Yageo expects Q3 growth thanks to steady demand
Yageo expects Q3 growth thanks to steady demandGROWTH MOMENTUM: Firm chairman Pierre Chen said that while industry-wide lead times stand at eight to 10 months, Yageo gets components to its customers in threeBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterYageo Corp (國巨), the world’s No. Lead times for high-end passive components stand at eight to 10 months, while Yageo only needs three months to ship standard passive components to its customers, Chen said. We can continue to expect growth in the third quarter,” Chen said. Gross margin fell to 41 percent from 44.3 percent last year, but improved from 39.1 percent in the first quarter. Yageo expects this quarter’s gross margin to resemble last quarter’s.
Source:Taipei Times
July 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Let athletes be worry-free winners
Let athletes be worry-free winnersBy Li Cheng-ta 李政達When Taiwan’s Olympic athletes departed for the Tokyo Olympic Games on Monday last week, world No. She added a caption saying how she missed flying business class with EVA Airways. The seating arrangements formed a sharp contrast, and also went against Tsai’s promise that Taiwanese athletes and coaches would travel in business class to major international competitions. Meanwhile, journalists and Internet users are behaving like paparazzi in their search for the hotels where the officials, coaches, administrative staff and athletes are staying. Coaches, administrative staff, team physiotherapists and assistants handle all of these details so that the athletes can be worry-free and compete at their peak.
Source:Taipei Times
July 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
War could ‘lead to US recognition’
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, left, speaks to former president Chen Shui-bian during a radio show hosted by Chen in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo courtesy of You Si-kun’s officeAsked to share his views on joining the UN and Taiwan-US relations, You said that both are very important. “If war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the US might recognize Taiwan, but if there is no conflict, it [recognition] could drag out for a long time,” he added. You also thanked Japan for treating Taiwan like a country during the Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday. During the parade of nations, Japanese public broadcaster NHK called the nation “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei” as the team marched into the stadium.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 16:00 UTC
Multigenerational tunes
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: ‘Chinese Taipei’ misrepresents OlympiansFORCED TITLE: Most of the nation’s Olympians identify as Taiwanese, and a majority of them do not hail from Taipei, adding another layer of absurdity to the misnomer The sports world is to focus on the Tokyo Olympic Games starting on Friday, and once again Taiwanese will not have a “Team Taiwan” to cheer for, but will be stuck with the deceitful, contrived name of “Chinese Taipei.” It is a dishonest name, imposed by international politics under pressure from China and the International Olympic Committee, acquiesced to by the former lackeys on Taiwan’s Olympic committee. For a majority of Taiwanese, it is more fitting and simpler to shout “Go Taiwan!” (台灣加油). More people are saying that “Chinese Taipei” is a gross distortion and fraudulent representation for Taiwan’s star athletes inBy Jason Pan
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: CECC reports 12 new local cases, but no deaths
COVID-19: CECC reports 12 new local cases, but no deathsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 12 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and one imported case. No deaths from COVID-19 were reported yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said seven of the local cases were reported in Taipei and five in New Taipei City. Five new local COVID-19 cases were reported in the city yesterday. Among the 14,336 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Taiwan from May 11 to yesterday morning, 87.6 percent have been released from isolation, CECC data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Doctor urges awareness of Parkinson’s disease
Taichung Hospital neurologist Wu Yu-hsuan on July 2 demonstrates a finger exercises for people at risk of Parkinson’s disease. Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei TimesHowever, when Wang became prone to falling, family members took him to the hospital and tests confirmed that he has Parkinson’s disease, Wu said, adding that Wang’s condition has since improved, thanks to medication prescribed at the hospital. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain’s substantia nigra, he said. As the disease progresses over time, it is often mistaken for a natural process due to aging, Wu said. Early signs of Parkinson’s disease are involuntary trembling of one hand or foot, parts of the body stiffening, or diminished speed of movement, Wu said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taiwan’s Lu retires after two decades on the court
Taiwan’s Lu retires after two decades on the courtNOT PERFECT: Lu said he was proud, even though his 1-6, 3-6 loss to Alexander Zverev meant he would not be standing on the podium at this year’s OlympicsStaff writer, with CNAVeteran Taiwanese tennis player Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳) on Sunday announced his retirement after losing to world No. Lu, a five-time Olympian with a 20-year career as a professional, had previously announced that he would retire from the sport after the Tokyo Olympics. Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun returns to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in their Tokyo Olympic Games men’s singles first-round match at Ariake Tennis Park yesterday. Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times“I had the courage to give my everything on the court,” Lu said. Thank you for playing your last career match representing Taiwan at the Tokyo Olympics,” Lai wrote on Facebook.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Panel approves mixing of vaccine doses
COVID-19: Panel approves mixing of vaccine dosesPLANNING NEEDED: The committee also backed the inclusion of Medigen’s vaccine in the national program, but the CECC must first meet with the firm to discuss supplyBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) yesterday agreed to a mix-and-match approach for COVID-19 vaccines, and approved the inclusion of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp’s (高端疫苗) COVID-19 vaccine in the national vaccination program. Most people in the first three COVID-19 vaccination priority groups have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Chen said. Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan, center in cream blazer, is briefed while at Yunlin County Stadium yesterday inspecting COVID-19 vaccinations. The ACIP also approved the domestic Medigen vaccine for inclusion in the national vaccination program, he said. Regarding rollout of the Medigen vaccine, Chen said the CECC would need to meet with the vaccine maker to confirm its supply plan and schedule.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
FEATURE: Photo zine features local breakfast culture
FEATURE: Photo zine features local breakfast cultureBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterBefore the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in spring last year, Priscilla Young (楊曉嵐), the author of a new 32-page photography zine titled Breakfast Shop (早餐店), noticed a lack of Taiwanese breakfast options in her native San Francisco Bay area. Priscilla Young’s photo zine Breakfast Shop and traditional Taiwanese breakfast items are arranged in an undated photograph. Breakfast Shop, which was published late last month, is the product of that delicious pilgrimage and a love letter to Taiwanese breakfast food and culture. On Instagram, she has created the “breakfast__shop” account, which is meant to be a digital extension to Breakfast Shop. The vision for Breakfast Shop, which Young understands as an ongoing project, was to recognize the everyday as art, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Chiang repeats call for cash amid new voucher plan
COVID-19: Chiang repeats call for cash amid new voucher planBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday reiterated his call for the government to hand out cash to all Taiwanese as a COVID-19 relief measure, following reports that the government is planning to issue paper and digital stimulus vouchers. The Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) yesterday cited an anonymous Executive Yuan official as saying that the body plans to issue stimulus vouchers as early as November. The vouchers are expected to be modeled after the Triple Stimulus Vouchers issued in July last year, but there were no plans to give people cash, the report said. The KMT has said that the committee, which meets every Wednesday, would discuss election arrangements at its first meeting following the lowering of a nationwide COVID-19 alert level. The KMT would ensure that the democratic process within the party is carried out in compliance with COVID-19 regulations, said Chiang, who is seeking re-election.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Agency highlights owl protection
Taiwan’s unique indigenous grass owl subspecies is one of six subspecies in East Asia, with populations in the lower reaches of the mountains of southern Taiwan, the office said. An eastern grass owl and its chicks are pictured in their nest in Pingtung County on Saturday. Conservation efforts are complicated by a lack of data on the elusive nocturnal bird and little public awareness of the owl’s conservation status, it said. The bureau in 2018 listed the owl as a subspecies of concern in the short and medium term, it said. The bureau’s branch offices in southern Taiwan should strengthen partnerships with researchers and conservation groups to protect the owl, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: CECC posts 24 new domestic infections
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said 12 of the 24 local infections tested positive during isolation or upon ending isolation. The infection sources of 17 cases have been identified, four remain unclear and three are being investigated, he said. Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command CenterThe CECC would be launching an online contact tracing assistance platform to help local governments conduct contact tracing more accurately and efficiently, he said. “All the data from the real-name registration text message platform can only be used by contact tracing personnel, and the platform records every search they perform,” Jian said. Meanwhile, Social and Family Affairs Administration Director Chien Hui-chuan (簡慧娟) said COVID-19 management guidelines for infant care centers and recommended COVID-19 preventive measures for family childcare services have been released, aimed at infant care center staff and in-home caregivers.
Source:Taipei Times
July 24, 2021 16:00 UTC
CECC to lower virus alert to level 2
CECC to lower virus alert to level 2STAY VIGILANT: Although a level 2 alert would raise the limit on indoor gatherings to 50, people should still wear masks and practice social distancing, the center saidBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterA nationwide COVID-19 alert is to be lowered from level 3 to 2 on Tuesday, but strict border controls would remain, the government said yesterday. The level 3 alert in place since May 19 is to end on Monday, with a level 2 alert in place from Tuesday until Aug. 9, the Executive Yuan said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung attends the Central Epidemic Command Center’s daily news conference in Taipei yesterday. Places that remain closed under the level 2 alert include community colleges, swimming pools and leisure businesses, such as dance halls, nightclubs, KTVs, gaming halls and mahjong parlors, he said. While the CECC on Monday last week allowed restaurants to offer dine-in services, most local governments did not follow suit.
Source:Taipei Times
July 23, 2021 15:56 UTC
Games start with muted ceremony
Weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, front center left, and tennis player Lu Yen-hsu carry the Taiwanese Olympic team flag as they lead their delegation during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. The restrictions made for an opening ceremony that was far from the usual exuberant celebration. Fireworks are set off during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. The ceremony wove together references to Japan’s traditional crafts and its globally adored video games, with athletes entering to theme music from famed titles. Small groups of protesters demonstrated against the Games outside the stadium as the ceremony began, but their chants were drowned out as the music started.
Source:Taipei Times
July 23, 2021 15:56 UTC
Retail sales post record decline of 13.3%
Retail sales post record decline of 13.3%DIVERGENCE: While retail sales slumped, manufacturing output rose 20.2% last month, bolstered by the stay-at-home economy amid the COVID-19 pandemicBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterRetail sales last month plunged at the steepest pace in recorded Taiwanese history at 13.3 percent annually to NT$266.4 billion (US$9.5 billion), as consumers cut spending amid a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, with restaurant and beverage sales posting an annual decline of 39.9 percent, Ministry of Economic Affairs statistics showed yesterday. With COVID-19 restrictions remaining in place this month, the ministry expects retail sales to contract at an even faster rate of 19 to 22 percent annually, while restaurant and beverage sales are forecast to dip by 43 to 49 percent. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesClothing store sales dropped 53.9 percent year-on-year last month, and department store sales plunged 64.7 percent, ministry data showed. For the first half of the year, retail sales increased 5.8 percent annually to NT$1.92 trillion, supported by annual sales growth of 25.7 percent from virtual stores. Machinery equipment sales expanded 23.1 percent to a record NT$428.6 billion, while construction material sales grew at the fastest pace in the wholesale segment at 45.6 percent to NT$122.3 billion, a June record.
Source:Taipei Times
July 23, 2021 15:56 UTC