BizLink to take over industrial solutions firm
BizLink to take over industrial solutions firmPRODUCT MIX BOOST: The binding deal with Germany’s Leoni is part of the wire harness maker’s long-term diversification plan, BizLink’s Liang saidBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterWire harness maker BizLink Holding Inc (貿聯控股) on Friday announced that it had reached a binding agreement with Leoni AG to acquire the German company’s Leoni Industrial Solutions for 451 million euros (US$522.9 million) in an all-cash transaction. BizLink chairman Roger Liang, center, and other company executives attend a news conference at the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei on Friday. Photo: Chen Rou-chen, Taipei TimesLeoni Industrial Solutions last year reported revenue of 430 million euros. “BizLink’s acquisition of Leoni Industrial Solutions will boost our technical and service capabilities, solidify our global scale, bring us closer to customers and gain access to new industrial customers,” BizLink chairman Roger Liang (梁華哲) said in a statement. “The acquisition brings forward our long-term diversification plan and will provide BizLink with immediate gains within multiple secular growth industries.”The Leoni Industrial Solutions deal comes after BizLink completed the acquisition of Leoni’s electrical appliance business in 2017 and Speedy Industrial Supplies Pte Ltd last year.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
FEATURE: Action on light pollution urged
Members of the public have filed 300 to 400 light pollution complaints per year since the promulgation of the Light Pollution Control Guidelines (光污染管理指引) in March last year, the EPA has said. While the EPA is the government authority in charge of dealing with light pollution, Lin said, all that the agency could come up with for combatting the issue was a set of guidelines — the Light Pollution Control Guidelines. Light pollution should be considered when these assessments are conducted, and the government should regulate it in the same way that the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) regulates air pollution and the Noise Control Act (噪音管制法) regulates noise pollution, he said. The existing Light Pollution Control Guidelines mainly serves as a reference when government agencies receive complaints from the public, he said. “A provision regulating light pollution should be added as the final component of environmental impact assessments,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Up, up and away!
Mask mandate might be relaxedALERT TO REMAIN: The CECC said that agencies have relayed complaints from people saying there is no need for a farmer in a field or a family hiking to wear masks Taiwan’s mask mandate is to be relaxed from tomorrow as the number of domestic cases of COVID-19 has fallen, but the level 2 alert will be extended, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), said yesterday. The CECC is reconsidering mask requirements while outdoors in areas where there are few people, Chen said. Government agencies have relayed complaints about having to wear a mask in places where there are few people, such as a farmer working in a field or a family hiking, he said. As Taiwan reported an average of two locally transmitted
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Google shelves plan for bank accounts
Google shelves plan for bank accountsTRICKY TRANSITION: Google has struggled for years to become a primary medium of commerce through its Google Pay app, a goal that has also eluded rival FacebookBloombergAlphabet Inc’s Google is shelving plans to add bank accounts to its payment app, becoming the latest tech giant to dial back its ambitions for financial services. The idea was that Google Pay users would be able to use the app to apply for so-called Plex checking and savings accounts from 11 banks. The Plex accounts were just one part of a broad overhaul of the Google Pay app, which also allowed users to link up their existing bank accounts and credit cards, and search for discounts when setting out to shop or dine. Since its debut in 2015, Google Pay — originally called Android Pay — has amassed 150 million users in 30 countries. Work on updating the Google Pay app — which consumers mostly rely on to send money to friends or for online shopping — began under Caesar Sengupta.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Third quarter is busiest for Asia IPOs on record with US$56 billion in deals
Third quarter is busiest for Asia IPOs on record with US$56 billion in dealsBloombergAsia has had its best third quarter on record for initial public offerings (IPOs), even with Hong Kong turning quiet as many firms put listing plans in the regional powerhouse on hold amid China’s sweeping regulatory clampdown. Photo: BloombergAsia’s record third-quarter came despite the slowdown in Hong Kong, one of the world’s busiest listing venues. That saw listing volumes in the financial hub dip to US$6 billion in the third quarter, trailing South Korea for the first time in four years. Chinese firms that had initially eyed Hong Kong or US listings might opt to raise money privately instead as they wait for the clouds to clear. London-based insurer Prudential PLC fetched US$2.4 billion in a Hong Kong share sale last month in one of the territory’s biggest follow-on offerings of the year.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
US private equity firm wins auction for UK’s Morrisons
US private equity firm wins auction for UK’s MorrisonsAFP, LONDONA US private equity firm has won an auction for British supermarket group WM Morrison Supermarket PLC, the UK’s Takeover Panel which oversees merger and acquisition deals said on Saturday. The panel said that Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC (CD&R) bid ￡2.87 per share, beating private equity giant Fortress Investment Group, which bid ￡2.86, the panel announced in a short statement. The winning bid values the company at about ￡7.1 billion (US$9.61 billion), Morrisons said. A person exits a Morrisons supermarket in London on Saturday. The auction was held because neither CD&R or Softbank Group Corp-owned Fortress lodged a final offer on their earlier bids.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Brady-Belichick match sparks a betting surge
Brady-Belichick match sparks a betting surgeAP, ATLANTIC CITY, New JerseySportsbooks say that the showdown between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick — which is to be played tomorrow morning Taiwan time — is shaping up to be the most heavily bet on NFL game of the regular season. Then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, and head coach Bill Belichick attend a practice session in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 18, 2018. “Tom Brady has always been popular with FanDuel customers. Brady played quarterback for the Patriots for his first 20 seasons before leaving last year to lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl victory. [New England rookie quarterback] Mac Jones wants to show he belongs, and say: ‘Move over, Brady, it’s a new era.’”
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
Giants clinch share of NL West
However, Los Angeles extended the NL West race for at least another day, rallying past the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6. San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, center, grounds an infield ball during their MLB game against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday. San Francisco went through a quick congratulatory handshake line on the diamond after their game. In San Francisco, LaMonte Wade Jr added a sacrifice fly as the Giants (106-54) continued to leave their mark in the franchise’s storied history. They were hardly fancied to win in the talented West, with the Dodgers and the Padres considered the favorites.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
US commissioner of soccer resigns
US commissioner of soccer resignsAFP, LOS ANGELESLisa Baird, who was under fire for her handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a head coach, resigned on Friday as commissioner of the top US professional women’s soccer league. Baird’s decision was announced in a statement posted on the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Twitter account and came just hours after she said that the league was calling off this weekend’s matches across the US. “The National Women’s Soccer League on Friday has received and accepted Lisa Baird’s resignation as its commissioner,” the league said. US internationals Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe were among the players who have criticized the league’s handling of the Riley allegations. FIFA said that it was “deeply concerned” by the case and would seek further details from US soccer authorities about the issues raised.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
Men’s table tennis team bag silver for Taiwan in Qatar
Men’s table tennis team bag silver for Taiwan in QatarStaff writer, with CNATaiwan on Friday finished second in the men’s portion of the Asian Table Tennis Championships after losing to South Korea 1-3, tying their best record in the category. 12 Jang Woo-jin 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 7-11. 27 Chuang leveled the series against Lee Sang-su, winning 11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 11-8 in the second game, but Feng lost to An Jae-hyun 10-12, 9-11, 12-14. In the critical fourth game, Chuang lost to Jang 9-11, 7- 11, 5-11. In the women’s doubles, Chen Szu-Yu and Li Yu-jhun lost 9-11, 10-12, 11-8, 9-11 to Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee of India in the round of 16.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
Players pulled over breaches: CTFA
Players pulled over breaches: CTFABy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) yesterday suspended the manager of the men’s national soccer team and dismissed four players for breaching COVID-19 protocols ahead of an international match. Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei TimesAssistant manager Yeh Hsien-chung (葉獻中) would serve as interim team manager, the CTFA said. On Sept. 11, Yu, Chen, Pai, Tuan and Lin allegedly went out drinking, and did not show up for the team’s breakfast meeting the next day, it said. Von said the accusations were unsubstantiated, adding that CTFA secretary-general Fang Ching-jen (方靖仁) had hurt the team with the sudden suspensions. “I only received the notification today that the CTFA has dismissed four key players on the team, while also suspending me,” Von said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
Commission exonerates five executed after 1970 Taiyuan Prison Insurrection
Commission exonerates five executed after 1970 Taiyuan Prison InsurrectionBy Lee Hsin-fang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Transitional Justice Commission yesterday posthumously exonerated five prison inmates who were executed after the 1970 Taiyuan Prison Insurrection. The five Taiwan independence advocates, held at the prison in Taitung County, seized weapons and broke out of the facility, but were later captured. A sixth prisoner, Cheng Cheng-cheng (鄭正成), who was involved in the insurrection, evaded being executed as the five claimed he had been their hostage. The commission yesterday exonerated the five of all criminal charges. Chiang’s younger sister, Chiang Yueh-wei (江月瑋), broke down in tears following the announcement of his exoneration at a news conference held by the commission in Taipei.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: CECC to offer BioNTech in next vaccination round
COVID-19: CECC to offer BioNTech in next vaccination roundSYSTEM BUG: Forty-two THSRC workers allegedly used a loophole in a hospital’s vaccination booking system to get their second COVID-19 shot early, media reportedBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is to be offered in the 10th round of vaccinations, which start on Wednesday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 10 imported cases and no local infections or deaths. A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is pictured next to some syringes in an undated photo. The CECC reported 10 imported cases of COVID-19 among travelers from nine countries, but no new local infections or deaths. The imported cases arrived from Indonesia, Japan, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Singapore, Somaliland, Thailand, the UK and Vietnam, the center said. The center has asked the local health department to look into the matter and enhance hospital management, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2021 15:56 UTC
China’s coal firms told to exceed quotas
China’s coal firms told to exceed quotasCRITICAL NEED: Environmental measures have led to an energy crisis that is causing a rethink about coal production, as China’s winter will require a solid power supplyBloombergChina’s leadership has told the country’s state-owned mining firms to produce coal at full capacity for the rest of the year even if they exceed annual quotas as the country struggles with a deepening power crisis. Boosting domestic thermal coal production is critical, the sources said, asking not to be named as the discussion contents are not public. The country controls coal production under a quota system that caps annual output of mines in order to manage supply. Coal mines are under close environmental surveillance, and Beijing has been pushing for consolidation in the sector. Its coal output was 530 million tonnes last year.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
Ministry urges firms to step up decarbonization
Ministry urges firms to step up decarbonization‘HIGHLY CHALLENGING’: New EU rules aim to create a greener supply chain, but proposed tariffs could ban Taiwanese products with large carbon footprintsBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterTaiwanese companies need to work on decarbonizing or risk being “excluded from the supply chains of the future,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The EU in July announced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), under which products produced with a large carbon footprint would face tariffs starting in 2026, Kiang said. Photo: Lin Ching-hua, Taipei TimesThe law’s primary goal is to prevent products with large carbon footprints from competing with those with low footprints made in the EU. “More important than the direct export of goods to Europe, [Taiwanese businesses] need to take notice of the carbon requirements of major international companies,” Kiang said. “By refining our procedures, we can create a lower-carbon or even eventually zero carbon steel.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2021 15:56 UTC