Chu hopes the KMT, CCP will seek common ground
Chu hopes the KMT, CCP will seek common groundRESPONDING TO XI: The DPP’s ‘anti-China’ policy has changed the ‘status quo’ across the Taiwan Strait and caused alarm on both sides, the KMT chairman-elect saidBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said he hopes the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will seek common ground and respect differences on the basis of the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence. Chu made the remarks in response to a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) written in his capacity as general secretary of the CCP Central Committee on the occasion of Chu’s election as KMT chairman on Saturday. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Eric Chu speaks to reporters in Taoyuan yesterday. Chu said he hopes that the KMT and the CCP will, on the basis of the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, seek common ground and respect differences, increase mutual trust, and bolster exchanges and cooperation so that the peaceful development of cross-strait relations can continue. Chu is expected to be sworn in as KMT chairman on the same day as the party’s National Congress, which is scheduled to convene on Oct. 30, according to the KMT’s charter.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Usyk dethrones Joshua, claiming titles
Usyk dethrones Joshua, claiming titlesOUTCLASSED: Despite lacking height, weight and reach advantages, Oleksandr Usyk proved too elusive for Anthony Joshua and landed much cleaner punchesReuters, LONDONUkraine’s Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday dethroned world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in his own backyard, with a stunning display that led to a unanimous decision in front of a sellout crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Oleksandr Usyk defeats Anthony Joshua for the WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles in their bout at the Totteham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday. He is only the third cruiserweight world champion to step up a weight and become the heavyweight world champion since Evander Holyfield and David Haye. Constantly on the move, Usyk rocked Joshua in the third round with a powerful left hand. “Congratulations to Oleksandr Usyk.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
German election too close to call: polls
Recent polls point to a neck-and-neck race between Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democrats, with the latter marginally ahead. The polls show the Greens, making their first bid for the chancellorship, in third place after a campaign in which all three have held the lead. That set up the first election since West Germany’s initial vote in 1949 in which there is no incumbent chancellor seeking re-election. Whoever finishes first is expected to get a historically low share of the vote, with polls showing no party expected to get 30 percent support. When the CDU and the Greens chose their candidates this spring, the election was widely expected to be a race between the two.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 16:02 UTC
NBA denies Andrew Wiggins vaccination exemption
NBA denies Andrew Wiggins vaccination exemptionAP, GREENBURGH, New YorkThe NBA on Friday denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for a COVID-19 vaccination exemption, leaving the Golden State Warriors swingman ineligible to play home games until he meets San Francisco’s vaccination requirement. Wiggins is one of the highest-profile NBA players to publicly say that he will not take the vaccine. Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, top, defends against Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant during their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco on May 21. “The NBA has reviewed and denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for religious exemption from the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s order requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all participants age 12 and older at large indoor events,” the league said in a statement. “I’m proud to say that our organization — players, coaches and staff — are 100 percent vaccinated,” Knicks general manager Scott Perry said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
DPP marks 35 years with book on party’s founding
DPP marks 35 years with book on party’s founding‘TENSE ATMOSPHERE’: Those present at the book launch recalled fears at the founding meeting, while celebrating photographer Chiu Wan-hsing’s tribute to the partyBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterSenior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members gathered in Taipei yesterday to launch a book on the party’s early history. “We must never forget the DPP’s original spirit and the party’s founding principles. President Tsai Ing-wen, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson, speaks at yesterday’s launch in Taipei of photographer Chiu Wan-hsing’s book Taiwan’s Defiant Years: the Rise of the DPP 1986-1987. Several DPP founding members attended the event, including Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), former Taipei county commissioner You Ching (尤清) and former DPP chairman Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文). It was urgent to announce the party’s founding to the world, he said, adding that it was crucial that foreign media reported the event.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Liverpool’s Klopp wants ‘solution’ to quarantine row
Liverpool’s Klopp wants ‘solution’ to quarantine rowAFP, LONDONLiverpool manager Juergen Klopp on Friday demanded “some kind of solution” to prevent another club versus country row over COVID-19 quarantine rules for qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. Eight Brazilian Premier League players — including Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Fabinho — were called-up by Brazil coach Tite for the next round of qualifiers for next year’s global tournament. Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball during their Premier League match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, yesterday. “There must be a solution, because we cannot just leave it like this and say it’s not a problem,” Klopp said. In early games in the Premier League yesterday, Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, while Aston Villa beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Donation of 500,000 shots arrives from Japan: CECC
Donation of 500,000 shots arrives from Japan: CECCBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA fifth shipment of COVID-19 vaccines donated by Japan arrived in Taiwan yesterday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said, as it reported no new local infections or deaths, but five imported cases. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the batch of 500,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at noon. Customs inspectors stand by at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday as workers unload a batch of 500,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by Japan. On Friday, 259,781 vaccine doses were administered, bringing the nation’s first-dose coverage rate to 51.49 percent, Chen said. As of Friday, 12,075,243 people had received a first dose of a vaccine, and 2,067,218 had received two doses, CECC data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Researchers look to frogs to create anti-barnacle film
Researchers look to frogs to create anti-barnacle filmBy Su Meng-chuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerA research team at National Chung Hsing University has developed a substance inspired by frog skin to prevent biofouling on ships and offshore equipment. Some biofouling substances can damage precision electronic equipment if they seep inside a ship, he said. Observing frog skin magnified 30,000 times, the team saw that there were dots and grooves on the skin that helped store a lubricant, which frogs secrete on their skin, he said. The team determined that frogs were unaffected by algae or other biofouling substances in the water because of these microscopic orifices that store a lubricant that kept the substances off their skin, Hsueh said. Using polymeric synthesis technology, the team created a film with microscopic wrinkles and injected silicone into tiny artificially created holes simulating the frogs’ skin, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Dow, S&P 500 rise after bumpy week
Dow, S&P 500 rise after bumpy weekBALANCING ACT: Facebook gained 2% and Tesla rose 2.7%, lifting the two indices and outweighing the 6.3% decline Nike posted after it reduced its full-year sales estimateReutersThe Dow and S&P 500 on Friday edged higher and ended a turbulent week with slight increases, helped by gains in Tesla Inc and Facebook Inc that offset a tumble by Nike Inc. On the flip side, Facebook climbed 2 percent and Tesla rose 2.7 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 33.18 points, or 0.1 percent, to 34,798, the S&P 500 gained 6.5 points, or 0.15 percent, to 4,455.48 and the NASDAQ Composite dropped 4.54 points, or 0.03 percent, to 15,047.7. For the week, the Dow was up 0.62 percent, the S&P 500 gained 0.51 percent and the NASDAQ gained 0.02 percent. The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and six new lows, while the NASDAQ Composite recorded 82 new highs and 73 new lows.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Court upholds right to change gender on registration
Court upholds right to change gender on registrationSTANDARDS MET: The court ruled that a transgender woman met the qualifications to change her gender in her household registration without undergoing surgeryBy Wen Yu-te and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of a transgender woman in mandating that a household registration office in Taoyuan process her request to be registered as female. The plaintiff, surnamed Chiang (江), filed with the Dasi Household Registration Office in October 2019 to change her registered gender from male to female, but the office denied the request. It cited a Ministry of the Interior notice that said that Chiang failed to meet two prerequisites to change her gender: be diagnosed by two psychiatrists as identifying with the gender to which they wish to change and undergo surgery to remove genitalia of their birth gender. The court ruling said that in accordance with previous Council of Grand Justices interpretations, the rights of personality, health, privacy and body are all protected by the Constitution. The court recommended that the legislature pass new legislation to ensure that the right to gender identification is protected, as the ministry directive could be applied by other household registration offices when dealing with similar cases in the future.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Thousands of student files lost in error
Thousands of student files lost in errorCOSTLY TECH FAILURE: More than 25,000 files for nearly 8,000 students from 81 schools were lost when system administrators updated a server, the Ministry of Education saidBy Rachel Lin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe academic records of 7,854 high-school students have been lost due to a hard-drive failure, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The records were being stored at National Chi Nan University, which was commissioned by the ministry’s K-12 Education Administration to host a computer server of student portfolios that universities could access to evaluate their applications. An entrance to the Ministry of Education in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei TimesSystem administrators discovered that files were missing when rebooting the system, the ministry said, adding that 25,210 files for 7,854 students from 81 schools were lost. Students with their own copies of the missing files should re-upload them as soon as possible, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
US dollar climbs due to uncertainty about Evergrande
US dollar climbs due to uncertainty about EvergrandeReuters, NEW YORKThe US dollar rose on Friday and posted its third straight week of gains against a basket of major currencies, as uncertainty over beleaguered property developer China Evergrande Group (恆大集團) helped the greenback bounce back from a sharp decline in the prior session. The offshore Chinese yuan weakened versus the greenback to yuan 6.4641 per dollar. The US dollar index rose 0.237 percent, with the euro down 0.2 percent at US$1.1713. NEW TAIWAN DOLLARThe New Taiwan dollar rose against the US dollar, gaining NT$0.042 to close at NT$27.731, up a slight 0.02 percent from NT$27.736 a week earlier. The Japanese yen weakened 0.43 percent to ￥110.77 versus the greenback, while Sterling declined 0.36 percent to US$1.3676.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Oil advances for fifth straight week
Oil advances for fifth straight weekBloombergOil rose for a fifth straight week with the global energy crunch set to boost demand for crude as stockpiles decline from the US to China. West Texas Intermediate for November delivery gained 0.93 percent to US$73.98 a barrel, up 2.79 percent from a week earlier. The surge in natural gas prices is expected to force some consumers to switch to oil, tightening the market further ahead of the northern hemisphere winter. Various underlying oil market gauges are also pointing to an improving market. Money managers increased their bullish ICE Brent bets positions to the most in six months, indicating many believe there is yet more room for crude prices to climb.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Dodgers keep pace in NL West race
Dodgers keep pace in NL West raceGAME CHANGER: Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that without the diving play of Chris Taylor in the outfield, ‘it’s a different inning and a different game’AP, PHOENIX, ArizonaA.J. Pollock on Friday hit a two-run homer, while Chris Taylor robbed a pair of potential extra-base hits on defense in the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers kept pace in the National League West race by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2. Corey Seager, right, and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers are congratulated by teammates following their win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday. The Dodgers (99-55) remained one game behind the San Francisco Giants (100-54) with eight games left for both teams. Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder A.J.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Judge impeached on ethics count
Judge impeached on ethics countStaff writer, with CNAA Supreme Administrative Court judge has been impeached for failing to recuse himself from a case in which a company owned by a business acquaintance of his was the plaintiff in a contract dispute against the government. The Control Yuan said its members voted nine to two on Sept. 14 to impeach Judge Cheng Shiao-kang (鄭小康), who had presided over the case brought by businessman Wong Maw-jang’s (翁茂鍾) company I-Hwa Industrial Co in 2008. Investigators learned that Cheng had dined with Wong at least three times before the judge was assigned to the I-Hwa case, and he had accepted four shirts as gifts, the Control Yuan said. Following the Judicial Yuan investigation of Shih, the findings on Cheng’s involvement with Wong were provided in April to the government watchdog, the statement said. The impeachment case will next be sent to the Disciplinary Court, which in June began hearing Shih’s trial.
Source:Taipei Times
September 25, 2021 15:56 UTC