Fuji apples seized for high fungicide levels
Fuji apples seized for high fungicide levelsStaff writer, with CNAAuthorities have seized more than 20 tonnes of Fuji apples imported from the US by Costco Taiwan because they were found to contain excessive levels of fungicide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The popular apple variety was one of 14 products included in the FDA’s weekly report on import shipments confiscated for food safety breaches. The shipment of 20,580kg of Fuji apples was seized after testing showed that it contained residues of the fungicide pyrimethanil at a concentration of 8.7 parts per million (ppm), slightly above the maximum permitted limit of 7.0ppm. An undated photograph released by the Food and Drug Administration shows a Fuji apple. The seized products were either returned to their country of origin or destroyed, the FDA said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
Many children, teens believe obesity myths: group
Many children, teens believe obesity myths: groupBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAlthough obesity has been declining among children and adolescents, many of them hold misconceptions about eating, such as a 15-year-old girl who swallowed cotton to suppress her appetite, the Taiwan Pediatric Association said. However, clinical observation has shown that many children and adolescents hold misconceptions about obesity and have adopted unhealthy ways of losing weight, he said. Members of the Taiwan Pediatric Association hold placards at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, calling on parents to pay greater attention to overweight and underweight children ahead of Children’s Day on Sunday. The teenager was diagnosed with hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, as well as fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis, Yeung added. The Health Promotion Administration has published Evidence-Based Guidelines on Children Obesity Prevention and Management (兒童肥胖防治實證指引), and offers a BMI assessment calculator for children and adolescents on its Web site so that parents and children can better understand what a healthy body weight is, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
Group touts Chinese program for Indians
Group touts Chinese program for IndiansBy Wu Po-hsuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerA group of universities has announced a plan to enroll 3,000 Indians in Chinese-language courses over the next three years, pending approval by the Ministry of Education. The Taiwan University of Education network of schools, which Wu now leads, is taking charge of the program, which is to be joined by a number of private schools, Wu said on Sunday. Former minister of education Wu Ching-ji speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Dec. 4, 2019. This year, the centers plan to publish a textbook that would incorporate Chinese-language education with cultural information, Wang said. The program was created to offer an alternative to China’s Confucius Institutes to schools wishing to offer Chinese-language courses.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
Commercial property transactions hit record
Commercial property transactions hit recordBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterCommercial property transactions in the nation in the first quarter totaled NT$41.4 billion (US$1.45 billion), the highest ever for the period, supported by healthy demand and excessive liquidity, Colliers International Taiwan (高力國際) said yesterday. The volume suggested a twofold increase from a year earlier, with life insurance companies contributing 36.59 percent, or NT$15.15 billion, Colliers Taiwan managing director Andrew Liu (劉學龍) said. Colliers International Taiwan managing director Andrew Liu poses at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Taipei ranked No. Hsinchu County and Taoyuan, popular destinations for reshoring companies to carry out supply chain realignment, ranked second and third, Collier Taiwan said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
Top Indian envoy vows to enhance ties, speaks of ‘close friendship’ with Taiwan
Top Indian envoy vows to enhance ties, speaks of ‘close friendship’ with TaiwanStaff writer, with CNAIndia’s top envoy in Taiwan on Monday pledged to bolster Taiwan-India ties by enhancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, investment and healthcare. “Today’s event signifies the close friendship between the people of India and Taiwan, and their growing connections in various spheres,” India-Taipei Association Director-General Gourangalal Das said at a belated Republic Day celebration. The event, which was supposed to be held in January, was postponed due to a sudden surge of COVID-19 cases in Taoyuan. India-Taipei Association Director-General Gourangalal Das speaks at a party held in Taipei on Monday to celebrate India’s Jan. 26 Republic Day. “Despite the difficulties and trials last year, the connections between India and Taiwan in education, investment, healthcare and technical cooperation were further enhanced,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
All military aircraft, except F-5 jets, to resume operations
All military aircraft, except F-5 jets, to resume operationsStaff writer, with CNAAll military aircraft, except F-5 jets, would resume operations before Thursday, after being grounded in the wake of a fatal crash last week, air force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) said yesterday. Yesterday and today, the air force’s combat, surveillance and transport aircraft would be resuming flights, including F-16s, Mirage 2000-5s, Indigenous Defense Fighter jets, C-130H Hercules aircraft and P-3C Orions, Huang said at a press event in Taipei. Air force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei speaks at a news conference held by the Ministry of National Defense yesterday. Photo: Tu Chu-min, Taipei TimesF-5 jets would remain grounded until Tuesday or Wednesday next week, pending safety checks, and pilot training and psychological counseling, Huang said. A search and rescue team of 300 people has found some personal gear and aircraft debris, Huang added.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
Quanta laptop shipments reach record 59.8m units
Quanta laptop shipments reach record 59.8m unitsBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterQuanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) yesterday said it shipped 59.8 million laptops last year, a 70.37 percent increase year-on-year and the highest in the company’s history, thanks to work-from-home and distance learning demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Net profit in the fourth quarter of last year surged 91.11 percent year-on-year to NT$8.63 billion (US$302.6 million), or earnings per share of NT$2.24. The Quanta Computer Inc logo is pictured outside the company’ headquarters in New Taipei City’s Linkou District on March 30 last year. Quanta said its board of directors has proposed paying a cash dividend of NT$5.2 per share. That translates into a dividend yield of 5.25 percent, based on Quanta’s closing price of NT$99 yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC
The Liberty Times Editorial: Recognizing Taiwan to stop China
An onlooker, the US, anticipates that the boulder — China — knows that it is not in its best interest to come rolling down the hill. Kishi has also said that China is continuing to strengthen its military capabilities, changing the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait in its favor. During a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on March 2, former White House national security adviser H.R. Biden’s new national security team “needs to put Taiwan first among all its priorities,” Goldstein added. However, in 1999, Lee proposed a “special state-to-state relationship” between Taiwan and China.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 16:07 UTC
AIT director and minister acclaim bilingual policy
AIT director and minister acclaim bilingual policyBy Fang Chih-hsien and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerExchanges between Taiwan and the US on bilingual education support Washington’s policy of limiting Chinese influence in the US, as well as Taiwan’s goal of becoming a bilingual nation by 2030, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen said at a Bilingual Education Symposium at Kaohsiung’s National Sun Yat-sen University yesterday. From left, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung and National Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao clench their fists at the Bilingual Education Symposium at the university in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: Fang Chih-hsien, Taipei TimesNearly 300 educators from across Taiwan attended the symposium, which was also attended by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠). Speaking at the symposium, Pan announced that a bilingual training center would be established at the university as part of the initiative. Over the past few months, Taiwanese and US representatives have held several meetings and workshops to discuss educational topics, with bilingual education a major focus, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Yang Ming upbeat due to high shipping rates
Yang Ming upbeat due to high shipping ratesBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterYang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運) yesterday gave a rosy outlook for the first half of this year on expectations that container shipping rates would remain high. Yang Ming is Taiwan’s second-largest container shipper by fleet size. Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp president Patrick Tu speaks at an investors’ conference in Taipei yesterday. Overall, Yang Ming is optimistic about turning a profit, he said. Yang Ming shares rose 3.68 percent to NT$35.25 in Taipei trading yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
DPP legislators rally in show of support for Uighurs
DPP legislators rally in show of support for UighursBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators in Taipei yesterday showed their support for Uighurs by wearing jackets and shirts of apparel brands facing Chinese boycotts for their statements on rights abuses in Xinjiang. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesAt a news conference outside the legislative chamber, nine DPP lawmakers, many wearing black and white clothing, held signs that read: “support Uighurs,” “uphold human rights” and “refuse blood cotton.”“We are here to call attention to China’s concentration camp treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, to boycott ‘blood cotton’ apparel, and to defend human rights and other universal values for Uighurs,” DPP Legislator Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) said. “Defending justice cannot be done by Uighurs alone, they need international support. Today, what I wear represents our fight to uphold human rights, resist dictatorship and support those firms that stand up for democratic values. As consumers, Taiwanese can choose the clothing they buy and have the right to choose what to wear,” DPP Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Consumer confidence highest in a year
Consumer confidence highest in a yearHOPEFUL: People were more assured about household income, while interest in real-estate remained healthy, a survey by the National Central University foundBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe consumer confidence index this month gained 1.88 points to 76.52, its highest since March last year, as the economic situation improved at home and abroad, fueling inflation risks and concern over potential capital flight from equity markets, a National Central University survey released yesterday showed. The consumer confidence index this month gained 1.88 points to 76.52, its highest since March last year, as the economic situation improved at home and abroad, a National Central University survey released yesterday showed. Photo: Tang Tsai-hsin, Taipei TimesOf the consumer confidence index’s sub-indices, the gauge on stock investment rose the most. The sub-index on purchases of durable goods dropped 1.05 points to 111.6, as interest in real-estate properties remains healthy, the survey said. Confidence scores of higher than 100 suggest optimism and values lower than the threshold indicate pessimism.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Vaccine program might be expanded
At present, vaccines are being offered to frontline healthcare workers at hospitals dealing with COVID-19 cases, but as of Sunday only 9,377 jabs had been administered. As the first batch of about 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine has an expiration date of June 15, legislators expressed concern that they would not be used in time. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung answers questions from legislators at a meeting of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan would likely have received other vaccines or domestically produced vaccines by that time, so the possibility of signing a contract with BioNTech has receded, he said. Meanwhile, the center yesterday reported one new imported COVID-19 case, a Taiwanese who had returned from the Philippines.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Chip supply crunch to last two years, Macronix says
Macronix, the world’s biggest supplier of NOR flash memory chips, said its factories have been running at full capacity and are dealing with additional requests for chips. China’s GigaDevice Semiconductor (Beijing) Inc (北京兆易) is a chip designer and is reliant on capacity supply from Chinese foundries, which would be limited given healthy market demand, Wu said. Macronix supplies memory chips to most automakers in Germany, Japan, South Korea and the US, and an automotive chip shortage would help the company gain market share, he said. Macronix is still in talks with several potential buyers to sell a 30-year-old 6-inch fab, Wu said. Macronix has budgeted NT$3 billion (US$105.07 million) on capital expenditure this year, the company said, adding that it would raise the figure if needed.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC
Carrefour suppliers complain they are being overcharged
Photo courtesy of Carrefour Taiwan“Additional fees are negotiable, but the rate should not be unreasonable or disproportionate,” Chen said. It is not unprecedented for retailers to charge suppliers additional fees, but it is forbidden for them to charge disproportionate fees based on their advantage in the market, he said. If Carrefour charged each of its approximately 3,000 suppliers NT$50,000 per store, it could obtain about NT$29.4 billion to convert the 196 new stores, it reported. Carrefour has rejected the report, responding in a statement yesterday that it is “definitely impossible” for it to charge the suppliers such large fees. Carrefour said that it is still negotiating with suppliers about this year’s contracts.
Source:Taipei Times
March 29, 2021 15:56 UTC