Having acquired majority control of Jih Sun Financial, Fubon Financial on Tuesday started to recognize its peer’s profits, but operations integration would take more time, Harn said. Fubon Financial Holding Co’s headquarters is pictured in Taipei on Dec. 20, 2011. Jih Sun Financial would cease to exist at the end of this year, but Jih Sun International Bank (日盛銀行), Jih Sun Securities Co (日盛證券) and Jih Sun Futures Co (日盛期貨) would continue operating until they become part of Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank (台北富邦銀行), Fubon Securities Co (富邦證券) and Fubon Futures Co (富邦期貨) respectively next year, he said. Although some of Jih Sun Bank’s and Taipei Fubon Bank’s branches overlap in some areas, they would not necessarily be closed, Harn said. “Fubon Financial has conducted many small and big mergers and acquisitions over the past 20 years, and we have never had major labor disputes.

CTBC Bank to boost stake in Thai financial companyBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCTBC Bank (中國信託銀行) would increase its investment in LH Financial Group Public Co by acquiring another 2.33 billion shares of the Thai company, CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) said yesterday after its board of directors approved the proposal. The financial conglomerate still needs to obtain the approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission for the investment, CTBC spokeswoman Chiu Ya-ling (邱雅玲) told a news conference in Taipei. The deal, which would cost CTBC Financial NT$3.9 billion (US$136.7 million), would raise its stake in the Thai company from 35.6 percent to 46.6 percent, making it the largest shareholder, Chiu said. A sign displaying the logo of CTBC Bank is pictured outside the company’s headquarters in Taipei on April 13 last year. LH Financial Group focuses on the banking business, with its banking unit, LH Bank, ranking 13th in terms of assets among Thai banks, Chiu said.

Chang Hwa Bank looks to recover profit momentumBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterBacked by an improving global operating environment, state-run Chang Hwa Commercial Bank (彰化銀行) yesterday said that it expects its growth momentum to recover this year, after net income tumbled by double-percentage points last year and remained weak in the first two months of this year. Chang Hwa Commercial Bank’s headquarters in Taipei’s Zhongshan District is pictured in an undated photograph. Chou, who served in different positions in another state-run lender, First Commercial Bank (第一銀行), aims to strengthen Chang Hwa Bank’s overseas operations and risk controls. Chang Hwa Bank is seeking to expand its loanbook by 5 to 6 percent this year, led by loans to small and medium-sized enterprises, and mortgage for people with real demand, the bank said. Chang Hwa Bank would be engaged in loans to first-time home buyers, as the central bank’s two recent waves of credit controls are directed at multiple home owners and property investors, it said.

Girlfriend allegedly cuts off, flushes man’s penisFIT OF ANGER: The suspect said she flushed the severed penis down the toilet to prevent reattachment surgery, while a doctor said the victim would need counselingBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterA woman in central Taiwan on Tuesday allegedly cut off her boyfriend’s penis and flushed it down the toilet, police said. Police yesterday questioned the Vietnamese woman, surnamed Phung (馮), and said she is facing charges of aggravated assault. Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei TimesThe couple’s neighbors told reporters that Huang and Phung had been living together for 10 months. The remaining part is insufficient to engage in sexual intercourse, therefore the best way is to implant an artificial penis,” Chou said. Huang had been married three times previously and has three daughters from those marriages, his neighbors told reporters.

Wisdom approves reduced payoutBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterWisdom Marine Lines Co’s (慧洋海運) board of directors has approved a proposal to distribute a cash dividend of NT$1 per share this year, down from NT$1.5 a year earlier, as the dry bulk shipping company’s net profit plunged 95 percent annually to NT$111.41 million (US$3.9 million) last year. Earnings per share were NT$0.15 last year, the company said on Tuesday. The cash dividend suggested a yield of 3.03 percent based on the company’s closing share price of NT$32.95 on Tuesday. Wisdom Marine Lines Co chairman James Lan speaks to reporters after an investors’ conference in Taipei on Tuesday. Lan said that he is optimistic about the company’s operations in the next few months, as it is nearly the traditional peak season for bulk shipping.

Dietitians call for higher nutritionist-student ratioBy Chien Hui-ju and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerA nonpartisan group of legislators and dietitians yesterday called for the swift passage of a comprehensive school lunch bill, as only 538 nutritionists serve the nation’s 1.8 million schoolchildren, the equivalent of one for every 3,345 students. Local governments are left to create their own school lunch policy, Taiwan Dietitian Association president Chin Huei-min (金惠民) said. A student of Chiayi County Minhe Elementary School eats his lunch at the school in Chiayi County yesterday. Without enough experts, the nutritionist-student ratio would continue to decline, Chin added. Every day, 1.8 million school lunches are distributed nationwide, but there are only 538 school nutritionists, DPP Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said, citing K-12 Education Administration data.

Quanta laptop shipments reach record 59.8m unitsBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterQuanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) yesterday said it shipped 59.8 million laptops last year, a 70.37 percent increase year-on-year and the highest in the company’s history, thanks to work-from-home and distance learning demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Net profit in the fourth quarter of last year surged 91.11 percent year-on-year to NT$8.63 billion (US$302.6 million), or earnings per share of NT$2.24. The Quanta Computer Inc logo is pictured outside the company’ headquarters in New Taipei City’s Linkou District on March 30 last year. Quanta said its board of directors has proposed paying a cash dividend of NT$5.2 per share. That translates into a dividend yield of 5.25 percent, based on Quanta’s closing price of NT$99 yesterday.

All military aircraft, except F-5 jets, to resume operationsStaff writer, with CNAAll military aircraft, except F-5 jets, would resume operations before Thursday, after being grounded in the wake of a fatal crash last week, air force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) said yesterday. Yesterday and today, the air force’s combat, surveillance and transport aircraft would be resuming flights, including F-16s, Mirage 2000-5s, Indigenous Defense Fighter jets, C-130H Hercules aircraft and P-3C Orions, Huang said at a press event in Taipei. Air force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei speaks at a news conference held by the Ministry of National Defense yesterday. Photo: Tu Chu-min, Taipei TimesF-5 jets would remain grounded until Tuesday or Wednesday next week, pending safety checks, and pilot training and psychological counseling, Huang said. A search and rescue team of 300 people has found some personal gear and aircraft debris, Huang added.

Group touts Chinese program for IndiansBy Wu Po-hsuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerA group of universities has announced a plan to enroll 3,000 Indians in Chinese-language courses over the next three years, pending approval by the Ministry of Education. The Taiwan University of Education network of schools, which Wu now leads, is taking charge of the program, which is to be joined by a number of private schools, Wu said on Sunday. Former minister of education Wu Ching-ji speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Dec. 4, 2019. This year, the centers plan to publish a textbook that would incorporate Chinese-language education with cultural information, Wang said. The program was created to offer an alternative to China’s Confucius Institutes to schools wishing to offer Chinese-language courses.

Fuji apples seized for high fungicide levelsStaff writer, with CNAAuthorities have seized more than 20 tonnes of Fuji apples imported from the US by Costco Taiwan because they were found to contain excessive levels of fungicide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The popular apple variety was one of 14 products included in the FDA’s weekly report on import shipments confiscated for food safety breaches. The shipment of 20,580kg of Fuji apples was seized after testing showed that it contained residues of the fungicide pyrimethanil at a concentration of 8.7 parts per million (ppm), slightly above the maximum permitted limit of 7.0ppm. An undated photograph released by the Food and Drug Administration shows a Fuji apple. The seized products were either returned to their country of origin or destroyed, the FDA said.

Commercial property transactions hit recordBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterCommercial property transactions in the nation in the first quarter totaled NT$41.4 billion (US$1.45 billion), the highest ever for the period, supported by healthy demand and excessive liquidity, Colliers International Taiwan (高力國際) said yesterday. The volume suggested a twofold increase from a year earlier, with life insurance companies contributing 36.59 percent, or NT$15.15 billion, Colliers Taiwan managing director Andrew Liu (劉學龍) said. Colliers International Taiwan managing director Andrew Liu poses at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Taipei ranked No. Hsinchu County and Taoyuan, popular destinations for reshoring companies to carry out supply chain realignment, ranked second and third, Collier Taiwan said.

Chiang, KMT Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) and other members of the party were visiting the Cihu Mausoleum in Taoyuan to pay their respects ahead of the 46th anniversary of Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) death on Monday next week. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang speaks at a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Chu, who was KMT chairman from January 2015 to January 2016, has not said he plans to run, but is seen as a likely contender. Johnny Chiang on Feb. 20 announced that he would seek re-election. Asked about the poll yesterday, Johnny Chiang said that many polls are being conducted and would likely continue to be until the end of the election.

First flu death reportedTYPE A INFLUENZA: A man in his 80s who had a history of diabetes and hypertension, and had not received the influenza vaccine, became the first fatality this flu seasonBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported the nation’s first case of death from influenza this flu season and one new imported case of COVID-19. Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei reports at a news conference in Taipei yesterday the first death this flu season — a Taiwanese man in his 80s who died of serious flu complications on Saturday. It was the first flu death and the second serious flu complication this season, he added. While the number of serious flu complications and flu deaths have been significantly lower than in previous years, it does not mean that local communities are safe from circulating flu viruses, so people, especially those with underlying health conditions, should still take preventive measures against the disease, he added. Eligibility for government-funded flu vaccines has since Jan. 30 been expanded to include everyone older than six months, so people with a higher risk of serious complications from flu infection are advised to get vaccinated, he said.

Tunnel built for Chiang Kai-shek opens to publicTHE GREAT ESCAPE: Equipped with explosion-proof lighting, sound-dampened walls and an 84-step spiral staircase, the 67m-long passage opens to a garden An underground tunnel in the east wing of the Grand Hotel in Taipei that once served as an emergency exit for former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was yesterday opened to the public for the first time since it was built 50 years ago. A passage in the west wing of the hotel has been open since September 2019, drawing more than 50,000 visitors within three months of its opening. Last year, about 170,000 visited the west tunnel, the hotel said. As tours of the west tunnel were warmly received, the hotel began renovating the east passage more than a year ago toBy Shelley Shan

A visitor to the Chi Mei Museum in February last year admires its collection of outstanding violins. The Infinite String Quartet play instruments from the Chi Mei collection during a performance at Chi Mei Museum in October last year. Violins are displayed at the Chi Mei Museum in Tainan during its Beethoven Festival in July last year. The approximately 400 loan applications that Chi Mei receives each year are reviewed by a special committee, Chung says. Visitors to Tainan’s Chi Mei Museum walk last April along its central plaza.