Water ‘orange alert’ to be issued next week
Water ‘orange alert’ to be issued next weekBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterWater supplies are to be further reduced next week in Taichung and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, as the first “orange alert” since 2015 is set to be issued on Wednesday next week, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. 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 pipeline between Taoyuan and Hsinchu will be completed in January.”“We will not limit water use right away,” Wang said. “We do not have enough for agriculture, but there is enough for the public and for industrial use if we are thrifty.”The last time an orange alert was issued was 2015, when an alert was issued for Taichung, Miaoli, Keelung, Hsinchu and Tainan, while a “red alert” was issued for Taoyuan, New Taipei City and Kaohsiung. During a red alert, the most severe level, rotating water stoppages are enacted, with priority given to the general public, medical, defense and industrial users.
Source:Taipei Times
December 29, 2020 15:56 UTC
Trump signs Taiwan Assurance Act
Trump signs Taiwan Assurance ActTAIPEI APPRECIATIVE: Both the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked Washington for its continued support, while in Beijing, there was teeth-gnashingStaff writer, with CNA, WASHINGTONThe US$2.3 trillion government spending package that US President Donald Trump finally signed on Sunday evening incorporates the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, as well as money to support activities under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework initiative launched in 2015. Photo: CNAThe Taiwan Assurance Act supports the deepening of US-Taiwan ties on the basis of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). It states that the US Congress believes Taiwan is a vital part of the US’ “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy” and as such the government should support Taiwan’s continued pursuit of asymmetric capabilities. It also said the State Department’s guidance regarding relations with Taiwan should reflect the long-standing, comprehensive and values-based relationship the US shares with Taiwan, and contribute to the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. Meanwhile, in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said that China was “resolutely opposed” to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 as well as the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, which was also part of the omnibus bill signed by Trump on Sunday.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 16:00 UTC
Chiayi farmer wins best tomato title
Chiayi farmer wins best tomato titleBy Wu Chun-feng and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerA Chiayi County farmer bested 94 rivals to win the title of “Master Grower” at the Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station’s 10th cherry tomato competition on Wednesday last week. However, station director Yang Hung-ying (楊宏瑛) said that the participants in the general competition represented the best of their regions. Photo: Wang Shan-yen, Taipei TimesThey were all still able to produce quality harvests, achieving an average sugar level of 10.1 degrees Brix (°Bx), or 10.1g of sugar in 100g of fruit, she said. For comparison, a 2011 Ohio State University study showed that cherry tomatoes had an average rating of 7.5°Bx, ranging from 4.5°Bx to 11.7°Bx. Yang said that the competition is a good opportunity for farmers from different areas to gather and share their expertise, improving the nation’s overall cherry tomato industry.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan third-best investment location, BERI report says
Taiwan third-best investment location, BERI report saysBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterTaiwan was ranked as the third-best investment destination, alongside South Korea, in the lastest report by the US-based Business Environment Risk Intelligence SA (BERI), the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. BERI also gave Taiwan the highest score for foreign exchange risk, making it the most secure nation in the world regarding foreign exchange. The report showed Taiwan scored a profit opportunity recommendation (POR) — a gauge that BERI uses to evaluate a nation as an investment destination — of 62, up one point from 61 in its May and August reports. BERI uses three main indicators to assess investment risk: operating conditions (operations risk), political risk, and foreign exchange and external accounts position (remittance and repatriation factor) risk. Taiwan scored 60 in operating conditions, placing it third; 46 in political risk, ranking it 14; and 80 in foreign exchange risk, putting it in first place.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
New Taipei downsizes holiday events
New Taipei downsizes holiday eventsSTAYING CAUTIOUS: Holiday flag-raising events attract thousands of residents, but officials said they were worried about enforcement of disease prevention measuresBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe New Taipei City Government yesterday announced it would downsize a New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony on Friday at city hall and postpone a fireworks display in Bali District (八里) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said that the city government would step up its COVID-19 prevention efforts this week, particularly of outdoor gatherings. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, left, speaks at a news conference in New Taipei City yesterday. The New Taipei City High Riverbank Construction Management Office said it would postpone a fireworks show in Bali. “The fireworks would be launched over a 500m-wide area, and the disease prevention restricted area is about 1,200m.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT representatives support pork drive
The KMT is to begin collecting signatures on Wednesday next week, after the Central Election Commission (CEC) approved its proposal on Dec. 18. From left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang, KMT Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung and Institute of Revolutionary Practice director Lo Chih-chiang yesterday in Taipei announce a signature drive for a referendum on imports of pork containing ractopamine. Aug. 28, the day of the referendum, “would be the day people decide on their own health and on their own food,” KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said. KMT Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) said that the party firmly believes it can collect 600,000 signatures in two months. The KMT is to set up signature collection points all over the country, KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
Utility to recognize power plant losses following vote
Utility to recognize power plant losses following voteBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterLosses associated with the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant would be recognized by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) after a referendum next year, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday. The power plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) has been mothballed since 2015 amid construction controversies and protests from environmentalists. The Fourth Nuclear Power Plant is pictured in New Taipei City on July 1, 2015. “There will be a referendum in August on whether to activate the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant,” Wang told reporters at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. “We expect to maximize the asset value of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, then we will have a basis to figure out how to accurately recognize it in our books,” Taipower said yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
NPP backs Hsinchu fight against expropriation
NPP backs Hsinchu fight against expropriationBy Chen Yu-hsin and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe New Power Party (NPP) yesterday pledged its support to environmental groups and Hsinchu County residents in their decades-long fight against the expropriation of more than 400 hectares of land for the “Puyu Project” (璞玉, uncut jade) — the third phase of expansion at the Hsinchu Science Park. NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that government agencies aim to forcibly expropriate large tracts of farmland for the project, which spans the county’s Cyonglin Township (芎林) and Jhubei City (竹北). New Power Party Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih, holding a microphone, and civic group representatives in Taipei yesterday warn that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s planned 2-nanometer chip fab would put an unbearable strain on Hsinchu County’s water supply. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times“It also requires large-scale water storage, and farmers would have to stop their cultivation and all farming would cease... “When water supply is short, it results in overuse and increased pollutants in the rivers,” Taiwan Clean Water Action Alliance chairperson Peng Kuei-chih (彭桂枝) said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
Presidential Office budget for cybersecurity up 50%
Presidential Office budget for cybersecurity up 50%SECURING INFORMATION: The NT$38.97 million budget would be spent on software and equipment to protect against the 400,000 cyberattacks the office faces a monthBy Yang Chun-hui and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Presidential Office’s information security budget would be increased by 50 percent next year, as it faces an overwhelming 400,000 cyberattacks per month on its computer systems, officials said yesterday. As part of its budget for next year, the Presidential Office allocated NT$38.97 million (US$1.37 million) to “administrative work for preserving information security.”Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi attends a budget review held by the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee in Taipei yesterday. The office’s cybersecurity budget is about NT$13 million more than was budgeted last year, he said, adding that it was also allocating NT$733,000 to research and develop a better cybersecurity plan. Ho Chuan-te (何全德), who is in charge of cybersecurity at the Presidential Office, said that it would take a more proactive approach regarding cyberdefenses. The office would introduce more stringent specifications for private mobile devices used by office personnel, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
TAIEX likely to see consolidation
TAIEX likely to see consolidationBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe TAIEX is likely to hover between 13,000 and 15,000 points in the first and second quarters of next year as it enters consolidation mode, before rallying in the third quarter and climbing to 16,800 points in the fourth quarter, Capital Investment Management Corp (群益證投顧) said yesterday. The TAIEX yesterday closed up 1.06 percent at 14,483.07 points, a record high, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. The TAIEX is projected to move to a range of 14,000 to 15,500 points in the third quarter, as the local technology sector would benefit from more orders in the peak season, Tsai said. If the US stock market does not crash and governments extend their quantitative easing programs, it is possible that the TAIEX would advance to 16,800 points at most in the fourth quarter, he said. Capital Investment has an upbeat outlook for local biotech companies, due to rising demand for COVID-19 test reagents and vaccines.
Source:Taipei Times
December 28, 2020 15:56 UTC
High alert as flight from London lands
Staff wearing protective gear prepare to welcome passengers arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesAll passengers would be tested a second time before they complete their quarantine, it said, adding that the 13 flight personnel were required to quarantine at home for 14 days. As of press time, one passenger was sent to hospital directly from the airport with a fever, the CECC said. Passengers on a flight from the UK, most of them wearing protective clothing and masks, wait to go through immigration at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Meanwhile, the CECC said that Taiwan has two new imported cases of COVID-19, both of whom are Indonesian fishers.
Source:Taipei Times
December 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
Changhua eldery protection program enrollment soars
Changhua eldery protection program enrollment soarsBy Chang Tsung-chiu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe number of people enrolled in a Changhua County Government program to reduce the risk of older people getting lost has expanded to 750, a fivefold increase from 150 in the previous year, the county’s Department of Social Affairs said on Saturday. The surge in enrollments came after officials relaxed eligibility requirements and introduced QR code-bearing cloth tabs as a less obtrusive alternative to radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, the department said. A woman sits at a table in Changhua County on Dec. 19, wearing a shirt with an embedded QR code, through which she can be identified. During last year’s budget review, a bipartisan panel of county councilors urged County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) of the KMT to improve the program. The changes have boosted enrollment in the program, while about 6,500 people have downloaded the program’s app, the department said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
High school ers found political party
High school ers found political partyBy Hung Jui-chin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerTainan First Senior High School on Wednesday is to inaugurate its first political party, the TNFSH Full-Sugarism Party, to help support students’ democratic literacy. “A group has more influence.”The entrance to the main building of Tainan First Senior High School in Tainan is pictured on June 27, 2018. Lastly, the party promised to connect the all-boys school to Tainan Girls’ Senior High School through an underground tunnel. The Full-Sugarism Party is not the first student party in Taiwan. The Taichung First Senior High School student council last year became the first in the nation to pass a “student political party act.”Three parties were established, although one is at risk of dissolution after it failed to nominate any candidates for party office.
Source:Taipei Times
December 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: The first Truku convert
This portrait of Ciwang Iwal can be found at the entrance to the cave next to the Ciwang Memorial Church. Ciwang died the following year, and is still revered today as the first Truku convert to Christianity and an influential figure by the large number of Truku who still follow the religion today. THREE HUSBANDSCanadian missionary James Dickson encouraged Ciwang Iwal to attend Bible college in Tamsui since he was banned from entering the mountain areas to convert the Truku. When she realized that Truku who married Han Taiwanese enjoyed a better standard of living, she spurned the advances of young men in her village. But her fate changed when she met Canadian missionary James Dickson, who was frustrated that he couldn’t enter the mountains to convert the Truku.
Source:Taipei Times
December 27, 2020 11:01 UTC
Home selected to be museum for 228 Incident
Home selected to be museum for 228 IncidentMARCH OPENING: The house of Tang Te-chang is to open on March 13, the date of his death in 1947, also known as Justice and Courage Memorial DayBy Hung Jui-chin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe former home of a victim of the 228 Incident is to open as a museum in March, the Tainan Cultural Heritage Protection Association said yesterday. It is to open as a museum commemorating Tang on March 13, the date of his death in 1947, also known as “Justice and Courage Memorial Day.”The Tainan residence of lawyer and 228 Incident victim Tang Te-chang is pictured yesterday. Tang lived in it for less than four years before he died in the 228 Incident,” association director Huang Chien-lung (黃建龍) said, adding that the building had also served as an office for Tang, who ran a law practice. “This will not only be a place to commemorate Tang Te-chang, but will also be an important place of learning about democracy and human rights,” he said. On Monday, the association posted on Facebook an unfinished graphic story of Tang’s experiences up to and including the 228 Incident, produced by author and artist Nisin Sheep (蠢羊與奇怪生物).
Source:Taipei Times
December 27, 2020 10:52 UTC