Mon, Jul 04, 2022
The army is today to begin live-fire exercises in Pingtung County using all of its helicopter models to test its combat readiness, a military source said yesterday. The Aviation and Special Forces Command is to conduct the annual “Mighty Eagle” exercises until Wednesday at Jiupeng Base in Manjhou Township (滿州), the source said. All of the army’s helicopter series are to participate in the exercises, the source said, listing the AH-64E Apache and AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopter, the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter and the UH-1H Iroquois utility helicopter. During the daytime portion of the drills, the helicopters are to fire cannons, as well as Hellfire and Stinger missiles, at targets at sea and in the air, while at night, the Apaches would fire Hellfire missiles at targets, the source said. Mighty Eagle is the command’s major helicopter drill, which is usually held in the second half of the year to test the aircraft’s capabilities with precision weapons systems. Separately, a military source on Saturday said that two Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the air force’s Air Rescue Group conducted live-fire drills in Penghu County on Monday and Tuesday last week. The exercises involving the Black Hawks, which were armed with M240 machine guns, were the first such drills since the Air Rescue Group was formed in 1950, the military official said. Although the group is primarily tasked with noncombat missions, the live-fire drills were intended to simulate a wartime rescue mission conducted under enemy fire, the official said. No further details were given and the air force declined to comment. The Air Rescue Group operates 14 UH-60M helicopters. The Ministry of the Interior’s National Airborne Service Corps also has 14 of the models, while the army has 30.
Guansin Borough (關新) in Hsinchu City had the highest average annual household income among all villages in Taiwan in 2020, Ministry of Finance data showed. The average annual household income in Guansin was more than NT$3 million (US$100,823), income tax data released last week showed. The data, which cover about 6.46 million households, mean that Guansin has retained its ranking as the richest village in Taiwan, the ministry said. Located in the city’s East District (東區), Guansin is home to many technology professionals who work in the nearby Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), where tech firms such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) have production bases. Yongfu (永福) in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) was the second-richest borough, with an average annual household income of NT$2.854 million, followed by Zihli (自立) in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營) with NT$2.707 million, Jhongsin (中興) in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City with NT$2.393 million and Tongping (東平), also in Jhubei, with NT$2.378 million, the ministry said. High household incomes in Jhongsin and Tongping boroughs also reflect their proximity to the Hsinchu Science Park, observers said. Entrepreneurs have been moving to Yongfu since the completion of several high-rise residential complexes there, which has boosted the borough’s average household income, they said. Zihli’s ranking was based on the only two household incomes that were reported in 2020, the ministry said. In terms of median household income, Guansin topped the rankings with NT$2.492 million, while the figure was only NT$658,000 in Yongfu, despite its high average household income, indicating a large wealth gap, the ministry said. Hsinchu City topped the list of wealthiest cities with an average annual household income of NT$1.127 million, while Taipei was second with NT$1.068 million, followed by Hsinchu County with NT$1.004 million, the data showed. Hsinchu City also ranked first regarding the average household wage, with NT$900,000, ahead of Hsinchu County with NT$817,000 and Taipei
‘HORROR MOVIE’: A man drowned in a river and nearly 20 roads were closed, while emergency services fielded thousands of calls for assistance amid torrential rains Sydney residents were warned of another day of devastating flooding today after large parts of the New South Wales coast were lashed with torrential rain yesterday. Thousands of people across the Greater Sydney region were under evacuation orders and more than 130 rescues took place as an east-coast low, which is expected to persist until tomorrow, brought widespread rain, thunderstorms and flash flooding to parts of the state. Authorities said the effects could be more severe than the past three major weather events. More than 40 evacuation orders and 44 evacuation warnings had been issued to communities in the Greater Sydney region, while about 3,111 requests for assistance had been made to the State Emergency Service (SES). Residents were told to delay nonessential travel in affected areas, potentially throwing the school holiday plans of thousands into chaos. “If you were safe in 2021, do not assume you will be safe tonight,” state Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said yesterday evening, referring to floods that hit the same area last year. “This is a rapidly evolving situation and we could see areas impacted that we haven’t seen before. It was a long night last night, it’s been a very long day today and tonight will be a long night for our emergency services [and] volunteers,” she said. SES Commissioner Carlene York said the situation could get “significantly worse” over the course of yesterday evening, affecting “hundreds to thousands” of homes. “I don’t want to be reporting any loss of life,” she said. Amid the extreme weather, a man drowned in the Parramatta River after a kayak capsized yesterday afternoon. Camden City Council Mayor Therese Fedeli spent yesterday afternoon looking at pictures of the rising flood waters on social media. She said it felt like watching a horror movie unfold. “I’m devastated ... and you can’t get out
North Korea yesterday slammed the US, South Korea and Japan for pushing to boost their trilateral military cooperation targeting the North, warning that the move is prompting urgent calls for the country to reinforce its military capability. The statement came as North Korea’s neighbors say the country is ready for its first nuclear test in five years as part of its provocative run of weapons tests this year. “The prevailing situation more urgently calls for building up the country’s defense to actively cope with the rapid aggravation of the security environment of the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the world,” the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, without elaborating how it would boost its military capacity. The statement took issue with a trilateral meeting among the US, South Korean and Japanese leaders on the sidelines of a NATO summit last week, during which they underscored the need to strengthen their cooperation to deal with North Korean nuclear threats. “The chief executives of the US, Japan and South Korea put their heads together for confrontation with [North Korea] and discussed the dangerous joint military countermeasures against it including the launch of tripartite joint military exercises,” the statement said. It accused the US of exaggerating rumors about North Korean threats “to provide an excuse for attaining military supremacy over the Asia-Pacific region including the Korean Peninsula.” North Korea claimed the recent NATO summit proves an alleged US plan to contain Russia and China by achieving the “militarization of Europe” and forming a NATO-like alliance in Asia. It said “the reckless military moves of the US and its vassal forces” could lead to dangerous consequences such as a nuclear war simultaneously taking place in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
CALL FOR DIALOGUE: The leaders of the two countries highlighted the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement following a meeting The UK and New Zealand are committed to a stable Indo-Pacific region, and emphasize the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the leaders of the two countries said in a joint statement on Friday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued the statement after meeting in London to discuss bilateral relations. The UK and New Zealand “underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues via dialogue,” the statement said. The two also expressed their commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, while voicing support for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and beyond, in accordance with the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea. They pledged to step up efforts to “support an international system that is based on the rule of law, free from illegal and unilateral aggression, and economic coercion, where human rights are upheld and the freedom and sovereignty of all countries are protected regardless of their size.” The two expressed “grave concerns” over “the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong” as Chinese and Hong Kong authorities marked the 25th anniversary of the handover of the former British colony to Beijing on Friday. Ardern was in the UK for the final leg of her visit to Europe. She also addressed the NATO summit in Madrid on Thursday, expressing concern that China has become “more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms.” “We must stand firm on the rules-based order, call for diplomatic engagement, and speak out against human rights abuses at all times when and where we see them,” she said. British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss told the NATO summit on Wednesday that “the free
‘CCP AGGRESSION’: The bill aims to ensure that arms already purchased by Taiwan and other regional allies are tracked and delivered as efficiently as possible Two US lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill to the US Congress to track and expedite the delivery of US arms sold to Taiwan amid growing tensions between Taipei and Beijing. The arms exports delivery solutions act was introduced by Republican US representatives Young Kim and Michael McCaul, who are both on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. The bill seeks to ensure that “defense equipment already purchased from the US by Taiwan and other allies in the [Indo-Pacific] region are tracked and delivered as efficiently as possible as the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] eyes further aggression,” Kim said in a statement. “Delayed deliveries of congressionally approved sales to Taiwan are undermining our ability to deter an attack from China,” McCaul said. “This is incredibly concerning as China ramps up its belligerence towards Taiwan.” China says it wants to unify with Taiwan through peaceful means, although it has not denounced the use of force to achieve that goal. It has stepped up economic, political and military pressure on Taipei over the past few years, as the Democratic Progressive Party government refuses to accept the so-called “1992 consensus.” Beijing has also accused Taipei and Washington of trying to alter the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. It has repeatedly sent military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, drawing condemnations from Taipei and Washington. As a result, some US lawmakers have spoken out in favor of prioritizing weapons sales and deliveries to Taiwan. The bill would require US President Joe Biden’s administration to submit a report to Congress before March 1 next year listing the approved sales of US defense articles or services worth US$25 million or more to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand that have not been fully delivered. The report should provide reasons for any changes or delays on the
FREEDOM FORUM: Taiwanese representatives are to join France, the UK, Canada and the US at an event meant to deepen ties with countries that hold democratic values Lithuanian lawmakers have invited top Taiwanese officials to join other countries at a forum to mark Lithuania’s centennial diplomatic relations with the US. Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Tsuei Ching-lin (崔靜麟) yesterday congratulated Lithuania and expressed gratitude for the invitation, adding that Taiwan, the US and Lithuania are like-minded partners that defend each other’s democracy and freedom. Lithuania has been bolstering substantive relations with Taiwan since last year, while the US and other democratic allies worldwide condemned China’s diplomatic and economic sanctions on Lithuania, he said. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) and Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), along with Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) and Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) — both of whom are touring Europe — have been invited by the Lithuanian parliament to attend the forum, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. The forum, to be held on Thursday, has “freedom” as its theme, and can be attended in person or virtually. The ministry said that Lithuania has been safeguarding freedom, democracy and human rights since it was under occupation through to its independence. Lithuania hopes to deepen ties with the US and other countries during the forum as part of its effort to resist authoritarian regimes, Lithuanian lawmaker Zygimantas Pavilionis said. Representatives from Belarus, Ukraine, the UK, France, the US, Canada and Taiwan are scheduled to attend the forum, indicating that many countries consider Lithuania a reliable European partner, he said. “The world has finally heard us,” he said. Lithuania has faced political and economic pressure from Beijing over its decision to allow the use of the word “Taiwanese” in the name of Taiwan’s representative office in the Baltic state. The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was established on Nov. 18 last year, breaking a trend of using “Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” in the names of its overseas
VIRUS TRACES: Macau is not following international standards, with the WHO saying that COVID-19 cannot be transmitted on packaging, the Council of Agriculture said Macau on Saturday placed a ban on mango imports from a Taiwanese company after traces of the COVID-19 virus were allegedly detected in a shipment, the second such ban in two days. The Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau placed a one-week suspension on the unnamed company’s imports after samples collected from external packaging of its products allegedly tested positive for the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2. The batches of mangoes from which the samples were collected have been destroyed, the bureau said, adding that the ban is “aimed at protecting Macau residents instead of targeting specific countries or regions.” However, there is “currently no evidence that people can catch COVID-19 from food, including fruits and vegetables,” the WHO said. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet and their consumption should be encouraged.” The same protocol was also applied to food imports from other countries and regions, such as Argentina, Poland, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong, whose products were found to contain traces of the COVID-19 virus as well, the bureau said. Traces of the COVID-19 virus on Wednesday were allegedly found on samples of mangoes imported from another Taiwanese company, with a one-week ban on that firm’s products taking effect on Friday. However, the Council of Agriculture said on Friday that they had not been notified of the suspension from Macau authorities. The council urged Macau to handle such matters professionally, particularly given the lack of evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted via packaged produce. Macau should follow proper risk control protocols that comply with international standards to ensure unfettered trade, it added. The council said that China had imposed COVID-19-related restrictions on international trade with many countries during the pandemic and should provide scientific data to support its measures. A number of countries have raised concerns about China’s import restrictions during meetings of the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Standards for Taiwanese book imports by Chinese resellers have become stricter, an independent bookstore owner in Beijing said yesterday. In the past, with the exception of titles written by exiled Chinese writer Gao Xingjian (高行健), most books published in Taiwan could be imported to China, the owner said, speaking anonymously. However, now certain publishers that print works touching upon subjects that are sensitive in China, such as democracy, protests and human rights, are now blacklisted entirely, the person said, citing the experiences of Gusa Publishing (八旗文化). In other cases, books are allowed to be imported, but have entire sections torn out, or have words replaced or removed, they said. For resellers in China to import Taiwanese books, they must first submit a list of titles they wish to purchase to a state-owned import company, and then there is a wait time of three months — up from six weeks previously — to receive the books, they said. Regarding the increased time to import books, the owner said that while COVID-19 pandemic restrictions added to delays, a considerable factor was likely the stricter censorship process. “In the past, I would give a list of 100 Taiwanese books to the importer, and about 50 would be approved. Now only around 20 to 30 are approved,” the owner said, adding that the criteria used to approve books is unclear. Most books on politics and religion, even history books, cannot touch upon China or Taiwan to be imported to China, the person said. Examples of banned books include the British Museum’s China: A History in Objects, and a selection from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the shop owner said. Works by Chinese-American writer Eileen Chang (張愛玲) describing life in China under the communists — such as The Rice Sprout Song and Naked Earth — have always been
The government should reopen the investigation into the homicide of Chen Wen-chen (陳文成), as questions about the incident four decades ago remain unresolved, the New Power Party said yesterday. Chen, an assistant professor of mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University in the US, returned to visit family in Taiwan in 1981 and was found dead near a library at National Taiwan University (NTU) on July 3 that year. A day earlier, the 31-year-old democracy advocate had been detained and interrogated by the Taiwan Garrison Command, a state security force that has since been disbanded. Although Chen died 41 years ago, “the complete truth of the incident” remains unknown, the party said in a statement. An investigation report published by the Transitional Justice Commission in May said that Chen was likely murdered by the Taiwan Garrison Command. However, details such as the identity of the murderer were not included in the investigation due to the unavailability of key political files, the party said. Some of these files were destroyed, while others were difficult to obtain because they are stored within different agencies, it said. The National Security Council and Investigative Bureau should be held accountable for refusing to release the files on national security or diplomatic grounds, the party said. “In July last year, we had agreed with the Transitional Justice Commission’s proposal to reopen the investigation of the Chen Wen-chen incident. Since Chen was believed to be murdered and the government was involved in the case, the Ministry of Justice should launch another investigation so that the truth of the incident can be fully uncovered,” the party said. The party also proposed that the Article 11 of the Political Archives Act (政治檔案條例) be amended to prevent intelligence agencies from withholding information in such investigations on security or confidentiality grounds. Academia Historica recently published eight volumes of historical
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), who had been tipped as the party’s candidate for New Taipei City mayor in the Nov. 26 local elections, pulled out of consideration yesterday, citing delays in formalizing his nomination. DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) on May 3 asked Lo, who heads the party’s International Affairs Department, if he would be willing to be the DPP candidate to run against incumbent New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), a source familiar with the matter said. Lo, a two-term member of the Legislative Yuan representing New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), yesterday confirmed on social media that he had been asked to take up the challenge against the popular Hou, who is seeking a second term. However, he has asked the party to rule out his selection, Lo added. Lo said the party had not officially announced his candidacy, and with less than five months to the election, there is not sufficient time to prepare an effective campaign. Time was running out for the DPP to mount a productive challenge in the city of 4 million, especially as previous party candidates were given at least six months from their official selection to canvas support across New Taipei City’s 29 districts, Lo said. “As precious time has been wasted with less than four months until election day, there is no time for New Taipei residents to recognize my sincerity and effort, and that affects my ability to be a mayoral candidate,” he said. Despite officially selecting candidates for a number of other local elections, the DPP was rumored to be considering its options in New Taipei City, with former minister of transportation and communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) among the names the party was
UNMOVED: The court failed to account for key evidence in exempting Taipower from a fine for failing to propose sites to relocate nuclear waste on Orchid Island, the AEC said The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) yesterday said it would seek “all possible judicial remedies” to overturn a Supreme Administrative Court ruling exempting Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) from paying a NT$30 million (US$1 million) fine for failing to remove low-level nuclear waste from Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼). “It was regrettable that the court ruled in favor of Taipower,” the council said. “The court apparently cited the wrong regulations and failed to take into account key evidence that could affect the ruling. We believe that certain issues remain unexplained and unclarified through judicial procedures, and on May 5, we filed an appeal to overturn the ruling.” “As the producer of nuclear waste, Taipower should properly dispose of it based on a designated timeline. We will exhaust all judicial remedies to prevent the power company from leaving the nuclear waste for the next generation,” it said. As the state-run company failed by the end of March 2016 to propose sites for relocating the nuclear waste on Orchid Island, the council fined Taipower NT$10 million in August 2016. In November 2017, it fined Taipower NT$30 million for years of inaction regarding the disposal of the nuclear waste. In its defense, Taipower said that the Ministry of Economic Affairs had in 2012 announced that Taitung County’s Daren Township (達仁) and Kinmen County’s Wuciou Township (烏坵) were potential storage sites for low-level nuclear waste. However, the two county governments have refused to hold referendums on the ministry’s proposal, it said, adding that the ministry should not be blamed for the delay in relocating the nuclear waste. Taipower said that it did not break the law when it dismissed an ad hoc task force that was created to communicate with the residents in Taitung County, allowing them to return to work at its nuclear back-end management department. The task force was dismissed in
YOUNG AFFECTED: Two children, aged 5 and 7, with no history of chronic illness were diagnosed with MIS-C within a month of testing positive for COVID-19, the CECC said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 32,567 new local COVID-19 cases and 88 deaths from the disease. The deaths were people aged in their 20s to 90s. Eighty-five of them had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, one was unvaccinated and two had received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the center said. Forty-two of the deceased were unvaccinated, it added. The CECC said that 63 previously reported COVID-19 cases had developed severe symptoms, while 135 had developed moderate symptoms. Among the severe cases were two children who have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), neither of whom had chronic illnesses, the CECC said. One of them was a five-year-old boy who tested positive for COVID-19 on May 4, and almost a month later, on June 2, developed a fever, cough and loss of appetite, and began vomiting, it said. He was taken to a hospital on June 8, after his lymph nodes became swollen and he developed a rash on his legs, the CECC said. The child was diagnosed with MIS-C and admitted to an intensive care unit, but has since recovered and been discharged from the hospital, the center said. The other MIS-C case was a seven-year-old girl who tested positive for COVID-19 on June 5, but later in the month lost her appetite for several days, and had a stomach ache, before developing a fever and vomiting, it said. The girl was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday last week, where she was still being treated, it said, adding that her fever had subsided. So far this year, 80 children under the age of 13 have developed severe illnesses after contracting COVID-19, and 20 of them have died, the CECC said. New Taipei City yesterday recorded the highest number of domestic cases with 4,666, followed by Taichung with 4,448 and Kaohsiung with 3,886. Taoyuan
About 30 percent of people in Taiwan who have died from complications related to COVID-19 had a history of cardiovascular disease, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said, urging people with cardiovascular conditions to continue regular follow-ups with physicians. The figure is based on the medical records of people who have died from Jan. 1 to the middle of last month, the administration said, adding that studies have suggested an association between underlying cardiovascular diseases and increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Citing data from the American Heart Association, the HPA said that SARS-CoV-2 can affect the cardiovascular system, increasing the incidence of cardiovascular events, and myocardial damage or function disorder. The WHO also named cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of deaths globally, killing an estimated 17.9 million people each year, with 85 percent of the deaths due to heart attack or stroke, it said. In Taiwan, heart disease is the second-leading cause of death, killing on average one person every 26 minutes, the HPA said. HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said that many people have reduced the frequency of hospital visits or discontinued treatment due to fear of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wu said that people should continue following their physician’s instructions and continue regular checkups, while remaining cautious and practicing COVID-19 prevention measures. The HPA suggested five tips for people with the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar — or cardiovascular disease to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. First, eat food low in oil and salt, and high in fiber. Avoid deep frying food and instead use cooking methods such as steaming or boiling, and avoid binge eating, it said. Second, exercise regularly, with at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, which can include fast walking, jogging or bicycle riding. Third, adults eligible for government-funded
A Taiwanese-made tea-based perfume won the Independent Award at the Art and Olfaction Awards (A+OA) in Miami, Florida, on Friday. Pan Seven International’s (P.Seven) Aged Tea (暗香), designed by perfumers Pan Yu-ching (潘雨晴) and Huang Chien-shun (黃建勳), is the first Taiwanese entry to win the awards’ “Golden Pear” trophy. The preliminary round of the competition is judged blindly, focusing solely on the scent of the perfume, after which the names and brands of the short-listed finalists are revealed, the Web site of the Los Angeles-based A+OA says. The winning perfume, created by Pan, stood out in a world dominated by European and US brands. Pan said that her creations mostly feature fresh and elegant aromas of tea leaves, which are different from European perfumes with floral or citrus aromas that are most well-known. A former tea master, Pan said that she took up perfumery and founded P.Seven a decade ago, adding that the brand’s first product, Taiwanese Tea, was inspired by Taiwan’s “spring tea.” While designing the perfume for the competition, Pan said that she decided to use Taiwanese aged tea as a theme to showcase Taiwan through her creation, as many people learn about Taiwan through its tea such as its famous oolong tea and oriental beauty tea. Aged tea, which has been stored for years or even decades, has a strong aroma with slight notes of smoked plums, fruits and herbs, a blend unique to Taiwan, she said, adding that she recreated this fragrance using mostly Taiwanese produce. With a woody and smoky base, Aged Tea gives off the elegant fragrance of aged Taiwanese tea, which is accompanied by the scent of smoked plum and the sweetness of longan, she added. Upon learning the news of the win, Pan said that it felt “incredible,” adding that she was happy to bring Taiwan to the world, as
WEATHERING DISRUPTIONS: The wafer testing firm said it has increased R&D spending to raise sales contributions of several segments, including probe cards, to 50 percent Chunghwa Precision Test Technology Co’s (CHPT, 中華精測) second-quarter revenue was the highest for any April-to-June period in its history, the wafer testing service provider said yesterday. Despite supply chain disruptions caused by the spread of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, revenue hit NT$1.185 billion (US$39.8 million), up 43 percent quarter-on-quarter and 13.1 percent annually, the company said in a statement. Last month’s revenue of NT$414 million increased 0.02 percent from May and was up 22.9 percent from a year earlier, it said. “Although some orders had been delayed in the second quarter due to rapidly rising COVID-19 cases, revenue in the quarter hit a new high for the period thanks to new customers for solid-state drive controllers as well as robust testing demand for 5G smartphone application processors, radio-frequency chips and high-performance computing chips,” the statement said. The company provides testing solutions for semiconductors, including probe cards for chip probing and load boards for final testing. It has increased investment in research and development (R&D), aiming to increase probe card sales contribution to 50 percent of overall sales by the end of the year, the company said. It is also seeking increased contribution from 5G smartphone application processors, high-performance computing chips and automotive applications, it added. It is also aiming to explore new testing markets, such as graphics chips, touch and display driver integrated chips and DRAM chips, the company said. “While the global economy has this year been disrupted by the new variants of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, the semiconductor industry still plays a major role in driving global technological development amid geopolitical and digital transformation trends, and the related advanced semiconductor technologies and processes are still developing rapidly,” Chunghwa Precision said. It would continue to invest in smart design, self-made probe cards and smart manufacturing, and is developing customized products as the sector moves toward
Semiconductor stocks on Friday took a beating after a grim profit warning from Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc sparked fresh worries about the US’ earnings power as the country is potentially heading for a recession. Despite a broader stock market rally, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index dropped 3.8 percent after Micron, the largest maker of memory semiconductors in the US, flagged that demand was cooling for chips used in computers and smartphones. The index — which is home to US chip giants Advanced Micro Devices Inc and Nvidia Corp, as well as Micron — is down 38 percent this year. Historically, semiconductor stocks have been a key barometer for the broader stock market and economy. Chips are used in a broad range of industries that are important for growth: appliances, data centers, gaming and artificial intelligence. If conditions are weak for chips, it raises questions about demand in other segments of the economy, which is a troubling harbinger for the stock market, said Matt Maley, a senior strategist at Miller Tabak + Co. “We had nowhere near enough chips, and now the demand is falling,” Maley said. “What signal does it send? It highlights a growing concern that the slowdown we’re going through will turn into a recession.” The semiconductor shortage, driven by factors on the demand and supply sides, has eased somewhat, but there is still limited production for certain chips used in vehicles and home appliances. Troubling reports from semiconductor companies ahead of their second-quarter earnings are spurring fears that demand would exceed supply for even longer. “What this weakness indicates is that the economy is slowing, and there’s potential for a recession,” said Tim Ghriskey, a senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder LLC. “Semis are a red flag because they’re really in everything. They’re so integral to everything that’s sold today.
Gasoline prices are to remain unchanged this week from last week, even though international crude oil prices continued to increase, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday, as the state-run refiner posted pretax losses of NT$50 billion (US$1.68 billion) for the first five months of the year. Diesel prices are to rise by NT$0.1 per liter this week, following an increase of NT$0.3 per liter last week, the two companies said in separate statements. CPC said that global crude oil prices rose last week after major OPEC producers reported limited spare capacity and G7 leaders vowed to expand sanctions on Russia, which caused the cost of its crude oil imports to rise 2.24 percent from a week earlier based on its floating oil price formula. The state-run company said the formula prescribed price increases of NT$6.2 per liter for gasoline and NT$7.9 per liter for diesel, but CPC used a price stabilization mechanism to absorb part of the crude oil price increase, citing a government policy of keeping domestic fuel prices lower than in neighboring markets. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC stations are to stay at NT$30, NT$31.5 and NT$33.5 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while the price of premium diesel is to increase to NT$27.8 per liter, it said. Formosa Petrochemical’s prices for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline are to stay at NT$30, NT$31.5 and NT$33.5 per liter respectively, while the price of premium diesel is to rise to NT$27.6 per liter, it said. Separately, CPC said that it would keep prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) unchanged this month despite a drop in the LPG price on the international market. Prices of LPG products — such as household LPG, propane and butane, as well as propane and butane mixes and automotive LPG
The TAIEX dropped 1,982.04 points, or 11.79 percent, last month — the biggest loss in a single month since September 1990 — as stubbornly high inflation worldwide and major central banks’ looming interest rate hikes have caused global fund outflows from emerging markets and sent others into a tailspin amid fears of a global recession. While signs of US stocks tumbling into bear market territory last month sent ripples around the globe, including in Taiwan, fears of weakening external demand added to negative sentiment toward the local market due to expectations of more macro headwinds for the nation’s export-reliant economy. So far this year, the TAIEX has dropped 22 percent from a January high of 18,619 points, meeting Wall Street’s definition of a bear market and meaning 18,619 is likely the highest the main board will go this year. Some experts have said that overseas funds have sold more shares in tech-savvy markets such as Taiwan, South Korea and India than those in other emerging markets in Asia due to fears of a global recession. Unfortunately, the downward trend is likely to continue as long as market sentiment remains cautious in light of aggressive moves by global central banks led by the US Federal Reserve to fight inflation. The TAIEX’s significant setback also reflects investors’ cautious outlook regarding the semiconductor sector in particular, as the performance of the main board is closely linked to the nation’s most crucial tech sector. No wonder that in recent sessions the sell-offs in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, which accounts for more than one-quarter of the TAIEX’s weighting, easily pushed the benchmark index to 17,000, 16,000 and then 15,000 points. The container shipping sector’s decline has also added to the TAIEX’s losses. US President Joe Biden last month signed into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act
We are now already five months into strongman Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The heroic government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy has performed beyond most analysts’ expectations, but the war has come at a terrible cost to the Ukrainian people. Putin shows no signs of altering his attempt to subdue and partition Ukraine. The West has been admirably supportive of the Kiev government, sending vital munitions and funds. Despite clear limits to what the United States and its allies are willing to provide Ukraine in the way of advanced weaponry, Kiev has been saved and Russian advances have been limited to the eastern and southern edges of the country. Putin has found himself diplomatically isolated, with NATO and the EU firmly opposed to this war of aggression. Sanctions against Russia have clearly hurt, though more could be done to hinder Russian sales of oil and gas to anxious customers around the world. Even small countries in the Baltics and Caucasus region — at one time semi-colonies of Moscow — have stepped up with moral and materiel support for Ukraine. Most surprising to Russia, its northern neighbors Finland and Sweden have reacted to this war of aggression by filing for membership in NATO. I seriously doubt Mister Putin expected that when he decided to invade Ukraine earlier this year. Even Xi Jinping’s (習近平) China has stopped short of open support for Putin’s war, though China (and India) are buying large quantities of cheap Russian oil, diluting the impact of Western efforts. Xi’s main focus right now is securing a third five-year term as President and Party Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in the fall Party Congress. Though he has significant cards to play, it is not certain that Xi will succeed. After all, he is seeking to buck Deng Xiaoping’s (鄧小平) earlier decision
Researchers from National Tsing Hua University and Academia Sinica last month jointly published an article in the journal Communications Biology titled “Potential cross-species correlations in social hierarchy and memory between mice and young children.” The study found that preschool children with better memory tend to obtain a higher social status when they grow up. In group interactions, children with better memory also have greater social skills. The findings also showed that dominant children treat dominant and subordinate children differently, as they often adopt a soft approach when dealing with the former and a hard approach with the latter. Such findings allow educators and parents to make associations and adopt appropriate practices. Teachers’ characters and attitudes vary, and all teachers can hardly be expected to be “humanitarians.” A few teachers might uphold a kind of Darwinist approach, believing that education is about eliminating the weak and promoting the strong. From the researchers’ findings, preschool children with better memory do have an advantage. In that case, the practices of teachers and schools are highly important. I remember when my oldest child started kindergarten. Since he did not go to school until he was five years old and the babysitter did not provide any guidance in advance, he had no basic skills in reading, writing or counting at the beginning. The teacher suspected that he was a “slow student.” Teachers might often categorize students with poor memory as slow learners. If there is no special arrangement for active and positive learning opportunities during in-class interactions, such children could lag behind their peers all the way from kindergarten. The purpose of schooling should be to allow each child to develop appropriately, not giving up on anyone, but helping all students find their developmental goals. This would give them a chance to find self-fulfillment and achieve some degree of success in
FIERY CLASH: The pair’s bad-tempered match overshadowed the day’s action, which saw world No. 1 Iga Swiatek ousted by Alize Cornet, while Rafael Nadal eased through Stefanos Tsitsipas said Nick Kyrgios has an “evil side” after a stormy clash at Wimbledon on Saturday in which the victorious Australian called for his Greek opponent to be kicked out of the tournament. The bad-tempered match overshadowed the rest of the action on day six, which included the end of Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak and a routine victory for Rafael Nadal. The mercurial Kyrgios prevailed 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in an incident-packed third-round match on Court One. The contest descended into mayhem when a frustrated Tsitsipas hit the ball into the crowd after losing the second set. Kyrgios told the umpire that Tsitsipas should be kicked out of Wimbledon, recalling the incident at the US Open in 2020 when Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the tournament after hitting a line judge with a ball. “You can’t hit a ball into the crowd and hit someone and not get defaulted,” said the 27-year-old, who received an audible obscenity warning during the match. He kept up his verbal jousting with the umpire, clearly unsettling Tsitsipas, who was warned over the incident and later handed a point penalty for hitting the ball in frustration toward the back of the court. The bad feeling bubbled up again in post-match news conferences, with fourth seed Tsitsipas saying it felt like a “circus.” “He bullies the opponents,” said Tsitsipas, who admitted trying to hit the ball at Kyrgios. “He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people that put other people down.” “He has some good traits in his character, as well but... he also has a very evil side to him, which if it’s exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him,” Tsitsipas said. Tsitsipas said he wished players could “come together and put a rule
Nolan Arenado on Saturday sparked a record barrage of four straight home runs by the St Louis Cardinals in the first inning, then hit a tiebreaking drive in the ninth that sent the Cardinals over the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6. With two outs in the first, Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carson homered off Kyle Gibson. It was the first time in MLB history that a team has connected for four homers in a row in the first inning. “It was really cool just being a part of that,” Arenado said. “It was almost surreal. You didn’t really believe it. Those moments are special. I’m very thankful for them.” The Cardinals tied the MLB record for any inning with four in a row. It was the first time they had done it, and the 11th time overall in big league history. “That was incredible,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Guys took some good swings. They were on attack.” The home crowd at Citizens Bank Park then gasped when Lars Nootbaar followed Carlson and made solid contact on a flyball that was caught in deep left field but well shy of the warning track to end the inning. It was 6-all when Arenado led off the ninth by clearing the wall in left field off Seranthony Dominguez (4-2) for his 17th home run. Arenando hit for the cycle on Friday night in the Cardinals’ 5-3 defeat to the Phillies. “I just got enough of it,” Arenado said. “We’re obviously excited to win the ballgame. That’s what’s most important.” Yairo Munoz hit a two-run double, Matt Vierling had a pair of RBIs and Odubel Herrera had three hits for the Phillies. “These guys kept battling,” Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said. “Came back to tie twice. Just couldn’t seem to get the lead, but I’m awfully proud
Alexander Volkanovski left no doubt about his supremacy in the UFC featherweight division while wrapping up his trilogy against Max Holloway with style. Volkanovski defeated Holloway for the third time on Saturday night, defending his 145-pound (66kg) title by unanimous decision with a dominant striking performance at UFC 276. Israel Adesanya also retained his middleweight belt with considerably less flair, winning a tepid unanimous-decision victory over Jared Cannonier in the main event at T-Mobile Arena on the Vegas Strip. Volkanovski (25-1) extended his winning streak to 22 fights with a commanding display against Holloway (23-7), the former featherweight champion. Volkanovski executed a sharp boxing game plan against one of the UFC’s best punchers, bloodying Holloway’s face early on and steadily increasing the punishment into the final minutes. “It’s a bit of a journey, this rivalry,” Volkanovski said. “Taking the belt, having the rematch and then the talk and all that. There was a lot of ups and downs in there, but it was good to finally put an end to it and silence a lot of people. A lot of people that needed shutting up.” Holloway’s entire face was crimson at the final bell. Volkanovski won every round on all three judges’ scorecards, 50-45. “Max Holloway is an absolute beast,” Volkanovski said. “That intensity that we both had, I needed it. I really needed it. I had to get in my own head.” Adesanya (23-1) won his belt three years ago as one of the UFC’s most entertaining fighters and personalities, but his elaborate ring walk might have been the most thrilling part of his dry, technical victory over the cautious Cannonier (15-6). After copying famed professional wrestler The Undertaker on a walk that included the wrestler’s signature hat and a large urn, Adesanya patiently picked at Cannonier with kicks and occasional punches for five rounds.
Two years after a near fatal cycling crash, Fabio Jakobsen won Stage 2 of the Tour de France on Saturday, vindicating his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team’s decision to select him ahead of veteran Mark Cavendish. Jakobsen edged Jumbo-Visma’s Wout van Aert, who took the overall leader’s yellow jersey after the 202.2km run from Roskilde to Nyborg in Denmark that included a treacherous crossing of the 18km-long Great Belt Bridge. Dutch rider Jakobsen’s win means Quick-Step have two victories in as many days, after they chose against picking the 37-year-old Cavendish, a 34-time stage winner on the race. “Cavendish is a legend, I wish we both could have been here,” Jakobsen said. “He helped me get a deal and I’m sure he enjoyed my win,” he added. Jakobsen, 25, suffered a life-threatening crash at the Tour of Poland in 2020, but has recovered to become one of the most feared sprinters in road cycling as he embarks on his first Tour de France. “It’s been a long road for me to get here, if only you knew,” said Jakobsen, who lost all his teeth and underwent 5 hours of surgery the day he crashed over barriers into a metal post. “It’s like a second life,” Jakobsen said. “Those who know me understand the sacrifices I had to make. So today I really am very happy.” “The crash made me more humble, I gave a lot for this, I’m happy but above all grateful and happy for the fans here in Denmark and at home too... I’ll remember today forever,” he said.
OPPOSITION PROTESTS: Many people in Myanmar suspect China of supporting the military takeover, while Beijing has refused to condemn last year’s army power grab China’s top diplomat on Saturday arrived on his first visit to Myanmar since the military seized power last year to attend a regional meeting that the Burmese government said was a recognition of its legitimacy and opponents protested as a violation of peace efforts. Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) is to join counterparts from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in a meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group in the central city of Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The grouping is a Chinese-led initiative that includes the countries of the Mekong Delta, a potential source of regional tensions due to an increasing number of hydroelectric projects that are altering the water flows and raising concerns of ecological damage. China has built 10 dams along the upper stretch of the Mekong River, the part it calls the Langcang River. Burmese Deputy Minister of Information Major General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Friday that the attendance of the foreign ministers at the meeting was a recognition of Myanmar’s sovereignty and its government. The ministers are to sign memorandums of understanding and contracts, he said without elaborating. It is unclear whether Wang would meet Burmese Army Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government. Myanmar’s military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1 last year. It was quickly met by nonviolent nationwide demonstrations and triggered armed resistance that some UN experts now characterize as civil war. According to a detailed list compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 2,053 civilians have died in the crackdown on the resistance movement. Wang last visited Myanmar to meet with Suu Kyi just three weeks before the military ousted her. China is Myanmar’s largest trading partner and an long-time ally. Beijing has invested billions
INTERNAL DIVISIONS: Faced with hostility from a governing coalition party, the president has been checkmated by the high-profile minister’s departure, an analyst said Argentine Minister of Economy Martin Guzman, who led debt renegotiations with the IMF, announced his resignation on Saturday, sparking fresh uncertainty in Latin America’s third-largest economy. Guzman did not say why he resigned in an open statement addressed to Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, but called on the center-left leader to mend internal divisions so that “the next minister does not suffer” the same difficulties he had. “It will be essential that you work on an agreement within the ruling coalition,” he added to the statement shared on Twitter. His resignation comes two weeks after Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a former president who has been a constant critic of the government, gave a speech attacking Fernandez’s economic management. Political analyst Carlos Fara said that Guzman’s resignation was “a checkmate for the president’s autonomy” and had given Fernandez de Kirchner the upper hand in their power struggle. “The resignation will have a very bad effect in the markets. Even if the president and vice president reach a consensus on managing the economy, from now on everything will be conditioned by Cristina Kirchner’s pressure,” Fara said. As economy minister, the 39-year-old Guzman was tasked with renegotiating a US$44 billion debt with the IMF that Argentina insisted it could not afford to repay. The original debt of US$57 billion — the last tranche of which Fernandez declined after succeeding his liberal predecessor Mauricio Macri, who had solicited the loan — was the largest ever issued by the IMF. Despite resistance from Fernandez de Kirchner, Guzman managed to conclude a deal and save Argentina from defaulting. However, Guzman was often faced with hostility from the Peronist Justicialist Party, the major force in the Frente de Todos (Everyone’s Front) ruling coalition that counts both Fernandez and Fernandez de Kirchner as high-profile members. Fernandez de Kirchner’s faction has gone after Guzman ever since Everyone’s
Iran’s top diplomat on Saturday condemned Israel’s latest airstrike on Syria, and criticized recent threats from Turkey about another planned incursion by Ankara into northern Syria. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian’s remarks came at the start of his visit to Syria, where he was expected to discuss mutual relations and regional affairs with top Syrian officials. Iran has been one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s strongest backers, sending thousands of fighters from around the region to help his troops in Syria’s 11-year conflict. The war has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. Amirabdollahian’s visit came hours after Israel carried out an airstrike on a coastal Syrian village near the border with Lebanon, wounding two people, Syrian state media said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is planning another major military cross-border incursion into Syria to create a 30km-deep buffer zone along the border with Turkey, promising to battle US-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters for the territory. Erdogan’s attempt in 2019 to create the buffer failed, although Turkish troops are deployed inside Syria following previous incursions to prop up anti-al-Assad Syrian opposition fighters. Ankara views the US-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters as terrorists allied with Kurdish insurgents within Turkey’s borders. “We understand the concerns of our neighbor Turkey but we oppose any military measure in Syria,” Amirabdollahian said, adding that Iran is trying to resolve the “misunderstanding between Turkey and Syria through dialogue.” Amirabdollahian on Saturday met with al-Assad, who told the Iranian envoy that Turkey’s “pretexts to justify its aggression in Syria are false, misleading and have nothing to do with reality.” Al-Assad’s office also quoted the president as saying that Turkey’s military presence in Syria contravenes international law. Analysts have said Erdogan is taking advantage of the war in Ukraine to push his own goals in
Last month China lashed out at Taiwanese agricultural exports again, banning grouper imports. This event marked the ignominious end of what was once the star agricultural product of the ill-starred Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). Local media quoted the Fisheries Agency as saying it was a turning point in Taiwan’s grouper history. Spurred by the signing of ECFA, by the spring of 2011 grouper had become the leading agricultural export, driving profits for middlemen and food price inflation. Grouper exports were among the few products whose market grew, enabling then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to claim that agricultural exports to China had risen in the wake of ECFA. Grouper exports were so promising that private equity firms switched from investments in chip production to investing in grouper product, processing and shipping, the media reported at the time. In September 2011, the KMT administration announced the completion of a government-funded grouper export ship, an excellent example of how politically-connected firms have their profits internalized but their costs socialized. We have grown so used to ECFA’s destructive effects (may whatever churlish gods rule this earth curse forever the gullible media who ran paeans to it before its signing) that we have forgotten about them. In Taiwan, cash crops for the Chinese market replaced food crops, increasing the nation’s dependence on China, and inviting all the other pernicious colonial effects of cash crops. The early harvest soon wilted as well. As Commonwealth magazine reported in 2014, “the market share of the 539 Taiwanese cross-strait export items on the reduced tariffs list has declined in each successive year since ECFA.” As numerous media organs reported, China made real inroads into Taiwan’s markets, while Taiwan made few genuine gains, many of them markets created by Beijing’s political orders of Taiwanese agricultural
Fossils unearthed in China are helping scientists get a better grasp on one of the marvels of evolution: the giant panda’s false thumb, which helps this veggie-loving bear munch the bamboo that makes up most of its diet. Researchers said on Thursday they discovered near the city of Zhaotong in northern Yunnan Province fossils about 6 million years old of an extinct panda called Ailurarctos that bore the oldest-known evidence of this improvised extra digit — actually a greatly enlarged wrist bone called the radial sesamoid. It closely resembled the false thumb of modern pandas, but is a bit longer and lacks the inward hook present on the end in the extant species that provides even greater ability to manipulate bamboo stalks, shoots and roots while eating. The false thumb is an evolutionary adaptation to augment the existing five actual digits of the panda’s hand. A bear’s hand lacks the opposable thumb possessed by humans and various primates that enables the grasping and handling of objects using the fingers. The false thumb serves a similar function. “It uses the false thumb as a very crude opposable thumb to grasp bamboos, sort of like our own thumbs except it is located at the wrist and is much shorter than human thumbs,” said Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County paleontologist Xiaoming Wang, lead author of the research published in the journal Scientific Reports. Ailurarctos was an evolutionary forerunner of the modern panda, smaller but with anatomical traits signaling a similar lifestyle including a bamboo diet. The modern panda’s false thumb has some advantages over the earlier version. “The hooked false thumb offers a tighter grasp of the bamboo and, at the same time, its less-protruded tip — because of the bended hook — makes it easier for the panda to walk. Think of the false thumb as
As the monsoon storms bear down on India, a dedicated group of women hope that after years of backbreaking labor, water shortages will no longer leave their village high and dry. The world’s second-most populous country is struggling to meet the water needs of its 1.4 billion people — a problem worsening as climate change makes weather patterns more unpredictable. Few places have it tougher than Bundelkhand, a region south of the Taj Mahal, where scarce water supplies have pushed despairing farmers on the plains to give up their lands and take up precarious work in the cities. “Our elders say that this stream used to run full throughout the year, but now there is not a single drop,” said Babita Rajput while walking past a bone-dry fissure in the earth near her village. “There is a water crisis in our area,” she added. “All our wells have dried up.” Three years ago, Rajput joined Jal Saheli (“Friends of Water”), a volunteer network of around 1,000 women working across Bundelkhand to rehabilitate and revive disappeared water sources. Together they carry rocks and mix concrete to build dams, ponds and embankments to catch the fruits of the June monsoon, a season which accounts for about 75 percent of India’s annual rainfall. Agrotha, where Rajput lives, is one of more than 300 villages where women are chalking out plans for new catchment sites, reservoirs and waterway revitalizations. Rajput said their work had helped them retain monsoon rainwater for longer and revive half a dozen water bodies around their village. Though not yet self-sufficient, Agrotha’s residents are no longer among the roughly 600 million Indians that a government think-tank says face acute water shortages daily. The women’s efforts provide a rare glimmer of hope as national shortages worsen. Water utilities in the capital New Delhi fail to
The Taipei Times bilingual pages are having a makeover, with professionally curated content for both English and Chinese learners of all levels, starting this month. With our new partners Ivy English, English OK and others, Taipei Times readers can improve their language studies while keeping abreast of important issues in Taiwan and abroad. A new departure for us is the addition of a Chinese-language learning module, with content provided by the National Taiwan Normal University “Mandarin Teaching Center.” Watch this space! 《台北時報》雙語版最優質的中英文內容，多年來一向受到讀者們的喜愛。本月起版面全新升級！每週和《常春藤解析英語》、《English OK中學英閱誌》……等專業英語機構合作，提供豐富多元且實用的英語學習內容，不但適合各種程度學生及上班族自修，老師、家長用它當教材也超便利。原先頗受歡迎的雙語新聞則予以保留，持續帶領大家了解國內外之重要議題。 而此次改版除了英語學習以外，本報特別和台灣師範大學「國語教學中心」聯手，即將為外國讀者們推出華語學習單元，打造最強全方位中英文雙語版，精彩內容在網站上也看的到唷！
If you’ve ever visited Europe in the winter, you may have had a taste of fondue: a pot of melted cheese, perfect for dipping bread and other foods. The word fondue comes from the French verb for melt, fondre, which is a fitting name for the dish. A melting pot of flavors and aromas, fondue has only a few basic __1__: cheese, white wine, and bread. Others may include corn starch to thicken the melted cheese and __2__ seasonings such as garlic, nutmeg, or mustard. A pot is prepared over a small flame and moderately heated. A generous amount of cheese is slowly __3__ the pot along with some wine. Skewers like those used in barbecuing are used to spear cubes of thick bread. These small __4__ of bread are then dipped into the melted cheese, swirled around a bit, and then eaten. Even someone who never drinks alcohol can enjoy fondue because the alcohol boils away during the cooking __5__. In the cold Alpine winters in Switzerland, where fondue has existed for over a century, the meal has become its national dish. Cookbooks describing how to prepare a fondue hot pot __6__ in the 18th century. The custom then __7__ in Switzerland’s neighbors, France, Germany, and Belgium. Though the United States is known as a food kingdom, fondue did not gain __8__ there until after the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Fondue immediately became a hit with people at the event, and by the end of the 1970s, fondue had __9__ itself on the menus of many restaurants. In the past few decades, people have been experimenting with the __10__ fondue, which has produced some seemingly odd—but still delicious—results. A meat-based fondue, as well as a chocolate fondue, has since been created. Whether based on cheese or other tasty foods,
電價費率審議會登場，全台連續四年凍漲的電費，在全球燃料價格攀升和烏俄戰爭等因素影響下，將調整電價方案。然而剛進入炎熱的夏季，又是用電的高峰時期，要如何節能省電呢？本次就讓我們來看既環保又省荷包的小撇步，還能學會超實用英文喔！ 1. 在夜晚使用家電 Run appliances that produce heat at night — when it’s cooler. We’re talking appliances like your clothes drier, dishwasher, and oven. (Fox29) （在晚上氣溫較涼爽的時候，使用會產生熱氣的家電用品，例如烘衣機、洗碗機和烤箱。） appliance (n)「電器」是多益測驗的高頻字彙，通常出現在採購、製造、房地產等情境，描述microwave oven「微波爐」、dishwasher「洗碗機」等household appliances 或是 home appliances「家電」，經常搭配動詞install「安裝」。廚房的家電中，較為省電電器應該就是微波爐，或許減少使用瓦斯爐、烤箱對省電將有相當的助益。 According to the advertisement, the apartment is equipped with state-of-the-art appliances.（根據廣告，這間公寓備有最先進的家電。） 2. 拉起窗簾降溫 Simply closing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation can reduce heat in your home.（拉起窗簾和百葉窗做為絕緣體，可降低家中的熱氣。） insulate (v)「阻隔；隔離」通常用來描述隔絕噪音或氣溫，例如冬天時適當的insulate「隔絕」冷空氣，可以避免家中溫度太低。許多冬天穿的厚外套經常會有insulation「防風層」可以阻擋冷空氣，達到保暖的效果。 You can bring down the energy use and cost if you properly insulate your home. （房子適當的隔熱可以降低能源使用和費用。） 3. 自動調溫器 Programmable thermostats can be set, so that your air conditioner run less when you’re sleeping or when you’re at work. （設定自動調溫器，讓你在睡覺或工作時使用少一點的冷氣。） programmable「可編程的」來自program一詞，當動詞時解釋為「設定；編寫程式」，當名詞時則有許多不同的意思，例如「程式」、「節目、節目單」或「計畫、方案」，因此程式編寫可以用programming，「程式設計師」就是programmer，但是要注意的是programmer 發音時的重音是在第一音節，不要念錯。 The information regarding the newly launched recycling program is posted on the bulletin board in the employee break room. （有關新啟動的回收計畫資訊公佈在員工休息室的佈告欄上。） The ideal candidate for this position needs to have a degree in computer science and at least three years’ experience in programming. （該職務的理想候選人需要有資訊科學系的學位，和至少三年編寫程式的經驗。） thermostat (n) 解釋為「自動溫度設定器」。從字根「thermo-」與「therm-」的本 heat「熱度」，可以判斷出這個單字跟溫度有關。相似用法有「thermo-」熱度+「meter-」測量組合起來的thermometer「溫度計」，以及thermal underwear「保暖內衣」，口語上經常用thermals來表示。另外著名的保溫杯品牌thermos（膳魔師），也是由這個字根組成。 Thermal springs have certain health benefits.（溫泉對健康有好處。） 4. 減少燈泡使用 Two 100-watt incandescent bulbs switched off an extra two hours per day could save you US$15 over a year. Better yet, switch to LED. （將兩個一百瓦的白熾燈泡每天關掉兩個小時，能讓你一年省下十五美元。若能換成LED燈更好。） switch 後方接on／off 時，解釋為「（電器的）開／關」，相似用法有turn on／off 以及power up／off。switch 另一個常用的意思是change「改變」。 The light switch is located behind the door.（燈的開關在門後。） 5. 習慣拔掉插頭 Standby power can account for 10 percent of an average household’s annual electricity use. Unplug unused electronics and save US$50 a year. （待機使用約占年度家庭用電的百分之十，將未使用的電器插頭拔掉每年可省五十美元。） Plug (n) 代表「插頭」，當動詞時解釋為「插電」。plug in「插入插頭」的反義字「拔掉插頭」不是plug out，而是unplug 或是remove the plug。 This plug doesn’t fit into the power outlet. You might need to get an adapter. （這個插頭無法插進插座，你可能需要一個轉換器。） 【多益模擬試題】 1. During the meeting last week, John suggested ________to another carrier to reduce the shipping cost. (A) switch (B) to switch (C) switching (D) switches 2. The ________ for our upcoming corporate event should be updated before you send out the invitations to our customers. (A) destination (B) recommendation (C) practice (D) program 【解析】 1. 正解(C)。句意為「在上周會議上，約翰建議改用另一家物流公司以降低運輸成本。」本題是文法題，重點在動詞的形式，通常兩個動詞間會用不定詞to連結，但是suggest後方直接接動詞則需要用動名詞的形式，故(C)為正確答案。 2. 正解(D)。句意為「在您向我們的客戶發送邀請之前，應先更新我們公司即將舉行的活動計畫。」本題為單字題，要選擇適合句意的答案。(A)目的地、(B)推薦、(C)操練，故正確答案為 (D)計畫。 SOURCE: https://www.englishok.com.tw/toeic/toeic-issue/5-tips-to-save-electricity 文章由 English OK 授權使用: www.englishok.com.tw
| New Taipei City | 31-34 | 80% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 30-32 | 10% |  |
| Hsinchu City | 30-32 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 31-34 | 80% | |
| Miaoli County | 31-33 | 60% | |
| Taoyuan City | 30-33 | 60% | |
| Keelung City | 29-31 | 80% | |
| Yunlin County | 30-33 | 50% | |
| Taichung City | 31-34 | 60% | |
| Nantou County | 30-33 | 50% | |
| Changhua County | 31-33 | 40% | |
| Chiayi County | 30-33 | 40% | |
| Chiayi City | 30-34 | 60% | |
| Tainan City | 30-32 | 40% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 30-32 | 50% | |
| Pingtung County | 30-33 | 50% | |
| Yilan County | 29-32 | 60% | |
| Hualien County | 29-32 | 20% |  |
| Taitung County | 29-32 | 20% |  |
| Kinmen County | 29-31 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 29-31 | 30% | |
| Lienchiang County | 28-30 | 10% | |
RSS