Problematic water quality at island reservoirs: report
In April, the Mingde (明德), Baihe (白河), Jingmian (鏡面), Chengcing Lake (澄清湖) and Fengshan (鳳山) reservoirs were the five category-one reservoirs with the most eutrophication, the report said. The Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫), which provides water for the Taipei metropolitan area, has the best water quality, and is also considered oligotrophic, the report said. Mesotrophic water contains a moderate amount of nutrients, encouraging the growth of submerged aquatic plants, while oligotrophic water is clear and of higher quality. Speaking about the report on Friday, Hou Chia-hung (侯嘉洪), a professor at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, said that precipitation levels can affect the water quality of reservoirs. Hou said that changing how the land around the reservoirs is used is key to stabilizing reservoir water supply.
Source:Taipei Times
August 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
Council celebrates Aboriginal athletes
Council celebrates Aboriginal athletes‘HARD-WON ACHIEVEMENTS’: In addition to the medals Aboriginal athletes won at the Olympics, Aborigines have contributed greatly to Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen saidBy Lo Chi and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Council of Indigenous Peoples yesterday celebrated Aboriginal Olympic athletes at an event to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “These accomplishments should all be recognized and valued.”Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod speaks about the history of Aboriginal rights in Taiwan at a forum marking Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times“The recognition put an end to 400 years of discriminatory terms used to refer to Taiwan’s indigenous peoples,” Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said in a statement that Aboriginal athletes’ Olympic wins have made Taiwan’s Aboriginal communities proud, and have brought a shared sense of glory and honor to all Taiwanese. The governments of former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) sent bills on Aboriginal rights to the legislature during their terms, Chiang said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
Justices nix tests for street performers
Justices nix tests for street performersBy Wu Cheng-feng and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerOrdinances that require performers to pass tests before they can receive permits are unconstitutional, the Council of Grand Justices said yesterday in Constitutional Interpretation No. A street performer surnamed Chen (陳) in 2014 was issued five demerit points and banned from reapplying for a performers’ permit for a year after the Taipei City Government ruled that the number of people watching a performance of his had exceeded the maximum for the area he had applied to use, a breach of the now-defunct Regulations for Taipei Street Performers’ Performances. Photo: Wu Cheng-feng, Taipei TimesPeople are at liberty to choose their own profession and express themselves artistically, which has been infringed upon by city and county government demands that street performers pass a test before they obtain performance permits, Constitutional Interpretation No. While local governments should not be allowed to review the content of a street performer’s act, they can review the time, location, methods and other aspects apart from the performance, the council said. A local government must tender a draft ordinance that is approved by its council if it wishes to regulate performance times and locations, the Council of Grand Justices said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
AU Optronics expects growth in H2
AU Optronics expects growth in H2UPBEAT OUTLOOK: With more companies investing heavily in information technology and demand for high-end TVs growing, the company said it expects prices to increaseBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterAU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) expects growth momentum to extend into the second half of this year on strong demand for commercial laptops and premium TVs, after yesterday posting 65 percent sequential growth in net profit last quarter. Net profit expanded to NT$19.53 billion (US$698.87 million) in the second quarter, compared with NT$11.83 billion in the previous quarter and losses of NT$2.96 billion in the second quarter of last year. The company attributed the growth to quarter-on-quarter price increases of 16 percent last quarter. AUO expects panel supply and demand to reach a balance, as a key components shortage would cap the growth of new production. Shipments of the company’s 85-inch panels are to grow by a double-digit percentage year-on-year this quarter, after surging 50 percent annually last quarter, AUO forecast.
Source:Taipei Times
July 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Taiwanese flyweight Huang wins
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Taiwanese flyweight Huang winsStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese boxer Huang Hsiao-wen yesterday won her opening bout in the women’s 48-51kg flyweight category at the Tokyo Olympics, earning a spot in the quarter-finals. Taiwan’s Huang Hsiao-wen, right, and Italy’s Giordana Sorrentino trade blows in their women’s flyweight round-of-16 bout at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju, left, and Fan Zhendong of China compete in their men’s singles table tennis semi-final at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Taiwan’s Lin Chia-en looses an arrow during the individual eliminations at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Huang Yi-ting of Taiwan rows in her women’s single sculls semi-final at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
July 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
CECC says 30.97% of Taiwan’s population vaccinated
CECC says 30.97% of Taiwan’s population vaccinatedGAINING SPEED: On 1922.gov.tw, 5.52% have opted to get the AstraZeneca shot, 39.11% Moderna and 1.3% Medigen, the Central Epidemic Command Center saidBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 16 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and no deaths, while saying that 30.97 percent of the population has been vaccinated. As of Wednesday, 7,588,692 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in the nation — 7,273,091 first doses and 315,601 second doses, CECC data showed. Of the population, 30.97 percent have been vaccinated, or 32.31 doses administered per 100 people, Chen said. Another 39.11 percent had opted to receive the Moderna vaccine, while 1.3 percent had opted to receive the Medigen vaccine, the center said. On Tuesday, the Medigen COVID-19 vaccine was added on the site as an option for people aged 20 or older.
Source:Taipei Times
July 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
ASE eyes revenue growth of 20 percent for this year
ASE eyes revenue growth of 20 percent for this yearBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterASE Technology Holding Co (ASE, 日月光投控), the world’s biggest chip assembler and tester, yesterday issued an optimistic outlook in expectation that its core business revenue would grow more than 20 percent this year on stronger customer demand and limited capacity. Earlier this year, ASE projected that revenue from its chip assembly and testing services would this year be double the estimated revenue growth of the semiconductor industry. “We are seeing stronger assembly and testing manufacturing demand than our previous target,” ASE chief operating officer Tien Wu (吳田玉) told an online investors’ conference. In this quarter, ASE expects assembly and testing manufacturing shipments to expand 12 percent from the second quarter, while average selling prices are to hold steady at last quarter’s level, it said. ASE yesterday posted 49 percent annual growth in net profit to NT$10.34 billion (US$370 million) during the second quarter, compared with NT$6.94 billion.
Source:Taipei Times
July 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Kee Tai to auction off complex near Taipei Railway Station in October
Kee Tai to auction off complex near Taipei Railway Station in OctoberBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterKee Tai Properties Co (基泰建設) is in October to auction off its mixed-use complex near Taipei Railway Station for what many believe would be the biggest deal this year. The exterior of Kee Tai Properties Co’s mixed-use building, second right, on Zhongxiao W Road in Taipei is pictured on Wednesday. Photo: Hsu Yi-ping, Taipei TimesBuilt in 2019, the complex has occupants on 16 floors. Kee Tai said it is willing to sell or lease unsold houses from previous projects in Taipei to take a profit. The complex near Taipei Railway Station could generate NT$12 billion to US$15 billion (US$429.41 million to US$536.77 million) in revenue, real-estate brokers said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Next stimulus round should be digital: DPP
Next stimulus round should be digital: DPPBy Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Executive Yuan should prepare digital stimulus vouchers and earmark funding for a stimulus program that should start once the COVID-19 situation has eased, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators told an online news conference yesterday. DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said that issuing vouchers would be an effective means for the government to stimulate a post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chung Chia-pin, left, participates with fellow DPP legislators in an online news conference yesterday urging the government to use digital vouchers for its proposed stimulus program. Digital vouchers would also push the development of a “green” financial system and the local fintech industry, she said. Hsu said he believed that more people would opt for digital vouchers this time, compared with just 13 percent when the Triple Stimulus Vouchers were issued.
Source:Taipei Times
July 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Ministry rejects China’s claims on status of Taiwan
Ministry rejects China’s claims on status of TaiwanBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday rejected the claim Beijing has been making about Taiwan’s status, while thanking US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for raising concerns about Taiwan during her meeting with Chinese officials. Sherman met with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on a visit to Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, with Wang urging Washington not to infringe on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the US for voicing its concerns about Taiwan. Taiwan and the US have maintained close communications regarding Sherman’s visit to China, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a democratic nation with independent sovereignty, with the sovereignty belonging to its 23.5 million people, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 27, 2021 16:01 UTC
COVID-19: What caused COVID-19 outbreak?
COVID-19: What caused COVID-19 outbreak? While Taiwan has seen fewer than 800 COVID-19 deaths in total, 500 of them occurred last month alone, amid its biggest virus wave to date. As Taiwan’s outbreak finally abates and restrictions are slowly lifted, with curbs on larger social gatherings and tourist sites easing this week, attention is turning to what went wrong. However, Taiwan appears not to have done enough to ramp up testing capabilities, medical system readiness or vaccine supply. “Taiwan, like many other countries, couldn’t quickly adjust medical capacity when the outbreak happened, which led to a high fatality rate in Taiwan and globally,” Chuang said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Risk level in most cities, counties has dropped, CECC says
COVID-19: Risk level in most cities, counties has dropped, CECC saysBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterExcept for Taipei and New Taipei City, the COVID-19 situation in cities and counties has dropped to a medium-to-low risk level, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 16 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and one death. “Recent case reports have been limited to a few cities and counties, and their sources of infection are mostly clear, so the COVID-19 situation is under control,” he said. Local governments should ensure they have sufficient medical capacity to respond to possible outbreaks of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, he added. Other than Taipei and New Taipei City, the COVID-19 situation has dropped to a medium-to-low risk level in other cities and counties, he said. Asked about health and medical capacity for treating COVID-19 patients, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said that about 420 COVID-19 patients are still in hospital.
Source:Taipei Times
July 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
MediaTek raises revenue growth target
The Hsinchu-based chip designer had three months earlier projected a 40 percent growth from NT$322.16 billion (US$11.48 billion) last year. MediaTek expects next year to be another growth year, with a higher 5G penetration rate and accelerating digital transformation during the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Photo: Vanessa Cho, Taipei TimesWith growth momentum continuing to build up, MediaTek expects revenue to reach US$20 billion within two years, double last year’s figure. “We already have enough growth upsides from our current four major business groups to achieve revenue of US$20 billion,” MediaTek chief executive officer Rick Tsai (蔡力行) told an online investors’ conference yesterday. MediaTek said revenue growth was across the board, with robust demand also from Wi-Fi chips, TV chips and chips used in tablets, Internet of Things devices and power management chips.
Source:Taipei Times
July 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
Weightlifter bags first gold for Taiwan
She won gold in the women’s under-59kg weight class. Photo: EPA-EFE“I am very happy that I put all the pieces together now, adding in the Olympic gold medal today,” she said. Taiwan’s Kuo Hsing-chun displays her gold medal after winning the Tokyo Olympic Games women’s under-59kg final yesterday. She was beaten by Canada’s Maude Charron, who took gold with a combined lift of 236kg, and Italy’s Giorgia Bordignon, who lifted 232kg. Taiwan now has had one gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Tokyo.
Source:Taipei Times
July 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
TPP pushes for ‘vaccine passports’
TPP pushes for ‘vaccine passports’By Chen Yun and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators yesterday urged the government to negotiate a reciprocal “vaccine passport” with other nations and to set clear standards for reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that preparations can be made early, even while the vaccination rate remains low. The appeal came a day after the party caucus donated NT$1 million (US$35,644) of needles to remote medical centers to help their vaccination efforts. Many nations have been proposing so-called “vaccine passports” as part of plans to reopen borders, and restart travel and the economy, TPP deputy caucus convener Ann Kao (高虹安) told a news conference. Holders of the certificate can travel between EU nations without any restrictions or additional testing, she added. Although the COVID-19 alert has been lowered to level 2, many confusing and awkward regulations remain, TPP caucus convener Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 27, 2021 15:56 UTC