SUPPLY CHAIN SEIZURES: The COVID-19 outbreak would have a twofold effect on the markets, caused by frantic rate cut fears, Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank said
Asian shares slipped on Friday as fears about the COVID-19 outbreak once again dominated financial markets. The TAIEX fell 1.68 percent to 11,321.81 in Taipei, rising 0.26 percent from Thursday last week.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dove 2.7 percent to finish at 20,749.75, down 1.9 percent weekly, w
NASTY FIGHT: Washington said that the appointee, who it backed, is an effective advocate for protecting intellectual property and a leader who can forge consensus
The US defeated a Chinese bid to run the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as Washington seeks to convince nations of the threat posed by Beijing taking a more assertive role on the global stage.The US-backed candidate, Daren Tang (鄧鴻森) of Singapore, on Wednesday won by a vote of
California on Wednesday declared a state of emergency over COVID-19 as a cruise ship was held off the coast over fears of a new outbreak.The measures came as the death toll in the US reached 11, including the first fatality in California, and lawmakers in the US Congress agreed to provide more than
Taiwan ranks first in Asia for gender equality based on data from the UN’s gender inequality index, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.Although the nation is not included in the latest Gender Inequality Index (GII) from the UN Development Programme, based on its statistics, if it was in
U-TURN: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried ‘Chinese pressure’ for an about-face in the border policy of Sarawak, Malaysia, which reimposed a ban on visitors from Taiwan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued a clarification regarding quarantine policies in Thailand, saying that Taiwanese visiting the nation would not be placed under quarantine if they do not have pneumonia-like symptoms.Thai Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday wrote o
As the COVID-19 epidemic spreads around the world, people have been diligently following the disease-control measures announced by the government. The Central Epidemic Command Center on Feb. 26 reported Taiwan’s 32nd confirmed case of COVID-19 — a runaway migrant worker who was working illegally as
UPBEAT: About 60 percent of AmCham members voiced confidence in Taiwan’s economic growth this year and the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak
Most US companies in Taiwan are optimistic about the nation’s economy this year and beyond, saying the COVID-19 outbreak would not affect firms in the manufacturing industry and the effect on the service sector would likely be short-lived, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) said yes
Indonesia plans to build a hospital to treat COVID-19 patients at Galang, an island in Riau Province close to Singapore, a senior minister said.The facility would be constructed with the help of the army and run by the Ministry of health, Indonesian Minister of Public Works and Housing Basuki Hadimu
Taiwan aims to begin exporting pineapples to Australia by May, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday, after it announced a day earlier that Australia was now allowing such imports. Three pineapple farms in Pingtung County have registered to ship their fruit to Australia, the council said, adding
AN UNWITTING WINNER? The COVID-19 outbreak could be similar to the US-China trade dispute, with Taiwan turning out to be a major beneficiary, Tony Phoo said
Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan Ltd (渣打台灣銀行) yesterday trimmed its forecast for the nation’s GDP growth this year to 1.9 percent, from 2.2 percent it predicted in December last year, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.That was a comparatively smaller reduction than those for neighboring markets, with the b
Hospitals are to step up infection controls for COVID-19 by improving division of labor, such as breaking small work units into even smaller units, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said on Sunday.For example, if 15 healthcare personnel are assigned to look after 15 patients, it m
Olivia Cotes-James wants us to talk about menstrual health.Properly. No more euphemisms, no more opaque marketing, no more superstitions, and no glossing over cramps, bleeding or pain: Reframing current attitudes is vital for female empowerment and health, as well as the environment, says the 29-yea
RIPPLE EFFECT: Factory sentiment data showed how the outbreak is disrupting supply chains and reducing demand throughout the region
Asia’s factories took a tumble last month under the weight of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 outbreak, with a severe plunge in activity in China driving down output across the region.China’s Caixin Media and IHS Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) dropped to 40.3, its lowest reading since the se
The Customs Administration yesterday announced it had confiscated more than 3,000 masks from a Taiwanese woman who had them in her checked luggage for a flight to Singapore, the biggest individual contravention since a ban on mask exports was implemented on Jan. 24.Under the ban, which is to end on
Negotiation of a US-Taiwan FTA is something that American friends of the “beautiful island” have been talking about for a really long time. What has changed that makes it worth another run?Well, first, let’s talk about what hasn’t changed.When Heritage Foundation analysts first proposed an FTA with
Thailand is not implementing restrictive measures against Taiwanese due to an outbreak of COVID-19, but does require people arriving from Taiwan and other affected areas to undergo “self-observation” for 14 days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, urging people not to spread misi
University student Sophie Meehan was enjoying a family trip to the theater in London when pictures of a stranger’s genitals popped up on her smartphone.The 20-year-old was about to board a train to return home to Kent in southeast England last year when an AirDrop file appeared on her phone, so she
Asian and European equities yesterday spiraled downwards, extending a collapse in world markets that has wiped trillions of US dollars off valuations as COVID-19 spreads rapidly with the WHO warning that the outbreak was now at a “decisive point.”Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Seoul were amo
NO CLUSTERS: Taiwan, which will always need to stop diseases from other nations, has done a good job of containing the coronavirus, Vice President Chen Chien-jen said
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 are only the tip of the iceberg, as some patients only exhibit mild or no symptoms, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, when sharing responses given in an interview with Japanese media. Chen yesterday wrote on Facebook that he received interview questions
The Taoyuan District Court on Wednesday found Sun Yi-ming (孫一鳴), former head of the Aviation Police Bureau’s aviation security section, guilty of corruption.Sun, who was arrested in 2016, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for receiving kickbacks and engaging in other illicit activit