Fading flowers bloom again
The Legend Lin Dance Theatre starts a three-city tour of a revival of Lin Lee-chen’s Anthem to the Fading Flowers at the National Theater in Taipei on Friday next week. Legend Lin Dance Theatre founder and artistic director Lin Lee-chen has revived her 2000 work, Anthem to the Fading Flowers, to mark the 20th anniversary of its premiere. The company begins a three-city tour at the National Theater in Taipei on Friday next week. Photo: Taipei TimesLin decided to revive Anthem to the Fading Flowers to mark the 20th anniversary of the production, and it begins a three-city tour at the National Theater on Friday next week. If you have never seen one of Legend Lin’s works, or even if you are already a fan, the Anthem to the Fading Flowers revival is a rare opportunity to see a truly Taiwanese masterpiece.
Source:Taipei Times
October 22, 2020 15:56 UTC
APT eyes enterprise market for growth
APT eyes enterprise market for growthTURNAROUND? With more 5G applications coming on-line, APT aims to boost enterprise customers’ contribution to half of its revenue within the next three to five years, Huang said. “Enterprise customers deliver better margins and would help narrow our losses,” Huang said. The deal would give APT much-needed access to Far EasTone’s 3.5G 5G spectrum for 20 years. Hon Hai is expected to invest NT$10 billion and Far EasTone to invest NT$5 billion, APT said, with the remainder coming from its 5G supply chain, the company said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 22, 2020 15:56 UTC
ITRI, Synopsys to set up joint artificial intelligence chip laboratory in Hsinchu
ITRI, Synopsys to set up joint artificial intelligence chip laboratory in HsinchuBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) and US-based electronic design automation solution developer Synopsys Inc yesterday announced the establishment of a new laboratory in Taiwan, which is expected to speed up artificial intelligence (AI) chip development in the local semiconductor industry. The AI Chip Design Lab aims to provide Taiwanese IC design houses with access to advanced design tools and design and verification services, lowering the barrier of entry to AI, ITRI and Synopsys said. The facility is expected to shorten time to market for AI chips from two-and-a-half years to six months and enhance AI chip performance by 25 percent, Synopsys Asia Pacific senior vice president David Lin (林榮堅) said yesterday at the laboratory, located at ITRI headquarters in Hsinchu. For the joint project, Synopsys would provide chip design tools, while ITRI would provide design and verification services, Lin said. Before the collaboration with Synopsys, ITRI has been working with Taiwanese firms such as fingerprint verification company Egis Technology (神盾), to develop AI-on-chip systems, providing chip design, software development and market information.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Activist investors win majority on Tatung’s board
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei TimesCandidates appointed by institutional investors won seven seats, including two independent director seats, with leading activist investors Wang, Lin Hung-hsin and Eastern Broadcasting Co (東森電視) chairman Lin Wen-yuan (林文淵) elected as new board directors and garnering 1.43 billion, 1.42 billion and 1.42 billion votes respectively. “We will support Lin Wen-yuan as the new chairman and hope to make Tatung prosperous for the next century,” Wang said. “I will continue to protect Tatung as a matter of Taiwanese national security,” Lin Kuo said. Stephen Wu (吳志光), a lawyer at Lee and Li Attorneys-at-Law (理律法律事務所), said that her decision to stay on the board was unusual. The Securities and Futures Investors Protection Center is to continue its lawsuit against Lin Kuo, even though company shareholders elected a new board, and if the agency wins, Lin Kuo would be barred from serving on the board.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese trio positive for COVID-19 in Japan
Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese trio positive for COVID-19 in JapanCLEAR BEFORE LEAVING: Two baby boys and a woman in her 30s tested negative before departing for Japan, but tests taken after their arrival came back postiveBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThree Taiwanese tested positive for COVID-19 when they arrived in Japan earlier this month, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it reported a new imported case. Her antigen test upon arrival was also positive, but another PCR test on Tuesday came back negative, Chen said. The third case is another a one-year-old Taiwanese boy whose parents live permanently in Japan, Chen said. A total of 155 close contacts of the two infants and the woman have been identified, and 147 were tested; 114 people received a negative PCR test result, while 33 tested negative in both a PCR test and an antibody test. The other five Indonesian have tested negative, and while two of them have been placed under home isolation, the other three will practice self-health management, the CECC said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
NDC mulls property market index
NDC mulls property market indexOVERHEATED MARKET? : The gauge would be designed to provide more reliable information than private-sector data, and help improve policymaking, the council saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe National Development Council (NDC) is considering creating a business climate index on Taiwan’s property market, allowing policymakers to better monitor market movements and intervene if necessary, NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday. Kung said that the council is assessing the possibility of creating an index designed to provide more accountable and transparent information than data provided by private-sector market analysts, and could help improve policymaking. National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei TimesThe council would compile a report on the matter within a week, Kung said, but declined comment on whether the local property market is overheated and requires government action, due to unclear data.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lawmakers criticize TTSB for Puyuma report
Lawmakers criticize TTSB for Puyuma reportCOMMITTEE MEETING: Legislators focused their questions on how the board released its final report, rather than on the substance of its findingsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) yesterday came under fire from members of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee over its release on Monday of the final investigation report on the 2018 derailment of a Puyuma Express train. Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) was at the committee meeting to brief lawmakers about the board’s performance over the past fiscal year and answer questions about its budget for the next fiscal year. Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei TimesAfter that, lawmakers focused their questions on how the board released its 435-page report, the culmination of a year-long probe. Young told lawmakers that the final report on the collapse of the Nanfangao Bridge in Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) on Oct. 1 last year would be made public on Nov.27. The TRA’s preliminary investigation found that the crack had been reported in March, but the track had not been replaced.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT to hold concert, other events to mark retrocession
KMT to hold concert, other events to mark retrocessionBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to hold a series of commemorative events to mark the 75th anniversary of Taiwan’s retrocession on Sunday, including a concert that would be attended by several former KMT chairpeople, it said yesterday. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang, center, and colleagues in Taipei yesterday promote events that the party is to hold today, tomorrow and on Sunday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Taiwan’s 1945 retrocession to the Republic of China. The KMT has invited Mainland Affairs Council officials and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to a commemorative concert, but they turned down the requests, she said. Tomorrow, the KMT is to launch an online exhibition featuring historical materials and photographs preserved by the party related to the retrocession, it said. “Taiwan Retrocession Day is an important historical link between the Republic of China and Taiwan,” the KMT said in a statement.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Life insurance firms raise real-estate investments
Life insurance firms raise real-estate investmentsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterLife insurance companies in Taiwan increased their combined property investments by NT$128.8 billion (US$4.46 billion) to NT$1.34 trillion in the first eight months of this year, data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) showed on Tuesday. The increased investment by life insurers for the whole of this year is expected to hit a new record, compared with the previous high in 2012, when life insurers added NT$111.8 billion in new property investment, FSC data showed. That prompted the FSC in 2013 to implement tighter regulations on real-estate investment by life insurers to curb an overheated market. Life insurance companies have increased their property investments this year to seek better returns. Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) on Tuesday announced it had won a BOT contract for Nangang Bus Station for NT$610 million.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan should not pick sides in US presidential election: KMT’s Eric Chu
Taiwan should not pick sides in US presidential election: KMT’s Eric ChuStaff writer, with CNAFormer Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Tuesday said that Taiwan must not take sides in the US presidential election, adding that the nation’s security has to be its top priority amid a confrontation between the US and China. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Eric Chu talks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei TimesUS academics taking part in the meeting also urged Taiwan not to take sides in the election, he said. Asked which candidate he would prefer to win the election, Chu said he is neutral. US academics have said that Washington would continue to adhere to the position, and urged Taiwan not to base its security on any particular US administration or president, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Innolux bullish over LCD market
Innolux bullish over LCD marketBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterLCD panel maker Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said it is bullish about panel demand over next 12 months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive demand for notebook computers, tablets and TVs. People yesterday visit Innolux Corp’s booth at the annual International Optoelectronics Exposition in Taipei. As a result, the industry is in a healthy condition due to balanced demand and supply for LCD panels as Samsung Electronics Co phases out panel production, he said. Innolux would try to satisfy demand primarily for panels used in information technology applications, Innolux vice president James Yang (楊柱祥) said. Innolux yesterday unveiled its first flat-panel satellite antenna in collaboration with Kymeta Corp, which has received funds from Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates and other investors.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lawmaker urges rules on plasticizer used in floor mats
Lawmaker urges rules on plasticizer used in floor matsStaff writer, with CNADemocratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) on Tuesday expressed concern over plasticizer content in floor mats sold in Taiwan and urged the government to make inspections of such products mandatory. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesTaiwan has plasticizer standards for floor mats, but there are no regulations requiring inspections be conducted to ensure public safety, Lin said. Floor mats are not covered by the Commodity Labeling Act (商品標示法), which requires companies to label the materials their products contain as a safety precaution, she said. “It is not unusual for us to see babies crawling on plastic floor mats,” she added. She called on the bureau to regularly inspect floor mats sold in the nation.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Ministry releases VR video explaining Taiwan’s success in battling pandemic
Virus Outbreak: Ministry releases VR video explaining Taiwan’s success in battling pandemicBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday released the virtual reality (VR) video Three Crucial Steps (關鍵三布局) to share Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the world, adding that people would be able to experience it at the Presidential Office Building from next month. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) demonstrated watching the video with a VR headset at a news conference in Taipei. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesA VR experience section would be set up at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei next month, where visitors can put on VR headsets to experience the video in immersive surroundings, the ministry said. The video has English-language and Chinese-language versions, with the Chinese version featuring narration by former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), an epidemiologist. South Korea followed Taiwan’s example in creating maps displaying mask reserves, which shows that “Taiwan can help,” Tang says.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Assault in Fiji!
A Taiwanese businessperson surnamed Lu (right) explains what happened at the Taiwan National Day event in Fiji, in which a Chinese diplomat assaulted a diplomat from Taiwan. (CNA photo)Today we learned that diplomats from China assaulted a diplomat from Taiwan in Fiji on October 8. Here's the Tweet that tipped us off, and the accompanying article:https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120/status/1318002297931059202https://asiapacificreport.nz/about/Plus, today's Hear in Taiwan will also look at:1. Taiwan's newest ministry: the Ministry of Digital Development: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/10/19/20037454223. Chicken excrement attack at a HK restaurant in Taiwan: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/10/17/20037453214.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 17:26 UTC
Group to keep pressing for constitutional reform
Group to keep pressing for constitutional reformLIFELONG STRUGGLE: The greatest obstacle to Taiwan’s normalization is the ROC Constitution, Taiwan New Constitution Foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming saidBy Chen Yu-fu and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taiwan New Constitution Foundation yesterday said it would call for constitutional interpretations and is considering submitting other referendum proposals, following the rejection on Friday of its two referendum proposals on constitutional reform. The Central Election Commission rejected the proposals without clarifying its reasoning, foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan New Constitution Foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming, front row center, foundation director Michelle Wang, front row right, and other members attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The Constitution prevents Taiwan from having a proper place in the international community, let alone call itself Taiwan, Wang added. Aside from calling for a constitutional interpretation, the foundation is also considering forming an alliance with other organizations to continue pushing for constitutional reform, she added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC