US Congress members urge closer ties
US Representative Guy Reschenthaler on Thursday shared the letter on Twitter, showing that it was endorsed by 26 other Congress members. “US-Taiwan relations have never been more important. “Existing restrictions on various aspects of US-Taiwan relations, including those for travel, government-to-government meetings and media, are inconsistent with these principles and not required by the Taiwan Relations Act or relevant policies,” it said. Taiwan’s embassy in Paraguay would continue to communicate with senators to clarify their doubts about bilateral ties, Ou said. Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez has on multiple occasions voiced support for deepening bilateral ties, she said, adding that many bilateral projects for boosting Paraguayan civic life are conducted smoothly.
Source:Taipei Times
May 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Virus budget given NT$150bn top-up
Virus Outbreak: Virus budget given NT$150bn top-upBAILOUTS COMING: The increase would cover subsidies for affected companies’ operating costs, grants for needy households and programs to spur consumer spendingBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterWithout slashing a dollar, legislators yesterday passed a NT$150 billion (US$5.02 billion) increase to the Special Budget for COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Recovery. The budget increase — which builds on NT$60 billion in stimulus funding that was passed on Feb. 25 — is divided into two parts: NT$133.5 billion in relief funds and NT$16.5 billion for disease prevention. Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, right, bangs his gavel at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday to mark the passage of additional funds for the Special Budget for COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Recovery. Minister of Finance Su Jain-rong (蘇建榮) said in the explanation for the increase that it would be entirely sourced from borrowing. Several resolutions accompanying the budget increase were also passed.
Source:Taipei Times
May 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lawmakers call for restrictions on sale of wood contractors cut from city trees
Lawmakers call for restrictions on sale of wood contractors cut from city treesBy Wu Su-wei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew Power Party (NPP) Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) yesterday called for laws prohibiting the sale of wood obtained by contractors pruning urban trees. Chuang said that vendors buy wood to process into sawdust and are offering NT$1,600 to NT$2,300 per tonne, regardless of wood type. “I wonder if the aggressive pruning of trees nationwide could be considered illegally selling national property,” he said. Taipei City Tree Protection Committee member Ho Cheng-han (何承翰) said that government agencies view trees as just environmental aesthetics, and are prone to hire contractors at a minimal cost. Setting up storage for pruned wood would increase overhead costs for schools and other organizations, Lin said, adding that contracts should state how much wood should be removed.
Source:Taipei Times
May 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
Siemens eyes autonomous vehicles
Siemens eyes autonomous vehiclesBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterSiemens AG is collaborating with Taiwanese partners to conduct field trials for autonomous vehicles by the end of this year, as the German company aims to increase its foothold in the nation’s smart transportation sector. “Our colleagues are working with a local partner on an autonomous driving project,” Siemens Taiwan president and chief executive officer Erdal Elver said at a media briefing in Taipei on Tuesday. Siemens hopes to bring its Aimsun solution — traffic simulation and large-scale testing of path-planning algorithms for autonomous vehicles — to Taiwan, Elver said. Apart from autonomous vehicles, Siemens is also looking at business opportunities in the electric bus sector, Elver said. The company is also in discussions with a German automaker to supply electric charging solutions for sedans in Taiwan, Elver said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 08, 2020 15:56 UTC
First book of ‘Son of Formosa’ series hits the shelves
First book of ‘Son of Formosa’ series hits the shelvesBy Cheng Ming-hsiang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe first book of a biographical comic series titled Son of Formosa (來自清水的孩子) on Tsai Kun-lin (蔡焜霖), a political prisoner during the White Terror era, hit the shelves on Tuesday. Pages from the first book of a biographical comic series on Tsai Kun-lin, a political prisoner during the White Terror era, are pictured on Wednesday. Slowork Publisher president Huang Pei-shan (黃珮珊) said the company plans to release the second book next month, and complete the whole set by next year. White Terror-era political prisoner Tsai Kun-lin, center, illustrator Chou Chien-hsin, left, and National Taitung University professor Yu Pei-yun present a copy of the first book of a biographical comic series in Taipei on Wednesday. It is highly possible that the series could become popular internationally, Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
IDB approves 756 aid requests
IDB approves 756 aid requestsSTAYING AFLOAT: IDB has issued NT$734 million in subsidies to help companies pay wages last month for up to 33,957 employees, and it plans another NT$1.12 billionBy Natasha Li / Staff reporterThe Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) has approved 756 of 1,224 applications from companies seeking government subsidies due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it said yesterday. Of the approved applications, 280 are from base metal and machinery equipment makers, 188 are from consumer goods and chemical materials manufacturers, and 120 are from information and communication technology companies, IDB data showed. The remaining applications are from businesses across various sectors, such as design, tourism and knowledge-based industries. It is aimed at providing financial aid to businesses from the manufacturing and services sectors that are struggling with the effects of the pandemic. “After discussions with industry representatives, we have decided to maintain the 50 percent threshold while loosening certain criteria,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
AUO to spin off higher-margin display businesses
AUO to spin off higher-margin display businessesA NEW HOPE: Under the plan, the NT$386 million public information and general purpose displays groups would become Da Qing Corp, pending shareholder approvalBy Lisa Wang / Staff ReporterLCD panel maker AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) yesterday unveiled a plan to demerge its higher-margin public information and general purpose displays businesses, marking its first spin-off. Photo: Chen Mei-ying, Taipei TimesDa Qing would focus on sales, research and development, and customer service of general purpose and public information displays, AUO said in a statement. AUO said that the public information display products include displays for smart retail, transportation and education, as well as specialized industrial-grade displays for harsh environments, such as outdoors. Products developed by Da Qing would deliver higher profit margins than commodity-type panels and have longer life cycles, AUO said. Rival Innolux Corp (群創) had mapped out similar plans to spin off some businesses 18 months earlier, but the firm has not yet made significant progress.
Source:Taipei Times
May 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
Bridge uninspected since 2016: probe
With the aid of footage provided by Coast Guard Administration surveillance cameras, investigators established the sequence of the bridge collapse, the board said. 11, the bridge and the arch above it were visibly shaking, with the bridge beginning to drop slightly at 9:30:02am. At 9:30:03am, the west end of the bridge slid down the pier, followed by the east end of the bridge. Inspection records showed that the county government inspected the bridge seven times between 2000 and 2016, but none listed suspension cables or the anchor heads as must-check items. The bridge has not been inspected since it was turned over to the bureau on April 28, 2016, investigators found.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 16:00 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Virus dampens home-buying interest
Virus Outbreak: Virus dampens home-buying interestNEGATIVE SENTIMENT: Although the number of infections is low in Taiwan, people still refrained from making large purchases on concerns that the virus might persistBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterHousing transactions last month totaled 17,603 units in the six special municipalities, down 11.2 percent from one month earlier, as the coronavirus pandemic weighed on buying interest, analysts said. Transactions in Tainan slumped 10.8 percent to 1,697 units and weakened 9.8 percent to 3,314 units in Taoyuan. Taipei and New Taipei City were relatively resilient with declines of 6.9 percent and 5.3 percent to 2,241 and 4,591 deals respectively. The figures bucked the seasonal trend as the current quarter is normally a high season for the housing market, Hsieh said. The sentiment would erase a 2 percent annual gain in housing transactions in the first four months, Evertrust said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: TFCF gets NT$8m from Micron Technology, staff
Virus Outbreak: TFCF gets NT$8m from Micron Technology, staffBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterMicron Technology Taiwan and its employees donated NT$8 million (US$267,737.62) through the Micron Technology Foundation to the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) to help support underprivileged families during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fund said on Monday. The company’s matching gift program meant that contributions to the fund from more than 1,000 of its employees were doubled, the fund said. The donation was more than five times the NT$1.5 million goal the company set early last month when it launched a fundraising campaign. The painting symbolizes the COVID-19 pandemic as a nightmare. “As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, young children and their families remain especially vulnerable,” fund chief executive Betty Ho (何素秋) said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: CECC considers more spectators at CPBL games
Virus Outbreak: CECC considers more spectators at CPBL gamesBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported no new cases of COVID-19 and is mulling allowing a maximum of 1,000 spectators at CPBL games. The Rakuten Monkeys compete against the CTBC Brothers in a closed-door CPBL game at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium on Sunday. The CPBL on April 12 became the first professional baseball league in the world to start its season this year, with games being played behind closed doors. Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei TimesThe CPBL yesterday said it is hoping to allow spectators back into its stadiums as early as Friday. To mark World Hand Hygiene Day, officials at the center used paint to demonstrate how people should wash their hands.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Amendments to promote railway staff safety pass
Amendments to promote railway staff safety passBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterLawmakers yesterday passed proposed amendments to the Railway Act (鐵路法), including a provision that railway staff should be equipped with safety training and disease prevention skills. Apart from being tasked with disease prevention and safety response capabilities, railway staff should familiarize themselves with disease prevention or safety equipment used by rail operators, the amendment says. Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang bangs the gavel as lawmakers pass the third reading of amendments to the Railway Act at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Railway staff must comply with accident investigations by the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board, they say. The legislature also passed an article stipulating that products used on rail systems must be certified by institutes recognized by the ministry.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Han defends self against recall vote on June 6
Han defends self against recall vote on June 6Staff writer, with CNAKaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday defended himself against a recall vote that is scheduled to take place next month. Central Election Commission Chairman Lee Chin-yung makes an announcement about a recall vote against Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu at the commission’s offices in Taipei yesterday. The recall vote is to take place on June 6. A recall vote is to be held on June 6. The CEC plans to open 1,823 voting booths for the recall vote, but it has yet to find enough venues to do so, as many schools have been reluctant to provide space, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Appeals for donors from Taiwan Blood Services Foundation
Virus Outbreak: Appeals for donors from Taiwan Blood Services FoundationBy Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNAThe Taiwan Blood Services Foundation yesterday called on people to donate blood, as stocks for all types are low. Demand is highest in Taipei, with stocks of O, A, B and AB enough for between three and five days, foundation public relations director Li Lei (黎蕾) said. Some Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor (TTL) Corp giveaways are displayed at a news conference in Hsinchu County yesterday to promote a blood drive the Hsinchu Blood Center and the company are cosponsoring at Big City shopping mall on Saturday. The cancelation of blood drives has contributed to the shortage, although even when collection drives have been held, turnout has been low, she said. People should not worry about donation stations’ hygienic practices, as disinfection measures are fully implemented.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Center Laboratories to ‘unblind’ diabetes drug data
Center Laboratories to ‘unblind’ diabetes drug dataBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCenter Laboratories Inc (晟德大藥廠) yesterday said that it plans to “unblind” the data from the phase II clinical trial of its diabetes drug candidate CS02 in the second half of this year, after completing the “last patient’s last visit” late last month. The firm would collect and unblind the data to see if the experimental drug is safe and effective, general manager Robert Hsu (許瑞寶) told the Taipei Times by telephone. All of the enrolled patients were type 2 diabetes patients for whom the first-line treatment metformin proved ineffective, he said. Center Laboratories aims to market CS02 as a second-line treatment for people with type 2 diabetes, Hsu said. “We would focus on the two gauges for the time being, given that global regulators have not set official gauges for the assessment of type 2 diabetes patients,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
May 05, 2020 15:56 UTC