COVID-19: Yulon expects COVID-19 restrictions to hurt sales
At this stage, it is premature to say how big the impact will be,” Yulon Nissan spokesman Joseph Hsiung (熊金鐸) told an online investors’ meeting. Yulon Nissan Motor Co said it plans to introduce more electric models, including the second-generation Leaf model, this year. Photo: Amy Yang, Taipei TimesThe nationwide soft lockdown has reduced the number of showroom visitors and vehicle sales this month, Yulon Motor Co (裕隆) vice president Lee Chien-hui (李建輝) said. The issue at stake is the increase in manufacturing costs caused by price hikes of key components and raw materials, including precious metals, and higher shipping costs, Yulon Nissan said. The company is also looking to introduce more electric models, including the second-generation Leaf model and hybrid system developed by Nissan, Hsiung added.
Source:Taipei Times
May 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
‘True monsoon’ is on the way, agency says
‘True monsoon’ is on the way, agency says‘SPECIFIC PHENOMENON’: The Water Resources Agency said that rain forecast for this weekend might arrive in time to avoid additional restrictions in Hsinchu CountyBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterA “true monsoon” is on its way this weekend, Water Resources Agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said yesterday, citing Central Weather Bureau predictions. However the rain so far has been from “summer storms” that do not compare in magnitude to a true monsoon, Wang said. “As the plum rain season lasts from May to June, we have gotten into the habit of calling all rainfall in that period ‘monsoon rain,’ but a true monsoon is a specific meteorological phenomenon that is far more powerful and sustained than summer storms,” he said. It would be “no problem” for the monsoon to boost that to 100mm, Wang said. Taichung, Miaoli County and northern Changhua County are under a “red” alert, meaning that the agency provides households and businesses with water for five days per week.
Source:Taipei Times
May 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
FSC says insurance companies need to protect rights of COVID-19 policyholders
FSC says insurance companies need to protect rights of COVID-19 policyholdersBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) on Tuesday called on property insurance companies to safeguard the rights of policyholders at a time when Taiwan faces a surge in COVID-19 infections. Since late last year, several insurers have launched COVID-19 policies, which would require them to compensate policyholders who are infected with the virus and given medical treatment. People line up outside the headquarters of Taiwan Fire & Marine Insurance in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District on Jan. 25 to purchase its COVID-19 insurance. This prompted the Consumers’ Foundation earlier on Tuesday to raise the concern of whether insurers would compensate policyholders in such circumstances. As of Monday, insurance companies had paid out NT$64.75 million (US$2.33 million) to 880 policyholders.
Source:Taipei Times
May 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Golden Melody Awards, other events postponed
The ceremony for the 32nd Golden Melody Awards, originally scheduled to be held at the Taipei Arena on June 26, has been postponed, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. Details, including when and how the ceremony would be held, are to be announced at a later date, it said. Musicians hold their nomination trophies at a preliminary ceremony for the 30th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei on May 12. All schools have also been asked to either cancel their graduation ceremonies or hold them online, the education ministry said. Indoor gatherings of more than five people and outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited under level 3 restrictions.
Source:Taipei Times
May 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
TAIEX up slightly as interest in tech sector declines
TAIEX up slightly as interest in tech sector declinesStaff writer, with CNAShares in Taiwan moved into consolidation mode yesterday, closing slightly higher after a lackluster overnight performance by US markets. The TAIEX closed up 48.02 points, or 0.29 percent, at 16,643.69, on turnover of NT$425.761 billion (US$15.3 billion), Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. On Tuesday, the TAIEX surged 1.58 percent after the tech sector soared 2.28 percent. It was no surprise that the TAIEX failed to make a breakthrough today,” Tsai said. “As interest in the tech sector faded, buying rotated to old-economy stocks, in particular in the shipping and steel sectors,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
U-Ming bullish on global recovery, rise in iron ore
U-Ming bullish on global recovery, rise in iron oreBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterU-Ming Marine Transport Corp (裕民航運), a bulk shipper and member of Far Eastern Group (遠東集團), is upbeat about the bulk shipping business in the coming quarters on expectations of a recovery in the global economy, a rise in iron ore production and an expansion of grain exports from the US, the company said yesterday. Revenue increased 47 percent year-on-year to NT$3.6 billion for the first four months of the year, company data showed. The sign and logo of U-Ming Marine Transport Corp are pictured on the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s Web site yesterday. “As 70 percent of our fleet deliver as a spot charter, the rising BDI has a positive correlation with our revenue,” Chang said. Global demand for steel this year is expected to increase 4.1 percent, after a decline of 2.4 percent last year, and major miners expect to see a stable rise in iron ore production, so U-Ming expects strong demand for iron ore transport this year, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
The Kinmen and Matsu challenge
The Kinmen and Matsu challengeBy Jerome KeatingChiseled into rock in Kinmen County’s Jinhu Township (金湖) are the Chinese characters for one of Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) favorite memes. The CCP never captured Kinmen and Matsu, which allows them to be considered the KMT’s “city of Ju” for the ROC. As for Kinmen and Matsu, technically the Chinese Civil War has never ended. In the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan simply surrendered its sovereignty over Taiwan, but Kinmen and Matsu are different. A decision on Kinmen and Matsu would force all sides to expose their spurious hegemonic wishes and claims.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 16:07 UTC
Taiwan tire suppliers face US anti-dumping tariffs
Taiwan tire suppliers face US anti-dumping tariffsStaff writer, with CNASuppliers of automobile and truck tires from Taiwan and three other countries are facing anti-dumping tariffs after US authorities upheld a preliminary ruling accusing them of selling products at unfairly low prices in the US. The decision by the US Department of Commerce released on Monday states that anti-dumping tariffs of 14.62 to 101.84 percent would be imposed on tire makers from Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, with Taiwan facing the highest penalties. Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co (正新橡膠) and Nankang Rubber Tire Corp (南港輪胎), the two mandatory Taiwanese respondents, face anti-dumping tariffs of 20.04 percent and 101.84 percent respectively, while other Taiwanese exporters face an 84.75 percent penalty. Another step is required before the anti-dumping tariffs can take effect. Cheng Shin said that passenger vehicle and light truck tires account for less than 2 percent of its total sales.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Environmental Impact Assessment: Cleaning up Taiwan’s contaminated soil
A 2011 conference paper Chen co-authored for the East and Southeast Asia Federation of Soil Science Societies describes three soil remediation techniques. Turnover and dilution — mixing surface soil with subsoil to reduce the concentration of heavy metals in the former — is cheap and fast. Chemical treatments aim to stabilize heavy metals in a form where they’re less likely to enter food crops via their roots. The third approach is phytoremediation, the use of particular plant species and associated microorganisms to clean up contaminated soil. However, using such agents — which boost the solubility and leaching of heavy metals — also increases the risk of groundwater contamination.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Doctor offers tips on how to differentiate symptoms
COVID-19: Doctor offers tips on how to differentiate symptomsBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writerCold and allergy symptoms, while similar to those of COVID-19, have some differences that could help determine the cause, a physician said on Sunday as he shared tips on how to differentiate between them. To help ease concerns, Tsui shared on Facebook on Saturday ways to differentiate between a cold, allergies and COVID-19. Photo: CNAHowever, he said that each person’s symptoms are different and clinical advice should be sought if there are any doubts. These are very similar to COVID-19 symptoms, he said. However, due to its variability, with some cases not displaying any symptoms at all, COVID-19 can be difficult to diagnose, Tsui said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
E.Sun Financial posts net fee income of NT$5.27bn
E.Sun Financial posts net fee income of NT$5.27bnPROFITABLE UNIT: E.Sun Securities’ net fee income contributed to 16.3% of its parent company’s total in the first quarter, and rose 52.5% year-on-yearBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterE.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) on Monday reported net fee income of NT$5.27 billion (US$189.1 million) for the first quarter of this year, the highest quarterly figure in its history, thanks to contributions from E.Sun Securities Co (玉山證券) as more investors participated on the local stock market. E.Sun Securities’ net fee income increased 52.5 percent year-on-year to NT$840 million in the first quarter, accounting for 16.3 percent of the holding company’s net fee income, E.Sun Financial said in a statement. As of the end of last year, the securities unit’s fee income contributed 12.4 percent to its parent company’s total fee income. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesThe growth in fee income boosted E.Sun Securities’ net profit by 274 percent from a year earlier to NT$416 million in the first quarter. The two divisions contributed to two-thirds of E.Sun Financial’s total net fee income, company data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Schools urged to ensure quality education
COVID-19: Schools urged to ensure quality educationBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe National Federation of Teachers’ Unions yesterday urged education authorities to pay attention to the quality of online classes offered to students with disabilities. The quality of learning for students with disabilities, specifically those with visual impairments, should not be compromised because of the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan, the union said. As with in-person learning, students with visual impairments need audio descriptions when learning online, it said. Someone needs to describe the images in the livestream in spoken language so that students with visual impairments can understand them, it said. The Ministry of Education should require schools to reduce the impact of long-term use of electronic devices on students’ eyesight while carrying out online teaching, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
More businesses using contactless payment methods
More businesses using contactless payment methodsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterMore small merchants, stores and vendors have adopted contactless payment methods amid rising domestic COVID-19 infections. Line Pay Taiwan said that most of them are small or medium-sized stores or online merchants, which are generally more hesitant about accepting virtual payments than larger stores. A convenience store worker scans a QR code on a customer’s phone to complete a transaction in Taipei on Nov. 6, 2019. Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei TimesBank SinoPac (永豐銀行) said that about 1,000 retailers and vendors have applied for and begun adopting the bank’s QR code payment tool since the beginning of this year, with the total number of stores using the tool increasing to 4,000. A survey conducted by Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank (台北富邦銀行) has shown that more than 85 percent of respondents would prioritize using mobile payment tool over other payment means, while another 78 percent said that the number of stores accepting mobile payments is still low.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
United Renewable considers raising prices
United Renewable considers raising pricesBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterUnited Renewable Energy Co (URE, 聯合再生), the nation’s biggest supplier of solar cells and modules, yesterday said that it is considering raising prices further in the second half of this year due to rising raw material costs. The United Renewable Energy Co booth is pictured at the Energy Taiwan Expo at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 on Sept. 19, 2018. “Price pressure remains heavy in the third quarter,” Pan said. The nation is expected to install about 2.2 gigawatts of solar energy systems this year — a conservative URE forecast, she said. As renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy are unstable, Taipower plans to launch its first automotive frequency control services using URE’s storage system, she added.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Allies issue joint call for Taiwan’s WHO inclusion
Allies issue joint call for Taiwan’s WHO inclusionBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe representative offices of the US, Japan and Australia yesterday issued a joint call for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, while highlighting the importance of universal access to effective vaccinations against COVID-19. The 74th World Health Assembly commenced virtually on Monday, but Taiwan was excluded for a fifth consecutive year. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is seen on screens as he attends the World Health Assembly amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. Paraguayan Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare Julio Borba during a general discussion also backed Taiwan’s participation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the allies for voicing support for Taiwan, although their proposal pushing for Taiwan’s participation was not listed on the WHA’s formal agenda.
Source:Taipei Times
May 25, 2021 15:56 UTC