Australia probing technology giantsAFP, SYDNEYAustralia is investigating Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for possible breaches of the nation’s under-16 social media ban, accusing the tech companies yesterday of “failing to obey” the world-leading laws. Photo: Reuters“Australia’s world-leading social media laws are not failing, but big tech is failing to obey the laws,” Australian Minister for Communications Anika Wells told reporters. “Australia will not let the social media giants take us for mugs.”Australia’s eSafety Commission flagged “significant concerns” about Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. “If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.”Australia is to decide any punishments by the middle of this year. Social media companies bear the sole responsibility for checking that Australia-based users are 16 or older.

Taoyuan airport braces for holiday trafficPOWER RULES: Major airlines have started enforcing new restrictions limiting passengers to two portable power banks in carry-on luggage and banning their use during flightsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, with CNATaoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) yesterday said it would implement measures to manage traffic at the nation’s largest airport, as it expects more than 920,000 travelers during the Tomb Sweeping holiday. The airport operator would implement the measures from tomorrow until Tuesday next week over the six-day holiday, TIAC senior vice president Tony Yu (余崇立) told a news conference in Taipei. Travelers line up at a check-in counter at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on March 1. Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei TimesThe peak of outbound tourists would be on Friday, with passenger volume projected to reach up to 162,000, setting a record for air travel during the Tomb Sweeping holiday, Yu said. Yu said the airport is assisting with public awareness efforts.

Grit Matthias Phelps on March 20 gives students a demonstration on how to use a typewriter before class at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. I’d seen typewriters in movies, but they don’t tell you how a typewriter works,” said Catherine Mong, 19, a freshman in Phelps’ Intro to German class. “I didn’t know there was a whole science to using a typewriter.”Like a rotary phone, the manual typewriter appears simple but is not intuitive to the smartphone generation. FEWER DISTRACTIONSThe assignment carries lessons beyond simply how to use a typewriter, which is the whole point. I told all my friends, I did a German test on a typewriter!”

Taiwanese pitcher gains art acclaimMULTIDISCIPLINARY: Learning from his dad and gaining an Internet following for his art, the Athletics’ Triple-A pitcher from Hualien is a man of multiple talentsStaff writer, with CNA“I dare not show my paintings to my dad. Zhuang Chen Zhong-ao talks about his passion for painting as it meshes with his career in the MLB during an interview in Arizona, on March 24. In an interview in Arizona, Zhuang Chen spoke about how he took up painting and how it became a connection that transcends space and time. Zhuang Chen completed his first full season last year, posting a 4.08 ERA over 145-2/3 innings with 145 strikeouts. His goal this year, Zhuang Chen said, is to pitch well and earn a call-up to the majors.

Researchers call for more family-centered policiesStaff writer, with CNAAn interdisciplinary research team on childhood development yesterday called for a shift in Taiwan’s child welfare policies from economic subsidies toward strengthening family relationships to improve children’s well-being. Researchers from the Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care at National Taiwan Normal University hold placards at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Family environment played a central role, the researchers said, adding that children whose parents showed fewer depressive symptoms reported higher levels of well-being. In contrast, increased time on digital devices was associated with lower well-being, particularly among older children, the researchers said. The study tracks 2,526 children, examining their health; language, social, emotional and cognitive development; family and school environments; and experiences.

Standard Chartered Taiwan launches pricing platformStaff writerStandard Chartered Taiwan on March 26 announced that it has partnered with international fintech firm FinIQ to build an “Automated Structured Products Pricing Platform.” The bank is also introducing products from global issuers including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Barclays PLC and BNP Paribas SA. Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan CEO Anthony Yu (游天立) said: “Standard Chartered is increasingly leveraging its wealth management digital platform, together with partnerships with world-class institutions, to offer diversified asset allocation solutions. In Taiwan, we continue to introduce digital platforms and services and further localize our international best practices, products and experiences. Photo courtesy of Standard Chartered Bank TaiwanSamrat Khosla, head of Wealth Solutions at Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan, said: “Structured products have long played an important role in the asset allocation of high-net-worth clients. This is true to Standard Chartered Bank’s principle of offer an ‘Open Architecture’ platform.”“Through the partnership with FinIQ, the “Automated Structured Products Pricing Platform” provides simultaneous quotes from multiple international issuers, and, based on clients’ needs and risk preferences, instantly compares and searches for product combinations that match specified criteria.

Entombing cremated remains in Chinese apartments bannedEXPENSIVE EXIT: Demand for cemetery plots in China is increasing as the population ages and funerals in 2020 cost nearly half the average annual salary, a survey saidAFP, BEIJINGChinese authorities have banned entombing cremated remains in cheap apartments, a practice that had gained popularity as mourners take advantage of the subdued housing market to dodge rising funeral costs. “Bone-ash apartments” are units in remote, barely occupied residential complexes that can be cheaper than a public cemetery plot, local media reported. Photo: AFPBone-ash apartments are often identifiable by sealed-off windows or closed curtains, local media reports said. Funerals in 2020 cost nearly half of the nation’s average annual salary, a survey by British insurance firm SunLife showed. Debt and stalled construction have plagued leading firms since 2020, when curbs on excessive borrowing and speculation dramatically narrowed access to credit.

Space conditions hamper sperm’s navigation to eggReuters, WASHINGTONAs humankind moves toward the goal of establishing a long-term presence on the moon and Mars, the question of whether reproduction is possible in extraterrestrial environments might no longer be merely hypothetical. New research using simulated microgravity conditions has identified some major challenges. Experiments conducted by scientists in Australia found that microgravity conditions, simulated in a laboratory, disrupt sperm navigation, reduce fertilization rates and, when exposure is prolonged, compromise the quality and survival of early embryos. The new study is the first to show that gravity plays a critical role in sperm’s ability to navigate toward an egg. The function that appears to be disrupted is navigation, the ability to orient and move with purpose toward a destination.

Pass a sufficient defense budget to deter aggression, US senators sayBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA bipartisan delegation from the US Senate yesterday reiterated the importance of passing a sufficient defense budget, as Taiwan requires robust asymmetric rather than baseline capabilities to deter aggression. The visiting group included US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations members Jeanne Shaheen and John Curtis, Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, right, leads other members of a US Senate delegation on a visit to the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan has developed into an innovation hub focused on drones and missile defense, but needs additional resources, she added. “Around the world, we’ve learned that deterrence — grounded in credible, responsible defense investments — helps us preserve stability,” Rosen said.

Death of trade officer under investigationBULLYING? Cho yesterday said that a third-party investigator had been hired to look into the workplace bullying claims and would submit a full report within two months. News of Yen Huai-shing’s death from an unspecified illness on March 12 was made public on Tuesday last week, after her funeral, at her family’s request. The daughter of former minister of finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), Yen Huai-shing headed the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research’s Taiwan WTO and RTA Center before being appointed as deputy head of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations in 2024. However, since her death, rumors have circulated online that she was a victim of workplace bullying and was “excluded” by colleagues at the trade office.

Taiwan airlines cap power banks at two, ban in-flight chargingStaff Writer, with CNAEVA Airways and China Airlines yesterday began enforcing new restrictions on portable power banks Tuesday, limiting passengers to two devices in carry-on luggage and banning their use for in-flight charging, while Starlux Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan said they would adopt the same rules starting today. According to Taoyuan International Airport Corp. Vice President Yu Chung-li (余崇立), the airport is assisting with public awareness efforts. People wait to pass through security at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Feb. 9. Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei TimesLithium batteries and power banks remain banned from checked baggage due to fire risks, while security checks will ensure compliance in carry-on luggage. Airport retailers in restricted departure areas have also been asked to inform customers of the two-device limit and the in-flight charging ban at the point of sale, Yu added.

2, despite traffic surgeBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe government is not considering charging drivers for accessing National Freeway No. 2 between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and New Taipei City’s Yingge District (鶯歌), despite a nearly 10 percent rise in traffic volume on the roadway, the National Freeway Bureau said on Monday. People might have different thoughts if tolls are only charged on a specific west-east freeway,” the bureau said. From 2021 to 2023, volume on the freeway increased from 835 million vehicle-kilometers to 918 million vehicle-kilometers, bureau data showed. Although the traffic volume was slightly down in 2024, at 909 million vehicle-kilometers, it rose last year to 912 million vehicle-kilometers.

Taiwan stocks outperform South Korea most since 2009 amid war turmoilBloombergTaiwanese shares have outperformed their South Korean peers by the widest margin since 2009, underscoring their relative resilience as the Middle East tensions roil markets. Taiwan’s largest equity exchange-traded fund was set for record inflows in the month as domestic investors piled into the technology-heavy product. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPAInvestors remain broadly constructive on Taiwan given its key role in the global semiconductor supply chain. On the other hand, highly concentrated holdings in South Korea by global emerging market funds risks more outflows, he said. South Korean equities were among the hardest hit in the month as fears of quicker inflation and higher interest rates led to doubts about the durability of the AI boom.

The attacks showed the intensity of the war more than a month after the US and Israel launched their first strikes. The conflict has left more than 3,000 dead, and caused major disruptions to the world’s supply of oil and natural gas. Israel and the US launched a wave of strikes on Iran, hitting Tehran early yesterday morning. Israel also said it had launched a new wave of strikes targeting what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut. Loud explosions were also heard in Israel not long after the military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran.

Gold-medal boxer returnsStaff writer, with CNALin Yu-ting, Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold medalist, had little trouble winning her first match since the 2024 Paris Olympics yesterday at the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships. In the round-of-16 contest in the women’s 60kg division, Lin defeated Thailand’s Thananya Somnuek 5-0. Lin Yu-ting is declared victorious in a match in the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships in yesterday in Ulan Bator. Lin’s eligibility was formally confirmed late last month, when World Boxing cleared her to compete. The wording — specifically its reference to “World Boxing competitions” — suggested that Lin might still face uncertainty over her eligibility for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.