Reported about 1 year ago
According to the People's Bank of China, the mainland's foreign exchange reserves decreased to $3,222.358 billion by the end of June, down by $96.81 billion from May, a 0.3% decrease. This trend reversed the significant increase in May when reserves grew by $31.2 billion. The gold reserves remained unchanged for the second month in a row at 72.8 million ounces. The decrease in forex reserves in June is attributed to factors such as the appreciation of the US dollar, global financial asset price increases, and the fluctuation of exchange rates and asset prices. Despite this, the Chinese economy continues to rebound with stable fundamentals supporting the forex reserves.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan declined to comment on the speculation that former Vice President of the Examination Yuan, Lee Yi-yang, might be appointed as the new envoy to Japan, replacing current representative Shen Lyu-shun by the end of the month. While former Japanese Minister of the Interior, Lee Yi-yang, has reportedly agreed to take on the role, the Ministry stated that there is no official information available at the moment regarding changes in personnel at overseas missions. The Taiwanese government had initially considered former Vice Premier Yeh Chu-lan for the position, but after she declined, Lee Yi-yang emerged as the likely candidate.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
According to the Consumers Foundation's Traffic Committee head Li Kecong, there were nearly 150,000 reports of failure to yield to pedestrians and over 10,000 unresolved cases last year, prompting a need for reviewing the underlying reasons. The implementation of the new 'Traffic Violation Point System' by the Ministry of Transportation last year led to a significant increase in reports, with unresolved cases reaching 335,790, exceeding the recent five-year average. This surge in unresolved cases points to systemic flaws, highlighting issues with law enforcement standards, road design, and the need for a scientific approach to setting reasonable speed limits to prevent excessive fines and burdens on administrative courts.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Taiwan is facing severe aging population issues, with over four million elderly people over the age of 65, posing a heavy burden on the working population. The Ministry of Health and Welfare initiated the Taiwan's 'Integrated Care for Older People' (ICOPE) screening project to address this, but after three years, less than 10% of the total elderly population have been screened. The slow progress has raised concerns among clinical physicians regarding the effectiveness of the program.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Reporters Fan Rongda and Xu Baiying/Connected Report On July 7, 2024, at 6:28 PM, garbage mountains are scattered all over Taiwan, becoming the 'new hundred mountains' of Taiwan and an environmental time bomb. The Sishan landfill in Miaoli City has experienced two fires in over 7 months, with smoke billowing into the sky. Firefighters on the ground and in the air were mobilized to control the fire within approximately 1 hectare, continuing firefighting efforts. In Taitung County's Orchid Island landfill, a fire has been burning for nearly 4 days with no end in sight. The landfill site in Miaoli City was established around 1970, has been in use for over half a century, and is nearing saturation. The fires are suspected to be caused by the high temperatures leading to the production of methane gas from the accumulated garbage and improper waste management practices. Authorities are making efforts to contain the fires and improve waste management to prevent future incidents.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
During Cheng Wen-tsang's term as the mayor of Taoyuan, public engineering quality issues arose with incidents such as the collapse of the badminton court ceiling at the Badminton Asia Youth Championships Sports Center and leakage at the Daxi Fire Squad. Zhang Shanzheng, the current mayor, discovered deficiencies in three projects from Cheng's administration, with two already reinforced and one, the Jhubei Fishing Port yacht pier, being abandoned. Zhang also halted the construction of the Asia Silicon Valley Innovation and Research Center due to its escalating budget and extended return on investment period. He also reorganized the Taoyuan Metro leadership, reducing the number of deputy directors to one, resulting in the metro's first annual profit after years of losses.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Zheng Wencan, who took office as the chairman of the SEF, resigned yesterday due to a corruption case, causing political shock and factional strife. His departure not only impacts President Lai's cross-strait policy and personnel layout but also raises the question of where the next 'good card' for cross-strait relations lies. With the disruption in the initial SEF deployment, the team behind cross-strait policies is now missing a key player at a time when tensions are high between Taiwan and China, casting a shadow on the future of cross-strait relations.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
According to the latest data from the Investment Taiwan Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the three major investment schemes in Taiwan have attracted over 1,500 returning entrepreneurs with a total investment amount of nearly 2.3 trillion NTD since July 2019. With the lifting of restrictions on the first wave of Taiwanese businessmen returning to Taiwan with investment funds in August, experts predict that commercial real estate is expected to receive a significant influx of over 10 billion NTD, with large properties with redevelopment potential being the main beneficiaries. Various experts anticipate that this will lead to increased investment in R&D and manufacturing facilities, as well as the purchase of office spaces and commercial properties, driven by factors like the ongoing US-China trade conflict and global supply chain shifts.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Last week, the Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee faced conflicts while reviewing amendments to the 'Recall Law for Public Officials,' leading to a standstill. Today, the committee, chaired by independent convener Gao Jinsumei, resumed the meeting, excluding the Kuomintang (KMT) proposal and focusing on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposal. The DPP plans to mobilize again to block the review, while the KMT initiated an early morning movement to strengthen the recall law and send the amendments to the committee. Expecting another confrontation, the session may witness further contention between the ruling and opposition parties.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
At Fwusow Technology, Yunlin, a scaffolding collapse accident occurred, resulting in two deaths and three injuries. The construction company involved was fined 300,000 NT dollars for not meeting national material standards and load design requirements. During the prosecutor's site investigation, scaffold debris suddenly dropped, narrowly missing police by 20 meters. Investigations are ongoing to determine if there was any human error involved.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Continual heavy rain caused a breach in the Dongting Lake embankment in Huarong County, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, with a 226-meter gap affecting over 47 square kilometers and about 6,000 people. Efforts to seal the breach are ongoing, with the projection to complete the task by noon on the 9th as per official reports. Resources including personnel, vehicles, and material are being mobilized for this large-scale emergency response. Criticism arose due to recent investments in embankment reinforcement, with authorities clarifying that the specific embankment involved was not part of the primary reinforcement project.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
The Constitutional Court clarified its handling of the constitutional reform case, where the Green camp applied for a constitutional interpretation. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing on July 10 and sent three notices to the legislature within three days, prompting criticism for rushing the case. The court clarified that it followed legal procedures and set the date for oral arguments for August 6 with attendance restrictions. The legislature was allowed up to three representatives due to its size. The court's secretary explained the process and emphasized that the notification method was in line with standard judicial practices.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, Zheng Wen-Can, who is involved in corruption, was released on bail. The Democratic Progressive Party's disciplinary committee will hold an ad-hoc meeting tonight to discuss whether to file a case. There is a high probability of the case proceeding, and if filed, Zheng will have to explain the situation personally. The meeting will focus on whether to file a case and how to investigate, with Zheng not attending to explain tonight.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
After the parliamentary reform and scrutiny motion was rejected, the DPP government divided into four routes to file a constitutional interpretation; the Constitutional Court will convene a provisional curtailment hearing to discuss the case. During the Tsai government's tenure, there were ten constitutional interpretation requests involving the five courts, resulting in three constitutional interpretations, two Constitutional Court rulings, and five rejections, all in alignment with the DPP's values; if the DPP government wins again this time, it will continue its winning streak in constitutional court battles. From 2019 to 2020, the Constitutional Court successively made constitutional interpretations on issues like military and civil servants' pension reform, decriminalization of adultery, party assets regulations, etc. The article also touches on other constitutional interpretations made by the Constitutional Court.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
In an effort to combat scam syndicates, the Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office has invested over 119.92 million NT dollars in creating a surveillance vehicle using a European standard recreational vehicle as the base. Named the 'M-converted vehicle,' it is equipped for tracking and locating targets through mobile signal tracking and is designated for use by prosecutors to combat scams. This initiative was implemented to address the procedural delays in requesting police assistance during investigations, with the vehicle designated as a confidential asset within the office premises.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
The Finance Ministry in Taiwan is cracking down on fake accounts and individuals used as loan proxies. They have instructed major banks to report monthly on three key points regarding risky behaviors, and are investigating new loan applications for Qing'an since April 1st. The final version of the Qing'an agreement now includes stricter conditions for those who have previously applied for the old Qing'an, with one 'exemption' opportunity allowed. The Ministry has specified criteria for abnormal transcripts, suspected loan proxies, and abnormal fund flows that must be reported monthly.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
According to the reporter Liao Pei-jun from Taipei reporting on July 7, 2024, at 6:28 pm, the Financial Supervisory Commission revealed that the banking industry has massively poured 32.1 billion dollars into stock investments in May, totaling an additional 115.3 billion dollars in the first five months of the year, creating three wonders: the largest monthly and year-to-date investment amounts recorded, the highest increase among the three industries, surpassing even securities firms, and reaching a record high unrealized profit of 377.3 billion dollars at the end of May. The banks' heavy investment in Taiwan stocks in May is attributed to two main reasons: firstly, preparing for the upcoming ex-dividend season in the third quarter to secure dividend income, and secondly, maintaining a positive outlook on the future of Taiwan stocks. With Taiwan stocks stabilizing above 23,000 points in June, showing a significant 8.7% monthly increase, the banking industry has emerged as the big winner in this stock market wave, reaping substantial capital gains and dividend income. Despite the Federal Reserve's indication of a slower pace in interest rate cuts in the third quarter, signaling a mild slowdown in the global economy, and the need to be cautious towards the end of the year as economic trends may shift due to factors like Taiwan's high export base effect affecting year-on-year growth rates and the manufacturing industry's inventory replenishment exceeding six months, influencing stock market fluctuations. By the end of May, the total domestic and foreign stock investments by the financial industry reached 3.6892 trillion dollars (book value), showing a 2.14% monthly decrease, compared to significant increases of 3.8% in the Taiwan stock market and 4.8% in the US S&P index. This demonstrated that insurers' selling pressure offset the investments made by banks and securities firms. In May, banks invested 32.1 billion dollars in stocks for the seventh consecutive month, with a total additional investment of 115.3 billion dollars in the first five months of the year, 1.6 times the amount invested in the same period last year. The monthly and year-to-date investment amounts by banks significantly surpassed securities firms, with securities firms investing 23.5 billion dollars in May and a total of 87.4 billion dollars in the first five months. Combined, banks and securities firms invested a total of 55.6 billion dollars in May and 202.7 billion dollars in the first five months to bolster Taiwan stocks. Insurers continued to sell stocks, with the total value of Taiwan stocks held by insurers dropping to 1.967 trillion dollars at the end of May. This led to a 0.6% monthly decrease, contrasting with the 3.8% increase in Taiwan stocks during the same period. It is estimated that insurers sold 88.1 billion dollars' worth of stocks in May, continuing the downward trend for a total reduction of 282.5 billion dollars in Taiwan stocks. Insurers' active selling actions offset the investments made by banks and securities firms, resulting in an overall net divestment of 32.5 billion dollars in May and 79.8 billion dollars in the first five months. Looking at international stock markets, insurers' total value of foreign stocks held was 545.2 billion dollars at the end of May, showing a 2.3% monthly increase compared to the 4.8% increase in the US S&P index during the same period. It was estimated that insurers cut their US stock positions by 13.5 billion dollars, with a total reduction of 197 billion dollars in the first five months. Market analysts believe that insurers are still burdened by high hedging costs, particularly as the third quarter may bring more fluctuations in the US dollar, prompting insurers to shift their investment strategies towards capital gains, possibly continuing the trend of selling stocks to secure profits in the short term.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Scholars in the field of transportation raised concerns about the significant increase in unresolved traffic violation cases from the past year, emphasizing that law enforcement alone is not a universal solution and periodic evaluations of the underlying reasons are necessary. They suggest that the quality of law enforcement may have been impacted by the expansion of reporting categories for violations, highlighting the need to improve both driving habits and cultural norms among the public. Recommendations include collaborating with reputable external organizations to enhance enforcement efficiency without burdening civilians.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Dr. Wang Hong-yu, former director of the Kaohsiung County Medical Association, mentioned that conducting ICOPE screenings for the elderly is almost charitable due to the low payment and strict reimbursement. The screening, aimed at early detection of signs of functional decline, only offers minimal reimbursement despite the time-consuming process. The estimated budget for the program is one billion NTD annually, yet the current payment system is not cost-effective and has led to dissatisfaction among clinical physicians.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
In the gubernatorial (mayoral) election held during the Tanabata festival on July 7, 2024, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, 71, was successfully re-elected for the third consecutive term in a surprise victory against the 56-year-old former senator Renho, who finished third, and the 41-year-old independent candidate Shinji Maruishi. The election focused on economic and demographic issues, with Koike emphasizing childcare and education policies, Maruishi highlighting investments in education, and Renho proposing rental subsidies for families with multiple children. Koike, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, secured a win with around 46% of the vote. This election showcased the power struggle between Koike and Renho and the emergence of Maruishi as a noteworthy candidate.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
Former Chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, Cheng Wen-tsang, who was released on bail after being implicated in a corruption scandal, is now facing challenges in the political arena. Despite his confident smile upon leaving the court, the prosecution and judges have labeled him as a major suspect in corruption. As his power base in Taoyuan, known as the 'Tsann Faction,' suffered setbacks in recent elections and with the corruption scandal escalating, his political faction is at risk of disintegration. Cheng, hailing from the Wild Lily student movement, rose to become the Taoyuan mayor in 2014 and oversaw significant development projects during his tenure, but now faces his biggest crisis due to bribery allegations surrounding a land rezoning case. With ongoing corruption controversies shadowing him, Cheng is met with opposition from both the blue and green camps in Taiwan.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
聯發科和高通將在第4季推出旗艦晶片，分別為「天璣9400」和「驍龍8 Gen 4」，兩款晶片皆由台積電3奈米製程生產。台積電3奈米製程產能供不應求，伴隨著其他客戶像輝達、超微、蘋果也在搶產能。據悉，台積電的3奈米製程產能客戶排隊已經排到2026年。聯發科的天璣9400晶片預計在第4季推出，並被期待在各方面表現優異，而高通的驍龍8 Gen 4也將以3奈米製程生產，預計電子產品的晶片性能將會再度提升。
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
As summer temperatures soar above 35 degrees Celsius, staying in air-conditioned rooms comes with the risk of 'cold heat stroke'. Dr. Liu from Shin Kong Hospital warns that prolonged exposure to cold environments can hinder sweating and decrease water intake, leading to dehydration. Symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. To avoid health issues, he advises staying hydrated, minimizing temperature fluctuations when entering and exiting air conditioning, and taking necessary precautions, especially for those involved in outdoor activities.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
New Taipei City boasts the longest riverside bike path in Taiwan, but there have been reports of electric bikes speeding over 25 kilometers per hour and even motorcycles entering the trails without enforcement, posing risks to cyclists and pedestrians. The High Tide Department has responded by increasing patrols, crackdowns on violations, and collaborating with law enforcement agencies to address the issue.
Source: YAHOO
Reported about 1 year ago
As the elderly population continues to increase, the phenomenon of 'elderly living in old buildings without elevators' is becoming more common, trapping many older people in old apartments they have accumulated throughout their lives. A survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare shows that 22.3% of renters over the age of 55 face rental difficulties. The demand for high-end senior living homes, nursing facilities, and social housing is rapidly increasing in Taiwan.
Source: YAHOO