Chinchillas worth NT$7.5m seized at Kaohsiung Harbor
Chinchillas worth NT$7.5m seized at Kaohsiung HarborBy Hung Ting-hung and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Kaohsiung Harbor Police Department yesterday at the harbor seized 50 smuggled long-tailed chinchillas valued at NT$7.5 million (US$253,970). The rodents, each worth NT$150,000 on the pet market, were seized after police officers Pan Shih-ying (潘詩盈) and Shen Ya-chin (沈雅欽) found them in a minivan at a harbor checkpoint, the department said. Smuggled chinchillas look out of a makeshift cage after being seized by customs officers in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo copied by Hung Ting-hung, Taipei TimesThe animals were likely smuggled from China, it said, adding that it was the largest number of illegally imported chinchillas the department has ever seized. Chinchillas are native to the Andes mountains in South America, and live in rock crevices and caves at high elevations, the Taipei City Animal Protection Office said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
Thesis advisers still liable: MOE
Thesis advisers still liable: MOEACADEMIC ETHICS: Universities should improve their mechanisms to ensure the quality of graduate theses and hold faculty accountable for breaches, the MOE saidBy Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNAAlthough some universities have been requiring students to take full responsibility for breaches of academic ethics, their thesis advisers should still be held accountable for such breaches, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday. Photo: Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei TimesAcademic institutions also need to accept accountability to improve their mechanisms for quality assurance for graduate theses in the face of ethics breaches, it added. The ministry would take into account universities’ performance on thesis quality and addressing academic dishonesty when determining their student quota and evaluating a school’s application to establish a new department, it said. The ministry said that it would reveal the information on how universities discipline departments to uphold academic ethics and the outcomes. The university said that it also has mechanisms in place to hold to account advisers who have been implicated in breaches of academic integrity.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taipei councilors accuse Ko of trying to benefit Farglory
Taipei councilors accuse Ko of trying to benefit FargloryBy Kuo An-chia, Tsai Ssu-pei and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerDemocratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) and Independent Councilor Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) on Monday formally accused Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and former Taipei City Government secretary-general Chang Jer-yang (張哲揚) of trying to illegally benefit Taipei Dome contractor Farglory Group. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je yesterday talks about the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a forum on tourism in Taipei in the post-pandemic era. Chang also allowed Farglory to circumvent Article 127 by applying to host concerts on a per-event basis, the councilors said. The city government has set a bad precedent by allowing Farglory to make “corrections” before issuing a license, Lin said. Ko yesterday said that his administration would not be defined by the Taipei Dome project, nor would the project be allowed to become a “festering sore,” adding that he welcomes any scrutiny of the project.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
Cathay to recognize NT$8.8bn loss
Cathay to recognize NT$8.8bn lossCORPORATE SCANDAL: Cathay Life has invested NT$13.3 billion in Bank Mayapada since 2015, but the latest loss of NT$8.8 billion has completely written off its investmentBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) yesterday said it would recognize an investment loss of NT$8.8 billion (US$298.1 million) in Indonesia’s Bank Mayapada Internasional Tbk PT due to concerns about the lender’s operations amid a corporate scandal. The company said it would revise its earnings result for June, from a net profit of NT$6.52 billion to a net loss of NT$520 million, its first monthly loss over the past 17 months. After booking an investment loss of NT$5.2 billion in Bank Mayapada earlier this year, Cathay Life has so far recognized total investment losses of NT$14 billion in the lender, executive vice president Lin Chao-ting (林昭廷) told a news conference in Taipei. However, the recognized investment loss of NT$8.8 billion has completely written off its investment in the Indonesian lender, Lin said. So we are still evaluating if we should be a controlling shareholder in Bank Mayapada,” Lee said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2020 16:00 UTC
Average take-home pay rises in June
Average take-home pay rises in June‘POSITIVE MOVEMENTS’: Monthly wages increased as the COVID-19 outbreak eased in Taiwan and most companies emerged from its effects, the DGBAS saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterAverage monthly take-home pay in June rose 1.41 percent from a year earlier to NT$42,352, while total wages including overtime and performance-based compensation increased 4.09 percent to NT$50,581, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. By sector, airline employees had the highest monthly take-home pay at NT$65,728, while workers at financial and insurance companies enjoyed the highest total wages at NT$84,405, aided by the distribution of bonuses, the agency said. People worked an average of 168 hours in June, an increase of 5.4 hours from one month earlier, the agency said. Overtime pay averaged NT$1,675, a drop of 2.73 percent from May, it said. For the first six months of this year, average take-home pay advanced 1.47 percent to NT$42,277 per month, while total wages increased 1.03 percent to NT$57,505 per month, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2020 16:00 UTC
Pollution laws not strict enough: groups
Pollution laws not strict enough: groupsBy Hsieh Chun-lin / Staff reporterLawmakers and environmental groups yesterday called for more stringent monitoring and control of industrial hazardous waste at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, saying that pollution has affected Taiwan’s food safety and people’s health. Last year, there were 19.84 million tonnes of industrial waste in Taiwan, environmental groups said, citing results of an investigation. That did not include “construction surplus of sand and gravel materials” and soil already deemed polluted, they said. A report also indicated that 84 percent of industrial hazardous waste was only superficially treated and has turned up relabeled as a different product, they added. The actual number and amount of waste are much, much more than those that have been reported,” Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2020 16:00 UTC
Sea turtles return safely to ocean
Sea turtles return safely to oceanRARE OCCURRENCE: Most sea turtles go to beaches in Siaoliouciou, Orchid Island or Penghu to lay their eggs, and do not often visit Dawan Beach, a veterinarian saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTwenty-four baby sea turtles on Sunday night safely returned to the ocean at Kenting National Park’s Dawan Beach with help from government workers and National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium veterinarians. This was the second time since 2017 that baby sea turtles were found in Kenting National Park. Most turtles lay their eggs at beaches on Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球), Penghu and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), he said. “It is exciting to know that sea turtles have returned to the Hengchun Peninsula again to lay their eggs. “We will also speak with hotels about dimming their lights so that baby sea turtles would not go astray.”“Beach visitors should refill the sandpits before they take off and leave no items behind to facilitate the sea turtles’ trips to the beach,” Lee added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2020 15:56 UTC
DNA vaccine research is promising, NHRI says
DNA vaccine research is promising, NHRI saysBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) yesterday said that tests of its DNA vaccine against COVID-19 on hamsters was promising, with clinical trials likely to start later this year. The institute on July 1 chose the DNA vaccine among its four vaccine development platforms as its main focus and started animal testing, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology director Liao Ching-len (廖經倫) said. “The vaccine has shown the effect of significantly reducing the viral load and decreasing the damage that the virus caused to the lungs” of hamsters, he said. From left, National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) Bioproduction Plants Facility director Liu Shih-jen, Enimmune Corp director Lee Tsung-dao, NHRI Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology director Liao Ching-len and deputy director Chen Hsin-wei attend a news conference yesterday at the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taipei. Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times“With the DNA vaccine, we deliver genetic information [a plasmid containing the DNA sequence encoding the antigens against COVID-19] into the human body, and when it enters the cells, the cells produce spike proteins,” Liao said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lee Teng-hui and independence
Lee Teng-hui and independenceBy Michael Lin 林正二In late 2015, ahead of the January 2016 presidential and legislative elections, then-Tainan mayor William Lai (賴清德) announced that he supported Taiwanese independence. Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) — who passed away on July 30 — responded by saying that if Taiwan sought independence, China would probably send the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to attack Taiwan. Lee also emphasized that he had never said Taiwan should seek independence, because it is already independent. However, halfway through the chat, Herschensohn suddenly asked Lee about his Taiwanese independence strategy, which stupefied Lee. Perhaps that was why Lee was so displeased with having a foreign guest asking him about his Taiwan independence strategy.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 16:03 UTC
TaiMed returns to profit on Trogarzo sales
TaiMed returns to profit on Trogarzo salesFRIENDLY BOOST: TaiMed received a bump as the share price of Montreal-based Theratechnologies, of which TaiMed holds 2.3 million shares, surged last quarterBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterTaiMed Biologics Inc (中裕新藥) swung into profit in the second quarter on rising sales of its Trogarzo HIV treatment in the US, improving gross margin and recovering value of its financial assets, the company said on Friday. Net profit in the second quarter was NT$30.42 million (US$1.03 million), compared with a net loss of NT$83.57 million a year earlier, the company said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Trogarzo is a fourth-line treatment and is not often recommended to patients unless they have already tried the initial or second-line treatments, the company said. The company’s gross margin increased to 42 percent in the second quarter, from 17 percent a year earlier, as its contract manufacturer, China-based WuXi Biologics Co (無錫生物製藥), improved its production procedures, he said. The company would delay its plan to market Trogarzo in Germany later this quarter, depending on the situation of the outbreak, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Control Yuan probing fishery abuse complaints
Control Yuan probing fishery abuse complaintsGREENPEACE REPORT: A December 2019 report raised questions about the actions, or lack of them, by local agencies, two Control Yuan members have saidStaff writer, with CNATwo Control Yuan members have announced an investigation into government agencies for alleged leniency toward two Taiwanese-owned fishing boats accused of abusive labor practices toward migrant fishermen. The entrance to the Control Yuan in Taipei is pictured on June 17. Greenpeace Southeast Asia said the companies and individuals linked to the vessels named in the complaints had denied inhumane treatment of crews. It “does not tolerate the occurrence of violence and physical abuse aboard fishing vessels, and in the event any abuse or violence involving human trafficking is reported, the Fisheries Agency of Taiwan will forward such cases to the prosecutors’ office with jurisdiction. They said they had been treated inhumanely while at sea, echoing the situation described in the December report.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT wants point person for issues over constitution
KMT wants point person for issues over constitutionBy Shih Hsiao-kuang / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has reportedly tapped caucus secretary-general Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) to serve as its spokesperson for issues related to constitutional amendments. While Lin and some other KMT lawmakers have expressed support for abolishing the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan, most KMT members oppose the move, the sources said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Cheng Li-wun speaks at the legislature in Taipei on March 27. KMT hardliners have doubts about abolishing the branches, as they were established in accordance with Sun Yat-sen’s (孫逸仙) “five branches” ideal, they added. The KMT’s draft constitutional amendments would be unveiled after the legislature officially forms a “constitutional amendment committee” in the next legislative session, they said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Japanese delegation led by Yoshiro Mori visits Lee Teng-hui memorial
Japanese delegation led by Yoshiro Mori visits Lee Teng-hui memorialBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA Japanese delegation of parliamentarians from across party lines, led by former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, yesterday paid their respects to the late former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) at a memorial at the Taipei Guest House. The Japanese delegation arrived at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) on a chartered plane at 2:35pm yesterday. Former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori speaks in front of the Taipei Guest House yesterday where a memorial to the late president Lee Teng-hui is being held. Lee Teng-hui made many contributions to international society, and while Japanese lacked confidence after World War II, he always encouraged them to be courageous and proud, Mori said. During his 12-year presidency and after he left office, Lee Teng-hui always promoted better understanding between Taiwan and Japan, building the friendship between the two nations, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
Public concerned about youth crime
A slide is shown during a news conference hosted by the Professor Huang Kun-Huei Education Foundation in Taipei yesterday. Teenagers experiencing negative peer pressure in school, and frustration with coursework and teachers were seen as factors that could lead to teenage delinquency. Asked which preventive measure schools should take, 76.2 percent of the respondents said that schools should help develop students’ interest in learning. Nearly 72 percent said that schools should nurture positive attitudes, while 60.3 percent said schools should teach teenagers how to control their emotions. However, 76 percent still saw teenage delinquency as a serious issue, compared with 80 to 90 percent in the past, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 15:56 UTC
US begins highest-level visit in decades
Azar’s flight landed at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) at 4:48pm, nearly one hour earlier than scheduled, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The apron where it landed is reserved for military aircraft, the Songshan Air Force Base Command said. A US government plane carrying US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and his delegation lands at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) yesterday. On Wednesday, he would visit the Taipei Guest House to pay respects to the late former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) before departing Taiwan, the source said. According to the US’ Presidential Succession Act, an HHS secretary is placed ahead of the US secretary of energy.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2020 15:56 UTC