Taoyuan city councilor recall vote authorized
Taoyuan city councilor recall vote authorizedBy Huang Hsin-po, Tsai Ching-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Central Election Commission yesterday said that a motion to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇) had been approved and the vote would be held on Jan. 16. Eligible voters in the constituency represented by Wang number 315,143, of which 31,515 had to sign for the recall motion to proceed, the commission said. People protest against Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Chieh after delivering the signatures for the second phase of a recall procedure to the Kaohsiung Election Commission yesterday. In related news, a group seeking to recall independent Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Chieh (黃捷) yesterday delivered the second phase of signatures — totaling 40,918 — to the Kaohsiung City Election Commission. Huang yesterday said that she would remain focused on issues that require attention.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Overseas bank branches’ profit falls
Overseas bank branches’ profit fallsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCombined net profit at overseas branches of local banks declined for the third consecutive quarter to NT$10.25 billion (US$355.68 million) last quarter, affected by bad loans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) data released on Monday showed. Overseas branches this year generated less net interest income due to interest rate cuts worldwide and higher loan loss provisions amid the pandemic, the data showed. Branches there reported combined net profit rose 7.5 percent to NT$1.72 billion last quarter due to fewer bad loans, the FSC said. US branches reported a combined net loss of NT$460 million, compared with net profit of NT$1.59 billion in the third quarter last year, but net profit at branches declined 65 percent to NT$820 million, it said. Overseas branches of O-Bank Co (王道商業銀行), Chang Hwa Bank (彰化銀行) and CTBC Bank (中國信託銀行) were hardest hit, with their NPL ratios tallying 1.75, 1.71 and 1.46 percent respectively as of the end of September, the data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 16:01 UTC
ShopeePay service faces ‘further scrutiny’: minister
ShopeePay service faces ‘further scrutiny’: ministerTENCENT FACTOR: ShopeePay has a six-month window to apply for a license, before which it needs more capitalization, which would be scrutinized over links to ChinaBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterShopeePay Taiwan Co’s (蝦皮支付) proposed e-payment service would “come under further scrutiny” over possible Chinese capital, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday. Although ShopeePay is deemed a non-Chinese foreign company, Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊) is a major shareholder of SeaMoney’s parent company, Sea Ltd. Tougher rules over Chinese capital announced by the Investment Commission in August would apply in the ShopeePay case, Wang said. He said that the “sensitive nature” of e-payments would draw further scrutiny over possible Chinese capital. ShopeePay operates as a third-party payment service provider, servicing its e-commerce affiliate, Shopee Taiwan Co (樂購蝦皮).
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT urges public to support anti-ractopamine rally
A pig lies on the sidewalk outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday during a news conference promoting a protest march on Sunday. He urged people to come out on Sunday to “bravely stand up and say ‘no’” to pork containing ractopamine for the health and safety of themselves and of the next generation. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members in Taipei yesterday promote a protest march planned for Sunday against the government’s plans to allow imports of US pork products containing ractopamine residue. Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei TimesThe KMT also released a video asking people to join Sunday’s protest. Supporters should gather at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei at 12:30pm, wearing black shirts and masks, the KMT wrote on Facebook.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
E Ink expects revenue to rise mildly this quarter
E Ink expects revenue to rise mildly this quarterBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterE Ink Holdings Inc (元太科技), the world’s sole supplier of e-paper displays, yesterday said that it expects revenue to rise mildly this quarter from last quarter — bucking a downturn in the electronics industry — as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive demand for e-readers, e-notes and electronic shelf labels (ESL). E Ink’s revenue for last quarter surged 22 percent to NT$4.45 billion (US$154.42 million) from NT$3.66 billion in the same period last year. E Ink Holdings Inc chairman Johnson Lee is pictured at a news conference in New Taipei City on Oct. 13. Capital expenditure this year might rise to NT$1 billion, higher than NT$600 million to NT$800 million over the past few years, it said. E Ink financial executive Lloyd Chen (陳樂群) attributed the results to the effects of remote working and online learning amid the pandemic.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Cabinet takes up private school closures
Cabinet takes up private school closuresDECLINING ENROLLMENTS: Premier Su Tseng-chang said the draft act addresses the closure of private senior-high schools and universities struggling to surviveBy Lee Hsin-fang and Rachel Lin / Staff reportersThe Executive Yuan yesterday passed a draft act to govern the closure of private schools, in a bid to address low enrollment caused by Taiwan’s low birthrate. Under the act, two categories of private schools would come under the ministry’s close scrutiny. Schools in the second category would be announced to the public. Institutions in the second category to get its approval before finalizing procurement contracts of NT$1 million (US$34,701) or more, the ministry said. The act would not require private schools to maintain a student body of 3,000 and would change the sunset clause, increasing the funding leading to closure, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tactical drone production might start in 2024: MND
Tactical drone production might start in 2024: MNDBy Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNAThe indigenous Tengyun, an uncrewed tactical reconnaissance and combat drone, is expected to enter mass production by 2024, Ministry of National Defense (MND) officials told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee yesterday. Developed by the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the drone completed its initial test flight in April 2018. A Tengyun drone developed by the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology undergoes testing in Hualien County on Sept. 16. Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei TimesEvaluations of military operation capabilities are required before production can start, Chang said, adding that the process would take about one-and-a-half years. The MQ-9B is a strategic drone with high flight endurance and long-range reconnaissance capabilities, Chang said, adding that the US model would complement the Tengyun, which is a tactical drone.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Protesters criticize NCC over CTi News
Protesters criticize NCC over CTi NewsPRESS FREEDOM URGED: The NCC’s ruling was a warning to media outlets not to defy the government, a former GIO director during Chen Shui-bian’s administration saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterDozens of CTi News’ supporters yesterday rallied outside the National Communications Commission (NCC) in Taipei to protest the commissioners’ decision on Wednesday not to renew the news channel’s license. Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei TimesThe commission even told the public which channel should replace CTi News in the channel No. All media owners try to influence the content of their outlet, and CTi News was no exception, she said. Tien reportedly told officers that he was angry that the commission denied CTi News’ license renewal application. CTi News can continue airing programs until Dec. 11, when its license expires, the commission said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Pan-green camp lauds NCC decision
Pan-green camp lauds NCC decision‘DEFENSIVE DEMOCRACY’: Upholding the freedom of expression does not mean using disinformation to sabotage the nation’s political system, DPP Legislator Lin I-chin saidBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterLawmakers from the pan-green camp yesterday cited the need to protect democracy from fabricated news as they endorsed the National Communications Commission’s (NCC) decision not to renew the operating license of CTi News. People can look up the many cases of CTi News’ violations,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) said. “On the contrary, not renewing the license for CTi News works for the protection of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy,” she said. “Now the NCC has decided not to renew the license for CTi News. Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) said that people have seen the background of the NCC’s decision.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
MediaTek capitalization surges due to Honor hopes
MediaTek supplies its 5G chip, Dimensity 800, to Honor phones. Novatek supplies integrated circuits for Honor displays, while Sensortek supplies optical sensors, it said. Huawei annually shipped between 60 million and 70 million Honor phones over the past few years, the consultancy said. Asked about potential shipments to Honor, MediaTek chief executive officer Rick Tsai (蔡力行) said that the company is assessing the situation. MediaTek last month forecast that global 5G smartphone shipments would experience a high-speed growth next year, more than doubling from this year’s 200 million units.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
How a snack protects Taiwan’s tech
“Everyone in the IT industry uses them to protect our high tech, especially servers and hard drives,” he says. ’KUAI KUAI CULTURE’It’s difficult to exaggerate the ubiquity of the product and its perceived power to protect tech. Engineers placed bags of Kuaikuai at the base of a model of the Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the Formosat 5, Taiwan’s first domestically developed satellite, into space. As with many beliefs surrounding magic, techies say that Kuaikuai possesses tangible properties that ensure it will maintain tech. Similar to the media endlessly reporting on temples like Tzunanagong, so too has there been a litany of reports about the efficacy of Kuaikuai to protect tech.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
Groups pan higher subsidies for gas-powered scooters
Groups pan higher subsidies for gas-powered scootersBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterEnvironmental groups yesterday criticized the government for spending more subsidies on gasoline-powered scooters than on electric ones, questioning its resolve to combat air pollution and promote sustainability. Former EPA deputy minister Thomas Chan (詹順貴) said that the Cabinet under Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has reduced its efforts to combat air pollution. The EPA’s air pollution control fund, with an annual budget of NT$7 billion to NT$8 billion, should stop subsidizing vehicles that cause air pollution, he said. While the Cabinet in 2018 said that it aims to ban the sale of gasoline-powered scooters by 2035 and gasoline-powered vehicles by 2040, the goals were dropped after Su assumed office, Chan said. The government should stick to those goals, Tsai said, adding that as of September, the market share of such scooters was only 10 percent.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
Inaugural Creative Content Fest opens in Taipei
Inaugural Creative Content Fest opens in TaipeiBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe inaugural Taiwan Creative Content Fest, with the theme of Human Touch — A Closer Future, is being held by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency through Sunday, connecting nearly 300 buyers from around the world with more than 600 works from Taiwan. A total of 362 original works from 84 publishers, and 263 film and television productions from 75 companies are featured, it said. From left, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te, Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang, Vice President William Lai, Taiwan Creative Content Agency chairperson Ting Hsiao-ching and actress Chung Hsin-ling launch the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei’s Xinyi District yesterday. Photo: Chen Yu-hsun, Taipei TimesThe newly created fair, which officially launched on Tuesday, is part of the agency’s efforts to promote the development of Taiwan’s content industry and boost the nation’s cultural brand. “Story Exchange” — one of three exhibitions at the fair — is being held on the second floor of Le Meridien Taipei through 5pm tomorrow.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
Sustainability indices include CTBC
Sustainability indices include CTBCStaff writerCTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) earlier this week said that the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) have once again selected the company as a component of the DJSI World Index and have for the fifth consecutive year listed it on the DJSI Emerging Markets Index. As one of the leading financial institutions in Asia, CTBC Financial hopes to become a model of corporate sustainability, Wu said. In responding to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, CTBC Financial said that it has adopted a transparent governance policy and a responsible environmental attitude. CTBC Financial said that it also participates in international initiatives. In July, the insurance unit released the first PRI report in the financial industry, and it plans to publish a PSI report by the end of this year, CTBC Financial said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
NCC rejects CTi News’ license renewal
This was the first time since it was established in 2006 that the commission denied a license renewal to a news channel. NCC Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) announced the landmark decision at the commission’s weekly media briefing. National Communications Commission Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang in Taipei yesterday announces the commission’s decision to reject CTi News’ license renewal application. During the news conference, Chen was bombarded with questions from reporters, particularly by CTi News journalists. In a statement released after the NCC’s decision, RSF said freedom of the press does not mean an absence of oversight.
Source:Taipei Times
November 18, 2020 15:56 UTC