Formosat-3 retired after 14 years
The six-satellite Formosat-3 constellation was launched on April 15, 2006, atop a Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket that carried the Formosat-3/COSMIC satellite constellation is pictured in an undated photograph; the constellation is to be officially retired today after 14 years of service. Despite generating a relatively small volume of data — about 2 to 3 percent of all data used in weather forecasting — Formosat-3 contributed to reducing forecast errors by 10 percent, the ECMWF said. “As of Monday last week, there are 4,551 registered community users from 92 nations that used the data,” the NSPO said. The Formosat-7 constellation, which is also comprised of six satellites, was launched on June 25 last year.
Source:Taipei Times
April 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Youth rights groups call on officials to boost labor safety
Virus Outbreak: Youth rights groups call on officials to boost labor safetyBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterYouth rights advocates yesterday called on the central government to offer better labor protection to workers who are recent graduates or still in school, saying that they should not be forgotten as International Workers’ Day is celebrated today. A survey of 727 workers aged 24 and younger, conducted from Thursday last week to Tuesday, was released yesterday by the Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare. Youth rights advocates yesterday hold a news conference in Taipei to present the results of a survey by the Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said that they did not know what government relief measures are in place for workers aged 24 and younger. Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) urged the government to better educate young people about their labor rights, saying that part-time jobs, which many young people take on, are different than full-time jobs.
Source:Taipei Times
April 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
CAL, EVA shares extend relief loan-linked rallies
CAL, EVA shares extend relief loan-linked ralliesLIMITED-USE: State-run banks are to provide loans of NT$20 billion to both airlines, which can only use the funds to cover operational expenses such as salariesBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterChina Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) shares yesterday continued their rally for a fourth day as the market welcomed news this week that the two airlines were each approved to receive relief loans of NT$20 billion (US$671.1 million). CAL gained 1.6 percent to NT$8.25 and EVA rose 1.77 percent to NT$11.5 in Taipei trading. However, CAL and EVA have this year seen their shares plunge about 20 percent and 25 percent respectively, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed, as the COVID-19 pandemic has slashed demand for travel. UNI Airways is a subsidiary of EVA, while Mandarin Airlines is a unit of CAL. In establishing the relief scheme for airlines, the government set strict rules on how the funds can be used, with CAL and EVA saying that they would comply with the regulations.
Source:Taipei Times
April 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
Rail police killer accused acquitted by Chiayi court
Rail police killer accused acquitted by Chiayi courtBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe man charged in the slaying of a railway police officer last year was acquitted of murder by the Chiayi District Court yesterday, with judges saying that the suspect, surnamed Cheng (鄭), had a mental disorder. The parents of Lee Cheng-han (李承翰), the 25-year-old railway officer killed in July last year, were at the court. Photo: CNA“My son was killed in the line of his duty as a police officer and the court gave a not guilty ruling,” he said. When the train arrived at Chiayi Station, Lee Cheng-han boarded the car to try and remove him. Lee sacrificed his life to protect passengers, but the Chiayi District Court ruled that the perpetrator is not guilty and granted bail of NT$500,000,” it said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 30, 2020 15:56 UTC
Subsidies target base stations in remote areas
Subsidies target base stations in remote areasBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe government plans to budget NT$390 million (US$13.02 million) in subsidies to telecoms building base stations along more than 100 backcountry hiking trails, near several large mountain huts and along the South Link Line, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday. Construction costs are expected to reach NT$180 million and no fund had previously covered building telecom infrastructure in these areas. The South Link Line, part of the nation’s mass transportation system, has a few railway stations in mountainous areas that need base stations, Cheng said. The government subsidies — to be funded by the Executive Yuan’s Secondary Reserve Fund — would cover 49 percent of the cost of building the base stations, Cheng said. The commission aims to add reception to the mountainous areas and improve reception along the South Link Line by the end of this year, Cheng said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
EPA warns power firms on dumping used solar panels
EPA warns power firms on dumping used solar panelsGOING SOLAR: Energy developers have to obtain a registration number for each panel and pay a recycling fee before installing the unitBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterSolar power developers are required to pay recycling fees for installing solar panels, and those caught illegally dumping panels would face a fine of up to NT$3 million (US$100,164), the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday. The EPA has, in cooperation with the Bureau of Energy, set up a recycling system for solar panel waste, EPA Department of Waste Management Director-General Lai Ying-ying (賴瑩瑩) told a news conference in Taipei. The system was established to prevent heavy metal pollution caused by decommissioned photovoltaic panels and to foster a circular economy within the solar power industry, she said. To handle used panels, developers have to file an application with the EPA’s online solar panel recycling system, and the Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association would help recycle them, Lai said. The EPA last month helped recycle 50 solar panels decommissioned from an energy installation site in Penghu County, where solar panels are more easily eroded due to salty and humid conditions.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Lawmakers call for more tests of crowd control app
However, the changes have drawn criticism from local government officials since they were announced. The app was upgraded to help control the number of people at attractions during a long weekend, the ministry said. It displays crowd levels in green, yellow and red — normal, slightly more crowded than normal and crowded respectively, it added. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that the center sent crowd warning text messages to visitors at 11 attractions during the four-day Tomb Sweeping Day weekend earlier this month. Chunghwa Telecom has been asked to revise the parameters before the holiday, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwanese expats in the UK in the time of COVID-19
Taiwanese expats in the UK in the time of COVID-19Racism, empty shelves and purchasing good quality face masks are some of the difficulties experienced by overseas TaiwaneseBy Jean-Baptiste Andrieux / Contributing reporter in LONDONSince the appearance of COVID-19, Taiwanese expats living in the United Kingdom have had to face their share of adverse situations. “I was wearing a face mask on my way to do my grocery shopping when a man approached me quietly and shouted ‘virus’ in my face. Photo: APEven finding a face mask of a good standard has nonetheless proven to be difficult in the UK, and scams are plentiful. “I could find face masks online, but for an expensive price,” said Yu Chi-yi (余治儀), a student at King’s College in London. Photo: AFPSimilarly, it has become more and more complicated to purchase Taiwanese food in the UK.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Prototype of new ventilator set to be built: minister
Virus Outbreak: Prototype of new ventilator set to be built: ministerBy Natasha Li / Staff reporterLocal medical equipment suppliers are soon to build a prototype of a ventilator to treat COVID-19 patients, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said yesterday. Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin speaks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee in Taipei yesterday. Taiwanese manufacturers mainly produce positive-pressure ventilators for people with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, while ventilators for critically ill patients are imported. “Our engineers are working on building a prototype along with local companies specializing in machinery sensors and components, as well as systems integration,” an institute official told the Taipei Times by telephone. The institute expects to hold a news conference next week to showcase the prototype, the official said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Ministry drops delinquent political parties from list
Ministry drops delinquent political parties from listBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAPolitical parties delinquent in filing documents mandated under the Political Parties Act (政黨法) have had their registration information removed from the Ministry of the Interior’s records. Dissolved on Tuesday, the 171 political parties — including the Trees Party, the Faith and Hope League, and the Zhonghua Social Democratic Party — began yesterday to receive notification of their disbandment. The emblem of the Ministry of the Interior is pictured at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Huang Hsin-po, Taipei TimesThe ministry added that it would appoint an official for parties unable to agree on one. Forty-two political groups — including the National Women’s League — failed to submit the documents needed to become a political party, so they were also dissolved on Tuesday, the ministry added.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Ko apologizes for ineffective safety inspections
“We are not only apologizing, we also feel ashamed,” Ko said at a meeting of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Taipei City Council caucus. Cashbox had previously passed 20 fire safety inspections, but four of its six branches in Taipei failed an unscheduled inspection after the incident, he said. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, left, yesterday bows at a meeting of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Taipei City Council caucus to apologize for the ineffectiveness of the city government’s fire safety inspections. Five fire protection systems in the building were found to have been turned off before the incident and four other Cashbox branches failed the city’s unscheduled fire safety inspections on Monday, officials said. Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said that the city government would complete fire safety inspections of 70 enclosed recreational spaces in the city by tomorrow, as well as re-examine related fire safety regulations.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Academia Sinica members raise citizenship issue
Academia Sinica members raise citizenship issueBy Chien Hui-ju and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAt least 10 Academia Sinica members are Chinese nationals who do not possess Republic of China (ROC) citizenship, researchers at the institution said yesterday, calling for staffing rules to be amended. Academia Sinica members are peer-elected and any changes to the institution’s regulations must be decided by a meeting of all of its fellows, it said in a statement. The name and emblem of Academia Sinica at the entrance of the institution are pictured in Taipei’s Nangang District on Tuesday. A former Academia Sinica member from China was only permitted to be a visiting foreign scholar at Beijing’s Chinese Academy of Sciences after he gave up his Chinese citizenship for US citizenship, Lin said, but added that Academia Sinica permitted him to remain a fellow, despite the change in citizenship. The example shows that Academia Sinica does not follow normal international practice regarding academic posts, Lin added.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
‘Dark forces’ behind Lam attack: Chao
‘Dark forces’ behind Lam attack: ChaoNATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE: Attacks against advocates of democracy would happen again if the masterminds are not identified, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin saidBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) yesterday called on law enforcement authorities to treat the recent paint attack on Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), a former co-owner of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books, as a national security matter. The dark forces behind them will continue to operate from abroad, out of reach of our laws, and they will continue to pose a danger to democracy activists,” he said. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin, left, and former Causeway Bay Books co-owner Lam Wing-kei talk to reporters at Chao’s legislative office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesChao invited Lam to attend yesterday’s briefing, along with Criminal Investigation Bureau Deputy Commissioner Liao Hsun-cheng (廖訓誠) and officials from the National Security Bureau’s (NSB) Third Department. Chao said that Lam was not the only Hong Konger to be attacked in the past few years.
Source:Taipei Times
April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Medigen obtains EU certification
Given the shortage of coronavirus testing kits, foreign buyers have shown an interest in the firm’s products, he said, adding that Medigen’s local plant has produced some kits. Medigen’s diagnostic reagent was the latest to obtain the certification, after products manufactured by GeneReach Biotechnology Corp (瑞基海洋) and General Biologicals Corp (普生). Like the other companies’ products, Medigen’s reagent gives results in about 80 minutes, with an accuracy rate of 95 percent, Lee said. As some people infected with COVID-19 have shown false negatives, the public has questioned the accuracy of the testing kits that are available. “The false negatives are not the result of a failure on the part of the testing kits, as most medical devices are sensitive and accurate.
Source:Taipei Times
April 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
Vanguard profit down due to new fab
Net profit was NT$1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of last year. Despite the quarterly decline, net profit rose 6.4 percent annually from NT$1.39 billion. The chipmaker said that it aims to limit the new fab’s erosion of its gross margin to within 5 percentage points this year. “At the moment, we still see our customers showing very strong demand through the second quarter,” Vanguard chairman Fang Leuh (方略) told investors during a teleconference. “We have two months of [order] visibility until the end of the second quarter,” Fang said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 28, 2020 15:56 UTC