Kaohsiung, Taipei picked for Lantern Festival
Kaohsiung, Taipei picked for Lantern FestivalLIGHTS UP: A Tourism Bureau committee selected Kaohsiung to host the 2022 and Taipei the 2023 annual festival, which is one of the nation’s major tourism eventsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Lantern Festival is to be held in Kaohsiung in 2022 and in Taipei in 2023, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. For the festival in 2023, which would be the Year of the Rabbit, the bureau had invited the governments of Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Yilan County to submit plans for the event. The last time that Taipei and Kaohsiung hosted the annual lantern festival was in 2000 and 2002 respectively. The bureau created the Taiwan Lantern Festival in 1990, which has since become one of the nation’s major tourism events. The festival was held in Taipei from 1990 to 2000, and in Kaohsiung in 2001 and 2002.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
DBS Bank provides aid for social enterprises
DBS Bank provides aid for social enterprisesStaff writerWith many businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, DBS Bank Ltd (星展銀行) has stepped up its support of social enterprises (SE) with a disbursement of loans and grants totaling S$9 million (US$6.74 million) to provide much needed assistance for social enterprises, it said, adding that it is committed to promoting the development of social enterprises. DBS also announced that 13 Asian social enterprises, including Taiwan-based Sense Innovation (森思眼動), Milk House (鮮乳坊) and Tsai Tung Agriculture (菜蟲農食), have been awarded grants and loans as part of the 2020 DBS Social Enterprise Grant Programme. According to Karen Ngui (魏洪英), DBS Foundation board member and head of group strategic marketing at DBS Bank, “companies must not only think about delivering value to shareholders, but also consider the interests of the communities they serve.”The DBS Bank logo is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. The DBS Foundation announced that it has awarded S$1.4 million in grants to 13 social enterprises throughout Asia in the 2020 cycle of its DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant Programme. For more information about the DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant Programme, visit https://www.dbs.com/foundation/our-support/grant-programme.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
TSMC says demand remains resilient
TSMC says demand remains resilientBATTLE OVER? Building higher inventory has “become a new norm for supply chains,” TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) told reporters on the sidelines of an international forum celebrating 40th anniversary of the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), when asked about growing concern among investors over inventory corrections. Photo: Hung Yu-fang, Taipei TimesIt would not be appropriate to use the previous standard to gauge supply chain inventories, Liu said. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman Mark Liu speaks at a forum celebrating the Hsinchu Science Park’s 40th anniversary in Hsinchu yesterday. Tso said that the government should strive to solve two major issues that semiconductor firms operating fabs at the Hsinchu Science Park face: water shortages and high demand for electricity.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan contributing to education on Holocaust
Taiwan contributing to education on HolocaustBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan on Monday promised to donate 1.5 million Polish zloty (US$409,931) to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to promote education programs about the history of the former Nazi concentration camp. Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei TimesThe nation “stands ready to join global donors in supporting the foundation’s effort to perpetuate the Holocaust sites as the foundation for education and awareness for future generations,” he said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on Twitter that it is proud to witness the signing, as the nation is working to bolster its education, remembrance and research on the Holocaust. The participation of people “from the Far East” is evidence that “Auschwitz, as a symbol, has a global meaning,” Cywinski said. The foundation’s activities are made possible by its constantly expanding coalition of global partners, Soczewica said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Farmer helps put Jhutang back on mushroom map
Farmer helps put Jhutang back on mushroom mapBy Chen Kuan-pei and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerFarmer Lee Mei-ling (李美玲) has revived the mushroom industry in Changhua County’s Jhutang Township (竹塘) after adding modern facilities to her traditional mushroom farm. 1 producer of mushrooms until 20 years ago, when it fell behind other regions that were using improved techniques to grow larger mushrooms. Farmer Lee Mei-ling is pictured with some giant mushrooms at her farm in Jhutang Township, Changhua County, on Sunday. She started by renovating an old warehouse used for growing mushroom by installing air-conditioning and an environmental management system. “The characteristics of the land in Jhutang Township, as well as the wet conditions in winter, make it ideal for growing mushrooms,” Lee said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in ‘informal’ talks with CPTPP members
Taiwan in ‘informal’ talks with CPTPP membersBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterTaiwan is working on “informal consultations” with member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) before it formally applies to join the trade bloc, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said yesterday. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou speaks at the ministry’s regular news conference in Taipei on Thursday last week. Photo: Peng Wan-hsin, Taipei TimesTaiwan is in the middle of conducting informal consultations with the pact’s 11 member states, which are aware of the nation’s determination and the steps it is to take for participation, she said. Joining the CPTPP is crucial for the nation’s economic growth, and Taiwan looks forward to establishing reciprocal trade relations with member states, Ou said. The 11 members represent about 13 percent of global GDP, according to information from the Executive Yuan.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: CECC reports 2 imported cases
Virus Outbreak: CECC reports 2 imported casesBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two new imported cases of COVID-19, while it refused to confirm from which companies the government had purchased vaccines. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also CECC spokesman, said that the two new cases were migrant workers who had not reported any symptoms since arriving in Taiwan. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung talks to reporters about COVID-19 vaccines during a visit to Chiayi County yesterday. The other case is an Indonesian in his 30s who also arrived on Nov. 30 and provided a negative PCR test result. That brought the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan to 742, 650 of which were imported, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Expected annual bonuses hit nine-year low: survey
Expected annual bonuses hit nine-year low: surveyLOW HOPES: Only 55.9 percent of employees surveyed expect year-end bonuses, down 67.8 percent annually and the lowest in the poll’s history, job bank yes123 saidStaff writer, with CNAEmployers expect to issue year-end bonuses equivalent to 1.11 months of wages on average, the lowest in nine years, amid the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey released on Monday showed. A second survey, also conducted from Nov. 25 to Wednesday last week by yes123, found that only 55.9 percent of employees polled expect to receive year-end bonuses, down sharply from 67.8 percent a year earlier. The logo and name of online job bank yes123 are pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Only 17.2 percent of those employees who expect to receive year-end bonuses said that the amount would increase from a year earlier. Taiwanese businesses tend to issue year-end bonuses as an incentive before the Lunar New Year holiday, which next year will be in mid-February.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Hospital acclaimed for gastric cancer screening program
Hospital acclaimed for gastric cancer screening programMATSU SUCCESS: ‘Gut,’ a leading medical journal, used images of Taiwan on the front cover of its issue this month to highlight the contributions of NTUHBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA gastric cancer screening and treatment program by National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) in Matsu has successfully reduced the gastric cancer incidence rate in the archipelago by 53 percent in 14 years. Gastric cancer is the fifth-most common cancer and the third-biggest cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has predicted that the number of gastric cancer patients would continue to grow in the next 30 years due to the aging population. NTUH superintendent Wu Ming-shiang (吳明賢) said that the hospital last year held a global consensus meeting on H. pylori screening and gastric cancer prevention, and participants produced 26 guidelines for gastric cancer prevention based on the scientific evidence from the hospital’s study in Matsu. People 50 years or older with a family history of gastric cancer should undergo an H. pylori screening with their regular gastroscopy, Liou said, adding that eradicating H. pylori infection can prevent gastric cancer.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: CAL and EVA ‘ready’ to transport vaccines
Virus Outbreak: CAL and EVA ‘ready’ to transport vaccinesREADY FOR COLD: EVA said that it was confident it could handle Pfizer’s ultra-cold vaccines with its cold-chain delivery service, although foreign airlines might be usedBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterChina Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said that they are ready and willing to transport COVID-19 vaccines, although they had not received assignments from the government. EVA said that it did not receive an assignment from the CECC, but it has told the Civil Aeronautics Administration that it would be happy to provide a door-to-door vaccine delivery service. Photo: Bloomberg“We are confident that we can handle Pfizer’s ultra-cold vaccines with our cold-chain delivery service,” EVA said in a statement. Several freight forwarders have approached CAL to discuss transportation of vaccines and the negotiations are still ongoing, it said in a statement. CAL has not received an assignment from the government, but it is confident about its temperature-controlled delivery service launched in 2013, the airline said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
RTI Radio Taiwan International
Kinmen has been free of landmines since 2013. But recently, unexploded bombs and landmines have been washing up on shore. Ecologists say that's due to changes in the coastline. (Source: Kinmen Coast Guard)This episode of Hear in Taiwan has an explosive beginning with a look at how landmines are washing up on the shores of Kinmen. The Council of Agriculture will launch Uber, but with tractors and other big farm stuff:https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/12/13/2003748641
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2020 19:07 UTC
VIRUS OUTBREAK: CECC reports four imported cases
VIRUS OUTBREAK: CECC reports four imported casesBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed four imported cases of COVID-19 in people who had all provided negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results within three days before boarding a plane to Taiwan, but tested positive after completing 14 days of quarantine. Passengers wait to go through border quarantine measures carried out by Centers for Disease Control staff at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Nov. 29. The man practiced seven days of self-health management and took another paid test on Saturday, which came back positive yesterday, he said. She tested negative twice in an extended testing project on Nov. 28 and before ending quarantine on Dec. 2. “All four cases tested positive after completing quarantine and had no symptoms.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
FSC says to lower gold card application thresholds
FSC says to lower gold card application thresholdsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday said it would lower the application thresholds for employment gold cards, in a bid to attract foreign professionals with top financial certifications, senior-level executives at financial companies or those who have worked in financial technology or e-commerce. The FSC, which is responsible for setting the qualifications for foreign professionals with financial expertise, said it would relax the Requirements and Determination Principles for Foreign Special Professionals with Financial Expertise (外國特定專業人才具有金融領域特殊專長之資格條件及認定原則) to attract more financial experts. The Financial Supervisory Commission sign is pictured at its headquarters in New Taipei City’s Banciao District in an undated photograph. While the commission opened the channel in 2018, not many foreigners have applied for gold cards through it, he said. However, with local financial firms focusing on fintech or collaboration with other industries, more experts in fintech, technology or e-commerce are expected to apply for gold cards, Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
PCB sector’s output value expected to hit record high
PCB sector’s output value expected to hit record highBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe output value of Taiwan’s printed circuit board (PCB) industry is expected to reach a record high this year, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) said yesterday. The PCB industry had “no reason to be optimistic about 2020 at the beginning of the year,” the association said in a report. “The overall performance of Taiwanese companies [with domestic operations] has been better than that of Taiwanese companies in China,” the association said. China operations accounted for 62.5 percent of Taiwanese PCB makers’ total output in the third quarter, down 1 percent from the previous quarter, it said. Due to capacity constraints and supply shortages, IC substrates would still be the main growth engine for Taiwan’s PCB industry,” the association said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
Biden softer on China: academic
Biden softer on China: academic‘COMPETITOR’: US president-elect Joe Biden might center his foreign policy on cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies to stem the expansion of Chinese influenceBy Su Yung-yao and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerUS president-elect Joe Biden is likely to pursue a softer policy on China, focusing on cybersecurity and information technology challenges, as opposed to the “hard containment” direction favored by US President Donald Trump, an academic said yesterday. Biden would likely maintain the current administration’s definition of China as a “strategic competitor,” Lin said. Biden is to face internal pressure from the Democratic Party to reduce defense spending, coupled with lowering the frequency of troop deployments to the South China Sea, Lin said. China is making its neighbors anxious with its expansions into the South China Sea and South Pacific, and across the first and second island chains, he added. As the confrontation between the US and China takes shape, Taiwan would be deluged with increasingly underhanded threats and harassment, Yen said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2020 15:56 UTC