually hot spring presaged a record-breaking hot summer.

The farm is at the forefront of a scheme called solar sharing that involves the use of farmland for producing crops and generating power. The movement is gaining adherents as the global push to replace fossil fuels is encouraging more innovative approaches to boosting capacity for renewable energy. Solar sharing is also useful in countries with harsh growing environments, protecting crops by absorbing sunlight and acting as a shield. However, while Magami has demonstrated the success of solar sharing, the practice has not been widely adopted in Japan. Those have all been filled.”Other nations are making progress with solar sharing, especially in countries that face a similar lack of space.

Oil rises weekly as demand outweighs recession concernsBloombergWest Texas Intermediate (WTI) set its fourth straight weekly gain as product markets remain tight amid healthy demand, eclipsing concerns about an economic slowdown that have roiled financial markets. Despite the choppy trading, it posted its best run of weekly increases since the middle of February. Rising demand for motor fuels and shrinking inventories ahead of the summer driving season underscored a fundamentally tight supply situation even as broader economic fears shook equity markets. While the US and UK have announced bans on Russian exports, flows to Asia have picked up. China is seeking to replenish strategic stockpiles with cheap Russian oil even as officials grapple to suppress COVID-19 outbreaks.

Wimbledon stripped of points over Russia banAFP, PARISWimbledon, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, was on Friday stripped of ranking points by the sport’s main tours in a move that threatens to reduce the Grand Slam to the status of a high-profile exhibition event. The decision by the ATP and WTA was in response to Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players following the invasion of Ukraine. “It is with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022,” an ATP statement said. Daniil Medvedev of Russia returns against Richard Gasquet of France during their Geneva Open men’s singles match in Switzerland on Tuesday. “We deeply regret the impact of this decision on the individuals affected,” a statement from the Wimbledon organizers said.

Hon Hai, Yageo venture to acquire 30% APEC stakeBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterHon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Yageo Corp (國巨) yesterday said that they plan to acquire a 30 percent stake in local semiconductor manufacturer Advanced Power Electronics Corp (APEC, 富鼎) for about NT$2.89 billion (US$97.45 million) through a joint venture, their latest effort to broaden their semiconductor portfolios. Yageo chairman Pierre Chen, left, and Hon Hai chairman Young Liu bump elbows in an undated photograph. Hon Hai is a major iPhone assembler, while Yageo is the world’s No. “Semiconductors have been one of the three key technology pillars of Hon Hai,” said Hon Hai chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉), who is also chairman of XSemi. “Our alliance with APEC is to capture the upcoming opportunities in analogue and power semiconductors,” Yageo chairman Pierre Chen (陳泰銘) said in the statement.

Inhumane animal traps should be banned: advocatesBy Yang Cheng-yu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe manufacture and use of animal traps that mutilate their catch should be banned via legal amendments, animal protection groups said yesterday. Members of the Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network and legislators from different parties watch a man demonstrate how animal traps work at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. A child could step into a boar trap and be hung from a tree, which would make Taiwanese think twice about such traps, ACT founder Sean McCormack said. Separately, Forestry Bureau staff demonstrated redesigned animal traps, which allow for adjustable diameters and pressure plates, preventing bears and leopard cats from activating the traps. The new traps are designed to meet farmers’ needs to deter animals, and old traps should be traded in for the new model, bureau staff said.

MOL eases rules for applications for COVID leaveBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNAWorkers can turn in their COVID-19 isolation notification form any time within 30 days after the end of their isolation or quarantine period, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said yesterday, as the nation recorded 85,720 new domestic cases. Employees who are confirmed to have COVID-19 can apply for sick or injury leave, while those in self-isolation after being listed as a contact can apply for pandemic prevention leave, he said. Those who need to stay home to care for an isolating child can request family care leave or pandemic prevention care leave, he said. Chen, who also heads the CECC, said that the quarantine notification system would be separated from the National Infectious Disease Reporting System to enhance their efficiency. Over the past two years, there have been only 457 confirmed COVID-19 reinfections in Taiwan, he said, citing data valid as of Monday.

Systems to defend against UAVs approved: sourceStaff writer, with CNAThe military yesterday approved a project to install indigenous uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) defense systems at 45 bases across the nation to neutralize hostile drones, a military source said. Under a five-year project ending in 2026, the Ministry of National Defense is to spend NT$4.3 billion (US$144.45 million) to purchase the UAV systems, which were designed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the source said on condition of anonymity. The defense systems are to be installed at 45 air, naval and missile bases across the nation, including in remote mountain areas and on outlying islands, the source said. The UAV defense systems were designed to disrupt and neutralize drones engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and other potentially malicious activities, the institute said. They are capable of remotely detecting, tracking and classifying small UAVs before providing an option to disrupt their activity, the institute said.

Inherited properties rise 12 percentBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterGifted and inherited properties last quarter increased 12 percent and 4.3 percent year-on-year to 15,481 and 14,952 units respectively, government data showed yesterday, as people appeared to be undeterred by stricter property tax terms while becoming more active in asset allocations. The figures show a seven-year high following the introduction of combined property taxes, data on the Ministry of the Interior’s Web site showed. Photo: Hsu Yi-ping, Taipei TimesTightened property tax terms should result in higher taxes when people sell inherited and gifted properties, although people regardless seem to be pressing ahead with asset allocations, especially those with multiple homes, Lang said. Owners of multiple homes can bypass stricter lending terms by gifting properties to spouses or children who qualify for higher house loans, Lang said. Gifted and inherited properties could also allow first-time property sellers the choice to apply a 10 percent tax rate on transaction gains, benefits usually not available to multiple home sellers.

EV drivers eventually to pay fuel charges: ministerWINDING ROAD: While the number of vehicles increased from 8.19 million in 2020 to 8.33 million last year, fuel charge revenue fell as EV sales rose, a legislator saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterElectric vehicle (EV) drivers would eventually have to pay fuel charges, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday. The government considered levying fuel charges based on the distance traveled by drivers, but odometers can be tampered with to roll back mileage, he said. The government should learn from Japan, which has multiple ways to collect vehicle fuel charges, Lee said. “Electric vehicle owners are exempt from paying fuel charges because the government is encouraging the use of electric vehicles. Should the number of electric vehicles continue to grow, owners would have to pay fuel charges for using roads,” Wang said.

Chandimal and Dickwella cling on as Test is drawnAFP, CHITTAGONG, BangladeshBangladesh and Sri Lanka yesterday drew the first Test in Chittagong after Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella hung on for the visitors in a vital seventh-wicket stand. Dickwella was unbeaten on 61 alongside Chandimal on 39 not out at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella, left, lets the ball go through to Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das during the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, Bangladesh, yesterday. Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne made 52 before he gave a catch to his counterpart Mominul Haque at midwicket off Taijul. Shakib soon had Dhananjaya de Silva out for 33 off 60 balls, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 161-6 before Dickwella and Chandimal dug in.

Manufacturing rises for sixth consecutive quarterBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterManufacturing output last quarter rose for a sixth straight quarter given growth in global end-market demand, development of emerging technologies, digital transformation and improvement in supply chain disruptions, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Rising costs of international raw materials due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also helped push output of the local manufacturing sector upward in the first quarter, the ministry said in a statement. Manufacturing output increased 16.01 percent year-on-year to NT$4.16 trillion (US$139.74 billion), the highest number on record for the January-to-March period, the ministry said. The manufacturing complex of synthetic and electronic materials supplier Chi Mei Corp is pictured in Tainan’s Rende District on Wednesday. The ministry said it is positive about the outlook for the manufacturing sector, as companies continue to develop new technologies, chipmakers prepare to expand capacity and major economies implement infrastructure projects.

Groups say church shooting a hate crimeACT NOW: The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and academics called for probes into pro-China organizations, as the suspect belonged to a US branch of a pro-unification groupBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and academics yesterday said the shooting at a church in Laguna Woods, California, on Sunday involving Taiwanese-Americans was a hate crime, and called for an investigation into links between the suspect and pro-China groups in Taiwan and the US. The shooting is related to hate speech disseminated by pro-China groups, so the government must act to prevent them from taking advantage of the nation’s democratic system and freedom of speech to incite hostility and violence, Presbyterian Church in Taiwan officials told a news conference at the Che-Lam Presbyterian Church (濟南教會) in Taipei yesterday. We must deal with this serious division of national identity among different ethnic groups,” the church said in a statement read by Presbyterian Church in Taiwan director-general Chen Hsin-liang (陳信良). Activists and church leaders hold a moment of silence for the victims of a California church shooting during a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. “NACPU members have entered Taiwan multiple times in the past,” he said, urging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to verify such links and ban NACPU members from entering Taiwan.

The amount of the injection has not been finalized, as the number of claims affecting CTBC Insurance’s financial strength would change as the government changes its disease prevention measures, such as the isolation rules, CTBC Financial spokeswoman Chiu Ya-ling (邱雅玲) said. The cash injection would not reduce Taiwan Life’s capital adequacy too much, Chiu said. Taiwan Life Insurance Co employees pose outside a company office in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Taiwan Life Insurance CoTaiwan Life’s risk-based capital (RBC) ratio stands at 335 percent and is expected to remain above 300 percent even after injecting capital into CTBC Insurance, she said. Having sold 400,000 COVID-19 insurance policies, CTBC Insurance said that it has assigned more staff to deal with claims as domestic COVID-19 infections climb.

Delhi Capitals are peaking at the right time, Marsh saysReuters, MUMBAIThe Delhi Capitals are hitting their stride at the perfect time in the IPL, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh said after helping the side break into the top four with Monday’s victory against the Punjab Kings. Marsh smashed the only half-century of the match as Delhi defended a modest 159-7 to record their first back-to-back victories this season. Mitchell Marsh of the IPL’s Delhi Capitals poses for a portrait in his Australia uniform at Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, on July 8 last year. Photo: AFP“In long tournaments like this, it’s about peaking at the right time,” Marsh said. We know if we win that, we’ll be in the finals and we can give it a real good shake,” Marsh said.