Weaker international oil market leads to price cut
By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterState-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday announced that it would lower gasoline prices by NT$0.8 per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.9 per liter, effective today. This is compared with hikes of NT$0.6 per liter for gasoline and NT$0.7 per liter for diesel on Monday last week. The price cuts reflect weak sentiment in the international crude oil market last week amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 outside of China, including Japan, South Korea and Italy, CPC said. Its average crude oil costs last week fell US$4.18 per barrel from the previous week’s US$56.91 to US$52.73 per barrel, the company said. It also announced price cuts for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products and left prices unchanged for liquefied natural gas items, effective today.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Joe Biden revives White House bid
“Just days ago the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead,” Biden told hundreds of supporters at a victory rally in the South Carolina capital, Columbia. “We have the option of winning big or losing big,” Biden added in a dig at Sanders’ prospects against Trump in November’s election. With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Biden had 48.4 percent to 20 percent for the 78-year-old Sanders. A victory in South Carolina, where African-Americans make up about 60 percent of the Democratic primary electorate, was seen as crucial to Biden’s hopes of reviving his flagging campaign. “The biggest question is whether this will slingshot Joe Biden into victory in some Super Tuesday states,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus outbreak: Migrant workers’ status not a top priority: ministers
“I disagree with the need to strengthen reporting of undocumented workers at present. Lin said that migrant workers’ legal status should not be a government priority in its efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and a complete disease-prevention system can only be built when all migrant workers, legal or not, receive adequate COVID-19 information. Focusing on reporting channels and punishment for undocumented migrant workers would only prompt them to go into hiding rather than pay attention to prevention promotions, creating more uncertainties, Lin said. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said the system would be able to check the employment or residency status of migrant workers who accompany their employers seeking care at hospitals. A total of 48,545 undocumented migrant workers were believed to be in the nation at the end of January, with 290 in detention centers, National Immigration Agency statistics showed.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Hau likens KMT reform to ripping up weeds
By Sherry Hsiao, Shih Hsiao-kuang and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) needs to be changed “from the root,” former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and former Taipei County commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) agreed yesterday. In the past, there was only “one voice” in the KMT — that of the chairperson, but the chairperson “is not a saint,” he said. “The party chairperson also makes mistakes.”With a collective leadership that considers multiple opinions, there would be “few chances of making mistakes,” he added. In an online interview on Saturday, Hau proposed the KMT post a representative to China. Only by embracing social media could the party better connect with the public, particularly younger people, Hau said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus highlights Taiwan’s expertise
As of Friday, China’s National Health Commission had confirmed 78,824 cases and 2,788 deaths from COVID-19, while Japan and South Korea have also seen a surge in confirmed cases, with countrywide totals of 214 and 2,022 respectively. The minister has also hosted news briefings almost every day to inform the public about the latest developments regarding the virus and the government’s plans to address it. Besides good governance, the high quality of Taiwan’s medical system is noteworthy. So far, only 39 cases of infection have been confirmed in Taiwan. After receiving medical treatment, five of them have recovered and have since been discharged from the hospital.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
For justice, truth must come out of hiding
Due to the impossibility of pursuing criminal liability, transitional justice must now restore the truth as far as possible for later generations to learn from. However, laws and regulations protecting classified information further aggravate the situation. It is also impossible to imagine what kind of national security information could be listed as “permanently classified.”The Legislative Yuan last year enacted the Political Archives Act (政治檔案條例) specifically to clear obstacles created by the Classified National Security Information Protection Act. This vague and ambiguous wording means that key evidence in the Lin family murders is sealed up for another 10 years. Exceptions of this kind are not much different from the permanent classification stipulated in the Classified National Security Information Protection Act.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
EDITORIAL: Gauging mask supply and demand
In response to the outbreak, about 30 Taiwanese companies in the machinery sector have been working with three government-funded research institutes to build 60 new production lines for mask equipment and machines. Increasing mask production quickly will not be easy, as the local mask industry is not very profitable and most manufacturers relocated elsewhere in the world more than 20 years ago. Now, China is one of the world’s top producers of medical masks and other protective gear. The collaboration between the government and local manufacturers on mask production is a model that could be used in future endeavors. While it is clear that fewer people are lining up for masks, the government still needs to closely monitor supply and demand to ensure there is sufficient supply, especially for those in health facilities.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Malaysia swears in new publicity-shy prime minister
Reuters, KUALA LUMPURLong overshadowed by colorful contemporaries, the man who yesterday emerged from a week of turmoil as Malaysia’s new prime minister is a publicity-shy picture of conservatism. “Probably that is what Malaysia needs now rather than a camera-hunting, publicity-stunt type of man,” the person said. A conservative Muslim from the majority Malay community, Muhyiddin staked his claim to the premiership when Mahathir failed to rally support for a unity government after his shock resignation as prime minister on Monday last week. “I am a Malay first, I want to say that, but being Malay does not mean that you are not Malaysian,” Muhyiddin said in 2010. After Muhyiddin was sworn in, his office said that he would not be speaking to media that day.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus outbreak: Museums remind people of VR tours on their Web sites
Some of the online exhibitions offered by the history museum, which has been closed since 2018 for renovations, include “From Lines to Network: Chen Cheng-po and His Collection of Painting and Calligraphy” (線條到網絡：陳澄波與他的書畫收藏) and “A Window to Eastern Chou: Eastern Chou Relics Excavated from Honan” (東周實相：河南出土東周文物展). Launched last year, the National Palace Museum’s virtual reality experience lets people see both the inside and outside of the museum and several of its most popular exhibits, including the Meat-shaped Stone (肉形石) and the Jadeite Cabbage (翠玉白菜). The Chimei Museum, which launched its VR experience in 2017, has made all of its permanent exhibitions available in virtual reality. Its online tour even allows users to see parts of the museum that are usually closed to regular visitors, such as the Chimei Hall and the roof terrace. While the Taipei International Book Exhibition, which had been scheduled for last month, was postponed until May, organizers are promoting the sales of books linked to the show via online bookstores.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus prevention for the exploited
NGOs are concerned that Taiwan’s 700,000-strong migrant workers, including factory workers, domestic helpers and caregivers, aren’t being given adequate protections against the virus. Concerns revolve around the prevention measures, medical translation and their crowded communal living conditions. Taiwan Panorama reported that many migrant workers didn’t know about the epidemic during its early stages. It wasn’t until three caregivers died about three months after the beginning of the SARS outbreak that the government rushed to translate and distribute prevention information. Wong first brought up the issue of migrant workers and virus prevention in a blog post earlier this month.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Envoys praise Taiwan’s measures against virus
Staff writer, with CNAForeign envoys in Taiwan have praised the government’s “quick” and “effective” response to prevent the spread of COVID-19, saying the nation has set an example other countries can learn from. While the virus represents a challenge to the world, Taiwan’s preventive measures have been effective, Australian Office in Taipei Representative Gary Cowan said on Saturday. Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi said the government has responded very decisively and quickly to virus prevention efforts. Taiwanese have taken great care with epidemic prevention, which is an example Japan can learn from, he said. The response to the coronavirus requires the cooperation of the international community, hence Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly as an observer is essential, Izumi said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Toys, gaming and sports item exports reach 23-year high
Staff writer, with CNATaiwan’s exports of toys, and gaming and sports items last year reached a 23-year high, largely because fitness awareness is on the rise worldwide, boosting demand for fitness equipment, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. Outbound sales of toys, and gaming and sports items totaled US$2.43 billion, up 7.9 percent from a year earlier, ministry data showed. Exports of fitness equipment totaled US$1.05 billion last year, up 17.7 percent from a year earlier, the data showed. The spike in fitness equipment exports reflected Taiwan’s increasing strength in research and development in the area, as well as solid global demand, the ministry said. However, despite the increase, toys, and gaming and sports items made up only 0.7 percent of Taiwan’s total outbound sales, compared with the peak of 4 percent in 1992, or US$3.3 billion, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson dies at 101 《關鍵少數》原型辭世 非裔美國數學家享嵩壽一o一歲
They were little known to the public for decades but gained overdue recognition when the book “Hidden Figures” was published and the 2016 Oscar-nominated movie hit the screens. “He knew I had done (the calculations) before for him and they trusted my work,” Johnson told the Washington Post in 2017. She grew up in West Virginia at a time when educational opportunities for blacks were limited because of segregation. Johnson’s math skills got her into West Virginia State College at age 15. Johnson went to work for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a forerunner of NASA, in Hampton in 1953 with dozens of other black women.
Source:Taipei Times
February 29, 2020 16:07 UTC
Legislative Yuan needs new rules of conduct
By Lo Chuan-hsien 羅傳賢The debate over whether the Legislative Yuan should continue to hold the national policy forum has dragged on for years. Early in this legislative session, the New Power Party caucus proposed abolishing it to improve parliamentary efficiency. The Democratic Progressive Party caucus said that it would not rule out supporting the proposal, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus wanted to focus on the legislative committees, and the Taiwan People’s Party caucus said that it had yet to discuss the issue. The national policy forum was established 16 years ago as a platform for minority parties to promptly respond to public opinion. Such conduct not only posed a great challenge to the legislative speaker, it also interrupted the predetermined session agenda.
Source:Taipei Times
February 29, 2020 16:07 UTC
Slovaks vote in election haunted by assassination
“The election is primarily about the desire for decency in politics,” Bratislava-based political analyst Radoslav Stefancik said. “Instead of protesting against the ruling Smer-SD party on the streets, people will do so in polling stations,” Stefancik said. The double murder triggered the largest anti-government protests since communist times and toppled Fico as prime minister, with his party colleague Peter Pellegrini taking over the reins. An eccentric self-made millionaire and former media boss, Matovic set up “Ordinary People and Independent Personalities — OLaNO” a decade ago. Analysts suggested that the media savvy, but unpredictable politician could become prime minister if he manages to unify the splintered opposition.
Source:Taipei Times
February 29, 2020 16:07 UTC