Virus Outbreak: Virus causes sharp drop in China pollution: NASA
AFP, WASHINGTONNASA satellite images show a dramatic fall in pollution over China that is “partly related” to the economic slowdown due to a novel coronavirus outbreak, the US space agency said. The reduction in nitrogen dioxide pollution was first noticed near Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but eventually spread across China, according to NASA scientists who examined data collected by their and European Space Agency satellites. Nitrogen dioxide is a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion in vehicles and power plants, and can cause respiratory problems, such as asthma. The 2008 global financial crisis saw a decrease in nitrogen dioxide over several countries, but it was a gradual fall, she said. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations over eastern and central China were 10 to 30 percent lower than what is normally observed over the time period.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Israelis go to polls for a third time
BloombergIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Benny Gantz yesterday headed to their third match-up in less than a year, as Israelis burdened by election fatigue and political paralysis looked grimly at polls forecasting another deadlock. Two major developments have rippled through the body politic since Israelis last cast ballots in September. While these moves could have far-reaching implications, polls suggest they have not tilted the contest toward a clearcut verdict. Netanyahu built momentum in the last two weeks of the campaign, and his Likud party overtook Gantz’s Blue and White in polls after consistently trailing before. If the polls are borne out, then the fulcrum would shift to coalition negotiations that did not end the impasse in the previous two rounds of voting.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Netanyahu says accusations of bigotry ‘outrageous’
AFP, WASHINGTONIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appeared to criticize US Senator Bernie Sanders, whose boycott of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has laid bare divisions among Democrats. “We don’t want Sanders at AIPAC. The map of Israel will change, the future of Israel will change, and it will change for the better,” Netanyahu said. Ex-military chief Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s rival in the election, did not mention Sanders in his own remarks by satellite to AIPAC, but vowed to rebuild support for Israel in the US. That is the Israel we know; that is the Israel we need,” Gantz said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Global brands accused of using forced labor in China
Top global brands, such as Apple, BMW and Sony, have been accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labor, an explosive allegation that could reverberate in boardrooms across the world. “Uighurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors,” the think tank said. “Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labor under a state-sponsored labor transfer scheme that is tainting the global supply chain,” it said. “Companies using forced Uighur labor in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labor or mandate disclosure of forced labor supply chain risks,” the report said. ‘SURPLUS’ LABOROfficially, the Chinese government has said it is transferring “surplus” Xinjiang labor to other regions in the name of poverty alleviation.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Pakistan’s digital warrior battling the patriarchy
AFP, LAHORE, PakistanWith her flashing rings, green-streaked hair and “Hack the patriarchy” laptop stickers, Nighat Dad is a digital warrior. Advocates have denounced pervasive, sometimes deadly violence by men — usually male relatives — against women who break those taboos. Dad formed the Digital Rights Foundation, a think tank tackling digital rights through a gender lens, in 2012, winning her recognition as one of Time magazine’s next-generation leaders in 2015 and a Human Rights Tulip award in 2016. Callers range from celebrities to poor women in deeply conservative areas whose male relatives do not allow them to leave their homes. Now the helpline survives only by the grace of small grants from groups such as the Netherlands-based Digital Defenders Partnership, which supports rights advocates.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Some would rather speak English with you
It is widely taken for granted that people in Taiwan speak Mandarin. Suppose a foreigner and a Taiwanese both speak English and Mandarin. I have heard foreigners asking: “Why do Taiwanese speak English to me while I speak Mandarin?”They have a point, certainly. According to that view, Taiwanese who prefer to speak English with Westerners who can speak Mandarin on Taiwan’s soil seem to lack cultural self-esteem. So speaking English is totally fine.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
EDITORIAL: NHI rule on Chinese needs fixing
The COVID-19 outbreak in China has renewed the debate over whether Chinese should be allowed to use the National Health Insurance (NHI) system. It also means that Chinese enjoy the same healthcare benefits as Taiwanese as long as they are given a residency certificate for visiting their Taiwanese step-parent. According to statistics compiled by the National Health Insurance Administration, about 63,000 Chinese benefited from the rule change in 2015, which in turn increased NHI expenditure by NT$31.5 million (US$1.05 million at the current exchange rate). Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) recommended amending the act to raise the NHI premiums for those who do not live in the nation for at least 183 days annually. The proposals to rectify the problem deserve praise, but with the DPP having been the ruling party for almost four years, such calls are long overdue.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Minstry to give shopping districts NT$100m boost
By Natasha Li / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday revealed a NT$100 million (US$3.32 million) budget to improve infrastructure in shopping districts nationwide as it looks to stimulate the local economy amid a COVID-19 outbreak. “Put it this way, the coronavirus is providing us with a unique opportunity where shopping districts can take advantage of the current lull in business to shape up,” Small and Medium Enterprise Administration Director-General Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) told the Taipei Times by telephone. The NT$100 million budget would be mainly spent on upgrading existing public infrastructure within 20 selected shopping districts across the nation, Ho said. “Shopping districts should also focus on implementing more environmentally friendly facilities and equipment,” he added. While the ministry is still discussing the exact criteria, shopping districts that wish to participate would each have to submit a project plan for approval, Ho said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Penghu’s Cimei Township wants to impose visitor fee to deal with trash
By Liu Yu-ching and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerFollowing a record number of tourists last year, Penghu County’s Cimei Township (七美) plans to charge visitors a fee to help combat record amounts of trash and alleviate its soaring disposal costs. The township, famous for the Twin-Hearts Fish Trap (雙心石滬), said it plans to impose fees on tourist ferries after becoming one of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations, although such a move is at least a year away. The proposal still has to be reviewed by the township council, and, if passed, would provide a notice period for ferry operators, but the earliest it could be imposed would be next year, he added. However, some tourism operators criticized the idea, warning that it could reduce visitors. Nearly 700,000 to 800,000 people visited the Seven Beauties Tomb (七美人塚) in the township when the admission fee was NT$20 each, but fewer than 300,000 visited after the fee was raised to NT$30, the operators said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Taipei rejects Ko Wen-je COVID-19 online rumor
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Taipei City Government yesterday rejected a rumor that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has contracted COVID-19. Taipei City Government deputy spokeswoman Huang Ching-yin said that Ko had not been feeling well for two days, but he had not contracted COVID-19 and was not hospitalized. Ko said that his detractors and Chinese trolls had posted misleading remarks and spread a rumor that he had COVID-19. In other news, the city government said that a man who died on a street in Taipei on Sunday had not been quarantined. If a forensic pathologist suggests that the body be tested for COVID-19, specimens would be sent to the Central Epidemic Command Center, Chuang said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Experts urge separate work, class policies
As the summer is near, it is not a good idea for people to wear masks the whole day, college dean Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) said. Scientists in the US have found that the severity and contagiousness of COVID-19 is close to that of the 1968 influenza outbreak, Chan said. College vice dean Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said that people should embrace social distancing measures to slow COVID-19’s spread. Taiwan can help minimize the threat by applying social distancing as used in other countries, Chen said. The policy authorizes station personnel to cancel large events at stations and ban large groups.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Finance firms ready for coronavirus escalation
“If employees at one branch cannot work due to the outbreak, we will transfer staff from other branches to provide support. We cannot just shut down branches,” Teng said. CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控), Fubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控) and Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (新光金控) have implemented similar plans, the companies said. Shin Kong Financial, which is headquartered near Taipei Railway Station, has made a building in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) its second headquarters. CTBC Financial has not made specific plans for affected branches, but would comply with Central Epidemic Command Center instructions, Chiu said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Video celebrates the passion behind Chimei Museum
Shi made his wish come true when he founded the Chimei Museum in 1992 in his hometown, Tainan. In the video he recounts how the items he saw as a child piqued his fascination with collecting and made him determined to open a free museum of his own. In the film, Shi as a youngster is portrayed by a student from the same elementary school that he attended, and some scenes were filmed at the National Tainan Second Senior High School, which used to house the museum Shi loved as a child, the Chimei Museum said. The Chimei Museum is known for having the world’s largest collectionsof violins, as well as extensive weapons and sculpture collections, and deputy director Patricia Liao (廖婉如) said she is often asked why its collections are predominantly from Europe. The Chimei Museum has been open for 18 years, but hopefully the video will help the public realize its significance, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Travel agencies tipped to suffer
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Travel Quality Assurance Association yesterday estimated that about 500 travel agencies would be forced to suspend operations in the first half of this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Many travel agencies are already facing severe challenges caused by declining revenue due to the outbreak, Wu said. “Our conservative estimate is that more than 500 travel agencies would temporarily cease business in the first half,” she said. “At least 1,500 travel agencies might be forced to place their employees on furlough. The disputes put many travel agencies in a bind, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Global virus death toll tops 3,000 as EU raises alert
AFP, BRUSSELSThe death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic yesterday surpassed 3,000, as more people died in China, Iran and the US, and Europe raised its state of alert. China yesterday reported 42 more deaths — all in Hubei Province, where the pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in its capital, Wuhan. Iran yesterday reported 12 more deaths, raising the nation’s toll to 66, the second biggest after China. It also reported more than 500 new cases, raising its total number of infections to 1,501. South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, yesterday reported nearly 500 new cases, raising its total past 4,000.
Source:Taipei Times
March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC