KMT supporters prefer Jaw-Han ticket: survey
KMT supporters prefer Jaw-Han ticket: surveyWINNING STRATEGY? Photo: Lu Hsin-te, Taipei TimesThe survey showed that while the general public preferred former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) as KMT chairman, polling of KMT members showed their preference for Jaw. However, if Han were to enter the race, but not Jaw, KMT supporters showed a preference for Chu, giving him a lead of 4.3 percentage points over Han, it showed. However, self-identified KMT supporters, when asked the same question, gave Jaw the lead at 41.9 percent, followed by Chu at 34.9 percent and Han at 29 percent, the survey showed. However, the survey also showed lower backing for Jaw and Han among younger KMT supporters, those under 40 years old.
Source:Taipei Times
February 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
Athletic defeat Betis in shoot-out to make semis
Athletic defeat Betis in shoot-out to make semisAP, MADRIDRaul Garcia on Thursday scored a last-gasp equalizer to force extra-time and goalkeeper Unai Simon saved two penalties as Athletic Bilbao defeated Real Betis Balompie 4-1 in a shoot-out to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Garcia also scored one of the penalties after a 1-1 draw to help keep Athletic in contention for consecutive Copa titles. “When it gets to a penalty shoot-out it’s a lottery,” Betis midfielder Joaquin Sanchez said. We played a complete match.”Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis went into the match unbeaten in eight consecutive matches in all competitions. “It was a tough night, but in the end things went our way in the shoot-out,” Toral said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
CECC confirms new local infection, three imported
CECC confirms new local infection, three importedStaff writer, with CNAThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported one new domestically transmitted case of COVID-19 and three imported cases. A Taiwanese woman in her 40s who was listed as a contact of a nurse at Taoyuan General Hospital — the center of a cluster infection that broke out on Jan. 12 — tested positive yesterday, the center said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The three imported cases involved travelers from the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the US, the center said. A Taiwanese in his 20s who lives in the US arrived with three family members on Jan. 13 — all with negative COVID-19 test results, the center said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
Housing rights group pushes for legal reforms
The housing advocacy group has joined forces with like-minded lawmakers to push property tax reforms and legal protections for tenants and home buyers ahead of next year’s local elections and the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, it told a news conference. Proposed property tax reforms are to include provisions for a tax on unoccupied residential properties, incentives for their sale or rent, and raising rental income tax, the group said. A man at a news conference in Taipei yesterday holds a sign with the Chinese and English name of pop-up exhibition space “Celestial Dragons House” organized by advocacy group Housing Movement 2.0. “Rent is a huge economic burden on young people,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiang Yung-chang (江永昌) said. “Saying that the problem is inherited does not excuse the government’s inaction.”DPP Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) said “the moment is right” to push for deeper housing reforms, adding that legislative efforts should focus on implementing affordable housing and taxing rent-derived income.
Source:Taipei Times
February 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
Japanese thanked for insect gift
The collection, which was donated by Kokichi Hatta, Yasuo Takasaki and Nobuhiro Yoshida, has 27,000 specimens, the university said. It arrived in the middle of last month, and includes dragonflies and butterflies from Japan, Indonesia, Burma and Peru, the university said. Photo copied by Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei TimesIt includes a renowned Japanese dragonfly that was caught in 1932, the university said. Yoshida donated his collection of Japanese, Indonesian, Burmese and Peruvian butterflies and dragonflies, the university said. Recent donations from domestic and foreign sources have greatly enriched the collection, Yang said, thanking the three Japanese academics for their trust and support.
Source:Taipei Times
February 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
FPG revenue hits NT$117bn
On a monthly basis, the group’s revenue increased 2.3 percent, the companies’ filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed. “We had thought that an intensification of the COVID-19 pandemic plus a shortage of shipping containers would depress first-quarter revenue,” FPC president and chairman Jason Lin (林健男) said. “Now, we expect first-quarter revenue to equal or slightly surpass fourth-quarter revenue.”Lin attributed the improved outlook to higher products prices and China’s “no travel” policy. Nanya president Wu Chia-chau (吳嘉昭) attributed the figures — its eighth consecutive month of revenue growth — to demand for copper-clad laminate and other electronic components. Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) reported a contraction in year-on-year revenue to NT$42.24 billion — up 4.1 percent from December, but down 27.3 percent year-on-year.
Source:Taipei Times
February 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
Highways & Byways: Memories of a deadly earthquake
Highways & Byways: Memories of a deadly earthquakeA 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Tainan in the early hours of Feb. 6, 2016. Tomorrow will be the fifth anniversary of the disaster, which killed 117 people, all but two of them in a single apartment complex. The replacement for Weiguan Jinlong Apartment Complex is nearing completion. The death toll at Weiguan Jinlong Apartment Complex was 115. After the ruins of Weiguan Jinlong Apartment Complex were cleared, the city government decided to build a new residential block.
Source:Taipei Times
February 04, 2021 15:56 UTC
KMT urges more, better support for healthcare workers
KMT urges more, better support for healthcare workersRECOGNIZING VALUE: The government should show they appreciate healthcare workers, and help them with finding and paying for quarantine, the KMT saidBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged the government to give greater support to healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. One of the measures it proposed at a news conference in Taipei was giving healthcare workers priority access to quarantine hotels. Healthcare workers, who are worried about infecting their families, have had difficulty finding accommodation at quarantine hotels, it said. “We hope that [the Central Epidemic Command Center] and the Ministry of Health and Welfare can truly see the hard work of healthcare workers,” she added. The government should consider providing a dedicated facility for healthcare workers who might otherwise need to pay for a quarantine hotel, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 04, 2021 15:56 UTC
US aid sought after the death of Huang Fang-yen
US aid sought after the death of Huang Fang-yenSUICIDE SUSPECTED: Prosecutors in Taipei said that once the death of the physician has been officially confirmed, the charges he faced dating to 2009 would be droppedBy Tsai Shu-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Ministry of Justice yesterday said that it would ask the US for mutual legal assistance following the death of fugitive doctor Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥) in California. Huang Chung-yen shows a photo of his brother, former Shin Kong Memorial Wu Ho-Su Hospital deputy superintendent Huang Fang-yen, in Taichung on Thursday. Huang’s younger brother, Huang Chung-yen (黃重彥), a doctor in Taichung, confirmed the news of the death to reporters on Thursday. “We spoke by telephone a few times recently and discussed the COVID-19 pandemic situation and its handling in Taiwan,” Huang Chung-yen said. Huang Chung-yen said that he could not fathom why his brother would commit suicide.
Source:Taipei Times
January 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
DPP’s Su Chen-ching, aide to post bail of more than NT$11.5m in SOGO case
DPP’s Su Chen-ching, aide to post bail of more than NT$11.5m in SOGO caseBy Chang Wen-chuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei District Court yesterday allowed Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and his office director, Yu Hsueh-yang (余學洋), to post bail of NT$10 million (US$351,964) and NT$1.5 million respectively, for their alleged involvement in a dispute over the ownership of Pacific SOGO Department Store. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chen-ching yesterday leaves the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office in Shilin District following a bail hearing. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesThe payments were allegedly to help Lee in a legal dispute with Far Eastern Group over the Pacific SOGO ownership. Su’s office yesterday said in a statement that recent media reports about him misrepresented his role in the dispute, adding that the court would find him not guilty and restore his honor. Su never accepted a “red envelope” related to the matter, the office said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Control Yuan to investigate six judges
Control Yuan to investigate six judgesMARATHON SESSION: After deliberating for more than seven hours, a judicial committee also rescinded the judiciary medals conferred on two accused judgesBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Judicial Yuan on Thursday forwarded the cases of six high-ranking judges to the Control Yuan for further investigation of alleged involvement in a corruption scandal centering on former Supreme Court judge Shih Mu-chin (石木欽) and Chia Her Industrial Co (佳和集團) president Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾). Control Yuan President Chen Chu, third right, yesterday in Taipei cuts a cake at the opening of an exhibition marking the institution’s 90th anniversary. After confirming the results of previous investigations that had concluded that the judges had breached judicial ethics rules, the committee recommended that the Control Yuan render disciplinary measures. Responding to questions on the case, Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊) yesterday said: “Each Control Yuan member has independent authority. Chen made the remarks on the sidelines of an exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Control Yuan.
Source:Taipei Times
January 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taichung coal power resolution passed
Taichung coal power resolution passedTARGETING 2035: Clean Air Taichung urged the mayor of the city not to delay the plan, which promises gas turbines for the Taichung Power Plant at an earlier dateBy Shih Hsiao-kuang, Chen Yun and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a resolution proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to decommission Taichung Power Plant’s coal-fired generators by 2035, and to preserve the generators as a national security emergency reserve. Taichung Power Plant is pictured in an undated photograph. The national emblem, left, and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) emblem are pictured together in an undated photograph. The emblem resolution, which was proposed by the NPP, cleared the legislative floor 63 to 37. “The similarity of the national emblem to the party emblem suggests a lack of separation between state and party.
Source:Taipei Times
January 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Delivery worker protection at hospitals urged
As a result, hospitals are largely writing their own rules about delivery locations, which has increased risks to delivery workers and of community spread, he said. “It is not my sense that delivery workers are afraid of doing their jobs. What they are afraid of is becoming that gap” in pandemic prevention, NPP Hsinchu City Councilor Liao Tzu-chi (廖子齊) said. OSHA official Yeh Pei-chieh (葉沛杰) said that the guidelines are to give delivery workers and clients flexibility to appoint a location that best suits the hospital. The convenor of the Hsinchu Union for Online Platforms-Employed Delivery Workers, surnamed Wen (文), said that while on the job, an average delivery worker is in contact with about 50 people per day.
Source:Taipei Times
January 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
US has not halted arms sales: MOFA
US has not halted arms sales: MOFANO PAUSE: The US has suspended pending arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, but Taiwan has not received any such notification, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saidBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer and bloombergThere has been no indication that the US is to pause or alter arms sales to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, after Washington placed a hold on weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. Ou said that communication between Taiwan and the US has been smooth, adding that Taipei has not received notice from Washington about a change in arms sales. All Washington’s arms sales to Taipei are under way per relevant procedure, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Shih Shun-wen (史順文) said. Concern over weapons sales to Taiwan arose following reports that Washington had put a temporary hold on some of its largest pending arms sales, including a Trump administration effort to sell F-35 jets to the UAE and smart bombs to Saudi Arabia. Raytheon officials previewed the sales pause to analysts on Tuesday during the firm’s fourth-quarter earnings call, though they did not name the country or munitions involved.
Source:Taipei Times
January 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Banks limit in-person operations
Virus Outbreak: Banks limit in-person operationsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterE.Sun Commercial Bank (玉山銀行) has asked employees at its Taoyuan branches to stop visiting clients due to the COVID-19 situation, it said on Wednesday. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesOther banks also allow their staff to work from home or in remote offices. Thus far, about 500 employees at Fubon Financial work remotely or at back-up offices, the company said. Fubon Financial has about 44,465 employees. CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) said it is considering additional precautionary measures.
Source:Taipei Times
January 28, 2021 15:56 UTC