Farming, tech in focus of trade with Lithuania: group
Farming, tech in focus of trade with Lithuania: groupStaff writer, with CNATaiwan is looking to deepen its trade relations with Lithuania, particularly in the fields of agriculture and technology, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council said on Wednesday. The council, which hosted the meeting, would continue promoting high-quality foods from Lithuania, as the two sides seek to expand bilateral trade of agricultural products, he said. About 60 matchmaking discussions between 24 Lithuanian food companies and their Taiwanese counterparts were held during the meeting, Huang said. Its imports of Taiwanese machinery and information technology products totaled NT$75 million, he added. “I am confident that not just agricultural products, but also the overall volume and value of Taiwan’s imports [from Lithuania] will grow,” Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2021 15:56 UTC
Water Cannon Salute
TSMC fires seven employees over conduct‘CORE VALUES’: The contract chipmaker did not specify why the employees were dismissed, but media reports said they had leaked information about customer orders Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has fired seven of its employees for violating the company’s “core values,” the world’s largest contract chipmaker said yesterday. While the company did not disclose exactly why it fired the seven employees, local media reports earlier in the day said that the employees had leaked confidential information about customer orders. In a statement, the company said that it fired the seven at once, adding that it released an internal notice last week to inform the entire company of the move ahead of the four-day Mid-Autumn Festival holilday, which ended on Tuesday. TSMC said it fired the seven
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2021 15:56 UTC
Compensation raised in financial product disputes
Compensation raised in financial product disputesBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterAmendments to the Financial Consumer Protection Act (金融消費者保護法) took effect on Friday, raising compensation benchmarks to NT$1.2 million (US$43,265) for investment-linked products and NT$120,000 for non-investment products, from NT$1 million and NT$100,000 respectively. The rising benchmark hike follows changes in inflation and economic growth, and aims to enhance consumer protection, the Financial Supervisory Commission said. Under the new regulations, after the Financial Ombudsman Institution (FOI) reviews a consumer complaint regarding a financial product or service, and determines appropriate compensation, the company should accept its decision without ability to appeal. In disputes regarding non-investment products, such as medical insurance, the financial company must accept the FOI’s decision when it involves compensation of NT$120,000 or less under the new regulations, the commission said. The new regulations are not retroactive, and an FOI decision is binding only for financial companies, the commission said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2021 15:56 UTC
More emergency military runways, legislator urges
More emergency military runways, legislator urgesBy Wu Su-wei and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe government should build more contingency runways to be used in the event of a Chinese attack on air force bases, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said on Saturday. However, the exercises highlighted the lack of such contingency runways on the east coast of Taiwan proper, he said. 1 in Pingtung County’s Jiadong Township during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Wednesday. With Chinese military aggression toward Taiwan on the rise over the past few years, members of the military and the public have been discussing the possibility of building more contingency runways on the east coast, he said. Contingency runways on the west coast are all within reach of Chinese missiles, a miltiary official said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2021 15:56 UTC
Teen Ostapenkov stuns Schwartzman in Davis Cup match
Teen Ostapenkov stuns Schwartzman in Davis Cup matchReutersBelarusian Daniil Ostapenkov, a teenager who had not played a professional-level match before, on Saturday stunned world No. 15 Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-3 in their World Group I Davis Cup match against Argentina. Daniil Ostapenkov of Belarus returns to Diego Schwartzman of Argentina during their Davis Cup World Group I match at Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club in Argentina on Saturday. 17 Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-1 for his second win of the tie in Bratislava. The eight highest ranked winners from the World Group I ties would go into the Davis Cup qualifiers in February, when they would attempt to qualify for the finals.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 20:26 UTC
Oil drops on signs of rising Russian exports and gains by the US dollar
Oil drops on signs of rising Russian exports and gains by the US dollarBloombergOil declined amid Russia’s plans to boost upcoming overseas oil sales and as the US dollar rallied. Russia is to increase its oil exports 3 percent in the fourth quarter of this year, Interfax reported. Meanwhile, products like propane that are used in heating and rally seasonally in the winter are trading at multiyear highs as natural gas prices surge. “Fundamentals have gotten better and as long as they continue to improve, oil prices will rise,” said Peter McNally, global head of industrials, materials and energy at Third Bridge. He also said he would be surprised to see oil above US$100 a barrel, despite a strong rebound in demand this year.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Wikipedia fights ‘infiltration’ by Chinese group
Wikipedia fights ‘infiltration’ by Chinese groupINFORMANTS? The banned editors had been linked to a group based in China and their attempt to “infiltrate” the Web site posed a threat to the “very foundations of Wikipedia,” the foundation told BBC News. The foundation had been investigating the assault on the Chinese-language Wikipedia for almost a year, BBC News reported, citing foundation vice president of community resilience and sustainability Maggie Dennis. A woman uses the Wikipedia online encyclopedia on an iPad in Cologne, Germany, on Jan. 13. Weeks earlier, the foundation enacted security measures to protect the personal information of Wikipedia users in territories that block access to the Web site, including China, BBC News said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Allmendinger slides past Cindric to seal win, title
Allmendinger slides past Cindric to seal win, titleAP, BRISTOL, TennesseeA.J. Allmendinger slid sideways across the Bristol Motor Speedway finish line to edge rival Austin Cindric for the win on Friday and the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season championship. Instead, a late caution gave Allmendinger a shot to steal a sixth win from Cindric and continue his own fairytale season. Allmendinger’s Chevrolet slides across the finish line in front of Austin Cindric’s Ford at the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Friday. Allmendinger waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Friday.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Employers beware: Hiring software could weed out promising jobseekers
Employers beware: Hiring software could weed out promising jobseekersBy Parmy Olson / Bloomberg OpinionFinding the right person for a job can seem impossible when hundreds are applying for a single position at once. Many employers have turned to software to whittle those candidates down, but there is a problem: The software can snub perfectly good workers. While hiring software is often useful, it can also be inflexible, miss valuable traits, such as soft skills, and inadvertently hinder the job market. Some colleges are even preparing their students to deal with hiring algorithms. To be fair, hiring algorithms can be useful.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Gausman at-bat silences boos
The San Francisco Giants’ Kevin Gausman, rear, is congratulated by teammate Brandon Belt after a hit that scored Brandon Crawford during their MLB game against the Atlanta Braves in San Francisco on Friday. Instead, Gausman hit a flyball to shallow right field and Brandon Crawford beat the throw home with a head-first slide. I think the fans enjoyed it, seeing a pitcher hit it in the 11th inning... That was just a hell of an at-bat — pitcher, position player, it was a great at-bat,” manager Gabe Kapler said of Gausman. San Francisco starter Logan Webb struck out nine and did not walk a batter, allowing two runs on six hits.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Israel helps host Holocaust exhibition in Tainan
Israel helps host Holocaust exhibition in TainanBy Hung Jui-chin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn exhibition covering the Holocaust, organized by the Ministry of Education and Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, the Yad Vashem, opened in Tainan on Monday. The exhibition, “Shoah: How is It Humanly Possible?”, was organized with the help of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei and is showing at the National Tainan Girls’ Senior High School. Students visit the “Shoah: How Is It Humanly Possible?” exhibition at National Tainan Girls’ Senior High School on Monday last week. Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Taipei TimesHe introduced Israel’s Holocaust education program to more than 80 educators in attendance. The organizers said that another seminar to educate high-school students about the Holocaust through Web-based resources was scheduled for Sunday next week.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
NZ Cricket silent on security threat after series canned
NZ Cricket silent on security threat after series cannedAFP, WELLINGTONNew Zealand Cricket (NZC) officials yesterday threw a veil of secrecy over the security threat that forced the abrupt cancelation of their tour of Pakistan. “New Zealand Cricket makes its own security decisions and has its own security arrangements in place for all international tours,” a spokesman from the New Zealand ministry said. When NZC first announced that it was abandoning the Pakistan tour, it said the decision followed “a New Zealand government security alert” and advice from its own security advisers. A NZC official told reporters no further comment was planned “at this juncture” and would not say if the security threat that caused the cancelation had been passed to the Pakistan Cricket Board or any other cricket-playing nation. Ahmad said that there was “no threat to cricket in Pakistan, there was no threat to New Zealand and there is no threat to England.”
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Pele returns to ICU, condition reported stable
Pele returns to ICU, condition reported stableAFP, SAO PAULO, BrazilPele on Friday was briefly transferred back to an intensive care unit (ICU) after breathing difficulties, but was reported to be stable, said the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where he underwent surgery earlier this month. After an operation like this, sometimes you take two steps forward, one step back,” Nascimento wrote on Instagram next to the photo. “He is recovering well, under normal conditions, I promise!” Nascimento wrote. He originally left the ICU unit on Tuesday, telling his fans on social media that he was feeling happier by the day and was looking forward to reuniting with them. The suspected tumor was detected during routine tests, said the hospital, where Pele has been undergoing treatment since Aug. 31.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Iron ore’s brutal collapse flags more trouble ahead
Iron ore’s brutal collapse flags more trouble aheadBloombergIron ore fell below US$100 a metric tonne for the first time in 14 months as China’s moves to clean up its heavy-polluting industrial sector spurred a swift collapse. “Dramatic declines in iron ore prices” are mainly built on the view that “this year’s effort will likely be strictly enforced,” ED&F Man Capital Markets analyst Ed Meir said. Past efforts by Beijing to rein in steel production due to environmental concerns had largely failed as local governments weighed regional economic growth against clean skies. The market remains tight of supplies as China’s production cuts significantly outpace declining demand, Citigroup Inc said. ‧Silver for December delivery fell US$0.45 to US$22.34 an ounce, down 6.5 percent for the week, and copper for December delivery fell US$0.03 to US$4.25 a pound, down 4.5 percent weekly.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Pomelo market at risk: Greenpeace
However, Greenpeace climate change models using data from the Central Weather Bureau and the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Taiwan Climate Change Projection Information and Adaptation Knowledge Platform show dramatic fluctuations in production over the next decade, it said. June is peak growing season for pomeloes, during which time fluctuations in daily temperatures have a significant effect on fruit development and output, Greenpeace East Asia campaigner Liu Yi-chun (劉羿君) said. Aside from rising temperatures, unsteady precipitation would also impact yields, Greenpeace said. Farmers’ livelihoods depend on the weather, leaving them especially vulnerable to climate change, Liu said. Greenpeace called on local governments to pass ordinances governing the distribution of federal assistance, as well as develop strategies to help farmers deal with climate change through assessing risk and ensuring access to water.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2021 15:56 UTC