DPP anti-infiltration proposal advances
By Sean Lin / Staff reporterThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus’ version of an anti-infiltration bill yesterday advanced to a second reading and discussion in additional cross-caucus negotiations. Prior to yesterday’s legislative meeting, DPP caucus members were guarding the speaker’s podium to ensure that the caucus filed motions first. The caucus sponsored a motion to advance the bill to a second reading, which was not met with any objections, as no Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators were present. The bill advanced to a second reading without any objection, pending further deliberation during cross-caucus negotiations, which are to be arranged by the DPP caucus, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said. The KMT caucus would demand that its bill be reviewed side-by-side with the DPP’s during cross-caucus negotiations, KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 29, 2019 15:56 UTC
Funding for universities needs added oversight
For the nation’s universities, income from donations solicited as part of the endowment fund system is essentially their version of incense money and, similarly, there are questions over how this money is used. With the establishment of the university endowment fund, institutions were expected to manage donations and were allowed to solicit funds, giving them more financial flexibility. Before the National University Endowment Fund Establishment Act (國立大學校院校務基金設置條例) was amended in 2015, endowment fund management committees were responsible for the money. NCCU was followed, in order, by National Tsing Hua University, National Taiwan Normal University and National Cheng Kung University. If a new financial oversight and management mechanism is not put in place, before long national universities might be facing a crisis of credit overextension.
Source:Taipei Times
November 29, 2019 15:56 UTC
Love your clothes and pass them on, ‘Vogue’ editor Anna Wintour says
Reuters, ATHENSClothes should be cherished, re-worn and even passed on to the next generation, Vogue editor Anna Wintour said, calling for more sustainability in the fashion world and less of a throwaway culture. Thanks in part to social media, who and what should be in fashion had radically changed in the past decade, Wintour said. “We are seeing a far more diverse and inclusive representation on the runway, on our social media channels and also in the pages of our different magazines,” she said. Asked about the growing influencers’ effect, Wintour said that they had “fun and varied” views, but could never match the reach of Vogue. I think that Vogue is the biggest influencer of them all, on a global scale,” she said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Huge black hole in galaxy challenges existing theories
AFP, BEIJINGAstronomers have discovered a black hole in the Milky Way so huge that it challenges existing models of how stars evolve, researchers said yesterday. “Black holes of such mass should not even exist in our galaxy, according to most of the current models of stellar evolution,” he added. Scientists generally believe that there are two types of black holes. Supermassive black holes are at least 1 million times bigger than the sun and their origins are uncertain. “That means that this is a new kind a black hole, formed by another physical mechanism.”LB-1 was discovered by an international team of scientists using China’s sophisticated LAMOST telescope.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
India’s nun-chucks: Kung fu sisters battle stereotypes
AFP, NEW DELHIThey train with swords and fighting fans after their prayers and morning chants. Meet the Himalayan kung fu nuns using their martial arts skills to challenge stereotypes about women’s roles in the region’s patriarchal societies. “Kung fu has helped us in taking a stand on gender equality, as we feel more confident, we feel strong physically and mentally. We are doing kung fu as an example for other girls.”The nuns are from the 800-strong Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery in Nepal and belong to the centuries-old Drukpa Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Most recently, they completed a three-month, 8,370km “bicycle yatra (journey) for peace” from Nepal to the mountains of Ladakh in northern India, where they passed through villages and spread their messages of gender equality and empowerment.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Women accuse Trump impeachment witness
AFP, WASHINGTONA US ambassador nominated by US President Donald Trump who provided key testimony in his impeachment hearings was accused on Wednesday of sexual misconduct by three women. One of the women, Jana Solis, said that she met Sondland in 2008 when she was seeking work in her position as a safety expert for hotels. Sondland met her for lunch and offered her a job as “my new hotel chick” before slapping her rear, Solis said. Another woman, Nicole Vogel, said that she met Sondland in 2003 over dinner to seek investment in a new magazine. Despite his support for Trump, Sondland, testifying last week under oath before lawmakers, said that he was following the president’s orders in demanding that Ukraine investigate former US vice president Joe Biden before Trump would agree to a White House summit.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Iraqi demonstrators torch Iranian consulate in Najaf
AFP, NAJAF, IraqIraqi protesters on Wednesday torched the Iranian consulate in the city of Najaf in an escalation of anti-government demonstrations that have left more than 350 people dead. The Iranian consulate in the city of Karbala was targeted earlier this month, and security forces defending the site shot four demonstrators dead at the time. In Baghdad’s colonnaded streets, young demonstrators donned helmets and medical masks to face off once more against security forces unleashing tear gas. A correspondent reported volleys of gunfire from behind concrete barricades where the security forces were deployed. They feared a repeat of Tuesday’s chaos, when clashes between riot police and protesters left one dead.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
EDITORIAL: KMT in a panic over ‘spy’ allegations
Last week, Australian media reported that self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強) had defected and has been providing information to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Wang claimed that Xiang has a close relationship with Want Want China Times Group chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), which correlates with multiple reports of Taiwanese media organizations peddling pro-China propaganda. Want Want China Times Group in July became embroiled in controversy after the Financial Times reported that the China Times and CtiTV receive their daily editorial line from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office. Beijing has paid three Taiwanese news networks to broadcast news designed to negatively affect the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of the elections, Wang said. Han’s deputy campaign manager Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) went further, accusing Wang of collaborating with various foreign governments to “intervene in Taiwan’s elections.”
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Nominees list reveals KMT vision for the ROC
The one released by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been particularly contentious, to the extent that the commotion surrounding it nearly cost KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) his post. Former KMT legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) has made a habit of stirring up controversy and drama, and his so-called “scoops” have not always proven entirely accurate, ruffling more than a few feathers. Retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) won notoriety after he was filmed at a major event in Beijing in 2016. Wu Sz-huai has assured the Taiwanese public that he was merely following “international etiquette” when he stood for the Chinese national anthem. At least Tsai regards the ROC as being alive and well, albeit equating it with Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Action needed to reach Olympics
The major reason for that deficiency is found in the composition of the team, which mainly consists of players from the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The US’ Major League Baseball has 30 teams and the Mexican Baseball League has 16. The last chance for the national team to secure a berth for the Tokyo Olympics is the final Olympic qualifying tournament to be held in Taiwan in April next year. Here are a few practical solutions to enhancing the power of Taiwanese baseball players. This way, the national team would gain practical experience, while the franchises could examine their foreign players’ skills.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Trump’s monumental HK decision
By Joseph BoscoUS President Donald Trump’s latest declaration on the Hong Kong protests seeks to reconcile his earlier conflicting statements. In June, he said that Hong Kong, as a part of China, is an internal matter for those parties to resolve. “We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi. It suggested a possible reversal of his earlier position that the Hong Kong outcome took priority over a trade deal. Now, he was cautioning that the US position on Hong Kong should not be allowed to interfere with a good trade outcome.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
China sets up Hong Kong crisis center in mainland
Ordinarily, communications between Beijing and Hong Kong are conducted through a Chinese government body: the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong. Wang is the most senior mainland political official stationed in Hong Kong. The office has come in for criticism in Hong Kong and China for misjudging the situation in the territory. The Chinese State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and the liaison office in Hong Kong did not reply to faxed requests for comment. The office of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) declined to comment for this story.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 16:07 UTC
Indian billionaire mulls selling news media assets
BloombergBillionaire Mukesh Ambani is in talks to sell his news media assets to India’s Times Group, as Asia’s richest man plans to unload a business that has been losing money, people familiar with the matter said. Ambani is considering various options, ranging from an outright exit to a stake sale, one of the people said. Shares of Network18 yesterday jumped as much as 10 percent in Mumbai and were headed for their highest level in almost six months. Reliance Industries shares yesterday reached a record high, giving the firm a market value of about US$140 billion. Unlisted Bennett Coleman, also known as the Times Group, owns television channels, including Times Now and ET Now.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 15:56 UTC
Top Taipei luxury projects selling out
By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaipei’s top luxury home projects are about to sell out following years of inventory corrections and price concessions, a report by the Chinese-language Housing Monthly (住展雜誌) said yesterday. The magazine defines extravagant homes as those valued at NT$2 million (US$65,563) per ping (3.3m2) and up. “The luxury home market is running out of stock as years of price concessions and inventory adjustments pay off,” Ho Shih-chang (何世昌), the magazine’s research manager said, in the report. Peace Palace (和平大苑), an urban renewal project between Yuanlih Construction Enterprise Group (元利建設) and private owners, that launched in 2016 is 70 percent sold, Ho said. The slow, but gradual recovery in the luxury home market has led developers to be less flexible on pricing, Ho said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 15:56 UTC
Nuvoton buys Panasonic’s last chip unit
By Natasha Li / Staff reporterNuvoton Technology Corp’s (新唐科技) announcement yesterday that it is buying Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co Ltd (PSCS) marks the end of Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp’s involvement in the semiconductor business. There are no plans to cut jobs and Nuvoton would integrate PSCS’ more than 2,000 employees, she said. Kadoma City, Japan-based Panasonic’s move to sell its semiconductor unit to Nuvoton came after it revealed a three-year-plan to exit the semiconductor business earlier this year. It has faced rising competition in the semiconductor business from Taiwanese and South Korean rivals, which has been aggravated by a US-China trade spat. Panasonic sold part of PSCS’ diode and transistor business to Kyoto, Japan-based Rohm Semiconductor Co Ltd in April.
Source:Taipei Times
November 28, 2019 15:56 UTC