Eye On Taiwan

CPBL game plays recording of ceremonial first pitch by AIT director Posted: 01 May 2020 07:41 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 05/01/2020 By: Yang Chi-fang, Chen Wei-ting and Ko Lin AIT Director Brent Christensen (back, center) Taoyuan, May 1 (CNA) A video recording of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen throwing out the ceremonial first pitch was played at a Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) game at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium on Friday. The video, which was prerecorded in the stadium's indoor warmup area, was broadcast live by Eleven Sports Taiwan on Twitter before the game between the CTBC Brothers and Rakuten Monkeys. The recording showed Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) in the batter's box facing Christensen. The AIT director, who also received a Rakuten jersey bearing his name from Cheng, was at the Brothers-Rakuten game as a special guest, a rare chance for an outside fan to see a game in person. [FULL  STORY]

Labor funds suffer over NT$470 billion in losses as of end-March Posted: 01 May 2020 07:35 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 05/01/2020 By: Wu Hsin-yun and Frances Huang Taipei, May 1 (CNA) A group of labor funds managed by the Bureau of Labor Funds had suffered massive losses of more than NT$470 billion (US$15.67 billion) as of the end of March, when equity markets at home and abroad plunged amid an escalation of the COVID-19 coronavirus. In a statement, the bureau under the Ministry of Labor said Friday the labor funds, including the Labor Insurance Fund, the Labor Pension Fund, and the Employment Insurance and Wage Arrears Payment Fund, posted a combined loss of NT$471.2 billion, with a return of minus 11.16 percent at the end of March. During that month, the benchmark weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, or Taiex, shed 1,584.11 points, or 14.03 percent, as the virus escalated in the United States and European countries, particularly Italy and Spain. The bureau said that as many major economies moved to impose lockdowns in efforts to contain the disease, it caused a scaleback of production, undermined the global supply chain and hurt consumption, which plunged financial markets worldwide downward in the month.    [FULL  STORY]

Reverse mortgage growth slows Posted: 01 May 2020 07:32 PM PDT RISK AVERSE: State-run banks have been the primary lenders of reverse mortgage loans, as private banks have avoided the practice due to concerns about credit risk Taipei Times Date: May 02, 2020 By: Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter The growth of reverse mortgages decreased last quarter, increasing just 4.6 percent to NT$23.9 billion (US$802 million) from a quarter earlier, compared with quarterly growth of 7.65 percent in the same period last year, as consumers became more conservative amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) data showed. The number of reverse mortgage applications rose 4.7 percent to 4,272 at the end of March, from 4,080 at the end of last year, the data showed. Reverse mortgages allow homeowners to use their property as collateral to borrow money. Most banks require borrowers to be older than 60 to qualify. “It is not surprising to see that reverse mortgages decreased in the first quarter, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumers’ behaviors. Some of them have delayed making big purchases or significant financial decisions amid the economic uncertainty,” a commission official said by telephone. [FULL  STORY]

Labor groups call on gov’t to expand COVID-19 relief for workers Posted: 01 May 2020 07:29 PM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 01 May, 2020 By: John Van Trieste Labor activists gather–at a safe distance from one another– near the Presidential Office Friday. Due to COVID-19, Friday was the first Labor Day in more than a decade with no workers’ parade in Taipei. Labor groups are calling on the government to expand the number of workers who can receive payments under a COVID-19 relief program. That’s as the number of Taiwanese workers on unpaid leave approaches 19,000, the highest figure since 2009. The current plan is to provide relief payments to 500,000 workers. However, during a Labor Day press conference on Friday, activists said that applications for the payments were coming in quickly, with 50,000 on the first day of the application period alone. They said this could mean that the entire quota for applications will be reached in just ten days.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s coronavirus protocol shows how it is done Posted: 01 May 2020 07:25 PM PDT The Hindu Date: May 02, 2020 By: Chen Shih-chung If WHO’s mission is to ensure the highest level of health for all, then no country should be excluded from this goal The threat of emerging infectious diseases to global health and the economy, trade, and tourism has never abated. Pandemics can spread rapidly around the world because of the ease of international transportation. Among the most salient examples are the Spanish flu of 1918, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003, and the H1N1 influenza of 2009. Intermittently, serious regional epidemics, such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012, Ebola in West Africa in 2014, and the Zika virus in Central and South America in 2015-16, have also reared their heads. Also read | How pandemics have changed the world Today, a novel form of pneumonia that first emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 and has since been classified as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic. As of April 8, 2020, World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows that 1.35 million people had been confirmed as having the disease, with 79,235 deaths in 211 countries/areas/territories. Taiwan too has not been spared. Taiwan’s strategy In the 17 years since it was hit hard by the SARS outbreak, Taiwan has been in a state of constant readiness to the threat of emerging infectious disease. As a result, when information concerning a novel pneumonia outbreak was first confirmed on December 31, 2019, Taiwan began implementing onboard quarantine of direct flights from Wuhan that same day. On January 2, 2020, Taiwan established a response team for the disease and activated the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on January 20 as a level 3 government entity, upgrading it to level 2 and level 1 on January 23 and February 27, respectively. The CECC is able to effectively integrate resources from various ministries and invest itself fully in the containment of the epidemic.    [FULL  STORY]

Temperatures forecast to hit over 30 C on Taiwan’s Labor Day weekend Posted: 01 May 2020 07:19 PM PDT Taiwan News Date: 2020/05/01 By:  Central News Agency Seeking shelter from the harsh sunlight in Taipei Friday May 1  (CNA photo) Most parts of Taiwan are expected to see highs of 30 degrees Celsius or more, along with partly cloudy to sunny weather this weekend, the Central Weather Bureau said Friday. Daytime highs are forecast to climb to between 30 and 34 degrees over the three-day break across Taiwan. Taipei and Taichung can expect 33 degrees, with 34 degrees in Chiayi, Pingtung and Taitung on Sunday, the bureau said. Some showers are expected in Taiwan's offshore counties of Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang, which covers Matsu Islands, on Friday and Saturday, with Matsu forecast to see a high of 28 degrees this weekend — the only region forecast with a daytime high of below 30 degrees, according to the bureau. Fog and low cloud may cause low visibility in Kinmen and Matsu, it added.    [FULL  STORY]

Online, real-world cultural events planned for Labor Day break Posted: 01 May 2020 07:16 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 05/01/2020 By: Sabine Cheng and Kay Liu Weiwuying in Kaohsiung / CNA file photo Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Several cultural events have been planned in Taiwan for over the Labor Day weekend, both online and in the real world, as organizers contemplate appropriate ways to stay connected with audiences amid the COVID-19 conoravirus pandemic. The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) in the southern city opened on Friday a month-long exhibition titled "Eureka! 2.0 Rediscovering Weiwuying," which uses text, images, videos and performance props to convey the idea that "life is theater." According to Weiwuying, the event showcases the four-year collaboration between the Kaohsiung venue and the Prague Quadrennial of stage design. It will also include free outdoor performances on the afternoons of May 8 and 9. Weiwuying General and Artistic Director Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬) told CNA Thursday that it has a vast covered outdoor space for events and has seen a slow increase of visitors since last weekend. [FULL  STORY]

University dropouts hit historic high Posted: 01 May 2020 07:12 PM PDT Taipei Times Date: May 02, 2020. By: Rachel Lin, Wu Po-hsuan and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writer Dropouts in the last academic year constituted a record-high 13.38 percent of all university students in Taiwan, the Ministry of Education said. Of the nation’s 1.24 million university students in the last academic year, 166,562 decided to stop pursuing a university degree temporarily or permanently, ministry data showed. While Taiwan has seen a steady number of university dropouts over the past several years, the annual dropout rate has been increasing due to a declining number of total students caused by the nation’s falling birthrate, Department of Higher Education Director-General Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said on Monday. The rates differ between universities, but generally private universities have higher dropout rates than public schools, while night schools have higher rates than day schools, Chu said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to restrict exports of 75% rubbing alcohol and disinfectant Posted: 01 May 2020 03:32 PM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 01 May, 2020 By: Shirley Lin Taiwan to restrict exports of 75% rubbing alcohol (CNA file photo) The Bureau of Foreign Trade announced Friday that it is putting export controls in place on 75% rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. Trade bureau officials say that after inventory checks and an evaluation of Taiwan’s current supplies, the government has found that export limits are needed as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Starting Friday, no one will be able to export 75% rubbing alcohol or disinfectant without a permit from the health ministry. The officials did not say how soon the restriction might be lifted.    [SOURCE]

Australia Wants Taiwan in the WHO, No Matter What China Says Posted: 01 May 2020 03:28 PM PDT PJ Media Date: May 01, 2020 By: Jim Treacher Li Xueren/Xinhua via AP Earlier this week, I told you about how our friends Down Under aren’t taking any of China’s crap. Australia wants an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 the Chinese virus, so of course the Chinese aren’t happy. The virus came from China, the Chinese government lied about it and covered it up and silenced whistleblowers, and absolutely everybody knows it. But you’re not supposed to say that, because China is full of Chinese people and therefore criticizing them is racist. So when China threatened economic sanctions and Australia told ’em to stuff it, that was bad and it made libs angry. [FULL  STORY]