Children at greater risk online during pandemic: charityBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) on Wednesday urged parents to take action to keep children safe online as the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased use of the Internet. Cases of the sexual exploitation of children and young adults appear to be on the rise, the TFCF said in a statement. From May 28 to June 10, the TFCF conducted an online survey regarding childcare during the pandemic, with responses collected from 2,323 parents of children under the age of 18, it said. Parents should reach out to children about their habits related to Internet usage, TFCF Social Resources Department director Lin Hsiu-feng (林秀鳳) said. They include discussing with children the hidden risks online, arranging agreements with children on their Internet usage, trusting and respecting children, understanding their preferences and being their friends, and turning on security settings to protect them.

KMT decries president’s use of ‘neighbors’ in speechPRO-INDEPENDENCE? Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu, who is running in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairmanship election, waves to the media in Taipei yesterday. “The ‘neighbors theory’ is a rehash of the ‘two states theory’ and another provocation amid worsening cross-strait relations,” it said. The context of Tsai’s speech made it clear that “neighbors” included China, which is “tantamount to declaring Taiwanese independence,” the KMT said. Tomorrow, Chu, a former KMT chairman; Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中); former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源); and KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) are to have a televised debate prior to the election.

COVID-19: Flu and COVID-19 shots to be separated by 7 daysSEASONAL JABS: New advice says that flu vaccines can be administered between COVID-19 shots, while students are to require permission for Pfizer-BioNTechBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterPublic health experts have recommended that COVID-19 vaccines and other immunizations — including the influenza vaccine — be administered at least seven days apart, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Previously, the ministry had required people to complete two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before receiving other vaccines, he said. Relatively few COVID-19 vaccines were administered over the past two days, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC. That translates to 42.8 percent of the population having received one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, or about 46.79 doses per 100 people, Chen said. A batch of about 930,000 Pfizer-BioNTech shots arrived in Taiwan yesterday morning.

European banks warned of climate-test risksBloombergThe European Central Bank (ECB) is stepping up pressure on lenders to prepare for stress tests next year that would show how vulnerable the industry is to climate change, people familiar with the process said yesterday. Investors are taking note as banks burdened by carbon-intensive loan books might face higher capital requirements, which could erode their power to pay dividends. The outcomes would be reflected qualitatively by potentially affecting the scores used to calculate individual banks’ capital requirements, it said. Credit rating agencies have also warned that the industry is behind when it comes to adapting to climate and social risks. Fitch previously said that new capital requirements based on climate risk are the “next logical step” for regulators in Europe.

Taiwan’s working age population fallsAGED RISING: The DGBAS said the statistics from the census conducted last year provide more evidence that Taiwan is an aging society and has a falling birthrateStaff writer, with CNAThe working age population in Taiwan shrank for the first time since the nation started conducting regular population censuses seven decades ago, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said on Tuesday. Citing tallies from the latest population census, which was completed at the end of November last year, the DGBAS said in a statement that the working age population, referring to people aged 15 to 64, was 16.55 million, a drop of 169,000 from the previous census in 2010. Taiwan’s working age population accounted for 71.5 percent of its entire permanent resident population, which excludes migrant workers, which was 23.13 million last year, the DGBAS said. Including migrant workers, the population was 23.83 million last year, a 0.3 percent decline from a decade ago, the statement said. Among the permanent resident population, 22.91 million were Taiwanese and about 921,000 were foreign nationals, it said.

COVID-19: Report casts doubts on UBI vaccine’s efficacyStaff writer, with CNAA report by experts released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday raised doubts as to whether the vaccine developed by United Biomedical Inc (UBI) Asia offers sufficient protection against COVID-19 variants. UBI has said that its vaccine candidate is expected to protect those inoculated against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, which is now the most transmittable and contagious variant worldwide. The report also cited some experts on the panel as saying that UBI’s vaccine did not even appear to be effective against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite its application being rejected in Taiwan, UBI remains committed to seeking international approval for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Wang said. The company plans to conduct phase 3 clinical trials in India for its “next generation” COVID-19 vaccine, named “UB-613,” she said.

Chinese superhero takes center stage in latest outing of the Marvel universeAFP, LOS ANGELESIn Hollywood’s latest attempt to score in the huge — but highly restrictive — Chinese market, an Asian actor has been cast as a leading Marvel superhero for the first time. However, its value for Marvel Studios, and owner Disney, was expected to be as a vehicle for expanding into the Chinese market. Like the previous Marvel film Black Widow, the film has no release date in China, where movie theaters reopening this summer are stocked largely with domestic, patriotic features. As well as protecting Chinese filmmaking, this could reflect growing discontent with Disney-owned Marvel, whose next big superhero outing Eternals is being directed by Beijing-born Chloe Zhao (趙婷). Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sought to tamp down that criticism in an interview with a Chinese film journalist last month, insisting that the narrative is one of the hero returning to his roots.

Fans chanted “Rune” throughout and applauded the young Dane’s bravery as he played on, despite being hampered by a cramp. Denmark’s Holger Rune returns to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in their US Open men’s singles match in New York City on Tuesday. I thought they were booing,” Djokovic said at a news conference. Definitely the loudest and the most entertaining stadium we have in our sport... Obviously, you always wish to have the crowd behind you, but it’s not always possible,” Djokovic added. “There are things that you can always rely on, go back to when you are experiencing a little bit of a turbulence in terms of emotions on the court or off the court,” Djokovic said.

Children return to class across TaiwanBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterElementary, junior-high and high-school students yesterday returned to classrooms across Taiwan for the start of the new academic year. COVID-19 restrictions meant that people dropping off children at elementary schools yesterday were not allowed in the gates. Children enter Yanping Elementary School in Taipei’s Datong District yesterday, the first day of the new semester. Children enter Yanping Elementary School in Taipei’s Datong District yesterday. Children eat lunch behind partitions in a classroom at Chung-Cheng Elementary School in Taichung’s West District yesterday.

China to rein in private equity fundsILLICIT FUNDRAISING: The regulator vowed to crack down on ‘fake’ private equity funds that are sold to the general public instead of targeted investors, an official saidBloombergChina’s securities regulator said it plans to rein in the nation’s private equity and venture capital funds, stop public offerings disguised as private placements and fight embezzlement of assets. “Private equity funds must return to the defined role of being private and supporting innovation and start-ups,” Yi said in the speech published on the commission’s Web site. The commission has been cracking down on irregularities among private funds — which cover private equity and venture capital funds, as well as the Chinese equivalent of hedge funds — with annual inspections of hundreds of players from 2016 to 2019. Regulators have in the meantime encouraged the development of private equity funds as a channel of direct financing to support the economy. The number of registered fund managers has exploded in the past several years, with “false” private equity expanding alongside “true” private equity, damaging the industry, Yi said in his recent speech.

COVID-19: CECC reports three new local casesTEST SCARE: A woman in her 80s was suspected to have been infected with COVID-19 after conflicting test results, but the CECC did not consider her a confirmed caseBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three local COVID-19 cases, one imported case and one death. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said none of the local cases tested positive during isolation. The deceased was a Taiwanese man in his 60s who tested positive in Vietnam on Aug. 8, Chen said. He tested positive upon ending quarantine yesterday, CECC data showed. At least 14 days had passed after he received his second dose before he tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

TRA to release new batch of iPass cards shaped like trainBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday said it would release more EMU900 train-shaped iPass cards on Friday, following a successful launch last month. The railway operator on Aug. 11 put 900 train-shaped electronic ticket cards on sale at its online store (railway.gov.tw/tra-tip-web/tip/tip005/tip511/shop) where it sells TRA-related souvenirs. A person holds an EMU900 train-shaped iPass card in an undated photograph. “We worked with iPass Corp to release 2,800 more EMU900-shaped iPass cards, which would be available for purchase online as well as at TRA stores at railway stations,” it said, adding that this would be the final batch. People who purchase cards at a TRA store can buy other EMU900-themed paraphernalia at a discount if the purchase is made before Sept. 30, the agency said.

Auto sector calls for law changeBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterAfter a slew of patent violation charges filed against Taiwanese aftermarket auto parts manufacturers, industry leaders and legislators are calling for a “right to repair” clause to be added to the Patent Act (專利法). Speaking at a legislative hearing yesterday, makers of automotive lighting and other aftermarket auto parts said such a clause is necessary to “create an open and fair environment” for Taiwan’s 3,400 aftermarket auto parts makers, including 52 publicly traded companies such as Depo Auto Parts Industry Co (帝寶工業). Taiwan dominates the non-glass aftermarket auto parts market, with 90 percent of aftermarket rear bumpers and 70 percent of aftermarket automotive lighting worldwide made in Taiwan, he said. “Taiwan’s aftermarket parts manufacturers put a lot of effort into making parts that are even better than the original manufacturers,” the Central News Agency quoted an industry insider as saying. “As a leading nation in the aftermarket auto parts market, we should follow the lead of the US and the EU in upholding the right to repair.”

S Korea bans app payment monopolies in world firstAFP, SEOULSouth Korean lawmakers yesterday passed a law banning tech giants Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google from forcing app developers to use their payment systems, effectively declaring their lucrative App Store and Play Store monopolies illegal. The bill was approved by 180 votes to nil in the National Assembly, making South Korea the first major economy to pass legislation on the issue, in a move that could set a precedent for other jurisdictions around the world. The law would offer users a choice of app payment providers, enabling them to bypass charges set by the store owner. “This law will certainly set a precedent for other countries, as well as app developers and content creators worldwide,” said Kang Ki-hwan of the Korea Mobile Internet Business Association. Google Korea did not respond to requests for comment.

Aluminum prices soar as supply worries mountBloombergAluminum yesterday rose for a seventh day — to near the highest in a decade — as deepening Chinese output cuts raised fears of a supply shortfall. The southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi, a major metals producer, would cut output of energy-intensive materials, including aluminum, people familiar with the matter said. Aluminum prices have rallied almost 40 percent this year on the LME, second only to tin among six base metals. However, iron ore still faces headwinds as the world’s largest steel market faces several challenges for the rest of this year. Earlier this week, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co (寶山鋼鐵), the listed unit of China’s biggest producer, flagged the potential for renewed price declines in iron ore.