Chunghwa Express staff launch strike over wages
Chunghwa Express staff launch strike over wagesBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterChunghwa Express Co employees yesterday began a nationwide strike after failing to secure a raise following two years of negotiations with the company’s management. The first group of workers to strike were from the company’s offices in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and Yilan County, the Chunghwa Express Workers’ Union said. The delivery firm, which is a subsidiary of state-run Chunghwa Post, receives most of its revenue from delivering checks and other paperwork for local financial institutions. Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times“Because of the strike, our clients must deliver the paperwork themselves,” Chunghwa Express chairman Huang Cheng-chung (黃振忠). Profits generated by Chunghwa Express should not be used to feed the “fat cats,” retired management from Chunghwa Post who have stakes in the delivery firm, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2022 22:24 UTC
EDITORIAL: Tech must be made to pay for news
EDITORIAL: Tech must be made to pay for newsIn a research report published earlier this year, a National Taiwan University academic issued a “wake-up call” about the state of the news media’s dwindling revenues. By contrast, 2020 saw NT$48.26 billion of online media ad volume, creating what Lin called an “avalanche of losses” for newspapers. News remuneration legislation is favored by many governments, starting with the European Copyright Directive passed by the EU in 2019, requiring platforms to pay publishers for content aggregated on their sites. Google especially has complied with the rules wherever necessary, signing deals with hundreds of media companies to pay for rights to display their news content. It is only fair that tech giants share their spoils, which hopefully would be the first step toward reinvigorating a stagnant industry.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2022 22:23 UTC
Sports Briefs-Taipei Times
FootballRonaldo wants to escape from Manchester UnitedCristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United this summer if the English Premier League club receives the appropriate offer, reports said Saturday. United finished 6th in the league, missed the UEFA Champions League qualification and won the Ballon d’Or five times. This Ballon d’Or has a contract period and one year of options left and may play in the Europa League. Manchester United categorically claims that Ronaldo has not been put up for sale. England struggled on the second day of the rain in the series decision test at Edgbaston, England.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2022 21:29 UTC
Killing fields for ‘slow’ learners
In group interactions, children with better memory also have greater social skills. From the researchers’ findings, preschool children with better memory do have an advantage. The teacher suspected that he was a “slow student.”Teachers might often categorize students with poor memory as slow learners. Especially given the low birthrate today, when all children are precious to their parents, teachers have an even greater responsibility. The classroom must be a friendly learning environment, not “killing fields” for students thought to be “slow.” This is the classroom management ability teachers must possess.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2022 16:43 UTC
EDITORIAL: The issues investors are pondering
US President Joe Biden last month signed into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act as part of efforts to fight inflation. The PC sector has performed brilliantly since the outbreak of COVID-19 due to work-from-home and remote-learning trends. The PC sector’s decline has affected supply chains, including the flat-panel display, power IC and PC hardware segments. They have also been paying attention to actions taken by central banks to address rising food and energy prices. The current market correction is of course worth great attention, but for investors, the underlying macro challenges and cyclical changes facing local industries and enterprises are even more of an issue worthy of pondering.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2022 16:37 UTC
Tellez hits his fifth home run in five games
Tellez hits his fifth home run in five gamesAP, PITTSBURGH, PennsylvaniaRowdy Tellez on Friday homered for the fifth time in five games, and drove in five runs, while Corbin Burnes took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 19-2. Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez hits a three-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during their MLB game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday. Tellez also had a two-run double in the fourth to push the Brewers’ lead to 9-0. The ball hit the top of the fence, bounced off a railing and back onto the field. “I got tagged out at second base by Javy Baez” on home run No.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2022 02:29 UTC
India’s women water warriors transform parched lands
India’s women water warriors transform parched landsA volunteer network of around 1,000 women are working across Bundelkhand to rehabilitate and revive disappeared water sourcesBy Jalees ANDRABI / AFP, CHHATARPUR, IndiaAs the monsoon storms bear down on India, a dedicated group of women hope that after years of backbreaking labor, water shortages will no longer leave their village high and dry. Women on June 9 collect water from a well in Agrotha village, in Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh. “All our wells have dried up.”Three years ago, Rajput joined Jal Saheli (“Friends of Water”), a volunteer network of around 1,000 women working across Bundelkhand to rehabilitate and revive disappeared water sources. Rajput said their work had helped them retain monsoon rainwater for longer and revive half a dozen water bodies around their village. Photo: AFPThough not yet self-sufficient, Agrotha’s residents are no longer among the roughly 600 million Indians that a government think-tank says face acute water shortages daily.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2022 02:29 UTC
Aquaculture drives aquatic food yields to new high
Driven by sustained growth in aquaculture, global fisheries and aquatic farming together hauled in 214 million tonnes, the UN agency said in a report. The total first-sale value of 2020 production topped US$400 million, with US$265 million coming from aquaculture, a sector poised for further expansion. “The growth of fisheries and aquaculture is vital in our efforts to end global hunger and malnutrition,” said FAO director Qu Dongyu. Production of aquatic animals in 2020 — totaling 178 million tonnes — was evenly divided between fisheries and aquaculture, according to the FAO report. Asian countries were the source of 70 percent of the world’s fisheries and aquaculture of aquatic animals in 2020.
Source:Taipei Times
July 01, 2022 21:58 UTC
India bans some plastic products
For the first stage, it has identified 19 plastic items that are not very useful, but have a high potential to become litter, making it illegal to produce, import, stock, distribute or sell them. A man carries flowers and vegetables in plastic bags at a market in Kolkata, India, yesterday. Photo: AFPSome disposable plastic bags would also be phased out and replaced with thicker ones. Thousands of other plastic products — such as bottles for water or soda or bags for snacks — are not covered by the ban. In 2020, more than 4.1 million tonnes of plastic waste was generated in India, data from the nation’s federal pollution watchdog said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 01, 2022 17:04 UTC
GM calls off India plant sale to Great Wall
GM calls off India plant sale to Great WallReuters, NEW DELHI and SHANGHAIGeneral Motors (GM) yesterday said it had called off the sale of a shuttered Indian plant to China’s Great Wall Motor Ltd (長城汽車) after they failed to obtain regulatory approvals, amid a tougher stance by New Delhi toward investments from Beijing. GM struck a deal in January 2020 to sell the plant to Great Wall, with the Chinese SUV maker expected to pay up to US$300 million as part of a broader plan to invest US$1 billion to establish a presence in India’s growing auto market. This was part of a broader crackdown by India on businesses with Chinese links amid worsening diplomatic relations. This will also send Great Wall back to the drawing board on its plans to enter India, which it considered an important part of its global strategy to break into new markets like Latin America, Thailand and Brazil. Last year, Great Wall reallocated to Brazil a portion of its US$1 billion investment earmarked for India and reassigned some of its staff after delays in winning government approvals.
Source:Taipei Times
July 01, 2022 17:04 UTC
Gabon’s issuance of carbon credits to be world’s largest
Gabon’s issuance of carbon credits to be world’s largestBloombergGabon, the second-most forested nation after Suriname, aims to create 187 million carbon credits, almost half of which could be sold on the offsets market in what would be the single largest issuance in history. Photo: AFPThe carbon credits “will probably come on to market just before COP27,” White said, referring to the UN climate change conference scheduled for November in Egypt. Ninety million credits will be sold, and “non-market” mechanisms will be used for the balance, he said. Carbon credits are tokens representing 1 tonne of climate-warming carbon dioxide that is reduced, removed or not added to the atmosphere, and companies use them to offset their own emissions. Credits can be traded on the international market for carbon production rights, or firms can invest in projects to produce credits themselves.
Source:Taipei Times
July 01, 2022 02:34 UTC
EDITORIAL: Ko Wen-je: Political chameleon
EDITORIAL: Ko Wen-je: Political chameleonPeople are speculating about Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) next move, given that his final term as mayor ends at the end of the year. This is the only way to transform Taiwan into a united country, instead of a nation plagued by deep political fissures, he said. Becoming Taipei mayor has often been regarded as a stepping stone to the presidency, as in the case of former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Ko has been considered a political chameleon, shifting his position from the green camp to the white camp and now to a white-tinged-with-red affiliation. He then introduced a new party into Taiwan’s political arena, intending the TPP to transcend the DPP and the KMT.
Source:Taipei Times
June 30, 2022 16:38 UTC
China destroys education in Tibet
China destroys education in TibetBy Tenzing DhamdulAn April circular by the Chinese Ministry of Education on student admission criteria at Tibetan universities has been harrowing and discriminating to say the least. The initial attack on the Tibetan education system began during the Cultural Revolution, when the monastic system, recognized as the cornerstone of Tibet’s education system, was wiped out in terms of its physical structure and personnel. The end of the Cultural Revolution set the stage for the renaissance of Tibetan education. Beijing implemented a bilingual education policy in Tibet and other occupied regions (or, as Beijing calls them, “minority regions”). Chinese interference with the Tibetan education system has gained pace since Xi took office.
Source:Taipei Times
June 30, 2022 04:20 UTC
Tata joins Hon Hai MIH platform for EVs
Tata joins Hon Hai MIH platform for EVsMOBILITY SOLUTIONS: Tata Technologies’ participation marks more progress in Hon Hai’s efforts to expand its ecosystem through the platform, the Taiwanese firm saidBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterIndia’s Tata Technologies Ltd has become the latest member of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s (鴻海精密) MIH Open Platform to jointly develop sustainable mobility solutions for customers worldwide, the Taiwanese company said yesterday. Tata Technologies’ participation marks more progress in Hon Hai’s efforts to expand its electric-vehicle (EV) ecosystem through the MIH platform, it said. An electric vehicle frame built by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s MIH Open Platform is displayed at the HHTD forum in Taipei on Oct. 16, 2020. Hon Hai signed the contract with Tata Technologies to join the platform at the Indian company’s office in Detroit, Michigan. Hon Hai said it is on track to ship its first microprocessors and other chips used in EVs by 2024.
Source:Taipei Times
June 30, 2022 02:47 UTC
MediaTek plans a chip facility in the US with state help
MediaTek plans a chip facility in the US with state helpBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterMobile phone chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) plans to launch its first semiconductor chip facility in the US midwest with support from a state transition assistance package from the Indiana Economic Development Commission, the company said on Tuesday. MediaTek said in a statement that it intends to form new research partnerships with Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, to collaborate on developing engineering talent, and research on next-generation computing and communications chip design. People speak near a MediaTek logo at the COMPUTEX expo in Taipei on June 1, 2016. “We believe strongly that being in Indiana means we will have access to some of the best engineering talent in the world,” MediaTek USA president Lawrence Loh (陸國宏) said in the statement. Globally, MediaTek invested more than US$3.5 billion in research and development last year.
Source:Taipei Times
June 29, 2022 22:15 UTC