Hsinchu exposition attracts record crowd
Hsinchu exposition attracts record crowdBIG DATA HELP: Using information collected by Chunghwa Telecom, the city was able to determine traffic flows at the expo to optimize bus schedules and evaluate the eventBy Tsai Chang-sheng / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Design Expo in Hsinchu on Friday attracted a record 640,000 visitors, most of whom were younger than 29 years old, the city government said yesterday. The exposition opened on Thursday last week and closes today, with Hsinchu Park and the old town area on either side of the Hsinchu Railway Station serving as the main venues. Visitors clink cans at the Taiwan Design Expo in Hsinchu on Friday. People from Taipei, Taoyuan, New Taipei City and Hsinchu city and county made up more than 70 percent of the attendees, while Japanese were among the largest group of foreign visitors, he said. Big data tools allow the city to optimize shuttle bus schedules and evaluate if the event attracts its target audience as planned, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 10, 2020 15:56 UTC
Guardians win; CTBC clinch spot
Guardians win; CTBC clinch spotBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Fubon Guardians grabbed all the runs they needed in the opening frame at the Taoyuan International Stadium last night, although they added more, leading all the way to beat the Rakuten Monkeys 6-2 as the race for post-season berths heats up with two weeks remaining in the CPBL’s regular season. Fubon Guardians starter Manny Banuelos winds up against the Rakuten Monkeys during their game at the Taoyuan International Stadium yesterday. He is now second for wins among pitchers in the league, only trailing Rakuten lefty Wang Yi-cheng, who has a 10-6 record, with a 5.42 ERA. “It’s great to ensure we will get into the finals this year, but we will not relax,” CTBC manager Chiu Chang-jung said. That cannot be surpassed by the Rakuten Monkeys in second, who have 58 wins and 56 losses (0.509) through 113 of 120 games.
Source:Taipei Times
October 10, 2020 15:56 UTC
National Day revelry nationwide
People attend a Proud of Taiwan party on the eve of Double Ten National Day at the Port of Keelung’s West No. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times“We hope that we will continue to provide a stabilizing force on international affairs,” she said. Twenty-one representatives of people who have made significant contributions to COVID-19 prevention efforts would lead the national anthem alongside the Taipei Medical University Sing Song Chorus, event organizers said. National flags fly in Taichung yesterday ahead of Double Ten National Day today. F-16V jets and the Thunder Tigers aerobatics team are to conclude the morning’s events in Taipei with a flyby, organizers said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tsai commits to improve tank fleet
Tsai commits to improve tank fleetACCIDENT INVESTIGATION: The remarks came after Thursday’s tank crash in Kinmen, killing one, for which the president promised a comprehensive investigationStaff Writer, with CNAPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the military is planning to purchase the most advanced tanks to quickly replace older models. Tsai made the remarks after meeting the family of a soldier killed after a drill in Kinmen County when a M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tank crashed into an embankment next to a road on Thursday. Police officers on Thursday collect evidence after a tank crashed into an embankment near Kinmen County’s Lieyu Township. Tsai urged Taiwan’s soldiers not to let the incident demoralize them, adding that she hoped that the public would continue to show its support for the military. The tank, part of the Kinmen Defense Command’s Lieyu Garrison Battalion, was on its way back to its base when it crashed near Lieyu Township (烈嶼).
Source:Taipei Times
October 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Housing transactions last month gained 36 percent
Housing transactions last month gained 36 percentBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterHousing transactions last month totaled 24,356 units in the nation’s six special municipalities, a 36 percent increase from a year earlier, catapulted by real-estate needs and investment demands coupled with low interest rates, brokers said. The data affirmed a concrete recovery in the property market that was earlier pushed back by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sinyi Realty Inc (信義房屋), Taiwan’s only listed broker. The number of property deals in Taipei surged 44 percent from a year earlier to 3,133, supported in part by low borrowing costs, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) said. Properties in Taipei, while relatively expensive compared with housing elsewhere in Taiwan, are resilient in value compared with other investment tools amid intense market volatility, Hsieh said. Transactions in Taoyuan rose 37 percent from a year earlier to 4,389 units, while deals in Kaohsiung grew 32 percent to 3,505 units, local government data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
October 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Dumpling chain to buy majority stake in Dante
Dumpling chain to buy majority stake in DanteGROWING CHAINS: The acquisition of Dante Coffee adds to Bafang Yunji’s businesses, including a pork rice chain, a noodle outlet and boxed meal vendorStaff writer, with CNAA leading dumpling chain has agreed to acquire a 69 percent stake in coffee-shop chain Dante Coffee and Foods Co (丹堤咖啡), to diversify its business, it said yesterday. The dumpling vendor said it would pay cash to acquire Dante Coffee, which has 67 outlets in Taiwan, but did not disclose any financial details. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi makes pan-fried dumplings during a visit to an outlet of pan-fried dumpling chain Bafang Yunji in the city on Sept. 4. As of the end of last year, Bafang Yunji owned 981 dumpling stores, and another 51 outlets of its other brands. On Thursday, Bafang Yunji shares traded between NT$160 and NT$177.50 on the emerging market.
Source:Taipei Times
October 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Draft Amendment seeks to improve mental illness care
Draft Amendment seeks to improve mental illness careBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNANew Power Party (NPP) Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) on Thursday proposed an amendment to the Mental Health Act (精神衛生法) in the hope of providing better community services for people with mental illness. The law, enacted about two decades ago, aims to assist people to live independently and ultimately reintegrate with society, but does not spell out how the government is to help communities to accommodate people with mental illness, she said. Wang said that her proposal clarifies the kinds of social support that people with mental illness need and increases the standards of services offered by communal mental health centers. New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang, center, speaks at a public hearing on a draft amendment to the Mental Health Act at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Thursday. Meeting the needs of people with mental illness requires public health services and community support, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Youth call for constitution based on ‘reality’
Youth call for constitution based on ‘reality’NEED TO BE HEARD: Coalition organizer Lin Chun-chieh called for ‘all people of different generations to stand up and speak your vision of the country’By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterA coalition of youth groups yesterday urged lawmakers to draft a new constitution that would better reflect the separate governance of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The coalition, called the Taiwan New Constitution Youth Front, said that it wants a constitution that guarantees more rights, reflects the nation’s current political reality and contains the “voices of the youth.”The coalition’s call came after the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday formally established an ad hoc Constitutional Amendment Committee, following the approval of a list of 39 committee members from across party lines. Members of a youth coalition called the Taiwan New Constitution Youth Front participate in a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Under “such difficult circumstances,” it might be “more appropriate” for the nation to draw up a new constitution, Feng said. The Constitution has been revised seven times — mostly recently in 2005, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Prosecutors charge Lien Tai-sheng over KTV fire
Prosecutors charge Lien Tai-sheng over KTV fireSIX OTHERS: Prosecutors said that a search of Cashbox Partyworld offices found a key document authorizing operations amid repairs was stamped with Lien’s chopsBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterTaipei prosecutors yesterday indicted media mogul Lien Tai-sheng (練台生) and six others over a fire on April 26 that killed six people and injured 67 at a Cashbox Partyworld KTV in Taipei. Police escort Cashbox Partyworld Co chairman Lien Tai-sheng, left, in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Taipei TimesLien is chairman of Cashbox Partyworld Co and owner of Tee Kuang International Co, which leased the building to the KTV operator. “The executives continued operating the KTV business while the repair work was ongoing, instead of closing down,” prosecutors said. The executives and site managers were negligent in their responsibilities to monitor and supervise the repair work, and they failed to conform to bylaws on fire prevention, prosecutors said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Largan’s margin lower after axed order
“The client directly canceled all of its orders last month, which lowered our gross margin, as the client had requested high-specification orders with higher profit margin,” Lin told investors at an online earnings conference. The company yesterday reported that gross margin for last quarter declined due to order losses and said it had a conservative view about this quarter. As a result, there is a chance that the firm’s capacity utilization rate would drop in the fourth quarter, Lin said. The third-quarter gross margin of 65.6 percent was the lowest after 64.24 percent recorded in the first quarter last year, company data showed. “There is a figure for gross margin in my mind, and we will not accept orders with gross margins lower than that, although I cannot tell you how high this number is,” Lin said to investors.
Source:Taipei Times
October 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tsai aims for deals to safeguard region
President Tsai Ing-wen speaks via videoconferencing at yesterday’s opening of the Yushan Forum, hosted by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Countries in the region can complement each other, she said, adding that Taiwan’s capability and willingness to collaborate with regional partners engendered its regional strategy for Asia — the New Southbound Policy. “We hope to work with regional partners and, together, to forge a resilient future,” Tsai said. “Any political attempt to prevent Taiwan from sharing its experience and making contributions does not serve the collective interests of the region,” she said. Tsai thanked the representatives from Australia, the US and other like-minded countries for joining the forum and expressing support for Taiwan in such a turbulent era.
Source:Taipei Times
October 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Sinphar apologizes for drugs with quality problems
Sinphar apologizes for drugs with quality problemsSELF-REGULATING: Sinphar last week examined all of its drug lines after the FDA found in July that six of its drugs had potency issues. The agency demanded that Sinphar stop selling the six and recall them, to safeguard the interests of consumers. The company found that another 17 drugs had less than 90 percent of their labeled potency and would recall them, Lou said. The reduction of the drugs’ potency could be attributed to the manner in which they are packaged, as the firm packaged some of its ointments in plastic bottles instead of aluminum tubes, making it easier for the chemicals to evaporate, she said. Meanwhile, some drugs’ potency weakens due to improper storage methods, the firm said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
A day to build a dream on
A day to build a dream onFor the first time in more than 15 years, the Dream Community’s annual Dream Parade is shifting both its day and location, from downtown Taipei on a Saturday in October to tomorrow in New Taipei CityBy Diane Baker / Staff reporterJust over two decades ago, Gordon Tsai (蔡聰明) founded the Dream Community (夢想社區文教發展基金) on rezoned farmland owned by his family in what was then Taipei County’s Sijhih District (汐止), aiming to create a place where art and creativity would be part of residents’ daily lives. The annual Dream Parade, which will be held from 3pm to 6pm in New Taipei City’s Banciao District, will once again feature the Dream Community’s monster pirate fish-boat float. Illustration courtesy of the Dream CommunityThe Dream Community held its first Dream Parade in 2002, a small affair on nearby streets. The wide range in ages of the annual Dream Parade’s samba dancers is highlighted on Monday at a news conference at New Taipei City Plaza in Banciao District. Rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of Dream Parade participants or audiences on Oct. 21, 2017, along Zhongshan South Road in Taipei.
Source:Taipei Times
October 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
NCC to invite experts to CtiTV News hearing
NCC to invite experts to CtiTV News hearingBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterNational Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) yesterday said that the commission is seeking to invite expert witnesses with backgrounds in communications, finance and law to attend an administrative hearing for CTiTV News’ license renewal application. KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that this would be the first time that the NCC held an administrative hearing for a TV news channel’s license renewal application since its establishment in 2006. “I hope you realize that you are not just handling a license renewal application. “When we review CtiTV News’ license renewal application, we will look at its performance in the past six years. Holding an administrative hearing shows that we have thoroughly followed administrative procedures in reviewing the case,” Chen added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
High Court rules against Kuan’s libel lawsuit
High Court rules against Kuan’s libel lawsuitBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe High Court yesterday ruled against former government minister Kuan Chung-ming’s (管中閔) libel lawsuit against two journalists for reports alleging that he has links to Chinese schools. Kuan filed an appeal, with the High Court yesterday upholding the lower court’s decision. Kuan did not disclose that he had served as an independent director for Taiwan Mobile Co, a member of the Fubon Group. He was also alleged to have worked for several universities in China, which listed Kuan as a visiting professor. Kuan in his lawsuit claimed that the reporters did not verify the information and had tarnished his reputation.
Source:Taipei Times
October 07, 2020 15:56 UTC