Quarantine hotel employee infected: CECC
Quarantine hotel employee infected: CECCTAKING PRECAUTIONS: With the possibility of person-to-person transmission, the government has activated the highest level of containment measures, the CECC saidBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writer, with CNAA newly confirmed COVID-19 case might indicate person-to-person transmission within a Taoyuan hotel, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as 412 people were moved from the facility to government quarantine centers. One of the domestic cases is a senior housekeeping employee at Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, where many CAL flight crew members stay for quarantine after arriving in Taiwan, the CECC said. According to CECC guidelines, after a guest checks out of a quarantine hotel, a team disinfects their room wearing full protective gear, Chen said. Of them, 207 are employees, 109 are Taiwanese pilots and 76 are foreign pilots, while the rest are visitors, he said. They are eight Taiwanese cargo pilots; three relatives of Taiwanese cargo pilots; a hotel employee; two Indonesian cargo pilots, one of whom was diagnosed in Australia; and two relatives of one of the Indonesian pilots, the CECC said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
MOE pledges to revamp coaching licenses
Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao answers questions at a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesDemocratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) said that the ministry was negligent in enforcing its certification process for sports coaches. Why do we still have so many unlicensed instructors coaching in combat sports?” Huang asked. New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said that adults and children should be trained differently, asking why the government does not have coaching certificates with age-specific qualification standards. Coaches for children under 12 years old would be required to undergo additional professional courses, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Rain delivers 16m tonnes of water to reservoirs: WRA
Rain delivers 16m tonnes of water to reservoirs: WRASMALL RESPITE: The past few rainy days, which came after one month of virtually no rain on the west coast, did not ease Taiwan’s water shortage problems, the CWB saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterA weather system from southern China has over the past three days replenished Taiwan’s reservoirs with almost 16 million tonnes of water, giving Taiwan a slight relief from a water shortage, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) said yesterday. From 12am on Tuesday to 4pm yesterday, about 15.97 million tonnes fell in the catchment areas of the nation’s reservoirs, which is slightly more than Taiwan’s average daily water use, it said. Average accumulated rainfall in February was 53.9mm, which was about 55 percent of that month’s average, it showed. In March, the average rainfall dropped to 50.7mm, 53 percent of that month’s average, the data showed. No rain was recorded in Tainan, while Taipei, Hsinchu City and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) recorded less than 1mm of accumulated rainfall, it showed.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
India’s virus deaths surge again; global aid flown in
India’s virus deaths surge again; global aid flown inDESPERATE SEARCH: ’We rushed to multiple hospitals, but were denied admission everywhere,’ said the son of an 84-year-old woman, who ended up dying at homeAFP, KOLKATA, IndiaIndia’s COVID-19 disaster yesterday deepened with its daily death toll surpassing 3,600, as more international aid was flown in, with the US sending nearly 1 million test kits. Among the most devastating of those waves is in India, where the death and infection rates have been rising exponentially throughout this month. A woman breathes with the help of oxygen provided at a gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, beside a road in Ghaziabad, India, yesterday. Photo: AFPYesterday, India reported 3,645 deaths for the previous 24 hours, while confirmed new cases of COVID-19 were a global record at more than 379,000. A first US military flight, carrying 960,000 rapid tests and 100,000 masks for frontline health workers, was to arrive yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
TSMC fabs to stay in Taiwan, ministry says
TSMC fabs to stay in Taiwan, ministry saysSUPPLY CHAIN RACE: The president of TSMC’s European subsidy is reportedly to meet with an EU trade official to talk about ‘chip sovereignty’By Angelica Oung / Staff reporterTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) most advanced technology would stay in Taiwan, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday in response to lawmakers’ queries on talks between the manufacturer and the EU. Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua speaks at a meeting at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Wang played down the suggestion that TSMC might partner with the EU in its efforts to reach “chip sovereignty” with advanced nodes. A worldwide semiconductor shortage, which according to TSMC might persist until next year, has raised awareness of Taiwan’s pivotal role in chip supply chains. Separately, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) yesterday announced that the second round of the Taiwan-US Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue would be held this summer.
Source:Taipei Times
April 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
DBS Taiwan reveals positive outlook
DBS Taiwan reveals positive outlookBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterDBS Bank Taiwan (星展台灣) has a positive outlook for its profitability this year in light of recovering consumption, increasing popularity of green loans and a booming wealth management business, DBS general manager Lim Him-chuan (林鑫川) said yesterday. The bank mainly offers loans to ground-mounted solar power plants and floating solar projects, he added. Loans to solar energy developers are often based on concrete projects and require expertise, Lim said, adding that the bank sends staff for training at the headquarters of DBS Bank Ltd in Singapore. “Over time, with more talent familiar with project financing, and more solar and offshore wind projects under development, Taiwan can become a regional hub for solar energy project financing,” he said. Although DBS Bank Ltd is reportedly bidding for parts of Citigroup Inc’s consumers business in Asia, Lim said that no decision has been made, adding that the Singaporean bank is open to any opportunity to increase efficiency.
Source:Taipei Times
April 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Fewer presale housing units enter local market
Fewer presale housing units enter local marketBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe number of presale and new housing units on the market declined last quarter from the previous quarter, but selling prices continued to climb, defying policy measures to reverse the trend, a survey by Cathay Real Estate Development Co (國泰建設) showed yesterday. The number of presale and new housing projects fell 22 percent from the fourth quarter of last year to 230, while the overall number of housing units on the market fell 7.6 percent to 21,812, the quarterly survey showed. The housing market appeared to have cooled down in Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, judging by the supply, Cathay Real Estate said. Housing prices averaged NT$308,100 per ping (3.3m2) nationwide, gaining 2.01 percent from three months earlier, while 30-day sales rates shed 2.41 percentage points to 11.71 percent, it said. Prices in Tainan rose 0.55 percent to NT$236,600 per ping, while prices in Kaohsiung increased 0.46 percent to NT$240,700 per ping, it showed.
Source:Taipei Times
April 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Succesful by design
Citigroup pledges commitment to customers despite planned sale of Taiwan consumer businessCitigroup Inc on April 15 announced a change to its corporate strategy, including the sale of its consumer business in Taiwan and 12 other markets. “The process has just started and will take some time,” Citibank Taiwan Ltd (花旗台灣) said in a statement. “For the time being, no specific buyer has been identified for the Taiwan consumer business.” Until a buyer is found, it would “continue to serve our customers with the same care, empathy and dedication that we do today,” the lender said. Citibank said that there would be no changes for its credit card and banking customers, including for those enrolled
Source:Taipei Times
April 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Songshan Precinct chief removed after damage to station
Songshan Precinct chief removed after damage to stationBy Chiu Chun-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe National Police Agency (NPA) yesterday removed Lin Chih-cheng (林志誠) from his post as Taipei Songshan Precinct chief because of an incident at the precinct’s Zhonglun Police Station in which a group of young men were released without being charged after causing damage at the station. Yang had also been drinking, and said he had been on his way to the station at the time to rest. Lin Chih-cheng, who has been removed from his post as Taipei Songshan Precinct chief, talks to reporters at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Allowing people to act recklessly and damage police property has hurt the image of the station and the police force, the NPA said. Hsu Shu-huan (許書桓) — who was removed from his position as Zhonglun Police Station director on Thursday last week — yesterday said that he had accidentally deleted the surveillance footage.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
Cycling tours beckon post-pandemic tourism era
Cycling tours beckon post-pandemic tourism eraBy Hsiao Yu-hsin / Staff reporterMore than 1,000 hotels are expected to be certified as cyclist-friendly accommodation by the end of this year as they eye business opportunities brought by the “Year of Cycling Tourism,” the Tourism Bureau said yesterday. The bureau said it has designated this year the “Year of Cycling Tourism” as the government focuses on creating innovative domestic tours in the post-COVID-19 era. The hotel chain also offers several unique cycling tours. Fullon Hotels & Resort, which has seven hotels across the nation, has upgraded its facilities to prepare for the cycling tourism year. The hotel chain offers special deals combining cycling tours with hotel stays, with more than 100 rooms being booked through the promotion, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
Subsidies mulled for Palau visits
Taiwan has been allowing people to travel to the Pacific island nation since April 1 via a “travel bubble” agreement between the two countries. While the pilot tours attracted more than 100 Taiwanese tourists, travel operators have since then reported lackluster sales of tours, which caused China Airlines to cancel charter flights to Palau. Restrooms set aside for “travel bubble passengers” are pictured at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on April 4. Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei Times“Through the subsidies, we hope that tour prices would return to the pre-COVID-19 level, which would motivate more people to travel. Foreign expatriates in Taiwan who have Alien Permanent Resident Cards or Alien Resident Cards are allowed to travel to Palau through the “travel bubble” agreement as well, the bureau said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
Gudeng to invest NT$5bn in new plant
Gudeng to invest NT$5bn in new plantBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterGudeng Precision Industrial Co (家登), the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pods to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), yesterday said that it plans to invest NT$5 billion (US$179.18 million) to build a new factory to expand its EUV component capacity. The more companies that adopt EUV technology, the more EUV pods would be used, the firm said. Intel is using more EUV tools to make 7-nanometer chips to fend off growing competition from Apple Inc and Advanced Micro Devices Inc, the executive said. TSMC, Intel and Samsung are among the few chipmakers in the world that have the technological capability to advance their technologies with the assistance of EUV tools from ASML Holding NV, the sole supplier of EUV tools. EUV pods are to make up about 60 percent of Gudeng’s wafer pods, up from 50 percent last year, Chiu said in January.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
TPP lawmakers slam labor conditions
TPP lawmakers slam labor conditionsAGING TAX BASE: Among a host of other issues, Lai Hsiang-ling said that an injection of NT$22bn would not shore up the labor insurance fund before it becomes insolventBy Chen Yun and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) yesterday called Taiwan’s low wages “a national disgrace,” and demanded that the government improve working conditions and raise the minimum wage. Taiwan’s labor conditions fall short with regard to labor insurance, protection for atypical workers, the minimum wage, the health of labor unions and peace of mind for workers, Lai said. The government has to shore up the labor insurance fund before it becomes insolvent, which critics have said could occur in 2026, she said. TPP Legislator Kao Hung-an (高虹安) said that the party caucus has proposed amendments to the Culture and Arts Reward Act (文化藝術獎助條例), which would bolster the rights of creative industry workers and expand their participation in labor insurance. Unreasonable regulations are to blame for Taiwan’s low unionization rate, which has remained at 7.6 percent for many years, Confederation of Taipei Trade Unions president Chiu I-kan (邱奕淦) said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
Novatek profit hits record amid stay-at-home demand
Novatek profit hits record amid stay-at-home demandBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterNovatek Microelectronics Corp (聯詠) on Monday reported a record NT$6.08 billion (US$217.88 million) net profit for last quarter as the work-from-home and remote-schooling trends boosted demand for chips for notebook computers, tablets and gaming monitors. Last quarter’s net profit tripled from NT$2.02 billion a year earlier, Novatek said. On a quarterly basis, net profit expanded 33.63 percent from NT$4.55 billion, it said. Photo: Grace Hung, Taipei TimesEarnings per share (EPS) surged to NT$9.66, compared with NT$3.63 a year earlier and NT$5.99 the previous quarter, it said. Revenue last quarter also surpassed the company’s guidance of NT$25.2 billion to NT$26 billion, expanding 56.13 percent annually and 17.46 percent quarterly to NT$26.37 billion, Novatek said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC
The crow who caws for the land
Huang Huan-chang shows reporters in 2016 evidence of industrial waste from a fish farm in Tainan. “That’s why I’m still an assistant professor.”Huang Huan-chang, left, joins a press conference last August to criticize the government’s regulation of industrial waste. Electronic industrial waste can still be found on the banks of the Erjen River. Huang says the government’s broad designation of certain types of industrial waste as “reusable” in the name of sustainable development is problematic. “We talk about a circular economy, but it’s circulating poison into the soil,” Huang says.
Source:Taipei Times
April 27, 2021 15:56 UTC