National Day celebrations to be smaller this yearStaff writer, with CNADouble Ten National Day celebrations would this year have fewer participants than last year and the general public might be excluded, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) told a news event on Wednesday to unveil the logo for the celebrations. Banners for the Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei are pictured on Wednesday last week. Moreover, the number of participants in a National Day evening banquet in Hsinchu City on Oct. 9 would be limited, he said, without giving a specific figure. People attending the National Day fireworks in Kaohsiung on Oct. 10 would have to remain in designated areas, Chen said. The logo also bears the words “Taiwan National Day 2021,” which has drawn criticism from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the omission of the country’s formal name, the Republic of China.

Greek winemakers delve the depths of underwater agingBy Vassilis Kyriakoulis / AFP, NAOUSSA, GreeceWinemakers in northern Greece are diving into the unknown by plunging hundreds of bottles of their wine into the depths of a local river. As a band ceremoniously played traditional Greek songs, a crane lowered a large metal crate holding about 500 bottles of wine from off the riverbank. A metal crate containing 500 bottles of Xinomavro wine is lowered into the Arapitsa River in Naousa, Greece, on Sept. 5. Photo: AFPAbout 22 makers of Xinomavro, a wine made from a dark-skinned grape variety, proudly watched, hoping the water cellar will broaden the varieties of the products. About 5,000 tonnes of Xinomavro wine are produced there annually.

Dollar gains with Treasury yields as Fed policy in focusReuters, NEW YORKThe US dollar on Friday rose in line with higher US Treasury yields, as investors focused on when the US Federal Reserve is likely to begin reducing its asset purchases. The greenback has risen from a one-month low on Friday last week after jobs data for last month showed that jobs growth slowed, while wage inflation rose more than expected. Fed officials are grappling with rising price pressures while jobs growth remains below their targets. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Fed officials would seek to make an agreement at the Fed’s meeting this month to begin paring bond purchases in November. The euro on Friday fell 0.07 percent to US$1.1816, a day after the European Central Bank said it would trim emergency bond purchases over the coming quarter.

FEATURE: Cat abuse case puts spotlight on animal rights lawsStaff writer, with CNAAfter 11 days of intensive care, Tea Tea (茶茶), a tabby cat in New Taipei City, succumbed to his injuries on Aug. 28. Tea Tea was scalded so badly that he had lost a lot of his fur and his ears were curled, Fan said. The low conviction rate was a result of improper law enforcement, namely a lack of animal protection police, animal advocates said. Cheng’s office said that there are three categories of people, either full-time or part-time staff, handling animal protection affairs: animal shelter staff, veterinarians stationed at shelters and animal protection inspectors. Increased civic participation, including help from animal groups, is needed to raise awareness about animal protection and curb abuses, she said.

Afghan women could still play, board chairman saysAFP, SYDNEYWomen could still be allowed to play cricket, the chairman of Afghanistan’s Cricket Board on Friday told an Australian broadcaster in an apparent backflip on the Taliban’s hardline stance. “We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket,” he told SBS Radio Pashto, the broadcaster reported on its English-language Web site. Under International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, nations with Test status must also have an active women’s team. Despite reports that many of the women’s team were in hiding in Kabul and that members of the Taliban had come looking for them, Fazli insisted they were safe. “The women cricket coach Diana Barakzai and her players are all safe and living in their home country,” he told SBS.

Ethan Hayter wins stage, takes Tour of Britain leadAFP, LONDONEthan Hayter on Thursday won stage five of the Tour of Britain in a reduced sprint to move back into the overall lead of the race. Wout van Aert was caught on the wrong side of the incident in the leader’s jersey and so with the bonus seconds Hayter moved back in front overall, eight seconds ahead of the Belgian. “On this stage, I know so many of the roads, and it’s the Tour of Britain, so it’s amazing to win as a British rider,” Manchester-based Hayter said. “I owe it to my teammates.”Thursday’s 152km stage from Alderley Park took the peloton into the Peak District, but a sprint finish was always anticipated given the long flat run into Warrington. “I didn’t actually get a great run at the finish, I couldn’t quite believe the situation, but I just put it in the biggest gear and it was enough,” Hayter said.

COVID-19: CECC reports seven cases, two localSCHOOL SCARE: The center said that a key task was to monitor the situation at a junior-high school in Taipei’s Songshan District after a case linked to Banciao emergedBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two local cases and five imported cases of COVID-19. A man submits to COVID-19 testing at a site in New Taipei City yesterday. Chen said yesterday that no new cases were added to the cluster, which has 27 cases linked to it. The other local case is a man in his 60s who lives in New Taipei City, the center said. In other developments, the CECC said that another batch of 458,000 doses of government-procured AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon.

Pangolin aged 23 dies at Taipei ZooBy Tsai Ya-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaipei Zoo’s pangolin Chuanpang (穿胖), the world’s oldest and most virile scaly anteater on record, died on Wednesday of kidney failure, the zoo said yesterday. Chuanpang was 23 years and nine months old at the time of his death, the zoo said. The pangolin had kidney problems since 2018, when veterinarians first noticed that it was losing weight, the zoo said. Pangolin named Chuanpang is pictured at Taipei Zoo in an undated photograph. “Chuanpang lived a legendary life as a key contributor to pangolin conservation, in addition to being our pride and joy,” zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said in a statement.

AmCham China wants summit progress on tradeBloombergUS firms in China are hoping for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) this year, a survey showed, as they look for relief from trade barriers raised during the administration of former US president Donald Trump. Another 47 percent wanted the removal of tariffs, with more than three-quarters of companies complaining that measures levied during the trade war were impacting their operations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Joe Biden are pictured in a combination of photographs from July 3, 2019, and May 17 respectively. About 54 percent of respondents called for “regularized government-to-government communication” to rebuild relations, while 38 percent wanted a Biden-Xi summit this year. The survey suggested that companies were feeling more pain from tariffs.

As of 2pm yesterday, Chanthu was centered 1,330km southeast of Olaunpi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 21kph, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph. The typhoon’s radius had expanded to 120km, the bureau said. Bureau forecaster Wang Chun-shian (王君賢) said that a sea alert for Typhoon Chanthu could be issued tonight or early tomorrow morning as it is expected to pass through the Bashi Channel. “As the typhoon’s radius is onlyBy Shelley Shan

Eslite Spectrum’s online sales double amid level 3 alertBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterEslite Spectrum Corp (誠品生活), which runs the Eslite bookstore chain and department stores, has seen e-commerce sales double from June to last month compared with a year earlier, it said on Thursday, as online shopping soared during a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert earlier this year. The boost in online sales came as strict disease prevention regulations in May to curb local COVID-19 infections affected sales at traditional retail outlets. Eslite in December last year launched a new Web site and mobile app to further tap into the e-commerce market. Black card status is awarded to “gold card” members who make NT$50,000 in purchases, they said, adding that this low barrier to entry led to the rapid increase of black card members. Black card members on average make 1.2 purchases per week, both online and at retail outlets, they said.

Ximalaya shelves US IPO after Beijing crackdownReutersReutersChina’s largest online audio platform, Ximalaya (喜馬拉雅), on Thursday said it would not proceed with its plans for an initial public offering (IPO) in the US. Medical data group LinkDoc Technology Ltd (零氪科技) in July was the first Chinese company to shelve an IPO in the US due to Beijing’s clampdown on overseas listings by domestic firms. Ximalaya, backed by China’s Tencent Holdings, had filed for an IPO in April. Chinese and US regulators have been tightening their grip on US listings of Chinese tech firms over the past few months. Last month, Reuters reported that China was framing rules to ban Internet companies whose data poses potential security risks from listing outside the country.

Toyota cuts production forecast amid chip shortageBloombergToyota Motor Corp trimmed its production outlook by about 3 percent to 9 million units from 9.3 million for the fiscal year ending March, blaming the spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. 1 automaker is adjusting production this month and reviewing plans for next month, while sticking to its forecast for operating profit of ￥2.5 trillion (US$22.7 billion) for this fiscal year. Toyota last month warned of cuts due to the semiconductor and parts shortages as manufacturers were hit by COVID-19. Still, the move shows how even Toyota, having weathered the shortages well compared with peers, is vulnerable to the same constraints hurting the industry. “The spread of COVID-19 infections remains unpredictable, making it difficult to maintain operations due to lockdowns at various locations, and we are working to transfer production to other regions,” Toyota said.

Vietnam exporters riled as rules hit supply chainsBloombergVietnam’s tough policies to control COVID-19, which have shuttered factories and stunted output, are being criticized by overseas industries and within the government as a threat to exports and investment. The European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam vice chairman Nguyen Hai Minh said that the group estimates 18 percent of its members have relocated some production to other countries to protect their supply chains. Exporters could face difficulties restoring lost international business after the pandemic is contained, it said. More than 571,000 domestic virus patients have been reported since the latest outbreak began in late April, with more than 14,400 fatalities, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. The nation of 98 million has administered nearly 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 4.3 percent of the population fully vaccinated, the health ministry said.

Shipping giant freezes rates amid trade chaosCOST CONCERNS: With an eightfold rise in shipping fees during the pandemic, one carrier is acting on pressure coming from customers and regulatorsBloombergThe world’s third-largest container carrier is capping spot rates for ocean freight for the next five months, it said on Thursday, yielding to pressure from some customers and regulators who are concerned that global trade disruptions have pushed the cost of shipping too high. “Although these market-driven rate increases are expected to continue in the coming months, the group has decided to put any further increases in spot freight rates on hold for all services operated under its brands,” CMA CGM SA said in a statement on its Web site. Global supply chains, with container shipping as their backbone, are struggling to keep pace with the demand for goods and overcome labor disruptions caused by COVID-19 outbreaks. Separately on Thursday, the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington announced the membership of its newly formed National Shipper Advisory Committee. The panel of 24 members representing exporters and importers would “advise the commission on policies relating to the competitiveness, reliability, integrity, and fairness of the international ocean freight delivery system.”