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.

A postal laundry service is unveiled by Chunghwa PostBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterPeople can drop off and pick up laundry using Chunghwa Post’s iPostbox service after the postal company formed a partnership with U-Wash, a local laundry service chain. A woman holds a box of laundry at a Chunghwa Post iPostbox locker in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Chunghwa PostThe washing firm picks up the laundry and returns it — washed, dried and folded — to the same locker, Chunghwa Post said. The service costs NT$420 per delivery, which includes laundry service fees and delivery charges, it said. In addition to the laundry service, businesses that use the iPostbox service include e-commerce sites, online auction operators, bartering platforms, coffee capsule recyclers and logistics service providers, it said.

COVID-19: Isolation rule on close contacts easedLIVING WITH COVID-19: Close contacts with a booster shot would no longer follow the ‘3+4’ policy, instead practicing ‘0+7,’ or self-disease prevention for seven daysBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterClose contacts of COVID-19 cases who have received a booster shot no longer need to isolate at home, but should practice seven days of “self-disease prevention,” effective today, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Health workers simulate processing a sample at a drive-in COVID-19 rapid test center outside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei yesterday during a trial run. Photo: Pin Fang-chao, Taipei TimesClose contacts would no longer be required to follow the “3+4” policy — isolate at home for three days and practice self-disease prevention for four days — but would need to follow a “0+7” policy — practice self-disease prevention for seven days. Confirmed cases are still required to quarantine for seven days, followed by seven days of self-health management, he added. If they disagree, the doctor can arrange for the patient to receive a polymerase chain reaction test or another rapid test.

Wheat soars on India restrictions, risking food inflationBloombergWheat prices jumped by the exchange limit after India’s move to restrict exports, exposing just how tight global supplies are after the war in Ukraine and threatening to drive up food prices even more. That it could have such a major effect underscores the bleak prospect for global wheat supplies. India’s decision to halt wheat exports came after a record-breaking heat wave parched the crop during a crucial period, spurring estimates of slumping yields. India is to approve exports to countries that require wheat for food security needs and based on the requests of their governments. The export ban could be long-lasting, if global food prices remain elevated, Nomura Securities Inc said.

The flags of the US and China fly outside the building of a US company in Beijing on Jan. 21 last year. At the same time, China is setting its sights on the Pacific, raising alarm that it might station troops beyond the second island chain after signing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, it added. Meanwhile, at the committee meeting yesterday, bureau Director-General Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) was asked about Japan’s role in scenarios outlined in the reports. The islands are claimed by Taiwan, China and Japan. If China militarizes these islands, as it has done with others in the South China Sea, it would pose a direct threat to Japan, he said.

COVID-19: First shipment of Pfizer’s vaccines for kids arrivesINFORMED CHOICE: Parents should research the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines before deciding which is best to give their children, the minister of health saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children, containing 777,600 doses, arrived in Taiwan yesterday morning, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said the vaccine would be administered to children aged 5 to 11 as their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Workers unload a shipment of children’s doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. As the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines each have benefits and drawbacks, the center encourages parents to learn about the vaccines before choosing which to give to their children, he said. A shipment of 35,280 courses of molnupiravir, an oral antiviral treatment for treating COVID-19 also arrived yesterday evening.

Tabletop phase of Han Kuang drill to beginStaff writer, with CNAThe annual Han Kuang military exercises are to begin today with tabletop wargames to test defense strategies against possible Chinese invasion scenarios, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. Unlike previous editions, this year’s wargames would not feature computer simulations and would instead involve physical maps, the ministry said. The computerized format was dropped because physical maps allow generals to meet face-to-face to discuss strategy and brainstorm ides, a military source said. Ministry of National Defense official Major General Lin Wen-huang speaks at a ministerial news conference on April 27. This year’s edition would also incorporate lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to sharpen combat readiness against a Chinese invasion, the ministry has said.

Lawmakers pass reservist bonuses for extra trainingBy Wu Su-wei and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Legislative Yuan on Friday passed the third reading of a new bill that would award bonuses to reservists who undergo additional training. Under the bill, reservists would receive a bonus for each training session they attend after the fifth session, and their employer could deduct 150 percent of the reservist’s regular salary during the additional sessions from their taxes. Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP“The war in Ukraine has shown us the importance of mobilizing reservists, and of the participation of all citizens in national defense,” Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said. The bonuses are meant to complement the reservists’ 14-day training schedule introduced in March, he said, adding that the policy aims to encourage reservists to pursue further training, while minimizing the impact of their absence on employers. The resolution stipulates that reservists who are not called up in a given year, but who want to volunteer for additional training receive the same benefits and bonuses.

Taiwan farmers’ interest in China is cooling: reportBy Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwanese farmers declared only one China-bound agricultural project last year, showing that interest in China’s farming sector has cooled, the Council of Agriculture said in a report. The council compiled the report in response to legislators’ request last year that officials evaluate whether the nation’s agricultural trade secrets are being compromised by Taiwanese farmers working in China. Beijing in 1997 began courting Taiwanese farmers and investors with the establishment of the Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Experimental Zone, it said, adding that other incentives would be enacted in following years. Taiwanese farmers and investors reported 210 investments connected to the making of unprocessed agricultural products in China in 1997, the highest level ever recorded, it said. This growth was driven by the technology sector’s involvement in intensive hog farming in China, it said.

Fourth shots for at-risk people begin tomorrowRISK REDUCTION: Eligibility is to cover people aged 65 or older, residents of long-term care centers and adults who are immunocompromized but in stable healthBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterStarting tomorrow, elderly people and people at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 would be eligible for a second booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Eligible recipients must have had their booster shot at least five months earlier, the center said. The move aims to reduce the risk of moderate or severe COVID-19 among a certain group of people, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center. As of Friday, the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates had reached 85.5 percent for a first dose, 80.6 percent for a second dose and 62.3 percent for a first booster dose, he said. The center continues to encourage elderly people and people at high risk of severe illness to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible, he added.