GENDER EQUALITY
ATWEN focuses on women
Taiwan and Australia on Thursday launched a network to connect female entrepreneurs in the two countries as part of an effort to create more business opportunities for women and boost bilateral ties. Tuan Ching-mei (段菁梅), project director of the Australia-Taiwan Women Entrepreneur Network (ATWEN), said the initiative is aimed at helping women do business in Asia, starting with Taiwan. The project, supported by the Australian government’s Asian Business Engagement program, provides mentoring and internship opportunities to allow young women from both nations to share their experiences, Tuan said. Australian Office in Taipei Director Cathy Raper, also one of ATWEN’s patrons, said she hopes the project would help empower women across international boundaries.
ECONOMY
Wages to rise by 4%: poll
Wages in Taiwan might increase this year by an average of 4 percent, as many corporations are upbeat about their profits and the nation’s economy, a job bank said yesterday, citing its latest survey. A poll by 1111 Job Bank indicated that 71.78 percent of corporations operating in Taiwan are willing to raise their employees’ salaries, and that the hike might average 4.07 percent. Among the companies that are considering a pay hike, 48.53 percent said the increase might range from 3 percent to 5 percent, 39.05 percent estimated a 2 percent raise and 7.69 percent were mulling a 6 percent to 10 percent hike, according to the survey. Businesses in the trade, distribution and services sectors were among those most willing to raise salaries, the poll showed. The poll was conducted between Jan. 30 and March 1, and collected a total of 511 valid samples.
OBITUARIES
Ex-Hualon head found dead
Wong Da-ming (翁大銘), the controversial former chairman of the Hualon Group, was found dead in his Taipei home yesterday at noon. He was 64. The cause of death would have to be investigated, police said. Initial indications suggested that the tycoon died in his home’s sauna. Wong was a big player in the stock market in the 1990s and was convicted during the decade for insider trading and manipulation of stock prices. He was also a legislator from 1993 to 1996. Wong was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court in 2010 for violating the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) in trades made in 1994. He was given parole in 2011 after serving more than a year in prison.
AGRICULTURE
Mission to Bali celebrated
An agricultural technical mission sent by Taiwan to the Indonesian island of Bali has helped farmers there grow vegetables and improve their standard of living, earning the farmers’ appreciation, mission leader Wu Chiung-feng (吳炯鋒) said. He said the mission has helped farmers in Bali grow asparagus year round under the International Cooperation and Development Fund’s “one village one product” program. Through the program, Balinese farmers have sold US$523,850 worth of vegetables, with US$306,024 in sales of asparagus alone, helping to improve their lives, Wu said. Ketut Suriani, a member of the asparagus cooperative in Pelaga village, expressed her gratitude for Taiwan’s assistance, saying that her asparagus harvest has improved her economic situation.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and