E Ink positive on outlook for the rest of this year
E Ink positive on outlook for the rest of this yearBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterE Ink Holdings Inc (元太科技), the world’s sole supplier of e-paper displays for e-readers and electronic shelf labels, yesterday gave a positive outlook for the second half of this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic is stimulating demand. The pandemic “is increasing demand, as we expected,” E Ink chairman Johnson Lee (李政昊) told an investors’ teleconference. Shipments of e-paper displays are expected to grow at an annual rate of 20 to 30 percent this year and growth might be even stronger next year, E Ink said. Demand for E Ink’s new color e-paper displays, dubbed Kaleido, has also improved and the firm is boosting capacity 10-fold, it said. E-paper displays for e-readers accounts for 60 percent of the firm’s revenue, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
EAST calls for action on rules against pig abuse
A man thrusts a sharp object into a “divine pig” in the Yongjhen Temple in Miaoli County’s Toufen District yesterday. Photo: Cheng Ming-hsiang, Taipei TimesAfter they have grown to a certain size, divine pigs cannot even walk, as their feet can no longer support their weight, Tsun added. In Taiwan, some temples hold divine pig weighing competitions as part of their religious and cultural festivals. The government should dole out immediate punishments and stop certain divine pig breeders from continuing the abuse, she said. Folk traditions should be respected, but it is a completely different matter if a breeder raises divine pigs by abusing them to maximize economic gains, Wu said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
Beijing slams Washington’s South China Sea sanctions
Beijing slams Washington’s South China Sea sanctionsAFP, BEIJINGBeijing yesterday slammed Washington’s “tyrannical logic” over the latest US sanctions targeting Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, worsening tensions between the two superpowers. China has aggressively pursued its territorial claims in the South China Sea, building small shoals and reefs into military bases with airstrips and port facilities. A handout provided by the US Navy shows sailors observing aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan from the USS Nimitz as their carrier strike groups conduct joint operations in the South China Sea on July 6. Photo: EPA-EFE / Seaman Dalton ReidheadThe US on Wednesday announced sanctions on two dozen Chinese companies and associated unnamed officials for taking part in building artificial islands in disputed waters. In July, the US formally declared Beijing’s pursuit of territory and resources in the South China Sea as illegal, explicitly backing the territorial claims of Taiwan and other Southeast Asian countries against China’s.
Source:Taipei Times
August 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
CGA seizes smuggled cigarettes
CGA seizes smuggled cigarettesBy Ou Su-mei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThirteen shipping containers of smuggled cigarettes were intercepted on Tuesday at the Port of Taichung, the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) Investigation Branch announced yesterday, adding that the seizure’s potential market value of NT$500 million (US$16.94 million) could be a record. The ship had a crew of 12 Indonesians and 12 Chinese, as well as a Taiwanese chief engineer surnamed Kuo (郭). Coast Guard Administration officers unload bales of smuggled cigarettes from a shipping container in the Port of Taichung yesterday after intercepting the shipment on Tuesday. Cartons and packs of smuggled Chinese Double Happiness cigarettes are displayed in Taichung yesterday after being seized by the Coast Guard Administration. However, the vessel entered the harbor at 11am, and the CGA seized the opportunity to board the ship and inspect its cargo, Liu added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Google said to buy land in Yunlin for data center
Google said to buy land in Yunlin for data centerEXPANSION: While the search giant declined to confirm the reports, it mentioned in a blog post in March plans to construct a new data center in the nation this yearBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterAlphabet Inc’s Google has bought a plot in Yunlin County to build a data center, local media reports said yesterday, without citing sources. In Asia, the search giant also operates a data center in Singapore and one in Mumbai, India. Although Google is keeping mum about the Yunlin property, the company in a blog post dated March 21 said it is expanding its Changhua data center, and alluded to the possible construction of a new data center in Taiwan this year. “We will continue to expand our Google Taiwan data center in Changhua. The establishment of a Google data center can bring many opportunities for industrial development for Taiwan,” it added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
US, Taiwan reshaping supply chains: AIT
US, Taiwan reshaping supply chains: AITCLEAN 5G: TSMC’s plans to increase US investment is a clear signal that the future of high-tech supply chains remains in the US-Taiwan nexus, the AIT director saidBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe US is working with Taiwan to restructure global supply chains under the shared values of transparency and accountability, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen said, according to a transcript released by AIT yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesWashington aims to diversify and bring supply chains closer to end users, and ensure that countries like China do not hold supply chains hostage for political purposes, he said. The US works with like-minded partners, including Taiwan, Japan and the EU, to develop new supply chains based on shared values, he added. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) plans to boost investment in the US send “an unmistakable signal that the future of high-tech supply chains remains in the US-Taiwan nexus,” Christensen said. All of Taiwan’s 5G suppliers — Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大), Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信), Asia Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信) and Taiwan Star Telecom Co (台灣之星) — are listed in the US’ Clean Path, showing that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Anger with focus
Mariano is a student at National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences and a spokesperson for Migrante International — Taiwan Chapter. He notes that most workers pay exorbitant placement fees at home, before having monthly service fees deducted by Taiwanese brokers. This is what we’re trying to achieve.”Like Mariano, Wong expresses outrage at the abuses he has encountered. “We should be angry but our anger should have focus,” he says. “Anger without focus is useless.”
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Findings of mass antibody survey to be released
Virus Outbreak: Findings of mass antibody survey to be releasedBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterResearchers at National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health yesterday said they would today release the findings of a mass COVID-19 antibody survey in Changhua County. Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) and Tony Chen (陳秀熙), the former dean and deputy dean of the college respectively who are members of the survey project, issued a news conference invitation to reporters at noon yesterday. Tony Chen of National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health talks to reporters in Taipei yesterday about a COVID-19 antibody survey in Changhua County. Chan, who heads the project, on Sunday suddenly called off a presentation planned for Tuesday to publish the “mid-term” findings of the survey, sparking speculations over the reason. The researchers would release the findings to the public as soon as possible and in a “service-oriented” fashion, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Pushing the limits on Beidawu
This reporter climbs treacherous terrain en route to the Beidawu Mountain summit. Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei TImes“You’ll be forgiven for believing this is the top, but it isn’t. A photo of the Shinto shrine at the false summit of Beidawu Mountain. Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei TImesAs mentioned earlier, I barely make it in the end. Photo courtesy of Steven CrookBlue Skies Adventures organizes trips up Beidawu Mountain: www.blueskiesadventures.com.tw
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: MOTC urges to approve further travel subsidy funds
“We hope that the domestic tour market will continue to prosper after the summer season is over. Asked why the ministry had not asked for more funds when the program’s budget was debated in June, Lin said that the Central Epidemic Command Center had lifted domestic travel restrictions earlier than the ministry expected, on June 7. While the ministry has paid travel subsidies since July 1, it had initially planned to do so starting next month. However, at the time it was unclear how the globalCOVID-19 situation would play out, and the tourism industry needed a stimulus,” he said. “The program has not just encouraged people to travel domestically, but also helped travel service operators survive and generated tax revenue for the government,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Premier touts France ‘breakthrough’
Premier touts France ‘breakthrough’REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE: Su Tseng-chang said people can see how Tsai Ing-wen has made diplomatic advances in Guam and France, despite Chinese oppressionBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerPremier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday hailed the planned establishment of a representative office in Provence, France, as a “diplomatic breakthrough” and a result of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) effective diplomatic policies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday announced the establishment of the office in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. Premier Su Tseng-chang, left, presents an award for excellence in case mediation to a government worker at a ceremony at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesTaiwanese can see how Tsai has made important diplomatic breakthroughs in places such as Guam and France, despite Chinese oppression, Su said. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and Taoyuan International Airport Corp have sought a delay to the completion date for the runway to 2030, which Minister Without Portfolio Wu Tse-cheng (吳澤成) turned down.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: CECC mulls new COVID-19 rules
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung smiles as he talks to reporters at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday. Photo copied by Wu Liang-yi, Taipei TimesLocal governments can set mandatory mask-wearing rules at these sites if they deem it necessary, and set penalties for people who do not follow the rules, Chen said, adding that local governments are required to inform the CECC about their rules before implementing them. If the domestic COVID-19 situation worsens or domestic cases of unknown infection sources are reported in certain cities, counties or areas, the CECC might also announce location-specific mask-wearing rules, he said. The CECC has been informed by the Philippine authorities that a Filipino woman tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Manila last week, he said. Among the 506 people tested without symptoms, two received positive test results, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Legislature to be sterilized after Czech visit
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang, left, stands next to a disease prevention worker at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesIn light of health concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislature would undergo a three-stage sterilization process after the visit by the delegation, and during the visit delegation members would use separate washroom facilities, officials said. Czech reporters arriving with the delegation would be given a sectioned-off area in the legislature from which to report, they added. Delegation members would be given beverages in glass bottles that would be sanitized afterward, Wu said. Cleaners working at the legislature the day of the visit would wear gloves, masks and other protective clothing, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Innolux eyes stay-at-home demand
From left, Innolux Corp executive vice president Ting Chin-lung, chairman Jim Hung and president James Yang pose for a photograph at a news conference in Miaoli yesterday. Millions of schoolchildren need tablets to study online. Employees need laptops and bigger monitors for Web conferences,” Innolux president James Yang (楊柱祥) told a media briefing in Miaoli. The steady growth in demand would not be just a short-term phenomenon, Innolux chairman Jim Hung (洪進揚) said. Demand for such displays has tripled this year from last year amid growing health consciousness, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 25, 2020 15:56 UTC
Internships in Taiwan: The pipe dream of meritocracy
Internships in Taiwan: The pipe dream of meritocracyMany university students draw on family connections to intern at prestigious firms, while acceptance rates for everyone else remain depressingly lowBy Stephen Yang / Contributing reporterBrian Chiu (丘博元) echoes many university students when he says he’s frustrated by the lack of internships available. In this undated photo, students walk through the campus of National Taiwan University. Ke received one offer, but had to decline it because it was for an entire year and could only devote time to a summer internship. TRIVIAL TASKSWith very few internship opportunities openly advertised, competition for internships is fierce. Yet even when students like Yvonne manage to secure internships, these opportunities do not necessarily guarantee an enriching experience.
Source:Taipei Times
August 25, 2020 15:56 UTC