NPP calls out KMT lawmaker over his thesisBy Wu Su-wei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew Power Party (NPP) Chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) yesterday called for the recusal of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐) from the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee, saying that Cheng is facing allegations of plagiarism and could be the subject of a Ministry of Education investigation. Cheng, together with the KMT, should issue a public apology to Hsinchu County voters, Hsu said at a news conference in Taipei. Former NPP legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said at a news conference last week that Cheng had plagiarized 50 percent of his doctoral thesis at Chung Hwa University. New Power Party Chairman Hsu Yung-ming, second left, holds a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday, accusing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Cheng Cheng-chien of plagiarism. Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media on Thursday last week said that Lee plagiarized 96 percent of her master’s thesis.

Chiang asked whether the safety of Taiwanese and the nation’s frontline medical staff should be risked for the healthcare rights of foreign patients. KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) asked whether there were diplomatic or economic factors behind the ministry’s decision to allow foreign medical patients entry at this time. The ministry should listen to the voices of the nation’s frontline medical workers, she said, urging the ministry to reconsider the policy. Taiwan Medical Alliance for Labor Justice and Patient Safety representative Chien Li-chien (簡立建) said that before announcing such policies, the government should communicate with the nation’s frontline medical workers. Nationality is not important when helping patients, but it is crucial to protect the nation’s medical personnel and healthcare resources, she said.

Ministry introduces measures to ensure thesis qualityBy Wu Po-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Ministry of Education yesterday unveiled eight measures designed to ensure the quality of graduate theses following allegations of plagiarism and writing by proxies. The Ministry of Education building is pictured in Taipei on Friday last week. The cases also raised doubts about the quality of education at various institutions, as well as these institutions’ mechanisms for controlling the quality of students’ theses, he said, adding that the ministry hopes to resolve the issue by supervising schools and implementing the eight measures. The measures, which are to be implemented next year, aim to improve the quality of local degree programs. Cases where students are suspected of employing proxy writers for their theses would be investigated by the ministry, he said.

US bill outlines Taiwan defense conditionsBy Peng Wang-hsin / Staff reporterProposed legislation in the US outlines three conditions in which Washington would be authorized to protect Taiwan were China to invade, a report said yesterday. US Representative Ted Yoho this month said he would introduce a Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, which would authorize US military force if China were to invade Taiwan-controlled areas, including its outlying islands. The bill would have a five-year sunset clause, Yoho said. “Taiwan has never been part of the PRC, nor do they want to,” he said, adding that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait need peaceful negotiations. US Representative Mike Gallagher on June 30 proposed a draft Taiwan Defense Act, which would ensure that the US Armed Forces would act in the case of a Chinese “fait accompli” invasion of Taiwan.

Franz Collection prints ceramic teethBy Chen Yu-fu and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerLocal porcelain brand Franz Collection Inc (法藍瓷) yesterday announced that it has become the first local company to produce all-ceramic crowns with 3D printing — and has taken out a NT$100 million (US$3.39 million) liability insurance policy on its new product. Franz Collection founder Franz Chen at a news conference yesterday in Taipei stands next to some of the ceramic crowns that his company has produced using 3D printing technology. Franze founder and president Franz Chen (陳立恆) thanked his employees, Ministry of Economic Affairs officials and Siew for their unwavering support for the company’s innovation efforts. All the materials and equipment used in the making the ceramic crowns are produced in Taiwan, he said. Franz Collection does not plan to selling the technology or hardware to other firms, he said.

Taipei Zoo launches panda cub naming campaignStaff writer, with CNATaipei Zoo has begun a campaign to find a name for a panda cub born at the zoo on June 28, a spokesman said yesterday. A one-month-old panda cub nicknamed Jou Jou, the second cub of Taipei Zoo’s giant pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, is pictured yesterday at the zoo. The new cub is the second to be born to giant pandas Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓), who were gifted to Taiwan by China in 2008. Their first cub, born in 2013, was named Yuan Zai (圓仔). The young panda has also shown greater resilience to changes in its environment and is less likely than Yuan Zai to call out, Tsao added.

Temples hoping for changes in plaques’ statusNATIONAL TREASURES? They were gifts from emperor Guangxu (光緒) in 1886 after the two temples collaborated to bring about rain and end a drought that year. A plaque inscribed with the characters Ci Yun Sa Run, gifted to Chaotian Temple in Yunlin County in 1886 by Qing Dynasty emperor Guangxu, is pictured in an undated photograph. The four inscribed Chinese characters used a specific kind of font, and the overall style of the plaque is consistent with plaques used in houses of Qing Dynasty officials, they said. Cheng Huang Temple chairman Lai Yung-chuan (賴永川) expressed excitement about the two temples’ shared goal of ultimately acquiring the designation of “national treasures” for the plaques.

PTS executives resign after voteBy Chen Yu-hsun / Staff reporterThree Public Television Service (PTS) executives, including the president, yesterday resigned after a controversial plan was passed at a board meeting. PTS president Tsao Wen-chieh (曹文傑), executive vice president Hsieh Tsui-yu (謝翠玉) and news department manager Su Chi-chen (蘇啟禎) tendered their resignations after the vote. Public Television Service board member Feng Hsiao-fei talks to reporters after a board meeting at the company’s headquarters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Yu-hsun, Taipei TimesAfter Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) on Tuesday last week confirmed that PTS was planning the project, there had been rumors that the project had not been approved by the PTS board of directors. PTS last month submitted a request for funding from the ministry, with NT$45 million (US$1.53 million) earmarked for the pilot project.

Minister explains fresh stimulus programBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe government’s NT$210 billion (US$7.12 billion) Stimulus 3.0 program is to provide more relief to Taiwanese businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) told a news conference yesterday. Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua smiles during a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “We have heard from young entrepreneurs that they are having difficulty obtaining loans from local lenders. This government program will fill that need and create 100,000 job opportunities,” Wang said. The program is slated to launch on Saturday and to qualify, young entrepreneurs need to be aged 20 to 45, the ministry said.

iPass issues Olympic-inspired cardBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterStarting tomorrow, iPass Corp is to begin taking orders for a new smart card featuring the national team’s uniform for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Olympic team uniform is one way to show national honor and athletic spirit, the Kaohsiung-based company said. A limited-edition iPass card design featuring the nation’s team uniform for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo is displayed at a news conference yesterday in Taipei. The new card is the first partnership between the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee and iPass, the card company said. The Olympic team uniform was used as the basis for the card design, with a plum flower national emblem added to it, it said.

Control Yuan chides CEC over power plant petition‘NEGLIGENT’: A referendum proposal to activate the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant combines two policy issues and is problematic, a Control Yuan member saidBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterCentral Election Committee (CEC) officials should be held responsible for wrongful conduct and negligence over a referendum petition calling on the government to activate the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and use it for commercial energy generation, Control Yuan members said yesterday. The CEC in December last year said that Huang’s petition had reached the legal threshold for a referendum to be held. 4 nuclear power project has been shelved and to restart it would mean to repeal a major government policy decision,” Tien said. “Therefore this referendum question combines two major government policy decisions. According to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), two policy decisions cannot be combined into one referendum question for people to vote on,” she said.

A crew member yesterday wears a mask and a face shield to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as he works in the canteen on the Explorer Dream in Keelung. The Explorer Dream is docked in Keelung Port yesterday before it set sail on an island-hopping cruise. Meanwhile, industry sources said international cruise lines are vying for a piece of the domestic market, with Costa Cruises reportedly interested in an island-hopping itinerary with its Costa Serena. A Ministry of Transportation and Communications official said that the government would wait for the Explorer Dream’s voyage to be completed, and everything to go smoothly, before allowing a second cruise ship to start offering trips. A travel industry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said quarantine requirements mean that it might not be cost-effective for international cruise lines to offer island-hopping itineraries around Taiwan at this time.

University president says school can win back trustBy Fang Chih-hsien and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerNational Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) yesterday wrote in an open letter to faculty, students and alumni that as long as the university corrects its faults, it would continue to hold the public’s trust. National Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao speaks in Kaohsiung in an undated photograph. The university initiated an investigation immediately after reports about Lee’s thesis surfaced on Monday last week, and on Friday held its first meeting to review her thesis, he said. A meeting of faculty members is to be held after the review process is over to determine whether Lee’s thesis adviser should be punished for dereliction of duty, he added. The university apologized for the uproar surrounding Lee’s alleged plagiarism, saying that it would show “no leniency” in plagiarism cases to uphold the university’s integrity.

Ministry restates rules for reviewing master’s thesesMORE ALLEGATIONS: The Taiwan Statebuilding Party said that members of Kaohsiung City Councilor Lee Ya-ching’s thesis committee lacked appropriate qualificationsBy Wu Po-hsuan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Education yesterday reminded universities that members of examination committees for master’s degrees should be appointed based on academic professionalism and peer consensus. The statement was issued after the Taiwan Statebuilding Party questioned the qualifications of examination committee members who had evaluated the master’s thesis of Kaohsiung City Councilor Lee Ya-ching (李雅靜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Kaohsiung’s residents cannot accept local factions intervening in university autonomy and academic ethics, he said, calling on the ministry to investigate. The university yesterday released its enforcement rules for master’s degree examinations, which include the same qualifications for examination committee members as the Degree Conferral Act. Amid mounting accusations that she had plagiarized her thesis, Jane Lee on Thursday said she would give up her master’s degree.

With new growth momentum from the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm’s net profit this quarter is expected to rise 2 percent on a quarterly basis to also reach a record high, Yuanta said in a client note. The analyst’s forecast came after Sinbon on Friday reported stronger-than-expected financial results for the second quarter. Consolidated sales rose 18 percent quarter-on-quarter and 9.5 percent year-on-year to NT$5.29 billion (US$178.98 million) for the second quarter — Sinbon’s highest in a second quarter, the company reported on Friday. Gross margin increased to 26.3 percent in the second quarter, while operating margin advanced to 12.7 percent, the company said in a statement. Sinbon attributed the better-than-expected results to higher revenue and rising gross margin, coupled with nonoperating investment gains, design service revenue and better control of operating expenses.