Virus Outbreak: Hualien owner closes pool after incident
When the member visited the fitness center’s pool the day after the ship docked, the person was recognized by another member and was asked by staff to leave. Whether the fitness center should close is fully at the discretion of the owner, Chung said. The fitness center has received more than 100 calls from concerned members, particularly from older members who were at greater risk of falling ill, the owner said. In response to these concerns, the center chose to voluntarily close the center and thoroughly disinfect it, the owner said. All center staff would help with the disinfecting and renovations, and would continue to be paid as normal during the closure, the owner said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT chair candidates voice support for reforms
By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and former KMT vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday presented their platforms as candidates in the party’s chairperson by-election to be held on March 7. Speaking before the presentations began at KMT headquarters in Taipei, KMT Acting Chairman Lin Rong-te (林榮德) called the by-election “the most important step in the party’s push for reform.”“No matter which of the two of us serves as the chairman of the KMT, we will face difficult reforms,” Chiang said. Chiang also called for a series of discussions on the party’s values and policies, including its policy on cross-strait relations. During the question-and-answer portion of the presentations, reporters asked Chiang whether he plans to run in the 2022 local elections or the 2024 national elections. If elected, his term as chairman would end on May 20 next year, he said, adding: “After 2021, I do not know whether I will have an opportunity to perform other duties.”
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Include students in university decisions
The competition ended last week and organizers selected the second-placed entry, Chenxilou (辰曦樓, Dawn Sunlight Building), to be the dormitory’s official name. Calling the new dormitory “Dawn Sunlight Building” created a harmonious quartet of celestial-named dormitory buildings. 2 Female Dormitory.”Taking this into consideration, Dawn Sunlight Building is not such a bad name. There is a simple solution to this problem: Every university has a dormitory committee comprised of students, members of the administration and faculty representatives. At universities where students enjoy a high degree of autonomy, the whole process could be organized by a self-governing student union.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Booming earbud market faces uncertainty from virus
By Natasha Li / Staff reporterThe true wireless stereo earbud market soared 53 percent quarterly to 51 million units last quarter, but Counterpoint Research Inc on Tuesday trimmed its growth outlook for this quarter due to growing uncertainties from the COVID-19 outbreak. Dongguan Hele Electronics Co Ltd (東莞和樂電子) and JLab Audio LLC were fourth and fifth place respectively, the report said. Overall, the true wireless stereo earbud market swelled from 46 million units in 2018 to 130 million units last year, slightly beating previous predictions of 129 million units, it said. While the market is expected to continue an upward trend, the COVID-19 outbreak has somewhat dampened market outlook, the Hong Kong-based researcher said. Lee previously forecast a 90 percent growth rate for the region, excluding China, and a 120 percent growth rate for the Chinese market.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Samsung touts new foldable phones
AP, SAN FRANCISCOSamsung Electronics Co on Tuesday unveiled a new foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip, its second attempt to sell consumers on phones with bendable screens and clamshell designs. Samsung’s first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, finally went on sale in September last year after delays and reports of screens breaking. In a nod to the start of the 2020s, the South Korean company showed off the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, skipping directly to the S20 from its previous S10 series. The S20 phones are designed to take high-quality pictures in dark settings, Samsung product manager Mark Holloway said. The S20 phones go on sale in the US on March 6, and range in price from US$1,000 to US$1,400.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
DGBAS cuts outlook amid outbreak
“Exports would bear the brunt as China accounts for 40 percent of Taiwanese exports,” DGBAS Minister Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民) told a news conference in Taipei. International research bodies have not yet adjusted their growth forecasts to account for the outbreak, the DGBAS said. The outbreak might dent the nation’s economy by between 0.35 percentage points and 0.5 percentage points this year, if it can be contained in three months, Chu said. That would be less serious than the 2003 SARS outbreak that erased 0.57 percentage points from Taiwan’s GDP growth that year, he said. DGBAS also revised down GDP growth for last year to 2.71 percent, 0.02 percentage points lower than data released last month.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
US regulators probing tech acquisitions
AP, WASHINGTONUS federal regulators are ramping up their investigation of the market dominance of giant technology companies, demanding detailed information on five companies’ acquisitions of smaller firms back to 2010. Hundreds of takeovers of smaller companies are involved. However, Simons said that the regulators are interested in tech industry mergers of all sizes. The five FTC commissioners voted unanimously to issue the so-called special orders to the tech companies. However, they said the agency also should study how tech companies’ targeted advertising practices affect the collection, use and sharing of consumers’ personal data.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Method boosts hydrogen generation
However, the production of hydrogen is costly and requires a considerable amount of electricity, and using solar energy to reduce costs is a critical research topic, he said. The team has over the past decade been conducting research under the ministry’s Taiwan Consortium of Emergent Crystalline Materials program. About three years ago, it found a method to improve the efficiency of silicon by applying a thin graphene layer, Chen said. The most challenging part was evenly distributing the graphene layer on silicon panels, as the traditional way of coating using polymethylmethacrylate cannot flexibly attach the layer on a rough surface, Chen said. National Taiwan University of Science and Technology chemical engineering professor Hwang Bing-joe (黃炳照) and Tunghai University assistant professor of chemistry Wang Di-yan (王迪彥) were also part of the team.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Advanced Subjects Test postponed: exam center
By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe College Entrance Examination Center yesterday announced that it has postponed this year’s Advanced Subjects Test (AST) due to scheduling concerns caused by a delay in the start of the new semester. The AST is typically held from July 1 to July 3, after the second semester has ended, the center said. The summer break has also been pushed back, and is now expected to begin on July 15 and end on Aug. 29, it said. At a meeting yesterday, officials suggested that the best solution would be to hold the test from July 3 to July 5, while keeping the scope of the test unchanged, it said. Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said that officials believe the “slight” adjustment would minimize the impact on schools.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Solving a national teacher shortage
Wu said that teacher education is no longer popular, adding that there are now only two “pure” teacher education universities left in Taiwan, and that only 15 percent of National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) graduates work as teachers. In response to the new political situation and new social demands, the Teacher Education Act (師資培育法) promulgated in February 1994 differs from the earlier Teacher Education Law (師範教育法) of 1978, according to which students were given teacher qualifications on graduation, together with the right and obligation to receive and accept a position as teacher. Young graduates cannot be blamed for not wanting to teach information technology in elementary schools and high schools, because doing so means having to first go through several levels of tests and evaluations. Some school presidents have expressed concern, but all they can do is to urge schools to take all the necessary prevention measures. Some students attend cram school, while others do not, and if there are not enough chances to study at school, the results are catastrophic.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Volkswagen, Daimler push for ‘sustainable’ lithium
Reuters, SANTIAGOGerman automakers Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG have launched a study to push for more “sustainable” lithium mining in Chile, lobbyist filings showed, a sign of growing supply chain concerns ahead of an expected electric vehicle boom. “The growing importance of batteries has made the sustainability of lithium a key priority for these companies.”Volkswagen confirmed in an e-mail that it had contracted the study. The goal of the meetings, the filings showed, is to develop a “joint action plan” and in time, “implement prioritized actions” to address the growing concerns about lithium mining in the region. Concerns about sustainability have emerged as a key vulnerability for Chile as a lithium mining hot spot. 1 producer of the white metal, mines its lithium from hard rock, not brine.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese on quarantined liner must stay onboard
Staff writer, with CNAThe 22 Taiwanese aboard the Diamond Princess cruise liner quarantined in Yokahama, Japan, must remain on the ship at least until Wednesday next week, when the current quarantine period is set to end, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary-General Kuo Chung-shi (郭仲熙) said yesterday. The government is working closely with Japan to monitor the condition of the 22 Taiwanese on the ship, he said. Japanese doctors later boarded the ship to examine the man, and they gave him medication, after which he showed considerable improvement, Kuo said. Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that Taiwan’s representative office in Japan was in contact with the 22 Taiwanese on the ship and would provide any necessary assistance to them. Of the 39, 29 were reportedly passengers and 10 were crewmembers, including one of the ship’s quarantine officers.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: DPP members defend reversal of Chinese kids policy
Officials said that the move could have placed too much burden on already-strained domestic resources in the fight against COVID-19. DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) lauded the government’s quick response after MAC’s announcement on Tuesday drew a predominantly negative response. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that MAC officials made a “foolish” announcement on Tuesday. “Right now, most Taiwanese are very worried about the ‘Wuhan virus’ and they are distrustful of the Chinese government,” Wang said. “As such, people were riled up and criticized MAC officials.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: China virus death toll tops 1,100 as new cases fall
AFP, BEIJINGThe death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China yesterday climbed to 1,113, but the number of new cases fell for a second straight day, raising hope that the outbreak could peak later this month. Ninety-seven more deaths were reported, bringing the total number of people infected by COVID-19 in mainland China to 44,653. Most of the deaths and a majority of cases have been in central Hubei Province, whose capital, Wuhan, is the epicenter of the outbreak. Outside the province, the number of new patients has declined for the past week. The store was already closed at that point, then disinfected on Feb. 1, but several more diagnoses soon followed, it reported.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: China’s permission not needed for WHO forum: MOFA
By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterTaiwan did not need China’s permission to join a WHO expert forum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, blasting China for politicizing a public health issue to shift global attention away from its failure to contain an outbreak of COVID-19. The WHO on Tuesday convened a two-day forum in Geneva, Switzerland, on critical research and development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, among other innovations. Asked about Taiwan’s participation, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) on Tuesday told a news briefing that to join WHO technical events, Taiwan needs China’s permission under the “one China” principle. MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday condemned China for politicizing a public health issue. Taiwanese experts joining the forum was the result of direct communication between the Taiwanese government and the WHO, without needing China’s permission, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC