DGH not to use Chinese-made speed detectors: minister
DGH not to use Chinese-made speed detectors: ministerBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterMinister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday ruled at a ministerial meeting that speed detectors must be accompanied by a signed affidavit that they contain no Chinese-made parts. “Leo” said that speed measurement systems are a “massive surveillance program,” as the systems identify drivers’ license plate numbers and calculate their average speed between two points so that law enforcement can determine whether vehicles are speeding. A traffic speed camera is pictured on a section of Provincial Highway No. Firms would need to furnish customs declarations, merchandise certificates and specification sheets for their detectors, Lin said. Speed detectors that are made in China would be immediately removed, Lin added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Years-old sperm used in farm breeding
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei TimesThe use of advanced equipment and software have greatly enhanced the preservation process and quality of sperm after coming out of cryo storage, he said. The Lanyu pig sperm taken in 2005 was part of a project to preserve all unique indigenous species, Huang said. Research has shown that cryo storage of an animal sperm specimen can, if used on a broader scale, help preserve biodiversity, he added. The institute also presented a new breed of chicken, which is based on a breed of cocks traditionally used for cockfighting, Huang said. Roosters or hen produced from the new breed can be used for breeding or as food, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Majority against US meat with ractopamine: survey
Majority against US meat with ractopamine: surveyDIPLOMACY: Of the polls’ respondents, 67% said they disagreed that the Taiwan-China relationship was more important than Taiwan’s relations with other nationsBy Yang Chun-hui and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe majority of people oppose imports of US meat containing ractopamine, but remain optimistic about Taiwan-US relations, survey results released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found. Foundation chairman Michael You (游盈隆) designed the questions, and commissioned Focus Survey Research to conduct the survey by telephone. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesOf the respondents, 66.3 percent opposed imports of meat products containing ractopamine, while 28.2 percent approved, the foundation said. However, the survey found that 60 percent of Democratic Progressive Party supporters approved of the imports, while 32 percent did not. The survey also found that 54.3 percent of respondents supported a referendum drive initiated by KMT lawmakers to reinstitute a ban on meat products containing ractopamine, while 36.1 percent did not.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Wells, desalination plant to tackle water shortage
Wells, desalination plant to tackle water shortageBUILT IN ADVANCE: The emergency wells would contribute 336,000 tonnes of water daily and the desalination plant 200,000 tonnes, the economics minister saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs has deployed 159 emergency wells and created an emergency desalinization plant to tackle a difficult water shortage the nation is facing, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said yesterday. By early next month, the emergency wells would be contributing 336,000 tonnes of water daily and the emergency desalinization plant in Hsinchu County would be contributing 200,000 tonnes, he said. The water level in the lake has been falling as a result of supplying water to rice farms in Changhua and Yunlin counties, the Water Resource Agency said. Areas on yellow alert have their water pressure reduced and the public is encouraged to conserve water, while an orange alert entails limiting total water use as well as reducing the water pressure. The emergency wells were dug years in advance, Water Resource Agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said by telephone.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Hualien Archeological Museum ‘an inspiration’
Hualien Archeological Museum ‘an inspiration’By Wang Chun-chi and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Hualien Archeological Museum opened to the public on Sunday, giving a permanent home to 800,000 artifacts, including a 1,240kg stone trough considered the pride of the museum and a jade burial pendant that inspired its logo design. To house the museum, the Hualien County Government received a NT$72 million (US$2.54 million) grant from the Ministry of Culture to renovate Shoufeng Township’s (壽豐鄉) Fengtien Market (豐田市場), which was originally built in 1984. A 1,240kg stone trough, discovered at the Yuemei archeological site in Shoufeng Township, is pictured in an undated photograph. It is one of the main attractions at the Hualien Archeological Museum, which opened on Sunday. The Hualien County Cultural Affairs Bureau said that entry is free during the soft opening, while operating hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Hotels report a surge in room, dining cancelations
Hotels report a surge in room, dining cancelationsBy Hsiao Yu-hsin, Tsai Tsung-hsien and Wang Shan-yan / Staff reportersExcept for Taitung, hoteliers across the nation have reported an increase in cancelations of room and dining reservations during the first weekend of the winter break, as the COVID-19 outbreak at the Taoyuan General Hospital spreads. Hotels near the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area in Chiayi County also saw their booking rate fall by 20 percent during the same period. Hotels in Taoyuan bore the brunt of the losses, as people have called to cancel room and restaurant reservations. Most of the cancelations were for reservations for days before Lunar New Year’s Eve, Taoyuan Hotel Association chairman Chiu Chao-ching (邱照進) said. “Group travelers mainly stay in three-star hotels, whereas independent travelers mostly stay in five-star hotels.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Group calls for better oversight of school meals
Group calls for better oversight of school mealsENOUGH NUTRITION? Members of the National Alliance of Presidents of Parents’ Associations hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. This is because part of the costs are spent on labor, rent, utilities and equipment, it said. The alliance suggested drafting a law dedicated to the regulation of school lunch programs to introduce national standards and guarantee food safety. More food-safety officials and nutritionists are also needed at schools to supervise the quality of the ingredients and the preparation of meals, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Nearly 3,000 in home isolation
Fifteen people have so far tested positive in the cluster infection. The first case in the cluster (case No. Chen on Sunday evening said that more than 5,000 people linked to the hospital cluster are expected to be put in isolation. Chen said the number of people placed under home isolation is expected to increase, as contact tracing is still being conducted. People under isolation, quarantine or self-health management linked to the hospital cluster are encouraged to consult with emergency doctors through the CECC’s mobile app launched on Sunday if they feel discomfort, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Gudeng forecasts record revenue growth this year
Gudeng forecasts record revenue growth this yearBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporter, in TainanGudeng Precision Industrial Co Ltd (家登), the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pods to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), yesterday forecast record, double-digit percentage revenue growth for this year. Gudeng’s comments came after TSMC on Jan. 14 forecast quarterly revenue growth of up to 2.52 percent, bucking a seasonal lull in the January-to-March quarter. Gudeng also supplies pods to Intel Corp.EUV pods are to make up about 60 percent of its wafer pods, up from 50 percent last year, Chiu said. Gudeng expects a double-digit percentage increase in revenue this year from NT$2.5 billion (US$88.06 million) last year, as its major customer accelerates production of 5-nanometer chips, which require more EUV pods than 7-nanometer production. “Order visibility from Chinese customers is stronger in the second quarter,” Gudeng said in a statement.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taoyuan cancels school activities
School facilities will not be available for winter camps or any other activities, such as volunteer group or student club meetings, Cheng said, after the city on Sunday recorded two more cases in the COVID-19 cluster that started at Taoyuan General Hospital. Workers sanitize plastic screens and furniture inside the employee canteen at Taoyuan City Hall yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan City Government via CNAThe 5,000 include patients who were discharged from the hospital from Jan. 6 to 19, and their close contacts, the CECC said. City government officials said that most of the 5,000 are people who live in Taoyuan, with an estimated 500 in New Taipei City, more than 40 in Taipei and two in Keelung. Hon Hai said that employees at its Taoyuan factory have been advised to avoid traveling outside the city, and that it has suspended its shuttle bus service between its factories nationwide.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
CECC details sites visited by cases 889, 890
CECC details sites visited by cases 889, 890PRECAUTION: The center urged people who have visited these places to practice self-health management and see a doctor if they feel sickBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday released the names of five public spaces that two previously confirmed COVID-19 cases had visited from Tuesday last week to Saturday. “People who have visited these places at about the same time should practice self-health management,” Chen said. A worker sprays disinfectant outside the Bade District Civil Affairs Office in Taoyaun yesterday. Photo: Chen En-huei, Taipei TimesOn Sunday, Chen also published a more specific time frame for when a previously confirmed patient (case No. 882) who visited Taoyuan’s Jhongping Night Market (仲平黃昏市場) last week — between 4:40pm and 5:10pm on Tuesday, and between 4pm and 4:20pm on Wednesday.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
NSPO names its new director-general
NSPO names its new director-generalPASSION FOR ROCKETS: As head of the NSPO, Gou Chong-sin is to focus on building a rocket launch site. NSPO Director-General Lin Chun-liang (林俊良), who assumed office on Feb. 1, 2018, has said that he plans to return to his research position at National Chung Hsing University next month. Taiwan should be able to launch satellites on its own, instead of relying on foreign rocket suppliers, Gou has said. Gou would make great contributions, with his outstanding research achievements and his understanding of the “ecology” of the NSPO, he added. Before Gou’s appointment, NSPO Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jen (余憲政) is to serve as acting head.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Agencies to list China-made gear
Agencies to list China-made gearSURVEILLANCE: Local government agencies that fail to list all of the China-made information security products that they use would be asked to explain their conductBy Lee Hsin-fang / Staff reporterCentral and local government agencies have been ordered to list all of the China-made information security products they are using by the end of this month and replace them by the end of this year as part of the government’s efforts to prevent the leaking of sensitive government information, Executive Yuan officials said yesterday. However, a comprehensive survey is needed to identify the agencies that are using computers and information security products manufactured in China that have yet to reach retirement age, they added. On Dec. 18 last year, the Executive Yuan sent an official document to government agencies nationwide on the principles of handling information and communication security products. All government agencies have been asked to make a list of Chinese information and communication products that are still in use or have been purchased. The Executive Yuan has yet to decide if public school teachers would be banned from using China-made smartphones or connecting their smartphones to government systems, as some teachers have expressed reservations about the policy.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Waiting on a deal
New Intel CEO commits to manufacturingFOCUS ON FOUNDRIES: An analyst said that some investors would be disappointed because they were expecting a larger announcement of a partnership with TSMC Intel Corp’s incoming chief executive officer Pat Gelsinger on Thursday pledged to regain the company’s lead in chip manufacturing, countering growing calls from some investors to shed that part of its business. “I am confident that the majority of our 2023 products will be manufactured internally,” Gelsinger said. “At the same time, given the breadth of our portfolio, it’s likely that we will expand our use of external foundries for certain technologies and products.” He plans to provide more details after officially taking over the CEO role on Feb. 15, but Gelsinger was clear that Intel is sticking with its once mighty
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
TAITRA plans electric vehicle show
TAITRA plans electric vehicle showBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterTaiwan’s electric vehicle (EV) industry has “three years left” to build its own brand, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, announcing that the council is to hold an electro-mobility trade show in October. “We are looking ahead to 2035 because that is when many countries will be phasing out fossil fuel vehicles,” Huang said. Photo: Lin Jing-hua, Taipei TimesThe council’s goal is to encourage local firms to build a “connected ecosystem centered on EV and autonomous-driving technology,” Huang said. The first edition of the 2035 E-Mobility Taiwan Show would help to spark that development and feature local manufacturers and “international investors from Wall Street and Silicon Valley,” he said. The government must support the EV industry in the same way it supported the semiconductor industry in the past,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 14, 2021 16:05 UTC