Billions spent on Afghan army benefit the Taliban
Billions spent on Afghan army benefit the TalibanAP, WASHINGTONBuilt and trained at a two-decade cost of US$83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the US investment turned out to be the Taliban. The Taliban captured an array of modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces who failed to defend district centers. Photo: APThe US failure to produce a sustainable Afghan army and police force, and the reasons for their collapse, will be studied for years by military analysts. He added, presciently: “Slow decay is inevitable, and state failure is a matter of time.”Some elements of the Afghan army did fight hard, including commandos whose heroic efforts are yet to be fully documented. The Afghan force-building exercise was so completely dependent on US largesse that the Pentagon even paid the Afghan troops’ salaries.
Source:Taipei Times
August 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
International community sympathetic to Taiwan’s plight: Lee
A sampling of this distasteful practice can be had at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is the apex international organization for civil aviation. Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director James Lee stands in his office in New York. Even though the WHO rejected Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly, we have seen strong support from the international community. The G-7 countries also spoke in favor of Taiwan and said that Taiwan’s exclusion is not in the interest of the world,” Lee says. The Biden administration has also reaffirmed its commitment to support Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
August 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
Haiti earthquake aid remains a priority for emotional Osaka
Haiti earthquake aid remains a priority for emotional OsakaAFP, CINCINNATI, OhioNaomi Osaka on Monday pledged to give more than just this week’s Cincinnati Masters prize money in aid of earthquake victims in her father’s native Haiti. The natural disaster, which has claimed more than 1,400 victims, prompted an immediate response from world No. Photo: AFPThe Japanese-Haitian player called the disaster “really scary.”“I see there was damage near my parent’s former school,” she added. Osaka was holding her first traditional news conference since May in Rome. After her first-round win, she answered a few questions on court, but a day later quit the tournament before the second round.
Source:Taipei Times
August 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
Notes from central Taiwan: Our government: the helping claw
A recent piece at Taiwan Reporter summarized these crisis programs as having high thresholds, offering low levels of subsidies and ignoring part-time workers. Foreigners often complain, rightly, that they are left out of programs that they pay taxes for, but they are hardly alone. I have often speculated, though I have no direct evidence, that the low taxes on the wealthy were Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) tacit approach to reducing opposition from the wealthy to Taiwan’s democratization. NATIONAL DEFENSE THREATENEDWith taxes low and evasion widespread, Taiwan’s tax take as a proportion of GDP is extremely low for such a developed country. Notes from Central Taiwan is a column written by long-term resident Michael Turton, who provides incisive commentary informed by three decades of living in and writing about his adoptive country.
Source:Taipei Times
August 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Majority want cash, not vouchers, poll finds
COVID-19: Majority want cash, not vouchers, poll finds‘RELIEF FIRST’: Only 9.8 percent of respondents in a Consumers’ Foundation survey preferred the Executive Yuan’s NT$5,000 vouchers aimed at stimulating the economyBy Lo Chi / Staff reporter, with CNAMore than 90 percent of Taiwanese want to receive cash rather than “quintuple stimulus vouchers” proposed by the Executive Yuan, a survey by the Consumers’ Foundation showed yesterday. The Executive Yuan is planning to issue another round of stimulus vouchers worth NT$5,000 to encourage domestic consumption in the wake of the recent COVID-19 outbreak. It on Thursday touted four advantages of issuing “quintuple stimulus vouchers” instead of cash, saying that the expiration date on the vouchers would mean that people would have to spend them quickly and, hence, stimulate the economy. A person in Taipei on July 16 last year holds samples of Triple Stimulus Vouchers. The Executive Yuan is scheduled to further discuss the proposed voucher plan with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus today.
Source:Taipei Times
August 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
Touch module supplier TPK’s net profit up 4.55%
Operating margin is expected to be 0.5 to 1 percent this quarter, similar to 0.7 percent last quarter, Liu said. Gross margin and the average selling price of TPK products rose last quarter thanks to product mix improvements, Liu said. Net profit rose to NT$322 million in the April-to-June period, compared with NT$308 million in the second quarter last year. Addressing growing competition from GIS Holding Ltd (業成), TPK said that it would remain the biggest supplier to its key customers. However, in some areas, GIS does not directly compete with TPK, Liu said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
China Life takeover this year, China Development says
China Life takeover this year, China Development saysBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterChina Development Financial Holding Co (中華開發金控) on Thursday said that it is seeking to complete the takeover of China Life Insurance Co (中國人壽) by the end of this year by acquiring all remaining shares of the firm via a share swap. The companies’ boards of directors approved the proposed share swap, in which one common share of China Life would be exchanged for 0.8 common shares of China Development, plus 0.73 preferred shares of China Development and a cash bonus of NT$11.5 per share, they said. China Development would issue 2.07 billion new common shares and 1.89 billion new preferred shares that would be exchanged for China Life’s common shares, they said. Through two tender offers completed in September 2017 and in February this year, China Development boosted its stake in China Life to 55.95 percent. Based on China Life’s closing share price of NT$26.9 and China Development’s share price of NT$13.85 on Thursday, China Development has offered a premium of 17.3 percent for China Life shares, Chang said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taichung fire equipment ‘too old’
Taichung fire equipment ‘too old’By Su Meng-chuan, Tsai Shu-yuan and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writerMuch of the Taichung Fire Bureau’s personal protective equipment has exceeded its service life, Taichung city councilors said. Taichung City Councilors Chen Shu-hua (陳淑華), Hsiao Lung-tse (蕭隆澤) and Chiu Su-chen (邱素貞) of the Democratic Progressive Party were speaking at a council session on Friday, citing information from the National Audit Office’s Taichung division. From left, Taichung city councilors Chiu Su-chen, Chen Shu-hua, Hsiao Lung-tse and Hsieh Ming-yuan, of the Democratic Progressive Party, display statistics at a council meeting on Friday showing that much of the Taichung Fire Bureau’s personal protective equipment has exceeded its service life. Taichung Fire Bureau Director-General Tseng Chin-tsai (曾進財) said that most of the expired equipment has been kept in working order by being repaired, and that replacing old or broken equipment is a budget priority for the bureau. Taichung firefighters collect intelligence and assess the situation prior to dispatching personnel, unlike other fire departments that carry out assessments after fire trucks arrive at a fire, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
Illegal permits for yachts among ports issues: report
Illegal permits for yachts among ports issues: reportBy Hsieh Chun-lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Control Yuan has censured the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Maritime and Port Bureau, citing the bureau for dereliction of duty leading to more than 2,600 abnormal licensing incidents by the Central Maritime Affairs Center. The system lacks a mutual check and cross-analysis mechanism, which has allowed center personnel to abuse their positions and create more than 2,600 allegedly illegal permits for yachts or other powered vessels, the report said, adding that the problem has greatly undermined government integrity. The entrance to the Control Yuan in Taipei is pictured in this file photo. However, the center’s staff has destroyed files on license registration and issuing for more than 1,000 vehicles, which contravenes the Archives Act (檔案法), it said. The bureau, as the center’s direct supervisor, is censured, as it has failed to establish a proper standard handling these matters, and has not acted to oversee affairs, the report said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Flight departs as Palau program restarts
COVID-19: Flight departs as Palau program restartsStaff writer, with CNAA group of 148 people departed from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday morning as Taiwan’s suspended travel bubble with Palau resumed. A China Airlines flight took off at about 10:30am under a program in which the Pacific island country is offering up to 2,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to arrivals from Taiwan. Palauan Ambassador to Taiwan Dilmei Olkerii, right, presents a US$50 travel voucher to a woman at Taiwan Taoyuan International Aiport yesterday. The first group in the program arrived at the airport at about 4am yesterday and from 5am underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19. Palauan Ambassador to Taiwan Dilmei Olkerii was at the airport to see the flight off and gave each passenger US$50 of travel vouchers to use in Palau.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taipei’s Ko takes balloon ride, gets flak over travel
The Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said that Taipei and Taitung County on Tuesday last week signed an agreement to promote and increase tourism between the two jurisdictions. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, center, looks down from a hot air balloon at the Taiwan International Balloon Festival in Taitung County’s Luye Highland yesterday. Photo: CNAYesterday was the Bravo hot air balloon’s public debut and hopefully it will be at more festivals, Ko said. The balloon has the Taipei skyline on one side and the North Gate (承恩門) on the other. Taitung County Councilor Ku Chi-sing (古志成) said that Ko and Yao had a double standard, as they have asked people to avoid traveling to prevent spreading COVID-19.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Talent shortage hampers military projects: official
Talent shortage hampers military projects: official‘HIGH SALARIES’: Fresh talent is urgently needed in the areas of avionics, shipbuilding, and shipborne weapons and naval platforms design, an official saidBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerA shortage of experts has impeded the development of the military’s indigenous submarine prototype, an advanced trainer jet and an F-16 modernization program, a Ministry of National Defense official said on Friday. The official made the remarks on condition of anonymity amid an initiative by the ministry to recruit more foreigners with technical expertise to work in Taiwan’s defense sector. A model submarine is displayed in the lobby of shipbuilding company CSBC Corp’s headquarters in Kaohsiung on Dec. 29 last year. However, the ministry would try to make their employment packages as attractive as possible, the official added. Also exempt would be specialists with five years of experience in shipborne weapons, equipment and platform design, including performance, structure, propulsion, electrical systems, command and control, auxiliary machinery and outfitting, the document showed.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: Crafting Taiwan’s temples
They probably hoped to sell the pieces for cash, as they were the handiwork of Chiang Hsin (蔣馨), whose relatives and disciples left their mark across Taiwan’s many temples and traditional structures. This photo shows the Huang family grave with the stone carvings adorning the headstone. This photo shows a recovered piece of stone carving from the Huang family gravestone. Chiang Hsin first came to Taiwan to fix Lukang’s famed Tianhou Temple. Chiang won the bid for the Tianhou Temple project and recruited several of his clansmen, including Chiang Mei-shui, to help him.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taiwanese detained at Turkey airport over betel nuts
Taiwanese detained at Turkey airport over betel nutsBy Wu Su-wei / Staff reporterSeveral Taiwanese were detained in Turkey after allegedly taking betel nuts into the country, which regards them as containing illegal drugs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The Chinese Consulate-General in Istanbul on Thursday said in a statement that Chinese and Taiwanese were detained upon arrival in Turkey for carrying betel nuts. A person holds a handful of betel nuts in Pingtung County on July 4. People who travel to Turkey must not take betel nuts, as they would be infringing on local laws, she added. While Turkey’s criminal code does not stipulate a specific ban on betel nuts, authorities list products as prohibited articles if they contain arecoline hydrobromide.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Voucher details being reviewed, no decisions yet
Voucher details being reviewed, no decisions yetBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Presidential Office late on Friday denied some local media reports that upfront payments for a planned “quintuple stimulus voucher” program would be waived for the entire nation, saying that the plan was still under discussion. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) acknowledges the different opinions regarding stimulus vouchers, Chang said, adding that she would discuss the plan and possible changes with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌). A woman holds up Triple Stimulus Vouchers on Jan. 7. Tsai expects that this year’s voucher program will be designed with input from different sides, Chang said. Last year, members of the public could acquire Triple Stimulus Vouchers worth NT$3,000 for NT$1,000.
Source:Taipei Times
August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC