Hiking trails see a surge in popularity and complaints
Hiking trails see a surge in popularity and complaintsBy Lo Hsin-chen, Su Chin-feng and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerWith international travel restricted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Forestry Bureau has reported a surge in people turning to hiking as a recreational activity, but there have been complaints about the state and safety of some hiking trails. The visitor counts in July and August were 2,400 and 2,100 respectively, compared with 1,200 and 1,000 last year, it said. Chu said that the bureau has failed to fully inform hikers of the situation on hiking paths. The bureau should have erected protective facilities along the trail and provided adequate maps, she said. The trail, touted by the bureau as an “exceptional hiking trail,” has quite a way to go to live up to such standards, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taoyuan International Airport Corp turns 10
Taoyuan International Airport Corp turns 10‘PASSIONATE AND PROFESSIONAL’: The celebration, attended by many government officials, took place yesterday morning, featuring the unveiling of a special fragranceStaff writerDrawing inspiration from Taiwan’s forests, temples and tea culture, Taoyuan International Airport Corp unveiled a special Country Gate fragrance to mark its 10th birthday yesterday. On Nov. 1, 2010, the Taoyuan International Airport administration transitioned into a state-run corporation. Taoyuan International Airport Corp chairman Lin Kuo-hsien, third left, Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, center, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Chi Wen-chung, third right, and other guests pose for a photographer at a news conference in Taoyuan yesterday. Instead of standing still, it made use of the lull to speed up various construction projects while providing extra training to staff, Chi said. He added that Taoyuan would continue to work closely with the airport to offer a superb first impression of Taiwan to visitors.
Source:Taipei Times
November 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Mountain rescue missions double from last year: MOI
Mountain rescue missions double from last year: MOIBy Huang Hsin-po and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe government from January to September launched 100 mountain search-and-rescue missions, twice as many as the same period last year, with the number of rescuers dispatched being almost three times as many, Ministry of the Interior (MOI) statistics showed on Saturday. The National Airborne Service Corps in the first nine months of this year conducted 3,211 search-and-rescue missions, 81 down from last year, mainly due to a decrease in maritime rescue missions, the statistics showed. While 100 missions were launched for search-and-rescue services in mountainous areas, the number of such missions was only 50 in the same period last year, with the number of rescuers dispatched increasing from 18 to 52, the data showed. Members of the Taitung County Fire Department’s Kuanshan Branch rescue an injured hiker in Taitung on Thursday. Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei TimesThe annual number of mountain accidents in Taiwan averaged 159 from 2002 to last year, it showed.
Source:Taipei Times
November 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Poya’s expansion boosting earnings, KGI Securities says
Poya’s expansion boosting earnings, KGI Securities saysBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterCosmetics chain operator Poya International Co Ltd (寶雅國際) is to see earnings grow 10 to 15 percent year-on-year this year, as store openings would offset lower-than-expected single-store sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, KGI Securities Investment Advisory Co (凱基投顧) said in a note. With faster store expansion and better operating leverage, Poya’s earnings growth is likely to accelerate next year, KGI said on Tuesday. People walk past the entrance of a Poya International Co outlet on Xinyi Road in Taipei on April 16. It is expected to open 25 Poya outlets and 30 Poya Home stores next year, which would lift its earnings by 27 percent from this year, they added. In light of the strong third-quarter results and Poya’s expansion strategy, KGI has adjusted its EPS forecast for this year from NT$21.15 to NT$21.96, and predicted that next year’s would reach NT$27.79.
Source:Taipei Times
November 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Homers from Yueh brothers tie series 1-1
Homers from Yueh brothers tie series 1-1By Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe CTBC Brothers yesterday leveled the Taiwan Series with a 9-1 victory at home in Taichung, taking an early lead with two home runs from the Yueh brothers, while the Brothers added four late runs to defeat the Uni-President Lions. The CTBC Brothers’ Yueh Cheng-hua bats during Game 2 of the Taiwan Series against Uni-President Lions at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium yesterday. It was the first time in the CPBL post-season that two brothers recorded home runs in the same inning, and appropriately it was the key to the Brothers’ Game 2 win. Melville was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs on eight hits, including the Yueh brothers’ home runs, but also had three strikeouts and two walks in six innings. Games 1 and 2 hosted 15,600 spectators, while in Tainan, Game 3 has already sold out for its limited 7,800 seats.
Source:Taipei Times
November 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Improved defense, US ties needed: Tsai
Improved defense, US ties needed: TsaiJUGGLING GLOBAL GIANTS: At a National Security Council meeting, the president pushed the idea of a trade agreement with the US and stabilizing cross-strait relationsBy Lee Hsin-fang / Staff reporterPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday instructed the government to bolster self-defense capabilities, improve relations with the US across party lines, and stabilize economic and social order. The directives were issued at a National Security Council meeting, which was held earlier yesterday amid an increasing number of incursions by Chinese military planes and ahead of Tuesday’s US presidential election. Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang at a news briefing in Taipei yesterday comments on a National Security Council meeting hosted by President Tsai Ing-wen. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei TimesDuring the meeting, Tsai said the nation should further modernize its defense capabilities, upgrade its asymmetric combat capabilities, promote indigenous arms development and reform its reserve forces to brace for Beijing’s military expansion and aggression, Chang quoted Tsai as saying. Tsai said that stabilizing cross-strait relations is a shared interest of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Source:Taipei Times
October 31, 2020 15:56 UTC
Pride parade draws 130,000 in Taipei
Participants in yesterday’s Taiwan LGBT Pride parade wave flags in Taipei’s Xinyi District, the starting point of the event. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesBefore the parade officially started at Taipei City Hall Plaza at 2pm, thousands of people began flocking to the square since the morning. Participants of the 18th annual Taiwan LGBT Pride parade yesterday walk along a street in Taipei. “The Taiwan LGBT Pride parade is not only a carnival. Participants of the 18th annual Taiwan LGBT Pride parade pose for a photographer in Taipei yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
October 31, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lions take Game 1 of Taiwan Series
Lions take Game 1 of Taiwan SeriesEXTRA INNING: A pitching duel between starters Esmil Rogers for the Brothers and the Lions’ Brock Dykxhoorn kept the game at one run apiece until the final frameBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterVeteran outfielder Pan Wu-hsiung blasted a three-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Uni-President Lions a 4-2 win in Game 1 of the Taiwan Series against the CTBC Brothers at the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium last night. Baseball fans fill the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium for Game 1 of the Taiwan Series between the CTBC Brothers and the Uni-President Lions yesterday. Uni-President Lions outfielder Pan Wu-hsiung, right, is congratualted by teammates during Game 1 of the CPBL’s Taiwan Series against the CTBC Brothers at the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium yesterday. Singer Wei Li-an performs at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium ahead of Game 1 of the Taiwan Series yesterday. The Taiwan Series games are to be played at the two teams’ home ballparks in Taichung and Tainan, with reminders of the government efforts to contain COVID-19 visible.
Source:Taipei Times
October 31, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: The woman who washed her face with tears
She was 23 years old at the time, and her father was Mona Rudao, the immortalized leader of the rebellion. In the aftermath, Mahung became known as the “woman who washed her face with tears,” as she never got over what happened. The descendants of the Wushe Incident perform a ceremony in front of Mona Rudao’s grave every year on Oct. 27. “In Gluban, each family had suffered immense tragedy; the Wushe Incident was not just about Mona Rudao’s family,” Mona Pawan says. Two years ago, Lubi began frequently dreaming of Mona Rudao, who always said that he was feeling wet and cold.
Source:Taipei Times
October 31, 2020 15:56 UTC
Malaysian student’s alleged killer seized
Malaysian student’s alleged killer seizedBUNGLED ABDUCTION? The man was arrested late on Thursday in connection with the death of a female Malaysian student at a university in Tainan. Liang told police that he abducted Chung, intending to sexually assault her, and eventually drove to a hillside in Kaohsiung’s Alian District (阿蓮) to dump her body. Police said they found bloodstains and a bag of female underwear in Liang’s car. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday demanded that the police and the Ministry of Education swiftly clarify details of the case.
Source:Taipei Times
October 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan economy expanded 3.33% in third quarter
Taiwan economy expanded 3.33% in third quarterBETTER THAN EXPECTED: It was the best performance in nine quarters — reversing a downward trend in the second quarter — thanks mainly to robust exportsBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan’s economy last quarter grew 3.33 percent, beating the government forecast of 2.01 percent, as demand for devices used in 5G equipment, as well as work-from-home and remote-learning trends, proved stronger than expected, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. It was the best performance in nine quarters, reversing a downward trend in the second quarter, thanks to robust exports and soft imports that allowed external demand to more than offset languid private consumption, the agency said. Exports of electronic components in the third quarter surged 20.39 percent year-on-year, while shipments of information and communications technology products soared 20.64 percent, Wu said. Government agencies have commissioned public works ahead of schedule to shore up the economy, Wu said. Outbound travel shrank 97.8 percent, similar to a 98.94 percent slump in the second quarter, Wu said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
TPP calls for more dredging rules
TPP calls for more dredging rulesBy Wu Su-wei and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAMore regulations should be introduced to make the legal system regulating activities in the nation’s waters more complete, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers said yesterday, citing increased dredging operations by Chinese vessels off Matsu. TPP caucus whip Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) told a news conference on raising awareness about illegal dredging that Taiwan, as an island nation, should have a complete set of laws to address its wide array of maritime affairs. It is good that the amendments passed by the Executive Yuan state that confiscated dredging vessels can be blown up at sea to become artificial fish shelters, which can benefit marine ecology, she said. Many Chinese vessels seem to not know that waters near Matsu are off-limits to dredging, Lin said. The Executive Yuan and the Ocean Affairs Council should clarify whether Matsu’s waters have been officially defined by China as designated areas for legal sand dredging, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lite-On Technology reports net profit fell 4 percent in Q3
Lite-On Technology reports net profit fell 4 percent in Q3SILVER LINING: With the COVID-19 pandemic likely to drag into next year, so would demand for work-from-home devices, Lite-On’s president saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterElectronic components supplier Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday reported that net profit last quarter fell 4 percent year-on-year to NT$2.99 billion (US$103.37 million), from NT$3.11 billion in the same period last year. On a quarterly basis, net profit contracted 13 percent from NT$3.45 billion, or EPS of NT$1.48, in the second quarter. The logo of Lite-On Technology Corp is pictured at the company’s headquarters in Taipei on May 9. “As Lite-On sheds underperforming departments, we expect gross margin and operating profit margin to keep improving in the fourth quarter on a year-on-year basis,” Chiu said. Cumulative net profit for the first three quarters was NT$8.01 billion, a 15 percent increase year-on-year.
Source:Taipei Times
October 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
Executive Yuan clarifies list of pork import nations
Executive Yuan clarifies list of pork import nationsBy Lee Hsin-fang, Lin Hui-chin and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNAOnly 13 nations are allowed to export pork to Taiwan, so it is not correct to say that pork containing ractopamine from around the world would be allowed to enter the local market after the government sets residual allowance levels for the feed additive in imported pork, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung speaks at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. The US is the only nation that would possibly export pork containing ractopamine to Taiwan from Jan. 1, when President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) order is to take effect, he said. Tsai on Aug. 28 announced that the nation’s long-time ban on pork imports containing ractopamine would end by setting safety residual standards. Chen Shih-chung said that he has had discussions with Su about resuming the briefings.
Source:Taipei Times
October 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Air force jet crash claims pilot’s life
Air force jet crash claims pilot’s lifeTAKEOFF INCIDENT: Chu Kuan-meng was a member of a band and loved fishing, the military said, adding that he was to be promoted from captain to majorBy Hsieh Chun-lin, Aaron Tu and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerAir force pilot Captain Chu Kuan-meng (朱冠甍) was killed yesterday after ejecting from his F-5E jet over the sea off Taitung County. A photograph of air force pilot Captain Chu Kuan-meng is displayed at a funeral hall in Taitung County yesterday. The Taitung County Fire Department said that it was informed of a suspected jet crash off the Jialulan (加路蘭) area in Taitung City and confirmed the incident with the Ministry of National Defense at 7:55am. Air force pilot Captain Chu Kuan-meng plays a guitar in an undated photograph. The F-5E training jet from the 7th Tactical Flight Wing that crashed in Taitung County yesterday is pictured in an undated photograph.
Source:Taipei Times
October 29, 2020 15:56 UTC