Line Bank report on crash not satisfactory: regulatorBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterA report by Web-only Line Bank Taiwan Ltd (連線商業銀行) explaining why its information system crashed on the first day of operation was not satisfactory and the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) would demand that the bank improve its operations, commission Chairman Thomas Huang (黃天牧) said yesterday. “However, we cannot completely accept the report,” Huang said. Signage for Line Bank Taiwan Ltd is displayed at the company’s headquarters in Taipei yesterday. Line Bank attributed the crash to a system overload on April 22, the first day of its formal operations. “Web-only banks should offer a more convenient service than conventional banks, but it [Line Bank] does not,” Chang said.

Former KMT aides sentenced for espionageCONNECTIONS: The trio, one of whom has died, allegedly stole classified materials from lawmakers, and used a computer technician and reporters to collect informationBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced two former aides of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers to prison for espionage and contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). Chen Wei-jen, a former aide to former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chen Shu-huey, is pictured in Taipei on Aug. 13 last year. The court sentenced Lin to five months in prison for trying to develop a spy network and related charges. It sentenced Chen to 10 months in prison, which Chen must serve. Lee was an aide to former KMT legislator Chang Li-shan (張麗善), who is now Yunlin County commissioner, while Chen and Lin worked for former KMT legislator Chen Shu-huey (陳淑慧), who is now Chiayi deputy mayor.

Lawmakers urge government to include blue-collar workers in talent programBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterHighly skilled blue-collar workers are being excluded from government attempts to attract foreign talent, lawmakers yesterday told a joint meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, and Education and Culture Committee. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesBy limiting the employment period of foreign blue-collar workers, Taiwan risks becoming a “training center,” leaving those workers, who could have otherwise made Taiwan their home, with no choice but to move to another country, Kao said. Unlike blue-collar workers, “foreign special professionals” can stay in Taiwan indefinitely and have a pathway to permanent resident status, the council has said. The draft includes extending short-term tax breaks offered to foreign special professionals to attract more talent, Kung said. I hope that by giving highly skilled foreign talent an extra incentive to try living in Taiwan, they will like [Taiwan] so much that they will stay,” he said.

COVID-19: China Airlines to reduce cargo flightsOUTBREAK: About 200 of the airline’s 1,200 pilots are not able to work. Most of them have been quarantined to prevent further infection, but 12 have COVID-19 China Airlines Ltd (CAL,中華航空) yesterday confirmed that it would temporarily reduce its cargo flight services to cope with a pilot shortage, as one-sixth of its pilots have been sidelined by a COVID-19 outbreak. “We are working out a new schedule,” the airline said in a statement after local news media reports on Saturday said that it would be reducing its cargo services from Wednesday, primarily affecting US destinations. CAL declined to give details about its new operating plan, but the reports said that it would be suspending its cargo flights to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport andStaff writer, with CNA

COVID-19: China Airlines to reduce cargo flightsOUTBREAK: About 200 of the airline’s 1,200 pilots are not able to work. Most of them have been quarantined to prevent further infection, but 12 have COVID-19 China Airlines Ltd (CAL,中華航空) yesterday confirmed that it would temporarily reduce its cargo flight services to cope with a pilot shortage, as one-sixth of its pilots have been sidelined by a COVID-19 outbreak. “We are working out a new schedule,” the airline said in a statement after local news media reports on Saturday said that it would be reducing its cargo services from Wednesday, primarily affecting US destinations. CAL declined to give details about its new operating plan, but the reports said that it would be suspending its cargo flights to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport andStaff writer, with CNA

Banks’ combined pretax profits grow 76%By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterLocal banks’ combined profit grew in March, for the first time since May last year, thanks to an increase in investment gains and interest income, data released by the Financial Supervisory Commission on Thursday showed. The banks’ combined pretax profits grew 76 percent year-on-year to NT$32 billion (US$1.15 billion) in March, ending 10 consecutive months of annual declines, the data showed. The commission reported on Thursday that local banks’ combined pretax profits grew 76 percent year-on-year to NT$32 billion (US$1.15 billion) in March, ending 10 consecutive months of annual declines. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesIn the first quarter, banks’ pretax profits rose 10.9 percent year-on-year to NT$89.76 billion, it showed. Domestic bank branches saw their combined pretax profits rise 25 percent year-on-year to NT$59.9 billion in the first quarter, accounting for 66.8 percent of all profits, while banks’ offshore banking units, overseas branches and operations in China reported annual declines of 3 percent, 23 percent and 55.5 percent in pretax profits respectively, the data showed.

COVID-19: Confirmed case visited cafe in Taoyuan: CECCSHOPPING MALL: People who have been to places visited by the confirmed cases at about the same time should pay attention to their health condition and report symptomsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday revealed several locations in Taoyuan and Taipei visited by two people confirmed to have COVID-19 when they were likely contagious. Workers disinfect the food court at the Gloria Outlets shopping mall in Taoyuan yesterday. The woman visited a branch of Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank (台北富邦銀行) in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) between 10am and 11am on Tuesday, rather than the previously reported 11am on Wednesday, Chen said. The CECC yesterday reported one imported case of COVID-19 — a traveler from the Philippines. The traveler is a woman in her 20s who arrived in Taiwan on Thursday to visit a critically ill relative, Chen said.

Taipei schools do not have to remove statues, city saysBy Tsai Ya-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, staff writer, with CNATaipei schools do not have to remove statues of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), the city’s Department of Education said last week, despite criticism from the Transitional Justice Commission. Taipei Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Chen Su-hui (陳素慧) on Tuesday last week said that the city’s policy is to let each school and community decide what to do with the schools’ 64 statues. Independent Taipei City Councilor Lin Ying-meng (林穎孟) on April 12 said the city was “going through the motions” of transitional justice by covering up slogans on the statues instead of removing them altogether. Photo courtesy of Taipei City Councilor Lin Ying-mengTransitional Justice Commission spokeswoman Yeh Hung-ling (葉虹靈) the following day said the city’s “total decontextualization” of the statues is inappropriate under the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), which she said requires the city to “remove ... the permanency” of the statues. However, Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Deputy Commissioner Tien Wei (田瑋) said that Chiang’s former residence is a national heritage site, which means any plan to store statues there must receive approval from the Ministry of Culture.

Rexon shares fall on recallBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterRexon Industrial Corp Ltd (力山工業), a maker of fitness equipment and power tools, saw its shares drop 15.63 percent in the past two sessions after a major client, Peloton Interactive Inc, last week announced recalls of its Tread+ and Tread treadmills. Since 2017, Rexon has gradually increased the contribution of fitness equipment to its overall revenue, becoming a major supplier for Peloton’s exercise bikes, and Trade+ and Tread treadmills. Photo: Chan Chao-yang, Taipei TimesRexon also manufactures fitness equipment for other global brands, such as Life, Precor, True and Freemotion. Last year, fitness equipment revenue accounted for 77.6 percent of Rexon’s revenue, with Peloton contributing about 71 percent, Jih Sun Securities Investment Consulting Co (日盛投顧) said. Rexon shares on Friday closed 6.34 percent lower at NT$78.3 in Taipei trading, while Jih Sun downgraded the stock to “neutral” from “buy.”

Aboriginal arts and culture hub opens in PingtungBy Lo Hsin-chen and Jason Pan / Staff reportersGovernment officials and Aboriginal community leaders yesterday celebrated the opening of a center in Pingtung City to showcase Aboriginal arts and culture. “The Pingtung Harvest will become a landmark for Aboriginal enterprises, and its themed buildings will enable visitors to learn about Aboriginal cultures,” Pan said. The Pingtung Harvest is housed in six historic buildings in a former military dependents’ village, with each house showcasing an aspect of Aboriginal culture, such as food, music, textiles, children, home and village communities, the officials said. The restoration of the buildings was funded with NT$7 million (US$250,824) from the Ministry of Culture, NT$5 million from the council and NT$1.5 million from the Pingtung County Government, the officials said. Exhibitions would also highlight hand-woven clothing and Aboriginal furniture-making, they said, adding that guided tours would be offered.

Taipei launches upgraded YouBike systemBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Taipei City Government yesterday officially launched the “YouBike 2.0” system, an upgraded version of the bicycle rental service, saying that it aims to expand the service to more than 1,200 stations throughout the city. The system yesterday activated 160 new stations, in addition to 103 stations in the Gongguan (公館) shopping area near the National Taiwan University campus. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, third left, Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang, second left, and others try out YouBike 2.0 rental bicycles in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesThe Taipei Department of Transportation said that bicycles of the upgraded system feature solar panels and card censors, which allow users to rent them by swiping their EasyCard or scanning a QR code with their smartphone, replacing the smart panels on bicycle stands of the older system. The old system has orange bikes and each stand accommodates two bikes, while bikes of the new system are white and each stand only docks one bike, he said.

Two-day festival celebrating Europe starts in TaipeiStaff writer, with CNAThis year’s Europe Festival opened yesterday in Taipei to celebrate Europe Day and give people a taste of the continent while international travel is hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, third left, European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Filip Grzegorzewski, third right, and Taipei Commissioner for External Affairs Tom Chou, second right, pose with a mascot at yesterday’s opening ceremony of the two-day Europe Festival at Taipei’s Huashan 1914 Creative Park. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesThe festival was not held in the previous two years. Europe Day marks the EU’s birthday, according to the office’s Web site. On May 9, 1950, then-French minister of foreign affairs Robert Schuman “proposed a European peace project to end all wars on the European continent.

KMT campaigns for referendumsBy Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday held events across the nation to “celebrate Mother’s Day” and promote its US pork import and referendum voting initiatives. One proposal, initiated by KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), asks: “Do you agree to a total ban on the importation of pork and related products containing leanness-enhancing additives (ractopamine and other beta agonists)?”From left, former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman Hau Lung-bin, Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang, former KMT chairman Eric Chu and National Policy Foundation vice chairman Sean Lien hold carnations in Taipei yesterday. Voters should exercise their right to determine their future by overturning government policies that disregard the safety of the people and deprive them of their right to vote in referendums. The KMT is treating the referendums as it would a presidential election and has mobilized party chapters nationwide to promote the initiatives, he added. “We understand that mothers want their children to be safe and to eat healthy,” former KMT chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said.

CECC reports two more cases of air crew clusterDOMESTIC INFECTION LIKELY: A pilot confirmed to have COVID-19 yesterday did likely not contract the virus on the short haul routes he flew, the center saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two cases of COVID-19, a China Airlines pilot and his wife, bringing the number of cases linked to a quarantine hotel in Taoyuan to 31. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that case No. 1,183 — the pilot, who is in his 50s — flew to Vietnam and back on April 19, and to Thailand on April 22. She tested positive after her husband was diagnosed on Friday, Chen said, adding that contact tracing for the two cases is under way. The CECC also reported three imported cases, a migrant worker and a sailor from the Philippines, and an Indonesian man who came to Taiwan from the Netherlands for work.

Ma criticizes government on China ties, ‘consensus’FINDING MEANING: Rebuilding ties requires the ‘1992 consensus,’ Ma said, but the Mainland Affairs Council said that ‘history has already turned the page’ on itBy Chen Yun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerFormer president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the state of Taiwan-China relations, and urged it to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus.”Speaking at a Taipei symposium on Taiwan-China relations, Ma said that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration had failed to come up with an alternative to the “consensus” and had fostered ill sentiment toward China. Former president Ma Ying-jeou speaks at a symposium on cross-strait relations yesterday in Taipei. Ma called on both sides of the Strait to strive for better relations and demonstrate good will. The Mainland Affairs Council said that Beijing had already defined the “consensus” as meaning the “one China” principle, with no room for any other interpretation. “History has already turned the page on the ‘1992 consensus.’ There is no need to discuss it any longer,” it added.