Photo: CNAIt was the fourth consecutive month of increase in employment, it said. Employment figures have improved since the government downgraded a national COVID-19 alert level, easing restrictions on people’s movement, DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠欣) said. In October, the average monthly regular wage in the industrial and service sectors was NT$43,593, up NT$214, or 0.49 percent, from a month earlier, the DGBAS said. In the first 10 months of this year, the average regular wage and average monthly earnings rose 1.82 percent and 2.91 percent from the previous year respectively, to NT$43,088 and NT$56,387. However, after inflationary adjustments, the average regular wage and average monthly earnings rose only 0.01 percent and 1.8 percent respectively.

Listed firms’ overseas profits exceed NT$900bnStaff writer, with CNACompanies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) and the over-the-counter (OTC) market raked in a record NT$918.1 billion (US$33.1 billion) in the first nine months of this year, the Financial Supervisory Commission said. It comprises NT$881.4 billion from companies listed on the TWSE and NT$36.7 billion from firms listed on the OTC market, the data showed. Listed firms investing in China reported a record NT$379.5 billion in total profit in the first nine months, rising NT$102.6 billion from a year earlier, the commission said. The figure comprises NT$357 billion posted by companies listed on the TWSE and NT$22.5 billion by those listed on the OTC market, the commission said. As of the end of September, 1,202 listed companies had invested in China, accounting for 73.5 percent of the companies listed on local equity markets.

Ministry expands chatbot services for migrant workersStaff writer, with CNAAn automated chatbot service for migrant workers on instant messaging app Line has been upgraded with automatic visa and employment status notifications, the Ministry of Labor said on Friday. The “1955 E-Line” chatbot was set up in May by the Workforce Development Agency to give migrant workers easier access to COVID-19 prevention information, offering services in English, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai. Migrant workers show their “yellow cards” after receiving Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shots at Taipei Main Station on Thursday. Photo: CNABy signing up, the workers would gain access to services and notifications related to their personal employment and visa status in the four languages, it said. The agency is implementing the upgrade in response to the high number of migrant workers who have called the ministry’s 1955 hotline seeking help on a wide variety of issues, he said.

Nicaragua embracing China to shield against sanctions, US official saysReuters, WASHINGTONNicaragua’s sudden diplomatic switch from Taiwan to China was part of efforts by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government to protect itself from recent international sanctions against Managua, a senior US administration official said on Friday. China and Nicaragua on Friday re-established diplomatic ties after the Central American country broke relations with Taiwan, boosting Beijing in a part of the world long considered the US’ backyard, and angering Washington. Nicaragua’s abrupt break with Taiwan followed months of worsening ties between Ortega and US President Joe Biden’s administration. Washington viewed Nicaragua’s diplomatic switch as partly in response to such pressure from the international community, the official said. “They have felt that pressure and perhaps need the PRC [People’s Republic of China] support, or think they need the PRC support, for their way forward as they hunker down in a more authoritarian posture,” the official said.

Taiwan, Nicaragua cut diplomatic tiesOVERCOMING PRESSURE: Nicaragua’s decision would not dissuade Taiwan from its ‘determination to adhere to democracy and freedom,’ President Tsai Ing-wen saidAgencies, TAIPEI and MANAGUATaiwan severed diplomatic ties with Nicaragua shortly after the Central American nation on Thursday switched recognition to China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. “As of today, Nicaragua breaks its diplomatic relations with Taiwan and ceases to have any official contact or relationship.”Flags of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies flutter outside the embassy complex in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFEAlthough Nicaragua’s diplomatic switch leaves Taiwan with just 14 diplomatic allies, it comes as Taipei bolsters ties with multiple unofficial Western friends, including the US. The ministry added that Taiwan was not part of the PRC, which has never ruled over Taiwan. Since May 2016, when Tsai came to office, Taiwan has lost eight diplomatic allies: Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, and the Solomon Islands.

Visit to enhance economic ties: Slovak delegationBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterTaiwan is the global leader in semiconductors and Slovakia’s second-largest investor from Asia, a delegation of Slovak officials said yesterday, adding that the visit is economic — and not political — in nature. “Taiwan is an important part of our future economic diplomacy,” Lucia Kiss, director-general of economic and development cooperation at the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, told a news conference at the Sherwood Taipei. Lucia Kiss, left, director-general of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs looks on as Slovak Second State Secretary of Ministry of Economy Karol Galek, center, speaks during a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “This visit is an economic one, not a political one,” and is a continuation of our cooperation since 2003, she said. Slovakia is also eyeing further cooperation with Taiwan in space technology, such as developing small satellites, he said.

US restricts arms to CambodiaCHINESE INFLUENCE: A US embargo on arms exports took effect yesterday to protect national security as ties grow between Cambodia and the Chinese militaryAP, BANGKOKThe US has ordered an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing deepening Chinese military influence, corruption, and human rights abuses by the government and armed forces in the Southeast Asian country. Photo: APThe aim of the embargo is to ensure that defense-related items are not available to Cambodia’s military and intelligence services without advance review by the US government, it said. The US is the largest export market for Cambodia, a major garments manufacturing hub, but three-quarters of Cambodia’s imports are from China and other countries in Asia. The US halted military assistance to Cambodia following a 1997 coup in which the country’s leader, Hun Sen, grabbed full power after ousting his joint prime minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh. Hun Sen remains prime minister.

Wedding season sends gold demand in India soaringBloombergGold consumption in India would probably be the best in at least a decade in this quarter, as buyers stocked up for festivals last month and the peak wedding period that followed, the World Gold Council (WGC) said. Indians buy gold ornaments to wear and gift during weddings as the precious metal is considered auspicious, and a bringer of luck and prosperity. Almost every day there are weddings,” WGC India head P.R. Gold jewelry is pictured on a counter inside a store in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 2. With very little mining and modest levels of recycling, India is heavily reliant on bullion imports to meet domestic demand.

6432 in 2018 and does not need to pay compensation to the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), the Taipei District Court said yesterday. Photo: Wang Meng-lun, Taipei TimesThe TRA’s lawsuit said that the derailment occurred because of an ill-designed air compressor and a missing connection between the automatic train protection (ATP) and telemonitoring systems. It was seeking compensation from Sumitomo for the casualties caused by the derailment, as well as for damage to the train, railway facilities and its business, the TRA said. “The telemonitoring system, which monitors the ATP system, is not designed to slow down a train or reactivate the ATP when it is turned off,” the manufacturer said. On Oct. 18, the Yilan District Court sentenced train driver Yu Chen-chung (尤振仲) to four years and six months in jail for negligence leading to the crash.

“As a foreigner, I don’t face that directly, but when I’m with people who speak Taiwanese, I see it.”A-iong is one of a growing number of social media content creators who are promoting Taiwan’s struggling non-Mandarin languages that were suppressed for decades by the government. While attitudes and policy are changing, stereotypes or the lack of resources make preserving these languages a challenge. “Mintamasaz” means “cheer up” or “be strong” in the Bunun language. Umav Ispalakan’s Facebook page featuring Bunun language illustrations has become a conduit to present deeper issues such as cultural identity, Aboriginal rights and persistent stereotypes. Photo courtesy of Umav Ispalakan“Their first reaction was to reply in Mandarin, but I kept telling them, speak the language, speak the language,” she says.

Property firm Kaisa suspends tradingCONFIDENCE CRISIS: It is the second time in the past month that the debt-ridden firm has suspended trading and comes on the heels of China Evergrande missing a paymentAFP, HONG KONGChinese property firm Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd (佳兆業集團) yesterday suspended share trading in Hong Kong as questions swirl over its ability to make repayments and contagion spreads within the nation’s debt-ridden real-estate sector. Kaisa, China’s 27th-largest real-estate firm in terms of sales, but one of its most indebted, became the latest company to spook investors when it announced on Friday that it had failed in a bid for a debt swap that would buy it crucial time. Photo: AFPIt is the second time the company has suspended trading in the past month. The most indebted Chinese property firm is China Evergrande Group (恆大集團), which set off the current confidence crisis earlier in the summer. Wealthy owners of at least seven Chinese real-estate companies have also sold off some of their own luxury assets in the past few weeks to help prop up their firms, Bloomberg added.

Cryptocurrencies, payments, debit cards Visa’s focusBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterVisa Taiwan Co (台灣威士卡) is to focus on providing new cross-border payment solutions, issuing debit cards for young people and collaborating with the cryptocurrency sector to boost its competitiveness, general manager Michelle Jao (趙麗芳) said yesterday. Visa Taiwan Co general manager Michelle Jao attends a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The issuance of debit cards has risen at a double-digit rate this year, Jao said, adding that hopefully more young people would use Visa’s other payment tools as well. Meanwhile, Visa has collaborated with more than 50 crypto wallets or trading platforms worldwide to allow people to buy cryptocurrencies with their Visa cards, Jao said. The value of cryptocurrency-related transactions made with Visa cards surpassed US$1 billion in the first half of this year, she said.

Consumer prices for last month rise 2.84%‘NO INFLATION’: A DGBAS official said that prices are likely to taper off, as tariffs on imported beef, wheat, cement and other items have been brought downBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterConsumer prices last month rose 2.84 percent from a year earlier to the highest in nearly nine years with almost every consumption category becoming more expensive amid soaring fuel and food prices, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. It is the sixth time this year that the inflationary gauge has exceeded the 2 percent alarm, but the agency reiterated that consumer prices remained stable and would subside this month. “Consumer prices would likely taper off this month after the government lowered tariffs on imported beef, wheat, cement and other items,” DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) said. Photo: CNARising cases of infection with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 abroad have cast a shadow over the global economy and put a damper on international oil prices, Tsao said. Living costs increased 1.6 percent owing to rent hikes and higher home repair costs, the agency said.

New rules limit travel for Chungshan Institute staffBy Aaron Tu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew regulations governing international travel for Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology personnel would take effect “in the coming days,” a source said on Sunday. The institute president, vice president or supervisors of units under the board of directors would need permission to travel from the minister of national defense, the source said. Supervisors and directors who need to travel abroad on business related to the institute would need permission from the institute’s chairman of the board, and level-one supervisors would need permission from the institute president, the source added. Institute employees would be prohibited from traveling to, or transiting through, China, the source said, adding that border officials would share the employees’ travel data with the National Immigration Agency and the military. The majority of weapons in the Executive Yuan’s procurement plan for the special budget are anti-ship and anti-air missile systems being developed by the institute, the source added.

Next pandemic could be more lethal: AZ creatorThe GuardianThe COVID-19 pandemic that has so far killed more than 5 million people worldwide is far from over and the next one could be even more lethal, the creator of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine has said. Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, poses with her Barbie doll in her office at the university in Oxford, England, on Aug. 2. Photo: EPA-EFE“This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods,” she said. “The truth is, the next one could be worse. “We cannot allow a situation where we have gone through all we have gone through and then find that the enormous economic losses we have sustained mean that there is still no funding for pandemic preparedness,” she said.