COVID-19: CECC reports five new virus cases, all imported
COVID-19: CECC reports five new virus cases, all importedVACCINE BREAKTHROUGH: One of the cases was a woman who is thought to have contracted the disease in India and recovered, posing little risk to the communityBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported five imported cases of COVID-19, including a case who returned to Taiwan in August, but tested positive on Tuesday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung in Taipei yesterday reports on emergency overseas travel arrangements for people who have received Taiwan’s Medigen COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: CNAThree of the imported cases are vaccine breakthrough infections, said CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division. One of the breakthrough cases is a Taiwanese woman who returned from India on Aug. 20, but tested positive in a self-paid test on Tuesday, he said. She tested positive for antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein and the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, but tested negative for IgM and IgG, meaning that she was likely to have had a previous infection, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 17, 2021 22:08 UTC
Taiwan Bravo: The new immigrant experience in Taiwan
The program will be broadcast at 2pm every Sunday, along with a special daily Taiwan Bravo themed segment on SetTV. Julian from FranceJulian now works with a local bed-and-breakfast in Penghu, providing reservation-only cuisine using locally sourced seafood made using French cooking methods. Lee went from not knowing anything about crabs to being able to prepare meals using crabs on her own to becoming a master chef, developing her own recipe for Southeast Asian curried crab. The stories of these new immigrants, told in the Taiwan Bravo TV program sponsored by the New Immigrants Development Fund, relate their experiences living in Taiwan and show how different cultures can come together. Brought to you by the Ministry of Interior National Immigration Agency and SetTV, sponsored by the New Immigrants Development Fund(Advertorial)Taiwan Bravo Line account: https://lin.ee/UvcPzddTaiwan Bravo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SETwearefamily/Taiwan Bravo Web site: http://setwearefamily.setn.com/Taiwan Bravo YouTube: https://bit.ly/331eyXb
Source:Taipei Times
November 17, 2021 19:01 UTC
COVID-19: Mix-and-match booking opens; boosters discussed
A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a woman in Tainan yesterday. Those preferring to receive AstraZeneca as their second dose would not need to make any changes in the system, he said. Those who received AstraZeneca and Moderna did report having more side effects after the second dose, compared with those who received two doses of AstraZeneca, Lo said. On Tuesday, 216,664 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered, bringing the nation’s first-dose vaccination rate to 76.58 percent and the full vaccination rate to 43.69 percent, he said. Asked about booster shots, Chuang said that by Jan. 31, only about 263,000 people in Taiwan would have had their second dose for more than six months.
Source:Taipei Times
November 17, 2021 16:39 UTC
Europe seems to have had enough
Europe seems to have had enoughBy Manik MehtaResentment against China is growing not just in the US and Australia, but also increasingly in Europe, where leaders are showing signs of intense frustration over Beijing’s dictates on what is acceptable regarding its “one China” principle and, by default, on the Taiwan issue. By contrast, China’s autocratic rule is anathema not just for the US, but also for Europe. As in the US, Europe is not happy with China’s cultural policy, which purports to promote Chinese language and culture. The institutes, established in 2004 to popularize Chinese language learning, are closely connected with the CCP — which is disconcerting for many in the US and Europe. Indeed, institute director Thorsten Benner has called on Europe and the US to “identify economic and technological levers” to use against China.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2021 22:03 UTC
Eswatini and Russia name top envoys to Taiwan
Eswatini and Russia name top envoys to TaiwanDIPLOMACY: Former vice president Chen Chien-jen is to attend a democracy forum this week in Lithuania and speak about Taiwan’s democratization and COVID-19 responseStaff writer, with CNAThe Kingdom of Eswatini and Russia have named their top envoys to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Eswatini’s King Mswati III is pictured in a photograph taken from the Eswatini government’s official Twitter account. Former vice president Chen Chien-jen gives a thumbs-up sign in Taipei in an undated photograph. The former vice president is also to talk about Taiwan’s COVID-19 prevention experience and its response to disinformation in his speech titled “Taiwan as a Litmus Case for Democracy,” it said. Chen, who was the nation’s vice president from 2016 to last year, is now an academician at Academia Sinica.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2021 22:03 UTC
Russia rejects accusations of endangering astronauts
Russia rejects accusations of endangering astronautsAP, MOSCOWRussian officials yesterday rejected accusations that they endangered astronauts aboard the International Space Station by conducting a weapons test that created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk. US officials on Monday accused Russia of destroying an old satellite with a missile in what they called a reckless and irresponsible strike. The debris could do major damage to the space station as it is orbiting at 28,000kph. The International Space Station is photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking on Oct. 4, 2018. Once the situation became clear early on Monday morning, the four Americans, one German and two Russians on board the International Space Station were ordered to immediately seek shelter in their docked capsules.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2021 19:04 UTC
Yulon Motor to launch electric car using Foxtron design
Yulon Motor to launch electric car using Foxtron designBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterYulon Motor Co (裕隆) yesterday said that it plans to introduce a new own-brand electric vehicle in 2023, designed by Foxtron Vehicle Technologies Co (鴻華先進) on the MIH Open Platform backed by iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密). Yulon Motor would become Foxtron’s first customer. Foxtron, a venture of Yulon Motors and Hon Hai, was set up with initial capital of NT$15.58 billion (US$560.63 million at the current exchange rate) in November last year. “In Taiwan, Luxgen will be the first to introduce electric vehicles designed by Foxtron. “All automakers are facing stiff pressure amid surges in raw material and transportation costs,” Yulon Nissan vice president Chung Wen-chuan (鐘文川) said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2021 19:00 UTC
US should pledge to defend Taiwan
US should pledge to defend TaiwanBy Joseph BoscoUS President Joe Biden has just become the third president in 20 years to declare or strongly imply that the US would defend Taiwan against an attack from China. In April 2001, then-US president George W. Bush answered affirmatively when asked whether the US would protect Taiwan. Two weeks before,Biden had reported on his 90-minute telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and made this curious statement: “I’ve spoken with Xi about Taiwan. The obvious follow-up question is this: Did Washington decide secretly at some point that it would defend Taiwan if China attacks — and even made that clear privately to Beijing, as Trump’s tone implied? Biden needs to proceed with the Taiwan Representative Office name change, and to invite Taiwan to the Summit for Democracy, the RIMPAC naval exercises next year, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief joint exercises.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 22:05 UTC
Jazz performance by Vincent Hsu focuses on change
Jazz performance by Vincent Hsu focuses on changeBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAA performance video featuring jazz bassist Vincent Hsu (徐崇育) and his ensemble, Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band, premiered on Facebook on Friday. The performance was the result of a collaboration between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in New York and the Rhode Island-based organizer FirstWorks. Jazz bassist Vincent Hsu holds an award trophy and jumps to celebrate winning at the Golden Bell Awards in Taipei on Sept. 19 last year. Photo: CNAThe performance, titled “Jazz Changed, Jazz Changes, Jazz Changin’,” aims to show that jazz is alive and well beyond its birthplace, and as suggested by the title, shows how the genre is always evolving, the organizer said. Hsu has been heavily influenced by New York’s Spanish Harlem, where he launched his music career, and his music brings together elements of New York jazz, Latin music, African polyrhythms and Taiwanese composition.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 16:39 UTC
Honduran president says goodbye amid uncertainty
Honduran president says goodbye amid uncertaintyStaff writer, with CNAOutgoing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez left Taiwan on Sunday, ending a three-day visit that marked the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between his Central American country and Taiwan. On Saturday, Hernandez met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to celebrate the 80 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Presidential Office Secretary-General David Lee, second left, accompanies Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, left, and his delegation at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. His previous visits were in 2015 and 2016 as Honduran president, and in 2010 as speaker of the Honduran Parliament. The latest visit came only months before the end of Hernandez’s second and final term as president, and amid uncertainty over Honduran foreign policy after the country’s presidential election on Nov. 28.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 16:38 UTC
Opposition to ractopamine should be based on scientific evidence: experts
The debate over ractopamine has ceased to be a scientific discussion, but has become complicated by politics and international trade concerns, National Taiwan University Hospital toxicology professor Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) said. “For Taiwan, we have an even tougher standard for ractopamine. “The ractopamine issue is not an issue about food safety, because no pork containing ractopamine residue has been imported, so people have not eaten such pork,” TMA deputy secretary-general Lo Chun-hsuan (羅浚晅) said. The Dec. 18 referendums also touch on the issue of nuclear power versus other sources of energy, Wu said. “The government has implemented policies to protect the health and safety of our citizens, while keeping in mind the nation’s future development.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 16:37 UTC
Intel to reward employees who bring female talent
Intel to reward employees who bring female talentStaff writer, with CNAIntel Taiwan is to reward employees who recommend female semiconductor talent as part of a global effort by the US-based company to diversify its workforce. Intel Taiwan’s “Rise 2030” project aims to double the number of female workers and those coming from multicultural backgrounds in ranking managerial positions, Wang said. Photo: Vanessa Cho, Taipei TimesThe company also aims to raise the percentage of female professionals to 40 percent during the 10-year project, she said. Worldwide, the percentage of female workers at Intel Corp rose by 0.4 percentage points over the past year to 27.8 percent, while that of ranking female managers grew by 0.8 percentage points to 21.1 percent, she said, adding that female technicians would account for 26 percent by the end of this year, up from 25.2 percent a year ago. Intel Taiwan has also been seeking to hire talent on university campuses across the nation, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 15:39 UTC
Slovenia’s Slokar wins first parallel slalom title
Slovenia’s Slokar wins first parallel slalom titleAP, LECH-ZURS, AustriaSlovenian skier Andreja Slokar on Saturday won the only women’s World Cup parallel slalom of the season, edging Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway in the final of the floodlit event. It was the first career win for Slokar, whose previous best result was eighth in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in March — the final slalom of last year. Slovenia’s Andreja Slokar competes in the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup women’s parallel slalom in Lech, Austria, on Saturday. Photo: AFP“For sure, it’s not the same as winning slalom or giant slalom, but I enjoyed it. The race had a knockout format as two competitors raced side by side on identical, shortened giant slalom courses.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 05:35 UTC
Japanese-Korean-Turkish language group traced to farmers in ancient China
The findings detailed on Wednesday document a shared genetic ancestry for the hundreds of millions of people who speak what the researchers call Transeurasian languages across an area stretching more than 8,000km. The findings illustrate how humankind’s embrace of agriculture following the Ice Age powered the dispersal of some of the world’s major language families. Photo: ReutersThere are 98 Transeurasian languages. This language family’s beginnings were traced to Neolithic millet farmers in the Liao River valley, an area encompassing parts of the Chinese provinces of Liaoning and Jilin and the region of Inner Mongolia. “It is surprising to see that ancient Koreans reflect Jomon ancestry, which so far had only been detected in Japan,” Robbeets said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2021 04:15 UTC
India said to take forward-looking steps on crypto
India said to take forward-looking steps on cryptoBloombergIndia is planning progressive and forward-looking measures on issues related to cryptocurrencies, a move that could be a departure from its earlier attempts to restrict the use of virtual coins, people familiar with the matter have said. India has had a hot-and-cold relationship with digital currencies in the past few years. The Reserve Bank of India remains a critic, but is now working on a digital currency. It was highlighted that India should seek global partnerships and collective strategies on the issue, they said. India’s parliamentary panel on finance is scheduled to meet industry experts and associations on challenges and opportunities in cryptofinance today.
Source:Taipei Times
November 14, 2021 22:01 UTC