CSC eyes major emissions reductionGREEN ENERGY FIRM: The company aims to reduce emissions by 7 percent by 2025 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050, chairman Wong Chao-tung saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe nation’s largest steelmaker, China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼), is setting ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, chairman Wong Chao-tung (翁朝棟) said yesterday. “Apart from semiconductors, the green energy industry is the most hopeful bright spot for Taiwanese industry,” he said. According to Japanese news reports, CSC’s market value has risen to make it the sixth-largest in the world. Shares of CSC yesterday rose 1.63 percent to end at NT$37.5 in Taipei trading, giving the company a market value of NT$590.1 billion (US$21.22 billion). “For a steel producer that only makes 10 million tonnes of steel per year to achieve such a high market value is remarkable,” Wong said.

Tokyo 2020: Brazil target fifth five-a-side gold with ‘Paralympic Pele’AFP, TOKYOWith flicks and tricks aplenty, Brazil’s five-a-side soccer team are bringing a touch of samba magic to the Paralympics, as they target a fifth straight gold in Tokyo. The nation that gave the world the jogo bonito “beautiful game” has just as much panache in five-a-side, which is played by athletes with visual impairments. Photo: AFPThey started their campaign in Tokyo with a 3-0 win over China on Sunday, before yesterday beating Japan 4-0. Paralympic five-a-side is played with teams of four visually impaired outfield players, who wear blackout eyeshades, and a fully or partially sighted goalkeeper, who cannot leave his penalty area. He is looking to win his fourth Paralympic gold in Tokyo, and he breaks into a wide grin when his name is mentioned in the same breath as Brazilian legend Pele.

Goldman, JPMorgan hired for India’s blockbuster IPOBloombergGoldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and ICICI Securities Ltd were among banks picked to work on Life Insurance Corp of India’s (LIC) initial public offering (IPO), in what is set to be the nation’s biggest listing. Banks would start engaging with investors from next month, with a potential listing expected between January and March next year, one of the people said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is pushing ahead with LIC’s IPO to help plug a widening budget gap. India might also allow foreign direct investment in LIC to ensure a diversified and strong demand across investors. The listing could value LIC at as much as US$261 billion, analysts at Jefferies India led by Prakhar Sharma wrote in a note in February.

China calls for strict regulation of restaurantsReuters, SHANGHAIChina’s graft watchdog yesterday called for stricter supervision of restaurants that chase rapid success online after a series of food safety scandals, as regulators continue to ramp up pressure on social media and the tech sector. In a commentary on its Web site, the Chinese Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said so-called wanghong (網紅) restaurants — those with explosive online popularity — must ensure public safety. Authorities should strictly investigate food safety problems and make the results of investigations public, it said. They should also step up supervision, including inspection, sampling, monitoring and media supervision. China has boosted efforts to bring its tech and social media firms under tighter control in the past few weeks, with regulations targeting “chaotic” celebrity fan culture and algorithms used by technology companies to drive their business.

Photo: AFPMore than 100 people died in the attack, including 13 US service personnel, slowing down the airlift ahead of Biden’s deadline for evacuations to end by tomorrow. The Pentagon on Saturday said that retaliation drone strikes had killed two “high level” IS extremists in eastern Afghanistan, but Biden warned of more attacks from the group. “The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high,” Biden said. Taliban fighters on Saturday escorted a stream of Afghans from buses to the main passenger terminal, handing them over to US forces for evacuation. US troops had started withdrawing, US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said, without saying how many were left.

Ian Easton On Taiwan: The wrong way to peaceOn Tuesday, August 3, 2021, the US State Department issued a string of tweets, listing all the countries that had received free COVID-19 vaccines from America. There was, however, one place on the State Department list where coercion reared its ugly head: the entry for Taiwan. INSULTING A FRIENDInitially, the State Department had given Taiwan the same full measure of dignity it accorded to every other country. That is the wrong way to peace. Ian Easton is a senior director at the Project 2049 Institute and author of The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia.

Nonetheless, Powell’s remarks suggested that he might want to give himself leeway to digest further data before normalizing the Fed’s monetary policy. At the same time, investors did not have to worry about an abrupt change in the Fed’s policy potentially stirring near-term volatility in the financial markets. The Bank of Korea on Thursday became the first Asian central bank to tighten its monetary policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it raised its repo rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent. Other Asian central banks might not follow Seoul’s example in the near term, as financial imbalance concerns were the main reason behind the South Korean central bank’s move. Apart from a mild and benign inflationary pressure, the central bank’s steady-handed policy is also supported by the uneven growth in Taiwan’s export-oriented and domestic demand-reliant sectors, Yang said.

Yilan City artist’s watercolor exhibit inspires reflectionBy Tsai Yun-rung and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerYilan City’s LANtern SPACE has opened an exhibition of local artist Lien Chih-feng’s watercolor paintings, the venue said on Saturday. Lien, the principal of Yilan Junior High School, said that he began painting 12 years ago and is entirely self-taught. He first started doodling when be became bored at school meetings, and drawing became a form of daily meditation, Lien said, adding that, over the years, he has produced about 1,000 creations, including watercolor paintings, sketches and prints. Yilan Junior High School principal and artist Lien Chih-feng poses with his paintings at LANtern SPACE in Yilan County on Saturday. Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei TimesSome of his works were printed on postcards and red envelopes that he gave to friends as gifts, he said.

New Asian American bakeries find bicultural sweet spotAP, OAKLAND, CaliforniaFor some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood. Shyu recalls some awkward situations, such as one in May when Third Culture was featured on a Denver TV station as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. “It’s so unfortunate that it’s happening, and still happening, because people say they love Asian food and Asian American food,” Nguyen said. It’s sort of the artistic side of Asian American identity that’s often ignored,” Ku said. ”They’re instead really trying to fuse things together — create this mixture.”These first- and second-generation Asian American bakery owners seem passionate about bringing visibility to the Asian American community, which often feels invisible, Ku added.

New York Mets retire Koosman’s No. 36AP, NEW YORKWith Jerry Koosman on the mound, it was never too late for the 1969 New York Mets, and more than five decades later, the franchise rewarded the big-game left-hander with its highest distinction. Koosman on Saturday became the fifth player or coach to have his jersey retired by the Mets, with his No. “I know I’m joining a great crew that’s already had their numbers retired.”Former New York Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, left, and former Mets catcher Mike Piazza talk during a ceremony at Citi Field in New York City on Saturday. Koosman pitched 12 seasons for the New York Mets.

COVID-19: Ministry considers extending subsidies for convention firmsBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs is considering extending wage subsidies for convention and exhibition businesses for another quarter, as a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year weighed heavily on the sector, the Central News Agency reported yesterday. The ministry allocated NT$220 million (NT$7.88 million) in wage subsidies for the convention and exhibition industry in the second quarter, as it was heavily affected by a resurgence of local COVID-19 infections starting in the middle of May. People gather at Computex Taipei at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei on May 28, 2019. As a result, the ministry is considering continuing wage subsidies this quarter as a show of support, the bureau said, without elaborating on a timeline for applications or the amount of its relief budget. About 700 firms in the convention and exhibition industry applied for wage subsidies last quarter, the bureau said, adding that it had used up the NT$220 million relief budget.

Southbound Policy options discussedFRIDAY FORUM: Five years of the New Southbound Policy have seen benefits, although new ideas could improve its value in several areas, participants saidBy Lu Yi-hsuan, Lin Ching-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerA forum in Taipei on Friday discussed the future of the nation’s New Southbound Policy in a post-COVID-19 world. The policy, introduced in 2016, aims to boost interactions between Taiwan, ASEAN and South Asian nations in human resources, industry, investment, education, culture, tourism and agriculture. “It is of utmost importance that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy find ways to connect with this trend,” Tien said. Such fields correspond with the government’s New Southbound Policy, he added. Non-governmental organizations such as the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation can play a role in the policy’s influence, as foundations have a wider reach than the government, Deng said.

COVID-19: Colleges can ask for virus tests from new studentsBy Rachel Lin / Staff reporterColleges can ask new students to be tested for COVID-19 before they move into their dorms next month, according to government guidelines obtained exclusively by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). The Ministry of Education’s guidelines on the prevention and management of COVID-19 on college campuses are expected to be released in the next few days. To protect the health and safety of faculty members and students, schools may include polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests or rapid screening for COVID-19 in their health exams for new students, in accordance with the School Health Act (學校衛生法), the guidelines say. COVID-19 testing stations are set up on the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University campus on Wednesday last week to offer free testing for university staff and students. Photo courtesy of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityHowever, those tests cannot be used as a requirement for students to be admitted, they say.

Ministry punishes execs at Taipower over outagesStaff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Economic Affairs punished 25 executives at state-run utility Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) over power outages and emergency shutdowns earlier this year, it said on Friday. The executives, including Taipower chairman Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) and president Chung Bin-li (鍾炳利), were given punishments ranging from warnings to major demerits for the outages on May 13, May 17 and July 27, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said. From left, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua and State-Owned Enterprise Commission chief executive Liu Ming-chung attend a news conference in Taipei on Friday last week. On May 17, Taipower implemented another nationwide rolling blackout to deal with a sudden surge in demand for electricity exceeded supply, resulting in “execution” problems, Wang said. The string of incidents, especially the back-to-back outages in May, triggered widespread concern, exacerbated by top government officials’ pledges prior to the mishaps that Taiwan had sufficient power.

Blood supply up, but donations neededCOVID-19 DISRUPTION: While more people have begun donating again, hospitals have resumed previously suspended procedures, so demand for blood is likely to riseBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAlthough the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation yesterday said the nation’s blood supply is gradually increasing, as the local COVID-19 situation has improved, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) encouraged people to donate blood, as surgeries that had been postponed are also resuming. The blood bank in Taipei now has an average of about 7.7 days of blood supply available: 6.4 days of type A blood, 8.8 days of type B, 8.3 days of type O and 5.4 days of type AB, Li said. He said the Taiwan Blood Service Foundation has been doing a great job in maintaining the quality and steady supply of blood in Taiwan. While fewer people were willing to donate blood after the middle of May, the blood supply has recently increased, he said. He encouraged people to continue donating blood, saying that people can make a reservation online on the foundation’s Web site.