COVID-19 patients in ICU mostly not vaccinated: Oxford scientistThe GuardianCOVID-19 is no longer a disease of the vaccinated, the head of the Oxford jab program said. The “ongoing horror” of patients gasping for breath in hospital is now “largely restricted” to people who are unvaccinated, said Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford. “Generally, COVID-19 is no longer a disease of the vaccinated; vaccines tend to limit its suffocating affliction, with a few exceptions,” he wrote. For most vaccinated individuals, these mild infections are little more than an unpleasant inconvenience,” he said. However, for those who are very frail, immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions, COVID-19 infections can still be “enough to destabilise them” and cause “serious, life-threatening health problems that add to the pressure on the NHS,” he said.

Taipei exhibit shows art by White Terror-era survivorBy Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn exhibit at Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall showcases work by artist Chen Wu-jen (陳武鎮), a survivor of the White Terror era. During this time, he became an art teacher, but only painted portraits and landscapes out of fear of being imprisoned again. In an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times), Chen told about a teaching job he had at a remote elementary school. After the lifting of martial law, Chen began painting works inspired by his experiences during the White Terror era. Chen said he hopes that the government would one day covert Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall into a national human-rights art museum, flanked on both sides by cultural parks.

Industrial production increasesGROWTH RUN CONTINUES: A statistics official said that there was a monthly dip in industrial production last month, likely due to supply chain issues and parts shortagesBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterIndustrial production in Taiwan last month increased 11.25 percent year-on-year — the 21st consecutive month of annual growth — but decreased 2.36 percent month-on-month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The ministry uses industrial production to gauge output in the nation’s five main industries: manufacturing, mining and quarrying, electricity and gas supply, water supply and architecture engineering. Manufacturing, which contributes 90 percent of overall industrial production, increased 17.28 percent year-on-year last month, rising for the 21st consecutive month, the ministry said. Photo: Wang Han-ping, Taipei Times“We did see a monthly dip in industrial production last month, likely due to supply chain disruptions and an ongoing parts shortage in the electronics sector,” Department of Statistics Deputy Director-General Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑) said. In the first 10 months of this year, industrial production rose by 13.75 percent compared with the same period last year on continued strong demand for tech and non-tech products, the ministry said.

The site is temporary while the ministry seeks another property where it could establish a permanent launch site for commercial use. Representatives from Syuhai Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township hold a community meeting with officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology in the county on Monday. The ministry is accepting applications from scientific teams that could use the site to test their sounding rockets, it said. The National Space Organization (NSPO) is to share profits generated by the launch site in a bid to promote technological development while protecting Aboriginal rights, the ministry said. Despite the delay, it is a positive development that the ministry is now providing guidelines to follow when testing sounding rockets, Wei said.

EU says Taiwan’s Lithuania office not a breach of policyStaff writer, with CNA and ReutersThe European Commission said it does not consider the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in Lithuania a breach of the EU’s “one China” policy, after Beijing downgraded its diplomatic ties with Vilnius because of the move. China downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania on Sunday, after Taiwan opened a “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania” in the nation’s capital on Thursday. Eric Huang, appointed representative to Lithuania, third from right, poses in Vilinus on Thursday with other staffers outside the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania. Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday praised Lithuania for its “moral courage” in allowing Taiwan to open the representative office, despite mounting pressure from China. “Establishing official diplomatic relations is currently not the main focus of our work,” he said.

Medigen to apply to Australian agency for provisional approval of its vaccineBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterMedigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗) yesterday said it would apply to the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for provisional approval of its COVID-19 vaccine in the near term, after obtaining a provisional determination from the agency. A provisional approval in Australia is similar to emergency use authorization in other countries, Medigen said in a statement. Signage for Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp is pictured at the entrance to the company’s facility in Hsinchu on Aug. 31. It has also given a provisional determination to Novavax Inc.Medigen said it yesterday became the sixth firm to gain a provisional determination, after the agency granted a provisional determination to Grand Pacific CRO, the Australian sponsor acting on behalf of Medigen for its MVC-COV1901 vaccine. Provisional determination is the first step in the provisional registration process and means that Grand Pacific CRO is eligible to apply for provisional registration, the agency said.

Alonso returns to the F1 podium after 7-year gapReutersFernando Alonso feared he might never stand on a Formula One podium again until the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday ended a record seven-year wait and saw the double world champion hailed as driver of the day. The last time Alonso stood on the podium was as a Ferrari driver in Hungary in 2014, when he finished second, and the 105 races between successive podiums made for the longest gap yet for the sport. Alpine driver Fernando Alonso of Spain celebrates winning third place at the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, Qatar, on Sunday. Photo: APTo put the wait into perspective, the last time fans saw Alonso on the podium was before Red Bull’s 24-year-old championship leader Max Verstappen — second on Sunday — made his Formula One debut. He started third on Sunday after Verstappen took a five-place grid penalty and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas dropped three from third.

Teachers and principals were invited to give feedback on progress regarding the government’s goal of becoming a Mandarin-English bilingual nation by 2030. Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School English teacher Liu Ya-hsin, standing, speaks at a meeting on bilingualism and English teaching hosted by the New Power Party on Saturday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times“Students need an environment where the English they learn is used, or it just comes across as pretentious,” Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School principal Chiang Hui-chen (江惠真) said. Very few qualified bilingual teachers take on positions in Taipei, and schools lack bilingual curricula that fit the local education system, he said. Liu Ya-hsin (柳雅馨), an English teacher at Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, said there was a large consensus among those she asked in Taipei that the English-Mandarin bilingualism program is unpopular.

Rapid test free for new quarantine option: CECC saysStaff writer, with CNAFully vaccinated people who choose the “7+7 (+7)” quarantine option upon arrival in Taiwan would not have to pay for the required COVID-19 rapid tests, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said. While in home quarantine, they would be required to take a rapid test on the 10th day after their arrival, followed by one more PCR test on the 13th or last day of the two-week quarantine period, it added. Taiwan currently has only 26,000 quarantine rooms, but about 40,000 people are expected to arrive for the holiday, the center said. Initially, the center had said that people would have to pay for the rapid test they are required to take on the 10th day of the “7+7 (+7)” quarantine plan. The “10+4 (+7)” policy does not require travelers to have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks, but they must spend their last four days of quarantine in a home where the other residents have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks.

Suicide and suicidal thoughts among teenagers are spiking. The Taiwan Fund for Children and Families says that a recent survey of 600 young people, a fifth have thought of suicide. But among the young, the rise in suicidal thoughts is striking. Among females 15-24, suicidal thoughts have tripled since 2014, to 7.6 percent. Notes from Central Taiwan is a column written by long-term resident Michael Turton, who provides incisive commentary informed by three decades of living in and writing about his adoptive country.

Medical world congress in Taiwan for first timeBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe 32nd World Congress of International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists (IASGO) opened in Taiwan for the first time on Saturday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Tai-yuan, left, gives a thumbs up at the World Congress of International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists, with congress president and National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) professor Lin Ming-tsan, center, and NTUH superintendent Wu Ming-Shiang, right, in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNANTUH superintendent Wu Ming-Shiang (吳明賢) said that among the 10 most common types of cancer in Taiwan, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer are all associated with the digestive system. As this year’s congress focuses on the applications of AI in surgery, gastroenterology and oncology, healthcare professionals could exchange ideas on how AI contributes to improving the outcome of medical services, providing patient-centered care, Wu said. According to IASGO, more than 1,500 medical experts from more than 90 countries are participating this year.

The world’s first self-propelled, electric container ship, Yara Birkeland, is moored at Langkaia in Oslo on Friday. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store attends a tour of the Yara Birkeland in Oslo on Friday. While the distance the Yara Birkeland would cover might be short, there would be many obstacles. Experts also do not expect electric vessels to become a universal solution for the industry any time soon. “Not only would [a vessel] need to be autonomous for long distances, but you would also have to equip ports with battery chargers, so there are technical and infrastructure challenges that would need to be coordinated,” she said.

Three workers die in MRT construction site accidentStaff writer, with CNAThree workers were killed and two injured after scaffolding at a construction site collapsed in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽), the New Taipei City Fire Department said yesterday. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, with back to camera, inspects the site of a fatal scaffolding collapse on a Mass Rapid Transit construction site in the city’s Sansia District yesterday. All work at the site has been suspended pending an investigation to determine the cause of the accident, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said. An initial investigation found the cause of the accident to be loose fasteners on a horizontal section of the scaffolding, Occupational Safety and Health Administration head Chiang Tsung-lung (江宗龍) said. Contractor RSEA Engineering Corp (榮工工程) could face a fine of up to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), if found responsible, he said.

Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn (富士康) globally, said it plans to open a semiconductor design center in the Baogao Science and Intellectual Park in the city’s Sindian District (新店) to develop software used in self-driving, smart connectivity and smart cabins for EV production. Photo: ReutersMarket analysts said they expect Hon Hai to build an EV cluster in New Taipei City by taking advantage of the new investment in the industrial park. The industrial park is close to Foxtron Vehicle Technologies Co (鴻華先進), a joint venture between Hon Hai and Taiwanese automaker Yulon Group (裕隆集團) to push for EV development. The department added that it would not know how much Hon Hai plans to spend on its new site before the contract is signed. Hon Hai will use the Baogao industrial park as a base for next generation smart EV development, the department said.

Modi makes U-turn on farm laws after mass protestsAFP, NEW DELHIIndia is to scrap agricultural reform laws that sparked a year of huge protests by farmers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday in a surprising U-turn that sparked celebrations, but also criticism from economists. Farmers celebrate yesteday in Singhu, India, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a repeal of agricultural reform laws. Photo: AFPIn a contrite address to the nation coinciding with a major Sikh festival — the religion of many farmers — Modi said the laws would be repealed in parliament’s winter session, which begins later this month. Thousands of Indian farmers commit suicide every year because of poverty, debt and ever more erratic weather patterns caused by climate change. “Now there will be no agriculture sector reforms for the next 25 years...