Auto parts suppliers’ sales mixed amid chip shortage
Auto parts suppliers’ sales mixed amid chip shortageBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterAuto parts suppliers last week reported mixed sales performances for last month, as shipments of gasoline-powered and electric vehicles continued to be affected by tight auto chip supply for tier-one parts suppliers and automakers. A worker assembles vehicle parts at a factory in Xinyu, China, on April 27 last year. “Generally, electric vehicle and electrification-related supply chain firms saw sales grow in August,” Yuanta analysts said in the note. The auto chip shortage has forced automakers worldwide to trim production, pushing passenger vehicle sales in China to fall 15 percent year-on-year to 1.45 million units last month, while sales of light vehicles in the US dropped 17 percent to 1.09 million units, Yuanta said, citing industry tallies. “Amid low car inventory levels in the US and China and with high used car prices, we believe slower-than-expected car sales are mainly owing to supply chain disruptions rather than a car demand decline,” they said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 12, 2021 15:56 UTC
Credit card spending down 7.5% due to virus, electronic payments up 43%
Credit card spending down 7.5% due to virus, electronic payments up 43%By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCredit card spending in the nation fell for a second consecutive month in July, declining 7.5 percent annually to NT$335.4 billion, as consumers purchased less amid a local outbreak of COVID-19, the Financial Supervisory Commission said. In May, when the outbreak began, credit card spending rose 11.6 percent annually to NT$239.6 billion, data released by the commission on Thursday showed. However, credit card spending declined 9.19 percent to NT$215.3 billion in June, as the outbreak affected private consumption, the commission said. Although July’s credit card spending of NT$335.4 billion was down from a year earlier, it was the second-highest for that month, but the momentum came from tax payments, not regular spending, the commission said. For the first seven months, the nation’s cumulative credit card spending totaled NT$1.77 trillion, up 1.78 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
September 12, 2021 15:56 UTC
Han Kuang military war games are to begin today
Han Kuang military war games are to begin todayStaff writer, with CNAThe Han Kuang exercises, the nation’s major war games, are to start today and run for five days. The drills are to include a military aircraft emergency takeoff and landing exercise on a regular roadway on Wednesday, featuring all three fighter jet models in Taiwan’s fleet, a military source said last week. An F-16V jet takes off from a freeway in Changhua County during the Han Kuang military exercises on May 28, 2019. Previously, emergency landing exercises have been held on sections of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. The Han Kuang exercises have been held annually since 1984, including live-fire drills and computerized war games, to test Taiwan’s combat readiness in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Source:Taipei Times
September 12, 2021 15:56 UTC
Ticket uptick for food delivers: report
Ticket uptick for food delivers: reportTRAFFIC VIOLATIONS: The National Audit Office said that deliverers last year ran red lights in 19,868 cases and exceeded the speed limit by 20kph to 40kph in 9,054 casesBy Hsieh Chun-lin / Staff reporterTraffic violations and accidents involving food deliverers increased by more than 3,000 cases over the past four years, a report released by the National Audit Office said. The agency compiled data on 101,992 food deliverers registered with Uber Eats Taiwan and Foodpanda Taiwan between October last year and February, and traffic accident data on the vehicles registered to food delivery service providers between 2017 and last year. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesLast year, 30,683 vehicles registered by service providers and driven by 29,378 food deliverers, or about 29 percent of all food deliverers, were involved in 50,224 major traffic cases or 50,841 individual traffic violations, the data showed. Some registered deliverers conveyed meals on unregistered vehicles, such as rental scooters or other private vehicles, while some unregistered drivers borrowed a deliverer’s Uber Eats or Foodpanda registration to deliver meals, the report said. The ministry said that food delivery service providers use motor vehicles to transport goods and get paid for it, so they should obtain motor transportation industry licenses or commission a legal motor transportation company to make the deliveries.
Source:Taipei Times
September 12, 2021 15:56 UTC
MMA’s Belfort humbles Holyfield with TKO in first
MMA’s Belfort humbles Holyfield with TKO in firstAFP, MIAMIFormer heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield on Saturday night looked all of his 58 years in a first-round technical knockout loss to mixed martial arts star Vitor Belfort. The American ring great regained his feet only to be sent to the canvas by a combination from Belfort. Holyfield (44-10 with two drawn and 29 knockouts), accepted the Belfort fight on eight days’ notice after Oscar De La Hoya tested positive for COVID-19. Holyfield said he was ready, having been preparing for a proposed comeback bout against Kevin McBride that did not come off. Asked after the fight if he was still interested in making a rematch with his old nemesis Tyson, Holyfield said: “Of course.”
Source:Taipei Times
September 12, 2021 03:22 UTC
EDITORIAL: Time for TECRO to change name
EDITORIAL: Time for TECRO to change nameIf the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US could be renamed to include “Taiwan,” the change would support Lithuania’s difficult decision to host a “Taiwanese Representative Office” and prompt other allies to follow suit. Renaming TECRO is one objective that Taiwanese diplomats have been striving for over many years, and it has garnered support from US lawmakers. By comparison, renaming TECRO without changing its status would be less troublesome. Compared with negotiating a trade agreement, renaming TECRO might be a small, symbolic step, but the change could consolidate Washington’s leadership among democratic allies. Beijing is applying political and economic tricks to pressure Lithuania into reversing its decision to host a Taiwanese representative office.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 16:07 UTC
CDC announces free vaccinations for yellow fever
CDC announces free vaccinations for yellow feverBy Wu Liang-yi and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerPeople can get inoculated against yellow fever for free through the end of November, as health authorities want to use more than 9,000 doses of the vaccine before they expire, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. High-risk countries for transmission of the disease generally require vaccination prior to entry, while some countries require travelers from high-risk countries to be vaccinated prior to entry. Taiwan is not a high-risk country for the disease, but does require vaccination of all arriving travelers from high-risk countries, including people who are only transiting. The yellow fever shot is an attenuated vaccine that takes effect within about 10 days, the CDC said. Those getting vaccinated against yellow fever and COVID-19 should ensure there is at least two weeks between the jabs, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
Ohtani hits 44th HR, but falls to Astros
The two-way sensation yielded six runs on a career-high nine hits in 3-1/3 innings. Photo: AP“I feel like they were sitting on my cutters and sliders for the most part,” Ohtani said through a translator. “That’s not a guy you would like to face all the time,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said of Ohtani. In Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Pirates slipped past the Washington National 4-3 to spoil Josh Bell’s return to PNC Park. Retired Mets infielder Todd Zeile on Friday talked about playing in the wake of the attacks on Sept. 21, 2001.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
European stocks end down as stimulus slows
European stocks end down as stimulus slowsReutersEuropean stocks closed lower on Friday, down more than 1 percent this week as investors weighed risks from tighter monetary policies after the European Central Bank (ECB) signaled a slowdown of COVID-19-era bond purchases. Defensive sectors such as healthcare and real estate notched the biggest weekly drops, as investors positioned for a possible increase in economic growth. Tech stocks in Europe rose 0.7 percent, while luxury stocks received a boost as France’s LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE rose 0.8 percent after HSBC Holdings PLC recommended buying the stock. European stocks found support after the ECB said it was not about to close the money taps, despite projecting higher growth and inflation for the eurozone. The blue-chip index ended 0.07 percent up at 7,029.20, down 1.53 percent from a week earlier, with miners leading the gains.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
CECC reports zero local COVID-19 cases, deaths
CECC reports zero local COVID-19 cases, deathsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases or deaths, but confirmed five imported cases: travelers who arrived from Japan, South Africa and Vietnam. The test results indicate that she was recently infected, which matches the conclusion made from contact tracing and her polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, Lo added. People line up for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 tests at New Taipei City Hospital’s Sanchong branch yesterday. He tested negative for IgM antibodies, but positive for IgG antibodies, indicating a previous infection some time ago, Lo said, adding that the student’ three family members tested negative for COVID-19. A total of 2,984 people associated with the Banciao cluster have undergone COVID-19 testing, and so far 22 have tested positive, 2,001 tested negative and 961 people are awaiting their test results, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
Horse trainer charged by racing association in NY
Horse trainer charged by racing association in NYAP, NEW YORKThe New York Racing Association (NYRA) has charged Bob Baffert with detrimental conduct and scheduled a hearing for the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer to respond to those allegations. Baffert was suspended by the association in May after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test, and he sued to have the suspension lifted. Horse trainer Bob Baffert watches workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 28. “NYRA has a responsibility to protect the integrity of the sport of thoroughbred racing,” NYRA president Dave O’Rourke said in a statement. The rule, which takes effect on Sept. 30, also applies to any trainer directly or indirectly employed, supervised or advised by a suspended trainer.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
‘Greater Hsinchu’ plan hinges on Cabinet: source
‘Greater Hsinchu’ plan hinges on Cabinet: sourceBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with staff reporterPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) might support a proposal to upgrade “Greater Hsinchu” to a special municipality statues, a senior official said yesterday. On Tuesday, the Cabinet said that it has not discussed the proposal. The threshold would have to be lowered to 1 million to form a “Greater Hsinchu” special municipality, the source said, adding that a new mechanism for changing the nation’s administrative structure might also have to be created. Hsinchu County has more eligible voters than Hsinchu City, with the county being home to sizeable Hakka communities that do not tend to vote for the DPP, they said. “Lin is not trying to boost selfish political interests; he is trying to create a better future for Greater Hsinchu,” they said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: It’s Fu Pei-mei time
A screen grab from What she put on the table, a movie about the life of Fu Pei-mei. Fu Pei-mei is pictured on her five-minute cooking show, Fu Pei-mei Time. Fu’s last show, Fu Pei-mei Time (傅培梅時間), debuted in 1986, which featured her making five minute-meals five days a week. It was stressful to have to perfect a meal in such a short time on live television, but Fu writes that it was immensely rewarding. The entry read: “In those tougher times, Fu Pei-mei always relieved our hunger and worries, and also encouraged us to pay more attention to what we ate and to enjoy life more.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
Experts comment on US mulling ‘Taiwan office’
Taiwan International Strategic Study Society director-general Wang Kun-yi, third left, chairs a symposium in Taipei yesterday on Taiwan-US relations on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Biden’s call with Xi was somewhat of a breakthrough, he said, adding that the Financial Times report was therefore surprising. Making the plan public at this time suggests that Biden wants to test Xi’s reaction, Wang Kun-yi said. “However, judging by the very strong response from China with regard to a planned Taiwan office in Lithuania, Beijing is unlikely to just let a name change happen without protest,” he said. However, the KMT does not believe that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would consider such a proposal, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC
Aluminum industry frets over supply snarls
Aluminum industry frets over supply snarlsBloombergSupply chain snags that have roiled commodity markets and this week helped push aluminum prices to a 13-year high are unlikely to ease any time soon. That was the message coming from producers, consumers, traders and shippers at North America’s largest aluminum conference, which ended on Friday. Compounding matters in the aluminum industry are worker shortages at plants and a lack of truck drivers to deliver what is available. Several aluminum conference attendees said that labor shortages are their biggest problem, and they do not have any idea when the situation will improve. Such a practice has a serious risk if prices fall and you’re carrying extra unhedged inventory.”The surge in aluminum prices comes as producers and consumers negotiate annual supply contracts.
Source:Taipei Times
September 11, 2021 15:56 UTC