Yuguang scenery inspires art festival
Yuguang scenery inspires art festivalStaff writer, with CNAWorks inspired by Yuguang Island’s (漁光島) scenery by more than a dozen artists are to go on display today at an outdoor arts festival in Tainan’s Anping District (安平). The Yuguang Island Art Festival, curated by the UrbanART Studio with the theme “healing,” is to provide a soothing experience after a turbulent year of battling the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of climate change, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said. The Whisper of the Sea installation by itinerant artists Tsai Hsiao-chi and Kimiya Yoshikawa is pictured at the Yuguang Island Art Festival in Tainan’s Anping District in an undated photograph. The other works are the Yuguang Island Flags, Floating Memory, Thrill of Shedding, Weaving Forest, Ups and Downs, Frame of Dreams, The Sea Blows Your Way, Whisper of the Sea, Light Fishing, Parallel Universe and Sound Geography. People should walk or take a shuttle bus across Yuguang Bridge to the festival, as the bridge will be closed to private motor vehicles — excluding Yuguang residents — from 10am to 6pm daily, the studio said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Premier urges public to take stand on human rights
Their actions were selfish and showed a lack of understanding for the importance of human rights.”Although the entertainers’ behavior was against Taiwan’s “national interest and disrespectful of human rights,” Taiwan is a country based on rights, and the government would not take action against offensive, but otherwise legal speech, he said. “I call on the public to speak on behalf of human rights, and to work toward advancing human rights in the world,” Su said. “Human rights are universal values and an expression of civilization,” Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) said. China’s human rights abuses are severe, and Taiwan should stand with the world in condemning and sanctioning it, he said. Concerning sanctions, Wu said she believes that the government should take a more active role and not just ask the public to boycott cotton from Xinjiang.
Source:Taipei Times
March 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
CTBC hints at dividend with yield of up to 5%
CTBC hints at dividend with yield of up to 5%CONTINUITY: The dividend’s payout ratio should be above 50 percent, as has been in three out of four years to 2019, the company saidBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) aims to pay a high cash dividend this year, with a payout ratio above 50 percent and a dividend yield of 4 to 5 percent, CTBC spokeswoman Chiu Ya-ling (邱雅玲) told an investors’ conference yesterday. The company reported earnings per share of NT$2.15 for last year, but its board of directors has not finalized talks on a cash dividend. However, as the firm’s insurance arm, Taiwan Life Insurance Co (台灣人壽), would retain last year’s net profit as a capital injection, the dividend would not be as high as without this move, Chiu said. CTBC Financial Holding Co spokeswoman Chiu Ya-ling, right, and company president Daniel Wu attend an investors’ conference in Taipei on April 30, 2019. Market watchers expect a cash dividend per share between NT$0.872 and NT$1.09 this year.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Tunnel built for Chiang Kai-shek opens to public
Last year, about 170,000 visited the west tunnel, the hotel said. As tours of the west tunnel were warmly received, the hotel began renovating the east passage more than a year ago to open it to the public, it said. Visitors walk through the eastern escape route at the Grand Hotel in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei TimesVisitors to the 67m-long east passage first descend an 84-step staircase before continuing down the tunnel. The 85m-long west passage has a 20m-long slide next to the staircase, which was used to evacuate anyone unable to use the stairs.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Museum battles
Annette Lu floats ‘one Chinese’ frameworkBOOK LAUNCH: Taiwan and China could launch discussions on integration, rather than unification, to establish an integration program similar to ASEAN, Annette Lu said Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday suggested breaking the impasse between Taiwan and China by using the phrase “one Chinese” (一個中華), instead of “one China” (一個中國) and “integration” instead of the “unification” of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Ahead of the launch of her new book on how to settle old scores between the two sides of the Strait, Lu introduced a third way beyond unification and independence to deal with cross-strait relations. She suggested that Beijing change its “one China” principle into a broader “one Chinese” principle, which she said would be more acceptable to Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Cabbage patch kids
Annette Lu floats ‘one Chinese’ frameworkBOOK LAUNCH: Taiwan and China could launch discussions on integration, rather than unification, to establish an integration program similar to ASEAN, Annette Lu said Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday suggested breaking the impasse between Taiwan and China by using the phrase “one Chinese” (一個中華), instead of “one China” (一個中國) and “integration” instead of the “unification” of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Ahead of the launch of her new book on how to settle old scores between the two sides of the Strait, Lu introduced a third way beyond unification and independence to deal with cross-strait relations. She suggested that Beijing change its “one China” principle into a broader “one Chinese” principle, which she said would be more acceptable to Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Investigation of seats shows all tour buses should be inspected, TTSB says
Investigation of seats shows all tour buses should be inspected, TTSB saysBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Transportation and Communications should inspect all tour buses across the nation to ensure that passenger seats were properly installed, following several major bus accidents, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) said in a safety notice yesterday. Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei TimesInvestigators found that several passenger seats detached due to the impact, which they said was unusual. “Current safety inspections only test the structural strength of the passenger seats and whether a seat can adequately absorb impacts,” the board said. There are no specifications for the installation of seats and no standards for the inspection of modified passenger seats, it added. Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) said in an interview yesterday afternoon that the three accidents presented a universal issue with the installation and fastening of passenger seats.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Hon Hai’s EV platform to become independent in July
Hon Hai’s EV platform to become independent in JulyBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterHon Hai Precision Industry Co’s (鴻海精密) MIH platform for electric vehicles (EVs) is to become an independent business unit in July, the company said at the first MIH Open Platform Alliance membership meeting in Taipei yesterday. More than 1,200 companies in the EV supply chain have joined the alliance since its inception in October last year. “In the future, you will be able to develop 80 percent of an EV’s functions on the cloud,” Hon Hai chief technology officer William Wei (魏國章) said. Lin said that through flexibility in EV development, a whole new mobility market would emerge. The MIH platform can accommodate vehicles as diverse as busses and microvehicles, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Pegatron expects stable consumer electronics demand
Pegatron expects stable consumer electronics demandBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterPegatron Corp (和碩) yesterday said that it expects increased demand for consumer electronics products would continue throughout this year, after the company posted a five-year high earnings per share for last year. “Demand for consumer electronics will accelerate,” Pegatron chief executive officer Liao Syh-jang (廖賜政) told an investors’ conference in Taipei. “We can expect people to upgrade their handsets and new technologies to blossom in the automotive electronics sector.”However, Pegatron is cautious about component shortages, Liao said. The long product life cycle of vehicles makes the sector a stable business opportunity for Pegatron, Liao said. “Conventional cars have a life cycle of eight to 10 years, while electric vehicles have a life cycle of five to six years.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
KMT demands action to address water shortage
KMT demands action to address water shortageBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused the government of not being proactive enough in addressing the water shortage and said that the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program failed to prevent the situation. The project’s aim is to build an environment without water shortages or flooding, where people have access to quality drinking water and water is a part of public recreation, it said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang accuses the government of mishandling water shortages at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Since August last year, there have been warning signs of tightening water supplies, committee deputy director-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said. The government has not put enough effort into solving the water shortage, Alicia Wang said, adding that the president should personally direct the government’s response.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
CEC marks 75 years with tech show
CEC marks 75 years with tech showBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterContinental Engineering Corp (CEC, 大陸工程) yesterday showcased its technological applications at the construction site of a public housing project in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港). Vehicles drive past the construction site of a public housing project in Taipei’s Nangang District yesterday. Continental Engineering Corp chief executive officer Simon Buttery poses for a photograph at a media briefing in Taipei’s Nangang District yesterday. Photo courtesy of Continental Engineering CorpThe project, featuring two 27-floor buildings, is to have more than 1,400 apartments with one to three bedrooms, Continental said. Its parent company, Continental Holdings Corp (欣陸投控), reported NT$1.54 billion in net profit last year, the second-highest profit in the company’s history.
Source:Taipei Times
March 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Wu confirms military gear gifts to Paraguay
Wu confirms military gear gifts to ParaguayBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerMinister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday confirmed that Taiwan has gifted Paraguay a retired military helicopter and other equipment, and denied rumors that Taiwan’s relations with Paraguay are being undermined by Beijing. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Sz-huai (吳思懷) had asked Joseph Wu whether the Ministry of National Defense had made the gifts to the government in Asuncion. “There is an evident discrepancy between what China promises and what it can deliver,” Joseph Wu said. Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines have not been approved by the WHO, and countries shouldthink carefully before inoculating their citizens with the vaccines, Joseph Wu said. Regarding concerns over whether Paraguay would switch recognition to Beijing, Joseph Wu said that Asuncion was aware that Beijing was stirring unrest in the region and Paraguay is “definitively not pro-Beijing.”Taiwan-Paraguay relations remain solid, Joseph Wu said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 24, 2021 15:56 UTC
Cathay increases economic growth forecast to 4.2%
Cathay increases economic growth forecast to 4.2%LOOKING UP: The firm raised its forecast for private investment growth to 3.7%, as TSMC has raised its capital expenditure to between US$25bn and US$28bnBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) yesterday raised its forecast for the nation’s economic growth this year to 4.2 percent, up from the 3.2 percent it predicted in December last year, due to stronger-than-expected private investment and the improving global situation, it said. The firm raised its prediction for private investment growth to 3.7 percent, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, in January raised its capital expenditure to between US$25 billion and US$28 billion, it said. Cathay Financial previously expected private investment to slow this year and grow 2.5 percent in light of a high comparison base last year. Taiwanese firms would continue to benefit from strong demand for new technology applications and devices required to maintain a low-contact economy, Hsu said. Cathay Financial forecast that the central bank would keep benchmark interest rates unchanged this year, as the nation’s inflation is expected to remain mild, Hsu said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 24, 2021 15:56 UTC
About 60% say property prices likely to rise: poll
About 60% say property prices likely to rise: pollBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterAbout 60 percent of people expect housing prices to pick up next quarter, and many believe it wise to enter the market this year as tightened measures are driving out speculators, a survey by Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) found yesterday. “That is because selective credit controls and harsh tax terms would not affect first-time home buyers or people who live in their own houses for a long time,” Hsieh said. He declined to bet on full-year figures because of concerns that developers might become more conservative if property tax changes clear the legislature, as it would take more time for developers to make a profit. The government seems serious about property tax revisions and people intent on saving taxes could embark on a sell-off, as policymakers aim to make the new tax terms retroactive, he said. The finance ministry has said property tax revisions are its top priority for the current legislative session.
Source:Taipei Times
March 24, 2021 15:56 UTC
Cooperation on air crash probes urged
Cooperation on air crash probes urgedLEGAL AMENDMENT NEEDED? The board should be involved in the investigation of all military aircraft incidents, as this would make the investigations more transparent, Hung said. This exposes a security loophole that arises from insufficient investigations of military aircraft incidents, Lin said. Investigation by the military showed that the crash was caused by the area’s unknown topography, weather and human errors, Lin said. However, military personnel should know the topography ahead of a mission, and military aircraft should be able to operate in all kinds of weather, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 24, 2021 15:56 UTC