COVID-19: Ministry proposes virus guidelines for school openingBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterSchool faculty and staff members would need to have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken up to three days prior to be allowed entry when classes resume next month, guidelines proposed by the Ministry of Education showed yesterday. The proposed guidelines on the prevention of COVID-19 on school campuses drafted by the ministry would cover kindergartens to high schools. Ministry of Education announced guidelines on the prevention of COVID-19 when schools re-open next month, including how to handle large gatherings, on-campus dining and other activities. Students and teachers should have their temperatures taken upon arrival at school, as well as before afternoon classes begin, the guidelines show. That would include dividers for dining areas, rapid test kits and backup supplies of masks, he added.

Thousands out of range of air-raid sirens: reportEDUCATION KEY: The affected areas have been told to rectify the situation, but one lawmaker said that people do not know where to find safety during an emergencyBy Aaron Tu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAbout 350,000 people live in areas out of audible range of air-raid sirens, a National Audit Office report has found. The alarms are crucial for ensuring public safety in the event of an air attack or major natural disaster, it added. Photo: Tsai Tseng-hien, Taipei TimesThe National Police Agency’s Civil Defense Office completed a survey on Nov. 20 last year that used QGIS, an open-source geographic information system, to analyze the reach of the country’s 1,435 air-raid sirens. The office found that in 38 communities across Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu County, people were unable to hear air-raid sirens due to their distance from the nearest siren or other geographical factors. Before more sirens are installed, communities could rely on police sirens, school public address systems and community offices to assist in alerting community members, it said.

US opens Tesla Autopilot investigationAFP, NEW YORKUS safety officials opened a preliminary investigation into Tesla Inc’s Autopilot after identifying 11 crashes involving the driver assistance system, officials said on Monday. The agency “is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation’s roadways” and to “better understand the causes of certain Tesla crashes, NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla Autopilot systems,” a spokesperson said. The interior of a Tesla vehicle is pictured at a showroom in New York City on July 5, 2016. Photo: AFPTesla founder Elon Musk has defended the Autopilot system and the electric automaker warns that it requires “active driver supervision” behind the wheel. The Center for Auto Safety, a non-profit group, has pressed US officials since 2018 to bar the name “Autopilot,” viewing the moniker as deceptive.

US soccer great Lloyd announces retirementReutersTwo-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, one of the greatest female soccer players ever to grace the game, has announced her retirement, US Soccer said on Monday. The 39-year-old Lloyd, who was twice named FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, became the second-most capped player in world soccer history (312) during a career that has also included two Olympic gold medals. “When I first started out with the national team in 2005, my two main goals were to be the most complete soccer player I could be and to help the team win championships,” Lloyd said. Photo: AFP“Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game,” Lloyd said. Lloyd is also to play the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League 2021-2022 season with the NJ/NY Gotham club before calling time on her professional club career, which has spanned 12 years and six teams.

BHP to merge oil operations with WoodsidePOTASH SHIFT: The company said potash operations would give it increased leverage to key global mega-trends, including diets and environmental stewardshipBloombergBHP Group is to merge its oil and gas operations with Woodside Petroleum Ltd as the biggest miner positions itself for a global shift away from fossil fuels and prepares to plow US$5.7 billion into a massive new fertilizer mine in Canada. After the deal, BHP shareholders are to own about 48 percent of Woodside, the miner said in a statement yesterday. A BHP logo is displayed at a meeting in Tokyo on June 5, 2017. “Potash provides BHP with increased leverage to key global mega-trends, including rising population, changing diets, decarbonization and improving environmental stewardship,” the company said. It is also expanding existing nickel operations in Australia and building a stake in a copper company in Ecuador.

The Liberty Times Editorial: Passive Taiwan stance risky for USOn Aug. 5, the US Department of State approved the sale of US$750 million in weapons and equipment to Taiwan, including 40 155mm Paladin M109A6 self-propelled howitzers. In April, Biden sent an unofficial delegation to Taiwan, led by his close friend, former US senator Chris Dodd. At the same time that the Dodd delegation was visiting Taiwan, Washington was engaging with Beijing. The Biden administration seeks to reinforce interactions with democratic nations around the world and has emphasized the importance of mutual alliances, while also trying to maintain a balance. Taiwan’s security interests must not be affected by a US-China conflict.

COVID-19: Vaccines free of pig cells, CECC saysTOO EARLY: The health minister said that a COVID-19 vaccination passport would not be introduced yet, because the nation’s vaccination rate is not high enoughBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterNone of the COVID-19 vaccines that have received emergency use authorization in Taiwan contain pig cells, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported four local and 14 imported COVID-19 cases, and zero deaths. “The COVID-19 vaccines being administered now and those that are about to be imported into Taiwan, including the AstraZeneca, Moderna, Medigen and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, all do not contain cells from pigs,” he said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center, reports four new local COVID-19 cases yesterday. On Monday, 49,152 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered, bringing the nation’s vaccination coverage to 39.21 percent, he said. Taipei and New Taipei City each reported two of the local cases, Chen said.

TPP urges president to fulfill campaign pledge for youthBy Wu Su-wei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers yesterday called on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to fulfill her campaign pledge of giving young Taiwanese hope for a better future. TPP Legislator Andy Chiu (邱臣遠) said that none of Tsai’s campaign promises for young people, such as education, housing, employment and entrepreneurship support, have been realized. From 2016 to this year, the Youth Development Administration’s budget allocated NT$21.6 per young person per year on average, Chiu said. Taiwan People’s Party legislators Tsai Pi-ru, left, and Andy Chiu hold placards during a news conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, demanding that the government do more for young people. TPP Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) said that salaries are not keeping up with the housing market and people are unable to sustain mortgage payments or save money.

Astros settle with girl hurt by foul ballAP, HOUSTON, TexasThe Houston Astros have agreed to a settlement with the family of a two-year-old girl struck by a foul ball during a 2019 Astros game at Minute Maid Park, the family’s attorney said on Monday. Attorney Richard Mithoff said that the settlement terms with parents Jonathan David Scott and Alexandra Colchado were confidential. The girl, who is now four years old, sustained a skull fracture and brain injury, and has been on anti-seizure medication since the incident, Mithoff said. Her prognosis has been difficult to define, but her parents are hopeful about her chances for a normal life, he said. The girl’s injury was among the foul ball incidents that prompted all Major League Baseball teams to extend protective netting farther down the foul lines to protect fans.

Macronix says demand surprisingly strongBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterMacronix International Co (旺宏), the world’s biggest supplier of NOR flash memory chips, yesterday said that demand is surprisingly strong through next year, with some customers even seeking year-long contracts, as it rejected Morgan Stanley’s bearish view on memory stocks. Macronix International Co chairman Miin Wu is pictured at the company’s headquarters in Hsinchu on June 18, 2019. The outlook for NOR flash memory chips remains strong in the second half of the year, Wu said. Automakers are likely to face a new headache with shortages of flash memory chips, he said. Macronix shareholders yesterday approved a cash dividend distribution of NT$1.2 per common share.

India’s belated ‘Independence Day win’ stunsAFP, LONDONIndia captain Virat Kohli promised there would no let-up from his side following an impressive 151-run win over England in the second Test at Lord’s on Monday, which he labeled a “day late” Independence Day celebration. India’s Jasprit Bumrah is hit on the helmet by a ball bowled by England’s James Anderson in the fifth day of the second Test at Lord’s in London on Monday. Photo: APVictory, which left Kohli’s men 1-0 up in this five-match series, came just a day after India’s Independence Day on Aug. 15 and the tourists enjoyed plenty of vocal support at Lord’s. “It’s a day late celebration for Independence Day.”“It’s the best feeling we can give the Indians here and back in India,” he added. India’s Virat Kohli celebrates taking a catch to dismiss England’s Moeen Ali in the second Test at Lord’s in London on Monday.

Taiwan and the Czech Republic cooperate on the material sciences, smart agriculture, biotechnology and information security, he said. On Friday last week, Representative to Hungary Liu Shih-Chung (劉世忠) led a delegation to visit the testing facility, which is the biggest testing ground in Europe for self-driving vehicles. In 2019, Taiwan established its first closed testing ground for self-driving vehicles — called the Taiwan CAR (connected, autonomous and road-test) Lab — in Tainan, which is operated by the National Applied Research Laboratories. This year’s conference is to be hosted by Taiwan, but whether it is in person or virtual depends on the virus situation, Lin said. Precision medicine, including brain science, and space technology are priorities for the ministry, which would announce the projects soon, Lin added.

Oil industry sues in the US over pause of drilling auctionsReutersMajor US oil industry groups on Monday sued the administration of US President Joe Biden for halting drilling auctions on federal lands and waters this year, arguing that the government is required by law to hold regular sales. The American Petroleum Institute (API) and 11 other groups filed the lawsuit in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana. His administration in January paused drilling auctions pending a review of the program. Since then, the administration has been sued by oil-producing states and industry groups who say the pause is costing them jobs and revenue. At the time, Biden administration officials said that they would comply with the ruling, but have not moved to resume auctions.

Singapore to test pilot plan to allow business travelBloombergSingapore plans to set up pilot programs to allow business travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 from some countries to enter on controlled itineraries next month as it charts a cautious international reopening that extends to local restrictions. Factors such as infections, vaccination rates and the ability to control outbreaks would be considered in these discussions, Gan said. Photo: AFP“In the pilot, we are likely to focus more on business travel, but beyond business travel, we are also looking at the possibility of leisure travel, particularly to those safer countries, those with a lower infection rate,” he said. Still, such relaxation will be done in a careful manner and local rules on gathering sizes could still be intact for a while as more people enter the country, Gan said. “We may be the first country who has a high vaccination rate, and yet taking a step-by-step approach to reopening,” Gan said.

Taiwan Cooperative posts record profitGROWTH RETURNING: Taiwan Cooperative Financial president Chen Mei-tsu said that operating conditions look bright ahead as major countries lift border controlsBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan Cooperative Financial Holding Co (合庫金控) yesterday posted record profit of NT$10.2 billion (US$365 million) for the first half of this year, up 26.67 percent from a year earlier, thanks to improved interest income and contributions from overseas operations. The impressive showing translated into earnings per share of NT$0.73, with banking arm Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合庫銀行) generating 83.19 percent, despite COVID-19 restrictions, Taiwan Cooperative Financial president Chen Mei-tsu (陳美足) said. Vehicles drive past a Taiwan Cooperative Bank branch in Taipei on Feb. 12, 2019. Taiwan Cooperative Bank plans to create a private banking division next quarter to bolster relations with the nation’s ultra-wealthy customers and increase wealth management business, Chen said. It is optimistic about Taiwanese companies that have benefited from a realignment in the global electronics supply chain and a contactless economy boom, Taiwan Cooperative Financial said.