Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese trio positive for COVID-19 in Japan
Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese trio positive for COVID-19 in JapanCLEAR BEFORE LEAVING: Two baby boys and a woman in her 30s tested negative before departing for Japan, but tests taken after their arrival came back postiveBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThree Taiwanese tested positive for COVID-19 when they arrived in Japan earlier this month, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it reported a new imported case. Her antigen test upon arrival was also positive, but another PCR test on Tuesday came back negative, Chen said. The third case is another a one-year-old Taiwanese boy whose parents live permanently in Japan, Chen said. A total of 155 close contacts of the two infants and the woman have been identified, and 147 were tested; 114 people received a negative PCR test result, while 33 tested negative in both a PCR test and an antibody test. The other five Indonesian have tested negative, and while two of them have been placed under home isolation, the other three will practice self-health management, the CECC said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT to hold concert, other events to mark retrocession
KMT to hold concert, other events to mark retrocessionBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to hold a series of commemorative events to mark the 75th anniversary of Taiwan’s retrocession on Sunday, including a concert that would be attended by several former KMT chairpeople, it said yesterday. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang, center, and colleagues in Taipei yesterday promote events that the party is to hold today, tomorrow and on Sunday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Taiwan’s 1945 retrocession to the Republic of China. The KMT has invited Mainland Affairs Council officials and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to a commemorative concert, but they turned down the requests, she said. Tomorrow, the KMT is to launch an online exhibition featuring historical materials and photographs preserved by the party related to the retrocession, it said. “Taiwan Retrocession Day is an important historical link between the Republic of China and Taiwan,” the KMT said in a statement.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lawmakers criticize TTSB for Puyuma report
Lawmakers criticize TTSB for Puyuma reportCOMMITTEE MEETING: Legislators focused their questions on how the board released its final report, rather than on the substance of its findingsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) yesterday came under fire from members of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee over its release on Monday of the final investigation report on the 2018 derailment of a Puyuma Express train. Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) was at the committee meeting to brief lawmakers about the board’s performance over the past fiscal year and answer questions about its budget for the next fiscal year. Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei TimesAfter that, lawmakers focused their questions on how the board released its 435-page report, the culmination of a year-long probe. Young told lawmakers that the final report on the collapse of the Nanfangao Bridge in Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) on Oct. 1 last year would be made public on Nov.27. The TRA’s preliminary investigation found that the crack had been reported in March, but the track had not been replaced.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
ITRI, Synopsys to set up joint artificial intelligence chip laboratory in Hsinchu
ITRI, Synopsys to set up joint artificial intelligence chip laboratory in HsinchuBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) and US-based electronic design automation solution developer Synopsys Inc yesterday announced the establishment of a new laboratory in Taiwan, which is expected to speed up artificial intelligence (AI) chip development in the local semiconductor industry. The AI Chip Design Lab aims to provide Taiwanese IC design houses with access to advanced design tools and design and verification services, lowering the barrier of entry to AI, ITRI and Synopsys said. The facility is expected to shorten time to market for AI chips from two-and-a-half years to six months and enhance AI chip performance by 25 percent, Synopsys Asia Pacific senior vice president David Lin (林榮堅) said yesterday at the laboratory, located at ITRI headquarters in Hsinchu. For the joint project, Synopsys would provide chip design tools, while ITRI would provide design and verification services, Lin said. Before the collaboration with Synopsys, ITRI has been working with Taiwanese firms such as fingerprint verification company Egis Technology (神盾), to develop AI-on-chip systems, providing chip design, software development and market information.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Life insurance firms raise real-estate investments
Life insurance firms raise real-estate investmentsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterLife insurance companies in Taiwan increased their combined property investments by NT$128.8 billion (US$4.46 billion) to NT$1.34 trillion in the first eight months of this year, data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) showed on Tuesday. The increased investment by life insurers for the whole of this year is expected to hit a new record, compared with the previous high in 2012, when life insurers added NT$111.8 billion in new property investment, FSC data showed. That prompted the FSC in 2013 to implement tighter regulations on real-estate investment by life insurers to curb an overheated market. Life insurance companies have increased their property investments this year to seek better returns. Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) on Tuesday announced it had won a BOT contract for Nangang Bus Station for NT$610 million.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Lawmaker urges rules on plasticizer used in floor mats
Lawmaker urges rules on plasticizer used in floor matsStaff writer, with CNADemocratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) on Tuesday expressed concern over plasticizer content in floor mats sold in Taiwan and urged the government to make inspections of such products mandatory. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesTaiwan has plasticizer standards for floor mats, but there are no regulations requiring inspections be conducted to ensure public safety, Lin said. Floor mats are not covered by the Commodity Labeling Act (商品標示法), which requires companies to label the materials their products contain as a safety precaution, she said. “It is not unusual for us to see babies crawling on plastic floor mats,” she added. She called on the bureau to regularly inspect floor mats sold in the nation.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Innolux bullish over LCD market
Innolux bullish over LCD marketBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterLCD panel maker Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said it is bullish about panel demand over next 12 months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive demand for notebook computers, tablets and TVs. People yesterday visit Innolux Corp’s booth at the annual International Optoelectronics Exposition in Taipei. As a result, the industry is in a healthy condition due to balanced demand and supply for LCD panels as Samsung Electronics Co phases out panel production, he said. Innolux would try to satisfy demand primarily for panels used in information technology applications, Innolux vice president James Yang (楊柱祥) said. Innolux yesterday unveiled its first flat-panel satellite antenna in collaboration with Kymeta Corp, which has received funds from Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates and other investors.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Assault in Fiji!
A Taiwanese businessperson surnamed Lu (right) explains what happened at the Taiwan National Day event in Fiji, in which a Chinese diplomat assaulted a diplomat from Taiwan. (CNA photo)Today we learned that diplomats from China assaulted a diplomat from Taiwan in Fiji on October 8. Here's the Tweet that tipped us off, and the accompanying article:https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120/status/1318002297931059202https://asiapacificreport.nz/about/Plus, today's Hear in Taiwan will also look at:1. Taiwan's newest ministry: the Ministry of Digital Development: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/10/19/20037454223. Chicken excrement attack at a HK restaurant in Taiwan: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/10/17/20037453214.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 17:26 UTC
Mandarin Hotel to again offer room operations
Mandarin Hotel to again offer room operationsBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterLuxury hotel Mandarin Oriental Taipei (文華東方酒店) plans to reopen its guestrooms in December to take advantage of a boom in domestic travel. “We are delighted to share that Mandarin Oriental Taipei will resume room operations on December 1,” the hotel said in a statement yesterday. The Mandarin Oriental Taipei in Songshan District is pictured on March 14, 2018. Mandarin Oriental, which operates 33 high-end hotels and seven residences in 23 countries and territories, has reopened its properties in Tokyo, Milan, London, Paris and Munich. Mandarin Oriental Taipei is reopening at the urging of affluent local guests who are longing for luxurious staycation experiences, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Report details cause of 2018 derailment
Report details cause of 2018 derailmentDEADLY ERRORS: The safety board’s investigation found that the driver did not report malfunctions to dispatch, and lacked adequate training to address issuesBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Transportation Safety Board yesterday identified 50 factors that led to the derailment of a Puyuma Express train in Yilan County in 2018, and gave the railway operator three months to report on how it plans to follow the board’s safety recommendations. The board yesterday published online its final report following a one-year investigation into the Oct. 21, 2018, derailment of Puyuma Express train No. Taiwan Transportation Safety Board Chief Investigator Lin Pei-ta yesterday at a news conference in Taipei presents the results of an investigation into the derailment of Puyuma Express No. As such, he failed to heed the 75kph speed limit sign at 4:49.20pm, seven seconds before the derailment, Lin said. As such, air compressors on cars No.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
MOFA condemns PRC over Fiji fracas
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Larry Tseng, at podium, answers questions from member of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs Committee in Taipei yesterday, as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng looks on. Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei TimesThe Chinese embassy denied the accusations and said that one of its staffers was injured. The Chinese embassy should not be able to claim diplomatic immunity, as it only applies to civil cases, and the incident was a criminal case, the lawmaker added. MOFA has asked the Fijian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and police to collect evidence to clarify the facts, and also delivered a stern protest to the Fijian ministry against the Chinese embassy, Ou said in a statement. Meanwhile, in Beijing yesterday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said that Taiwan was playing the victim, as he criticized the flags and cake displayed at the event.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Team finds possible marker for post-stroke dementia
Team finds possible marker for post-stroke dementiaBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA team of National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) researchers yesterday said that it has discovered a biomarker that could one day help predict the risk of post-stroke dementia (PSD). The lack of a biomarker has made it difficult to accurately predict the risk of PSD in stroke patients, she said. Liu’s research team collaborated with Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君), a physician in Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Department of Dementia, in a study to analyze the cognitive function conditions and associated physiological changes in ischaemic stroke patients. The team found that the D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) levels in the blood plasma of PSD patients were significantly higher than in stroke patients without PSD or healthy people, indicating that DAO could be a biomarker for predicting PSD in stroke patients, Liu said. With further studies and cross analysis, it might be possible to predict the risk of PSD in stroke patients from the DAO level in their blood samples, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Ministry addresses issues with academic portfolios
Ministry addresses issues with academic portfoliosBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Education is to improve communication with senior-high schools and students in the wake of a backlash over its electronic academic portfolio initiative, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said yesterday. With the implementation last year of the 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum Guidelines, the ministry has been promoting the creation of electronic academic portfolios for senior-high school students to use as part of the university application process. The system allows students to upload materials regularly, to prevent them from preparing and submitting everything all at once in the final semester, it said. Students are not required to upload files to the academic portfolios, as they can still upload application materials in PDF format, it said. However, the ministry advises students against doing so, as such material would lack teacher certification, as well as systemization.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Minister rejects code for ractopamine
Minister rejects code for ractopamineLEANNESS-ENHANCING DRUG: Assigning a commodity classification to meat containing ractopamine could come under scrutiny by the WTO, the economic affairs minister saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterMinister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) yesterday rejected opposition lawmakers’ calls to assign a product code for US pork and beef containing ractopamine. “Ractopamine is not a [meat] product, it is an additive,” said Wang, when questioned by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠). Wang said that a product code for meat containing ractopamine would be “inconsistent with WTO regulations.”“The average Taiwanese does not about WTO rules,” Chiu said. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would lift the bans on US pork containing ractopamine and beef from cattle more than 30 months old, which is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. Wang said there must be a “scientific basis” for singling out meat containing ractopamine.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Group to keep pressing for constitutional reform
Group to keep pressing for constitutional reformLIFELONG STRUGGLE: The greatest obstacle to Taiwan’s normalization is the ROC Constitution, Taiwan New Constitution Foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming saidBy Chen Yu-fu and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taiwan New Constitution Foundation yesterday said it would call for constitutional interpretations and is considering submitting other referendum proposals, following the rejection on Friday of its two referendum proposals on constitutional reform. The Central Election Commission rejected the proposals without clarifying its reasoning, foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan New Constitution Foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming, front row center, foundation director Michelle Wang, front row right, and other members attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The Constitution prevents Taiwan from having a proper place in the international community, let alone call itself Taiwan, Wang added. Aside from calling for a constitutional interpretation, the foundation is also considering forming an alliance with other organizations to continue pushing for constitutional reform, she added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 19, 2020 15:56 UTC