Up to 1,000 Indian workers to arrive in first phase: minister
Up to 1,000 Indian workers to arrive in first phase: ministerBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writer, with CNAThe manufacturing industry would be the first to accept workers from India, starting with no more than 1,000 no sooner than a year from now, Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said today. Photo: CNAThe first phase would involve only a small number of workers, Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said. Effort would also be made to ensure the incoming workers do not “destabilize” the country and adapt to its language and culture, he added. According to the MOU, Taiwan is to decide on the number of workers that may be hired and quotas per industry. The number of workers brought in for the initial trial phase would not exceed 1,000, Ho said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 26, 2024 15:26 UTC
US blasts China over threats to Taiwan
Photo: CNAThe US urges China to “engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan,” Miller said, adding that “threats and legal warfare will not achieve peaceful resolution to cross-strait differences.”Under the guidelines, courts in China would be allowed to try “Taiwan independence separatists” in absentia. Strengthening Taiwan’s security is strengthening regional security, Lai said, adding that his administration would continue to improve the resilience of Taiwan’s self-defense to face any possible challenges. “We are here to learn today ... to learn how we can deepen [the bilateral] relationship” and “support you and your effort ... as you take on a more aggressive China,” commission chairperson Robin Cleveland said. China has been weaponizing its domestic laws as a means to expand authoritarianism, Wu said, citing the recent passage of China Coast Guard Regulation No. 3, and the guidelines passed on Friday last week as examples that would put Taiwanese and international friends of Taiwan at risk of arrest in China.
Source:Taipei Times
June 26, 2024 08:02 UTC
Afghanistan join India in World Cup semi-finals
Afghanistan join India in World Cup semi-finalsAP, GROS ISLET, St LuciaAfghanistan on Monday edged Bangladesh to reach the Men’s T20 World Cup semi-finals for the first time and followed India into the last four following a combination of results that eliminated 2021 champions Australia. Captain Rohit Sharma bludgeoned 92 off 41 balls to lead India to a 24-run win over Australia in St Lucia. Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed is bowled by Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq in their Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight match in Kingstown, St Vincent, on Monday. Sharma posted the tournament’s fastest half-century — off 19 deliveries — and finished with eight sixes and seven fours as India plundered 205-5. Afghanistan batted first and made what seemed an inadequate 115-5 in a match they had to win to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
Source:Taipei Times
June 25, 2024 18:51 UTC
History in motion
Industrial production index rises for a third monthTOP PERFORMER: The computer and optical products sector’s annual increase in output of 31.84 percent was the largest among Taiwan’s six major industries The industrial production index last month increased 16.06 percent year-on-year, rising for a third consecutive month as local manufacturing continued to boom, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Industrial production measures the change in the value of output produced by the local manufacturing, mining and utilities sectors. Last month’s growth, the largest annual expansion in 34 months, came as increases in manufacturing output, water supply, and electricity and gas production more than offset a retreat in mining output, the ministry said in a report. Manufacturing output, which accounted for 95.39 percent of the industrial production index, also rose for a third consecutiveBy Chen Cheng-hui
Source:Taipei Times
June 25, 2024 18:51 UTC
Israel PM says will not agree to deal that ends Gaza war
“But we are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas. Hamas has insisted it would not release the remaining hostages unless there is a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. However, he said that did not mean the war in Gaza was over. Hamas said that Netanyahu’s comments represented “unmistakable confirmation of his rejection” of the US-supported deal. He said Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until all 120 hostages are returned.
Source:Taipei Times
June 25, 2024 03:36 UTC
TPP’s Huang questions history of egg importer
TPP’s Huang questions history of egg importerBy Huang Chin-hsuan and Yang Yuan-ting / Staff reportersUltra Source Ltd was formed solely to obtain government contracts to import eggs and did not exist before a recent egg shortage, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said yesterday. However, Huang told a news conference in Taipei that the government was covering up the origins of Ultra Source. The ministry has also given inconsistent reports about the eggs imported from Japan by Ultra Source, he said. The ministry failed to explain the difference of 5 million to 6 million eggs in its report, he said. A total of 30.81 million eggs were imported from Japan, which weighed 1,843.2 tonnes, it said, adding that there were no missing egg imports.
Source:Taipei Times
June 24, 2024 23:08 UTC
The Liberty Times Editorial: Reform bills harmful to the nation
The Liberty Times Editorial: Reform bills harmful to the nationA number of legal amendments to expand the powers of the Legislative Yuan were enacted last month by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislative caucuses. In response, the Executive Yuan, in accordance with its powers and responsibilities, sent the amendments back to the Legislative Yuan for reconsideration. As for the wider public, 100,000 people have surrounded the Legislative Yuan in protest. It involves human rights infringements that have been likened to the Legislative Yuan setting up its own interrogation chamber. They are also requiring the president to regularly report to the Legislative Yuan and answer lawmakers’ questions.
Source:Taipei Times
June 24, 2024 21:45 UTC
Elderly have higher rates of road fatality
Elderly have higher rates of road fatalitySUPER-AGED SOCIETY: More education of elderly people on driver safety is needed as the nation ages to make Taiwan’s roads safer, authors of a study saidBy Lin Chih-yi and Jason Pan / Staff reportersScooter traffic incidents have a higher fatality rate when elderly people are involved, a study showed. Although there is a lower proportion of elderly people involved in traffic incidents, data showed that they have a higher death rate, NCKU Professor of Public Health Lee Chung-yi (李中一) said. “Although elderly people are less likely to be in traffic incidents, when they are, it is more likely to be fatal. “Although the regulation has been in place for many years, we still have no data on whether it has been effective in reducing traffic incidents among elderly people,” Lee said. They said their research findings showed that through education, elderly people had a better comprehension of road safety, and greater awareness about potentially dangerous conditions and preventative measured required to keep safe on the road.
Source:Taipei Times
June 24, 2024 03:35 UTC
US supports WHO, ICAO bids, AIT says
US supports WHO, ICAO bids, AIT saysBy Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporterThe US supports Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said yesterday in a news release after the “US-Taiwan Working Group Meeting on International Organizations.”The AIT’s release came two days after China unveiled a set of guidelines detailing what it considers “the criminal nature of Taiwanese independence” worthy of punishment, including promoting Taiwan’s entry to international organizations where statehood is a condition. Photo: Cheng I-hwa, Bloomberg“The consultations focused on expanding Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the United Nations system and other international fora,” it said. “Taiwan’s world-class expertise offers considerable added value in addressing today’s most urgent challenges, including in international public health, food security, aviation safety, and climate change,” it said. “US participants reaffirmed the United States’ longstanding commitment to Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system and the international community, including at the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization,” it said. “Our support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international fora is in line with our one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances,” it added.
Source:Taipei Times
June 23, 2024 17:15 UTC
China might quarantine Taiwan, report says
China might quarantine Taiwan, report saysBy Wu Meng-feng and William Hetherington / Staff writersChina might seek to isolate Taiwan and weaken its economy through a “quarantine,” which would make it difficult for the US to respond and force Taipei to negotiate on unification, CNN reported on Saturday. However, China might choose to initiate a quarantine, rather than a military invasion of Taiwan, to avoid US involvement, it said. Furthermore, the China Coast Guard has 150 ocean-going vessels and 400 smaller ones, while the Coast Guard Administration has only 10 ocean-going ships and about 160 smaller ones, it said. The actions taken by Beijing to isolate Taiwan during a quarantine might be relatively limited, but they would still have the effect of strangling Taiwan economically, they said. “Limited search and/or seizure actions have an effect on flights to Taiwan as a quarantine can easily be extended to the air,” CNN said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 23, 2024 17:15 UTC
Lai urged to discard ‘two-state theory’
Lai urged to discard ‘two-state theory’By Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerPresident William Lai (賴清德) should backpedal from his new “two-state theory” and return to the “one China” principle in line with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, to foster and rebuild mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday. Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen speaks to reporters in Taipei on June 16. Lai must explain why China did not make such moves under the administrations of former presidents Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Hsiao said. The spike in cross-strait tension was due to Lai’s “unconstitutional statements regarding the new ‘two-state theory,’” Hsiao said, adding that the statements were regrettable. The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation would continue to foster cross-strait youth events in the hope of laying a solid foundation to build mutual trust, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 22, 2024 20:12 UTC
Ko, TPP sowing legislative chaos
Ko, TPP sowing legislative chaosBy Michael Lin 林正二On Friday, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators denied a Cabinet request to reconsider a set of controversial bills. In the past few days, the former Taipei mayor has been particularly anxious, following a recent poll revealing that support for the TPP has plummeted. The collaboration between the TPP and the KMT in the past few months has led to nothing but chaos, resulting in unconstitutional actions and the introduction of bills infringing on people’s rights. Yet, by failing to push TPP legislators to vote for reconsideration, he has missed an opportunity to regain lost support. If he were to lead the seven TPP legislators to correct their course, Ko might still have a chance for a political comeback.
Source:Taipei Times
June 22, 2024 18:02 UTC
How techno-libertarians fell for government
In recent years, techno-libertarians have been lining up to attach themselves, remora-like, to the US government. The answer has become increasingly clear: Leading Silicon Valley techno-libertarians are against the state only insofar as it is not enriching them personally. When faced with the prospect of the government becoming a major client, once-principled opposition to state power dissipates. Another example is Marc Andreessen, a founder of leading Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (known as a16z), where Srinivasan was briefly a partner. Maybe techno-libertarians need a more accurate, if less glamorous, label.
Source:Taipei Times
June 21, 2024 16:40 UTC
What a medical exam scandal says about Modi’s India
What a medical exam scandal says about Modi’s IndiaSome have suggested a ‘one nation, one syllabus’ policy, which would mean the jostling over who should control the supply of doctors would be about history rather than physics, biology or chemistryBy Andy Mukherje / Bloomberg OpinionA scandal involving allegedly leaked papers and irregular scoring in a government-run Indian medical entrance exam has exposed a deeper fault line. The nationwide test conducted last month had 2.4 million aspirants jostling for 100,000 seats in the country’s medical colleges. Tamil Nadu has 11 percent of the country’s doctors with 6 percent of its population, thanks to the medical colleges it directly funds. An exam that overlooks the differences in schooling offered by the boards of 28 states emaciates local education. A national test is a threat to this political autonomy.
Source:Taipei Times
June 21, 2024 16:40 UTC
Export orders up 7%, exceeding estimate
Export orders up 7%, exceeding estimateGROWTH: Orders from Southeast Asian countries showed the strongest growth in ICT products. Export orders last month expanded to US$48.89 billion last month, beating the ministry’s estimate of US$48.5 billion for May, or outpacing its estimate of 6.2 percent annual growth. “Export orders in the second quarter are to ride out of a seven-quarter decline as prolonged inventory corrections are coming to an end for most industries,” Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) said via telephone. “We expect export orders to grow every quarter in the second half of this year amid normal seasonality.”It remains to be seen if the growth of export orders swings back to positive territory for the whole year, as major central banks hesitate to cut interest rates and the geopolitical situation remains precarious, Huang said. Last year, export orders dipped for a second straight year, falling by 15.9 percent year-on-year amid supply chain inventory adjustments and sagging end-market demand, ministry data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
June 20, 2024 18:39 UTC