Omicron variant poses reinfection risk, CECC says
Omicron variant poses reinfection risk, CECC saysBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe WHO has warned that the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 might reinfect people who had recovered from COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Photo: Annabelle Chih, REUTERSCenters for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman, yesterday said that preliminary evidence suggests that the Omicron variant increases the risk of reinfection. Drugmakers Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have announced that they would update their COVID-19 vaccine with regard to the new variant and produce a new jab within 100 days, Chen said. If the firms succeed, the CECC would seek to acquire their updated vaccine, Chen said, adding that the process leading to an emergency use authorization would take time. As of Friday, Taiwan’s first-dose vaccination rate had reached 77.59 percent and its full vaccination rate was 53.3 percent, the CECC said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 27, 2021 21:59 UTC
For aging Japan, a cooker that makes chicken soft as butter
For aging Japan, a cooker that makes chicken soft as butterBy Takashi Mochizuki and Yuki Furukawa / BloombergThe US$410 DeliSofter pot looks much like the rice cookers ubiquitous in Japanese households and it does prepare rice in 24 minutes. However, this invention of two Panasonic Corp engineers is designed to do more and help people with swallowing difficulties. A person uses a potato chip to cut a piece of fried chicken cooked in the DeliSofter during a demonstration at the Gifmo Co office in Kyoto, Japan, on Nov 9. Panasonic spun off Gifmo in 2019 to address that growing market, targeting a food segment estimated to surpass ￥200 billion (US$1.7 billion) in Japan alone by 2025. “So many who had encouraged us turned away and ordered us to stop working on the project,” Ogawa said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 27, 2021 17:06 UTC
Taiwanese-led fraud operation busted in Turkey
Taiwanese-led fraud operation busted in TurkeyGLOBALLY INVOLVED: Prosecutors in Taichung are reviewing evidence seized in the raid, in which 27 Taiwanese were detained, an official saidBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNATurkish authorities on Friday detained 27 Taiwanese in a raid on an alleged human trafficking and Internet fraud ring, multiple Turkish media outlets reported. State-run TRT Haber TV reported that the raid in the port city of Bodrum was carried out by local authorities assisted by a Taiwanese law enforcement agency. A Turkish national flag is pictured on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 16. Photo: BloombergMost of the suspects are Taiwanese, the news site said, adding that they were allegedly involved in international criminal operations. Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office Deputy Chief Prosecutor Cho Chun-chung (卓俊忠) yesterday said that his office and the National Police Agency have been working with Turkish law enforcement officials on the case.
Source:Taipei Times
November 27, 2021 17:06 UTC
UMC settles with Micron in court in tech theft case
UMC settles with Micron in court in tech theft caseBloombergUnited Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) and Micron Technology Inc yesterday said they have settled a civil lawsuit in which the US memorychip maker accused the Taiwanese company of stealing and leaking its intellectual property to a Chinese partner. The logo of US memorychip maker Micron Technology is pictured at its booth at an industrial fair in Frankfurt, Germany, on July 14, 2015. The case concerned an allegedly illegal transfer of Micron’s memory designs in a chip manufacturing deal between UMC and Jinjiang-based Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co (福建晉華). Following the move, Micron said that it would continue to seek “full restitution” from UMC in a separate civil lawsuit, the statement said. Chen, who had been president at Micron Taiwan and was made senior vice president at UMC, brokered a deal with Fujian Jinhua to develop DRAM technology for the Chinese firm.
Source:Taipei Times
November 27, 2021 03:59 UTC
Taiwan ‘force for good’: US delegate
President Tsai Ing-wen, right, looks on as US Representative Mark Takano speaks to the media at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. “Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and has remained steadfast as the ties between us have deepened. Taiwan is a democratic success story, a reliable partner and a force for good in the world,” he added. Takano said he was hopeful that travel to Taiwan by US policymakers would become “business as usual again,” as the COVID-19 pandemic gradually wanes. The American Institute in Taiwan said that US representatives Nancy Mace, Colin Allred, Elissa Slotkin and Sara Jacobs were also part of the trip to Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
November 27, 2021 01:00 UTC
Beijing asks Didi Global to delist in US
The Cyberspace Administration of China, the agency responsible for data security in the country, has directed Didi to work out precise details, subject to government approval, they said. A logo of Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing is pictured at its headquarters in Beijing on July 2. Regulators in China have asked Didi Global to delist from US bourses. Photo: AFPProposals under consideration include a straight-up privatization or a share float in Hong Kong followed by a delisting from the US, the people said. Even if Didi shifts its listing to Hong Kong, it will have to address the data security concerns that have drawn scrutiny from regulators.
Source:Taipei Times
November 27, 2021 00:59 UTC
Tsai mulls information and national security affairs at hacker conference
Tsai mulls information and national security affairs at hacker conferenceBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNATaiwan is committed to being a trusted link in the global chain of information security and technology industries, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei TimesThe National Security Council has been asked to update its information security strategy by the end of December, Tsai said. The new strategy would involve public-private cooperation, developing an information security industry, cultivating expertise, establishing a department of digital development under the central government and implementing information security in the six core strategic industries, she said. The planned Cyber Security Center of Excellence would train a generation of information security experts to help execute the government’s vision, she said. Tsai said that the hacker community has been indispensable in providing impetus to the administration’s information security policy.
Source:Taipei Times
November 26, 2021 19:02 UTC
Taiwan’s table tennis ace Lin advances in Houston
Taiwan’s table tennis ace Lin advances in HoustonBy Benjamin Bowser / Staff ReporterTaiwanese table tennis ace Lin Yun-ju on Wednesday handily downed Sweden’s Jon Persson 4-0 to advance to the round-of-32 at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas. Lin was yesterday to play South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon. Taiwan’s Cheng Hsien-tzu serves against Margaryta Pesotska of Ukraine during their women’s singles match at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday. 8 Cheng I-ching beat England’s Tin-Tin Ho 4-0 to advance to the round-of-32, where Cheng was yesterday to play Amy Wang of the US. Taiwan’s Cheng I-ching returns against England’s Tin-Tin Ho during their women’s singles match at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday.
Source:Taipei Times
November 26, 2021 03:53 UTC
Highways & Byways: Unexpected finds in the hills of Kaohsiung
Highways & Byways: Unexpected finds in the hills of KaohsiungThe ‘grave of a headless female,’ Taiwan Temple of Heaven and an aqueduct are among the delights of this road trip by motorcycleBy Steven Crook / Contributing reporterMy goals were straightforward. Before reaching Provincial Highway 28, I got to enjoy some views of the moon-like badlands for which Tianliao is famous. Taiwan Temple of Heaven imitates one of China’s most famous religious buildings. Looking across the Kaoping River from the third floor of Taiwan Temple of Heaven. I climbed the stairs to the third floor of the Taiwan Temple of Heaven for another look across the river.
Source:Taipei Times
November 26, 2021 01:01 UTC
Golden Horse a holdout for films censored in Hong Kong and China
This year two Hong Kong films that explore the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests, as well as a Chinese documentary about Tibet, are nominated. ‘FREE OUTLET’Film critic Weng says the Golden Horse awards “sets the benchmark” for Chinese-language cinema as the only platform open to all subjects. Last year, two Hong Kong films that cast an uncomfortable spotlight on China won accolades, and one of the winners proclaimed support for democracy activists in an acceptance speech read by a representative. “I think the award has now become a free outlet especially for Hong Kong movies that cannot be distributed in Hong Kong,” said Hong Kong director Kiwi Chow (周冠威), who has a nomination this year. “I am gratified to see that the [Golden Horse] awards have managed to keep their courage,” Chow said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 26, 2021 01:01 UTC
Manufacturing confidence falls for sixth month
Manufacturing confidence falls for sixth monthBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterBusiness confidence among manufacturers softened mildly last month, as lingering supply chain bottlenecks and rising COVID-19 cases in the West added uncertainty to a global economic recovery, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) said yesterday. The sentiment gauge for the manufacturing sector slid 0.59 points to 101.25, retreating for a sixth straight month, the Taipei-based institute said. From second left, Taiwan Institute of Economic Research economic forecasting center director Gordon Sun, institute president Chang Chien-yi and researcher Arisa Liu hold a news conference in Taipei on Sept. 27. By contrast, the business confidence reading for service providers gained 1.58 points to 96.76, aided by pent-up consumer demand and the government’s stimulus measures, the institute said. The business confidence of construction firms and real-estate brokers fell 1.97 points to 108.85, ending three months of upswing, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 25, 2021 19:03 UTC
Pingtung festival to celebrate Czech arts and culture
Pingtung festival to celebrate Czech arts and cultureStaff writer, with CNAActivities celebrating Czech music, literature and cinema are to be held in Pingtung next week as part of the “Czech in Pingtung” festival, the first big event organized by a foreign institute in Taiwan. In cooperation with the Pingtung County Government, the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei is to stage the festival from Wednesday to Sunday next week, sharing arts and culture from the Czech Republic with the people of southern Taiwan. Officials from the Pingtung County Government and Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei yesterday tour Pingtung Civic Park in Pingtung City ahead of next month’s “Czech in Pingtung” festival. The Pingtung County Government in a statement on Monday thanked the office for “taking the Czech Republic to Pingtung,” praising it for giving locals the chance to enjoy Czech culture without having to travel abroad. Rumlar was eager to travel to Pingtung again as soon as he learned of the Taipei Chamber Players’ concert, which inspired the five-day “Czech in Pingtung” festival, the statement said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 24, 2021 22:02 UTC
Police seize record heroin shipment, detain 13 people
Police seize record heroin shipment, detain 13 peopleBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNAThe New Taipei City Police Department has seized 446.8kg of heroin and arrested 13 people in the country’s biggest-ever bust involving the substance, law enforcement officials said yesterday. Logs in the warehouse were found to have compartments that contained 1,172 bricks of heroin that could sell for NT$5 billion (US$179.9 million), Chen said. Premier Su Tseng-chang, second left, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, third left, and other officials inspect bricks of heroin at the New Taipei City Police Department in Banciao District yesterday. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who presided over the news conference, said that the heroin confiscated was notable because of its quantity and purity. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), a former Criminal Investigation Bureau commissioner, said that the haul was unprecedented.
Source:Taipei Times
November 24, 2021 16:49 UTC
Delta planning to deliver three large battery units
Delta planning to deliver three large battery unitsBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterDelta Electronics Inc (台達電) is planning to deliver three shipping container-sized energy storage systems to clients seeking to participate in Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower, 台電) new energy trading platform, the nation’s leading power management solutions provider said yesterday. Delta is seeking business opportunties in the rapidly growing energy storage market, Delta senior director Paul Ai (艾祖華) said. Delta Electronics Inc energy storage units are pictured outside the company’s office in Taipei’s Neihu District yesterday. Photo: Fang Wei-chieh, Taipei Times“Delta is a vertically integrated provider of power storage solutions from the design to the software,” Ai said. The three container-sized 7.5 megawatt (MW) battery units are undergoing tests before being shipped to customers, Ai said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 24, 2021 16:46 UTC
Movie Review: Moneyboys
Movie Review: MoneyboysShot in Taiwan but set in China, this film provides a poignant look into the struggles of Chinese gay sex workers, but the glaring incongruities in language and setting are annoyingly distractingBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterForeign viewers at the Cannes premiere of Moneyboys (金錢男孩) may not have noticed the glaring incongruities that persist through the movie, but Taiwanese viewers certainly will. They’re apparent to the point that it’s difficult to enjoy the movie. This melancholy tale revolves around gay sex workers in China and the unique challenges they face, especially regarding traditional expectations, including marriage, and the large-scale rural-to-urban migration of young people. This is an interesting topic, as it’s taboo in China and significantly different from the LGBTQ situation in Taiwan. And it’s quite explicit in Moneyboys, especially the sex scenes.
Source:Taipei Times
November 24, 2021 16:46 UTC