Medigen to apply to Australian agency for provisional approval of its vaccine
Medigen to apply to Australian agency for provisional approval of its vaccineBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterMedigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗) yesterday said it would apply to the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for provisional approval of its COVID-19 vaccine in the near term, after obtaining a provisional determination from the agency. A provisional approval in Australia is similar to emergency use authorization in other countries, Medigen said in a statement. Signage for Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp is pictured at the entrance to the company’s facility in Hsinchu on Aug. 31. It has also given a provisional determination to Novavax Inc.Medigen said it yesterday became the sixth firm to gain a provisional determination, after the agency granted a provisional determination to Grand Pacific CRO, the Australian sponsor acting on behalf of Medigen for its MVC-COV1901 vaccine. Provisional determination is the first step in the provisional registration process and means that Grand Pacific CRO is eligible to apply for provisional registration, the agency said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 22, 2021 19:01 UTC
Alonso returns to the F1 podium after 7-year gap
Alonso returns to the F1 podium after 7-year gapReutersFernando Alonso feared he might never stand on a Formula One podium again until the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday ended a record seven-year wait and saw the double world champion hailed as driver of the day. The last time Alonso stood on the podium was as a Ferrari driver in Hungary in 2014, when he finished second, and the 105 races between successive podiums made for the longest gap yet for the sport. Alpine driver Fernando Alonso of Spain celebrates winning third place at the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, Qatar, on Sunday. Photo: APTo put the wait into perspective, the last time fans saw Alonso on the podium was before Red Bull’s 24-year-old championship leader Max Verstappen — second on Sunday — made his Formula One debut. He started third on Sunday after Verstappen took a five-place grid penalty and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas dropped three from third.
Source:Taipei Times
November 22, 2021 18:59 UTC
More resources needed to teach English, school staff say
Teachers and principals were invited to give feedback on progress regarding the government’s goal of becoming a Mandarin-English bilingual nation by 2030. Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School English teacher Liu Ya-hsin, standing, speaks at a meeting on bilingualism and English teaching hosted by the New Power Party on Saturday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times“Students need an environment where the English they learn is used, or it just comes across as pretentious,” Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School principal Chiang Hui-chen (江惠真) said. Very few qualified bilingual teachers take on positions in Taipei, and schools lack bilingual curricula that fit the local education system, he said. Liu Ya-hsin (柳雅馨), an English teacher at Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, said there was a large consensus among those she asked in Taipei that the English-Mandarin bilingualism program is unpopular.
Source:Taipei Times
November 22, 2021 12:13 UTC
Rapid test free for new quarantine option: CECC says
Rapid test free for new quarantine option: CECC saysStaff writer, with CNAFully vaccinated people who choose the “7+7 (+7)” quarantine option upon arrival in Taiwan would not have to pay for the required COVID-19 rapid tests, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said. While in home quarantine, they would be required to take a rapid test on the 10th day after their arrival, followed by one more PCR test on the 13th or last day of the two-week quarantine period, it added. Taiwan currently has only 26,000 quarantine rooms, but about 40,000 people are expected to arrive for the holiday, the center said. Initially, the center had said that people would have to pay for the rapid test they are required to take on the 10th day of the “7+7 (+7)” quarantine plan. The “10+4 (+7)” policy does not require travelers to have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks, but they must spend their last four days of quarantine in a home where the other residents have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks.
Source:Taipei Times
November 22, 2021 04:02 UTC
Notes from Central Taiwan: Eating the future
Suicide and suicidal thoughts among teenagers are spiking. The Taiwan Fund for Children and Families says that a recent survey of 600 young people, a fifth have thought of suicide. But among the young, the rise in suicidal thoughts is striking. Among females 15-24, suicidal thoughts have tripled since 2014, to 7.6 percent. Notes from Central Taiwan is a column written by long-term resident Michael Turton, who provides incisive commentary informed by three decades of living in and writing about his adoptive country.
Source:Taipei Times
November 21, 2021 19:35 UTC
Medical world congress in Taiwan for first time
Medical world congress in Taiwan for first timeBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe 32nd World Congress of International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists (IASGO) opened in Taiwan for the first time on Saturday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Tai-yuan, left, gives a thumbs up at the World Congress of International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists, with congress president and National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) professor Lin Ming-tsan, center, and NTUH superintendent Wu Ming-Shiang, right, in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNANTUH superintendent Wu Ming-Shiang (吳明賢) said that among the 10 most common types of cancer in Taiwan, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer are all associated with the digestive system. As this year’s congress focuses on the applications of AI in surgery, gastroenterology and oncology, healthcare professionals could exchange ideas on how AI contributes to improving the outcome of medical services, providing patient-centered care, Wu said. According to IASGO, more than 1,500 medical experts from more than 90 countries are participating this year.
Source:Taipei Times
November 21, 2021 19:00 UTC
First electric autonomous cargo ship launched in Norway
The world’s first self-propelled, electric container ship, Yara Birkeland, is moored at Langkaia in Oslo on Friday. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store attends a tour of the Yara Birkeland in Oslo on Friday. While the distance the Yara Birkeland would cover might be short, there would be many obstacles. Experts also do not expect electric vessels to become a universal solution for the industry any time soon. “Not only would [a vessel] need to be autonomous for long distances, but you would also have to equip ports with battery chargers, so there are technical and infrastructure challenges that would need to be coordinated,” she said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2021 22:08 UTC
Three workers die in MRT construction site accident
Three workers die in MRT construction site accidentStaff writer, with CNAThree workers were killed and two injured after scaffolding at a construction site collapsed in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽), the New Taipei City Fire Department said yesterday. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, with back to camera, inspects the site of a fatal scaffolding collapse on a Mass Rapid Transit construction site in the city’s Sansia District yesterday. All work at the site has been suspended pending an investigation to determine the cause of the accident, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said. An initial investigation found the cause of the accident to be loose fasteners on a horizontal section of the scaffolding, Occupational Safety and Health Administration head Chiang Tsung-lung (江宗龍) said. Contractor RSEA Engineering Corp (榮工工程) could face a fine of up to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), if found responsible, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2021 17:15 UTC
Hon Hai plans EV chip center in Sindian
Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn (富士康) globally, said it plans to open a semiconductor design center in the Baogao Science and Intellectual Park in the city’s Sindian District (新店) to develop software used in self-driving, smart connectivity and smart cabins for EV production. Photo: ReutersMarket analysts said they expect Hon Hai to build an EV cluster in New Taipei City by taking advantage of the new investment in the industrial park. The industrial park is close to Foxtron Vehicle Technologies Co (鴻華先進), a joint venture between Hon Hai and Taiwanese automaker Yulon Group (裕隆集團) to push for EV development. The department added that it would not know how much Hon Hai plans to spend on its new site before the contract is signed. Hon Hai will use the Baogao industrial park as a base for next generation smart EV development, the department said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2021 19:11 UTC
Modi makes U-turn on farm laws after mass protests
Modi makes U-turn on farm laws after mass protestsAFP, NEW DELHIIndia is to scrap agricultural reform laws that sparked a year of huge protests by farmers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday in a surprising U-turn that sparked celebrations, but also criticism from economists. Farmers celebrate yesteday in Singhu, India, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a repeal of agricultural reform laws. Photo: AFPIn a contrite address to the nation coinciding with a major Sikh festival — the religion of many farmers — Modi said the laws would be repealed in parliament’s winter session, which begins later this month. Thousands of Indian farmers commit suicide every year because of poverty, debt and ever more erratic weather patterns caused by climate change. “Now there will be no agriculture sector reforms for the next 25 years...
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2021 19:05 UTC
Upgrades to boost defense: experts
Upgrades to boost defense: expertsBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe military’s upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16s are a major boost to Taiwan’s defense, defense experts said yesterday, as the air force marked the commission of the jets in a ceremony at Chiayi Air Base. Taiwan air force F-16V fighter jets are pictured yesterday in Chiayi County. “The air force’s potential to defeat a numerically superior enemy in modern air defense operations is greatly enhanced by the integrated tactical network capabilities offered by 4.5-generation fighters such as F-16Vs,” he said. The document says that the armed forces’ concept of all-out defense has shifted from defending beachheads and waters near Taiwan to pushing the defense zone toward the enemy, he said. Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor of strategic and international affairs at National Chung Cheng University, said that the AESA-equipped F-16Vs would be a welcome improvement for the air force.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2021 12:39 UTC
US bid at unity derailed by S Korea-Japan row
US bid at unity derailed by S Korea-Japan rowAFP, WASHINGTONA US effort to show unity between two of its closest allies backfired, after Japanese and South Korean officials walked out and left the No. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman speaks on the situation in Afghanistan at the US Department of State in Washington on Aug. 21. “Under these circumstances, we have decided that it is inappropriate to hold a joint news conference,” the spokesman said. During the trilateral meeting on Wednesday, the three sides reaffirmed their “shared commitment” to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Sherman said. She renewed US President Joe Biden’s offer of dialogue with North Korea, which so far remains unanswered.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2021 01:08 UTC
KMT’s Yen looks to retake Taichung seat
KMT’s Yen looks to retake Taichung seatBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT’s) nominee for a by-election in Taichung’s second electoral district yesterday registered his candidacy with the Central Election Commission. Former KMT legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) confirmed his intent to run in the by-election on Jan. 9 to fill the seat left vacant after the Taiwan Statebuilding Party’s Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) was recalled on Oct. 23. Yen previously held the seat after winning a 2013 by-election to replace his father, former Non-Partisan Solidarity Union legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), who was sentenced to prison in November 2012 for graft. Former KMT legislator Yen Kuan-heng in Taichung yesterday displays his completed registration form for the legislative by-election in the city’s second electoral district. He arrived at the commission’s Taichung office to register with only one office assistant present.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2021 01:08 UTC
UN warns of soaring consumer prices
UN warns of soaring consumer pricesBOTTLENECKS: Surging freight rates will have a heavy impact on trade and undermine socioeconomic recovery until supply problems are resolved, an UNCTAD official saidAFP, GENEVAThe UN yesterday warned that a surge in container freight rates could mean higher prices for consumers next year unless COVID-19 pandemic-fueled problems are untangled. “Global consumer prices will rise significantly in the year ahead until shipping supply chain disruptions are unblocked and port constraints and terminal inefficiencies are tackled,” UNCTAD said in its Review of Maritime Transport 2021 report. The mismatch led to record container freight rates “on practically all container trade routes,” the report said. The rise in consumer prices is expected to be 7.5 percent in SIDS and 2.2 percent in LDCs. E-commerce — accelerated by the pandemic — has changed consumer shopping habits and spending patterns, the report said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2021 19:10 UTC
No change on Taiwan for CCP: official
No change on Taiwan for CCP: officialEYE ON PRIZE: Although a CCP resolution mentions the ‘unswerving historical mission’ of ‘unifying’ China, its primary focus was on solidifying Xi’s position, Wellington Koo saidBy Hsieh Chun-lin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe absence of a timeline for addressing the “Taiwan issue” in a “historical” Chinese Communist Party (CCP) resolution adopted last week indicates there is no change in Beijing’s Taiwan policy, despite saying it is central to party philosophy, National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. Presidential Office Secretary-General David Lee, left, and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo attend a legislative hearing in Taipei yesterday. The Taiwan comment was an obligatory mention that does not differ from previous CCP statements, he added. After his call with Xi on Monday, Biden told reporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday that Taiwan is “independent. US policy toward China is gradually becoming clearer, first by it firmly opposing any change in cross-strait stability by non-peaceful means, Koo said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2021 19:10 UTC