Most people happy with Tsai administration: survey
Most people happy with Tsai administration: surveyBy Yang Chun-hui / Staff reporterMore than 60 percent of people were satisfied with President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration this year, due to its performance handling the COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth and international affairs, a survey released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng, left, and DPP caucus whip Cheng Yun-peng hold a news conference at the party’s headquarters in Taipei yesterday. Regarding the Tsai administration’s overall governance this year, 60.9 percent of respondents gave a “satisfied” rating, while 36.6 percent were not satisfied. “The survey results showed the whole nation has coalesced around the battle against COVID-19,” DPP Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) told a news conference. More than 50 percent of respondents were satisfied with the administration regarding international affairs, national defense and cross-strait relations, DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan’s IPO activity to rebound next year: EY
Taiwan’s IPO activity to rebound next year: EYECONOMIC RECOVERY: The number of IPO deals could reach 50 next year, from 10 this year, as 18 firms have already filed applications, Ernst & Young Taiwan saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe nation’s initial public offering (IPO) activity is set to rebound next year after taking a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic this year, with technology and biotech companies expected to dominate the market, consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) Taiwan said yesterday. As of yesterday, there had been 10 IPOs in the nation that raised a total of NT$6.74 billion (US$236.3 million) this year, Ernst & Young Taiwan assurance head Lin Tu (涂嘉玲) told a media briefing. A woman walks past an electronic display showing share prices at a brokerage firm in Taipei on March 20. The number of IPOs could reach 50 next year, as 18 firms have already filed applications and could win listing approval next quarter, Tu said. Positive vaccine results would speed up the global economic recovery and boost IPO activity, Tu said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
US Imports: If pork proven safe, I will eat it, critic says
Su has previously said ractopamine causes autism and that it is 250 times more toxic than the drug MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, among other claims. From left, Civil Alliance Against Poisoned Pork spokesman Lee Chien-cheng, farmers’ advocate Yang Ju-men, alliance member Wang Wen-hsin, clinical psychiatrist Su Wei-shuo and others hold a news conference outside the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei’s Neihu District yesterday. Su also expressed concerns about the potential effect of imported pork on the price of locally produced pork. Chen said that the ministry had clarified the issue numerous times, and has no choice but to take legal action agasint Su. If Su could issue a clear correction, the ministry would not rule out dropping the case, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
INTERVIEW: Taipei hotel launches despite pandemic
“We entertained the idea of pushing back the opening, but believed it is time to introduce Resonance Taipei after seven years of preparation,” she said. Hotel Resonance Taipei general manager Tiffany Lin poses in an undated photograph. Its film box-like exterior design sets Resonance Taipei apart from well-established facilities such as the Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel (台北喜來登大飯店), Palais de Chine (君品酒店), Hua Shan Din (華山町) and Hotel Cozzi (和逸), which are all within walking distance, Lin said. It is the developer’s second hospitality venture after W Hotel in the city’s prime Xinyi District (信義), and Hilton’s third property after Hilton Taipei Sinban Hotel (希爾頓酒店) in New Taipei City and DoubleTree by Hilton Taipei in Taipei’s Zhongshan District (中山), Lin said. Resonance Taipei is seeking first to gain name recognition, taking all necessary steps to ensure lodging safety for domestic travelers, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Gogoro wins award for its battery swap network
Gogoro wins award for its battery swap networkStaff writer, with CNAGogoro Inc (睿能創意), a leading Taiwan-based electric scooter brand, is to receive the Global Company of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan. Gogoro, the only Taiwanese company to have received the award, was chosen based on the California-based research and consulting firm’s analysis of the swappable battery electric scooter market. It has established consumer battery swapping on a mass scale, performing 265,000 battery swaps each day (135 million to date),” Frost & Sullivan said in a statement. “It demonstrates that its business model is viable and practical.”Gogoro is set to launch similar services in cities outside of Taiwan, Frost & Sullivan research director Vishwas Shankar said. “As a testament to its success with GoStations, its vehicles and the overall Gogoro Network, the company’s ridership developed their own community, forming multiple forums and networks and becoming ambassadors for climate change and clean energy transportation,” Shankar said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Thousands take part in annual Taipei Marathon
Thousands take part in annual Taipei MarathonBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAbout 28,000 runners yesterday morning hit the road in the annual Taipei Marathon, with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) saying that the event might be the only large-scale city marathon held in the world this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ko said that since its launch in 1986, the Taipei Marathon has become part of Taipei’s city branding and an important event to promote international tourism. Participants in the annual Taipei Marathon set off from the starting line in front of Taipei City Hall yesterday morning. From left, the winner of the men’s division at the Taipei Marathon, Kenyan Paul Lonyangata, winner of the women’s division, Ethiopian Askale Wegi, winner of domestic men’s division, Chou Ting-yin, and winner of domestic women’s division, Tsao Chun-yu, hold their trophies at an award ceremony in Taipei yesterday. Participants in the annual Taipei Marathon leave the starting area in front of Taipei City Hall yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Fattening up Taiwan: the nation’s childhood obesity problem
Childhood obesity is subset of a problem now common in all developed countries, so prevalent there are scholarly journals devoted entirely to studies of the issue. The International Obesity taskforce similarly observed that Taiwan ranked 7th among developed countries in childhood obesity, with rates as high as 29 percent. As with many other sociodemographic variables in Taiwan, the south is harder hit, with the highest childhood obesity rates in Taiwan. Childhood obesity is a growing problem in Taiwan. Childhood obesity also has a range of negative psychological effects, such as lowered self-esteem and body image.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taichung land values to increase 1.48%
Taichung land values to increase 1.48%REPORT: The land values for the city’s 29 administrative districts would be mostly flat or slightly raised next year, except for Beitun District, which would see an increase of 7.12%By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterGovernment-assessed land values in Taichung would increase annually by an average of 1.48 percent next year, with the value of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store’s (新光三越百貨) in Xitun District (西屯) remaining the highest in the city for the 15th consecutive year, the Taichung Land Administration Bureau said. Based on the bureau’s statement, the government-assessed land values for the city’s 29 administrative districts would be mostly flat or slightly higher next year from this year, with value adjustments ranging from 0.05 percent to 1.68 percent. Following the value adjustments next year, the government-accessed land value in Taichung would reach 90.34 percent of the market value, the bureau’s director-general Wu Tsun-chin (吳存金) said in the statement. In Taipei, Taipei 101 has the highest land value for the eighth consecutive year, at NT$1.83 million per square meter, or NT$6.07 million per ping, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Land Administration reported. Land value data are important because capital gains levies on property transactions — the land value increment tax — are based on assessed values rather than sale prices, while the data are also used to determine compensation in cases where private land is expropriated by the government for public use.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Senior-friendly food label boosts Taiwan’s agriculture industry: Research Institute
Senior-friendly food label boosts Taiwan’s agriculture industry: Research InstituteBy Chien Hui-ju / Staff reporterA total of 140 food products have in the past two years been awarded the Eatender label for senior-friendly products, the Food Industry Research and Development Institute said yesterday. These products, if awarded the label, could generate revenue of more than NT$300 million (US$10.53 million), Liao said, adding that food products with the label can be exported to Hong Kong and Japan. A visitor at the Taiwan booth at the Taipei International Food Show in Taipei yesterday holds a package of chicken breast made by Taiwan Farm Industry Co, the winner of a senior-friendly food product competition. This year, the institute has selected 150 senior-friendly food products for a competition held by the Council of Agriculture, which assesses the nutrition value, texture and packaging of senior-friendly foods made from local produce, the institute said. Our chicken breast is prepared with sesame oil and tastes fresh,” Taiwan Farm Industry Co chairman Chang Hua-hsin (張華欣) said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taipei shop rents dive amid foreign visitor slump
People walk past shops on Yongkang Street in Taipei on March 7. Empty shops on Wenlin Road in Taipei’s Shilin Night Market area are pictured on Aug. 11. The two other areas where rental rates are tumbling amid the decline in visitor numbers are Ximending (西門町) and the Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). Business in the Shilin Night Market has been hurt, because about 70 percent of its pre-pandemic traffic came from overseas tourists. Su said that the crisis could offer the night market an opportunity to reposition itself to domestic consumers.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Pro-Trump crowd holds rally in Taipei
Pro-Trump crowd holds rally in TaipeiBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterA crowd yesterday marched in Taipei to rally support for US President Donald Trump and show opposition to the Chinese Communist Party. The result still must be confirmed by a joint session of the US Congress on Jan. 6. With drums and music, the march traveled several blocks around Taipei 101, ending at a nearby plaza, where talks and music videos were presented and streamed online. “Without US protection, Taiwan would not have its freedom, and instead we would be slaves ruled by communist China. In the crowd, an American, who identified himself as Jerry, said he was touched to see so many Taiwanese at the rally.
Source:Taipei Times
December 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Scandal overshadows league opener
Scandal overshadows league openerFACE ‘WITH COURAGE’: P.League+’s CEO said that some of the videos circulating online were filmed while the players were in high school, making them the ‘victims’By Jason Pan / Staff reporterReports of players allegedly being blackmailed with videos circulating online yesterday overshadowed the launch of P.League+, a new basketball league to rival the Super Basketball League (SBL), and prompted police investigations. An audience of 6,000 watches the first game of the newly launched P.League+ basketball league at the Changhua County Stadium yesterday. People cheer at the first game of the newly launched P.League+ basketball league at the Changhua County Stadium yesterday. P.League+ CEO Chen Chien-chou (陳建州) said the scandal had affected all levels of Taiwanese basketball, from his new league to the SBL, university and high-school circuits. In the P.League+ opener, the Fubon Braves edged out the Taishin Dreamers 89-86 at the Changhua County Stadium to snatch the first victory in the new league.
Source:Taipei Times
December 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT to hold anti-US pork rally while legislators vote
The rally would be held on Jinan Road (濟南路) in front of the Legislative Yuan’s Chun-hsien Building (群賢樓) in Taipei, the KMT said. The party has gained approval for road closures and a street use permit around the Legislative Yuan from Wednesday to Friday, said a KMT member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Police officers guard an entrance to the Legislative Yuan in Taipei in an undated photograph. A lawmaker’s office phone number is public information, so the KMT is not disclosing private information, he added. If importers are unwilling to import pork containing ractopamine, then it would be difficult to buy such pork in Taiwan, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Yachting enthusiasts flock to Tainan for regatta
Yachting enthusiasts flock to Tainan for regattaBy Wang Chu-hsiu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe first keelboat regatta held off Taiwan proper yesterday drew crowds of yachting enthusiasts to Tainan’s Anping District (安平). The conditions near the club were ideal for yachting, club president Chang Ching-hsiang (張慶祥) said, adding that he hopes the competition will spur interest in water sports. A sailboat team yesterday participate in the first keelboat regatta in Tainan’s Anping District. Teams were comprised of four to six members each, and while age and sex were not considerations in the formation of yachting teams, team captains must be concerned about each member’s physical capabilities, as well as the rapport among the team as a whole, he said. “This regatta was really just the first step in promoting water sports at Anping.
Source:Taipei Times
December 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: For the love of campus freedom
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsThe months-long struggle, dubbed the Love of Freedom Movement (自由之愛運動), didn’t end there. On Dec. 22, the second issue of the Love of Freedom campus publication called for complete reform of the university system, including freedom of assembly, academic freedom, university autonomy for professors and students and for complete government withdrawal from school affairs. This cover of a 1987 publication on the Love of Freedom movement depicts a student banner demanding university reform. Twelve major campus publications, including prestigious academic ones, issued a joint declaration of campus freedom of speech on Oct. 12 to show their support. Dejected, Love of Freedom leaders retreated back to campus, refocusing on gaining more clout with the student association.
Source:Taipei Times
December 19, 2020 15:56 UTC