Constellation Brands Announces Tender Offers for Outstanding Series of Its 3.20% and 4.25% Senior Notes Due 2023

VICTOR, N.Y., May 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that it has commenced a series of cash tender offers (the “Offers”) for any and all of its outstanding 3.20% Senior Notes due 2023 and 4.25% Senior Notes due 2023 (collectively, the “Notes”), on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated the date hereof (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), and the related Notice of Guaranteed Delivery attached to the Offer to Purchase (the “Notice of Guaranteed Delivery”). The Offer to Purchase and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are referred to together as the “Offer Documents.”

Certain information regarding the Notes and the pricing for, and dates and times relating to, the Offers is set forth in the tables below.

Title of Note CUSIP Number Principal Amount
Outstanding
U.S. Treasury
Reference Security
Bloomberg
Reference Page
Fixed Spread
3.20% Senior Notes due 2023 21036PAX6 $         600,000,000 1.500% UST due
January 15, 2023
FIT3 12.5 bps
4.25% Senior Notes due 2023* 21036PAL2 $         1,050,000,000 1.625% UST due
April 30, 2023
FIT4 50.0 bps

*  Denotes a series of Notes for which the calculation of the Tender Offer Consideration (as defined below) will be determined on the maturity date of such series of Notes.

Commencement Date May 2, 2022
Price Determination Date 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 6, 2022, unless extended
Withdrawal Deadline 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 6, 2022, unless extended
Expiration Time 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 6, 2022, unless extended
Acceptance Date May 9, 2022, unless extended
Expected Settlement Date May 9, 2022
Expected Deadline for Guaranteed Delivery 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 10, 2022, unless extended
Expected Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date May 11, 2022

Holders must validly tender (and not validly withdraw) their Notes, or deliver a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery for their Notes, at or before the Expiration Time (as defined below) in order to be eligible to receive the applicable Tender Offer Consideration. In addition, holders whose Notes are validly tendered pursuant to the Offers (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase will receive accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) for the applicable Notes. The Company expects the Settlement Date to occur on May 9, 2022. Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase will be purchased on the third business day after the Expiration Time, which is expected to be May 11, 2022, assuming the Expiration Time is not extended, but payment of accrued interest on such Notes will only be made to, but not including, the Settlement Date.

The Offers will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 6, 2022 (such time and date, as it may be extended, the “Expiration Time”), unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company. Holders of the Notes may withdraw their validly tendered Notes at any time at or before the Expiration Time by following the procedures described in the Offer to Purchase.

The Company’s obligation to accept for purchase and to pay for Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Offers (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time is subject to the satisfaction or waiver, in the Company’s discretion, of certain conditions, which are more fully described in the Offer to Purchase, including, among others, the Company’s successful completion of an offering of its new senior notes separately disclosed today. Holders of the Notes are urged to read the Offer Documents carefully before making any decision with respect to the Offers.

The applicable “Tender Offer Consideration” for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Offers (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase will be determined in the manner described in the Offer Documents by reference to the applicable fixed spread for such Notes specified in the table above plus the yield based on the bid-side price of the applicable U.S. Treasury Reference Security specified in the table above at 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 6, 2022, unless extended.

To the extent that all of the outstanding Notes are not tendered and purchased in the Offers, the Company may, but is not obligated to, use a portion of any remaining net proceeds from the offering of new senior notes to redeem all or a portion of the remaining Notes.

The Company has retained D.F. King & Co., Inc. (“D.F. King”) as the tender agent and information agent for the Offers and BofA Securities as the dealer manager for the Offers.

Holders who would like additional copies of the Offer Documents may call or email the information agent, D.F. King, at (212) 269-5550 (collect) or (800) 949-2583 (toll-free) or stz@dfking.com. Copies of the Offer to Purchase and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are also available at the following website: www.dfking.com/stz. Questions regarding the terms of the Offers should be directed to BofA Securities at (888) 292-0070 (toll free) or (980) 387-3907 (collect).

None of the Company, its board of directors, BofA Securities, D.F. King, or the trustee for the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether holders of the Notes should tender their Notes pursuant to the Offers.

This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. This press release does not describe all the material terms of the Offers, and no decision should be made by any holder on the basis of this press release. The Offers are being made solely pursuant to the Offer Documents, and this press release must be read in conjunction with the Offer Documents. The Offer Documents contain important information that should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offers. The Offers are not being made to holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky, or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Offers to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offers will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by BofA Securities or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. If any holder is in any doubt as to the contents of this press release, or the Offer Documents, or the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own financial and legal advice, including in respect of any tax consequences, immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant, or other independent financial, tax, or legal adviser.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS

Constellation Brands is an international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Constellation’s brand portfolio includes Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, the Robert Mondavi Brand Family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner Wine Company, and High West Whiskey.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements which are not historical facts and relate to future plans, events, or performance are forward-looking statements that are based upon management’s current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such events or results will in fact occur. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and Constellation Brands undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Detailed information regarding risk factors with respect to the company and the new senior notes offering are included in the company’s filings with the SEC, including the prospectus and prospectus supplement for the senior notes offering.

MEDIA CONTACTS INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS
Mike McGrew 773-251-4934 / michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com

Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com

Patty Yahn-Urlaub 585-678-7483 / patty.yahn-urlaub@cbrands.com

A downloadable PDF copy of this news release can be found here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/7352d731-7343-4092-9e0b-ec59e55c6667

Junshi Biosciences and Coherus Receive Complete Response Letter from U.S. FDA for Toripalimab BLA

– The CRL requests a quality process change Junshi Biosciences and Coherus believe is readily addressable –

– BLA resubmission anticipated by mid-summer 2022 with expected six month FDA review timeline –

– Onsite inspections in China, impeded to date by COVID-19-related travel restrictions, are required for FDA’s completion of BLA review –

– Toripalimab will be the first and only immuno-oncology agent for NPC in U.S., if approved –

SHANGHAI, China, and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd (“Junshi Biosciences”, HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) and Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (“Coherus”) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”, “the Agency”) has issued a complete response letter (“CRL”) for the Biologics License Application (“BLA”) for toripalimab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (“NPC”) and for toripalimab monotherapy in the second-line or later treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC after platinum-containing chemotherapy.

The CRL requests a quality process change that Junshi Biosciences and Coherus believe is readily addressable. Junshi Biosciences and Coherus plan to meet with the FDA directly and expect to resubmit the BLA by mid-summer 2022. The Agency also communicated in the CRL that the review timeline for the BLA resubmission would be six months, as required onsite inspections have been hindered by travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

“We will continue to work closely with our partner, Junshi Biosciences, to facilitate the completion of the FDA’s review of the toripalimab BLA. In late April, we responded quickly to an FDA request for a quality process change and implemented required actions,” said Denny Lanfear, CEO of Coherus. “We plan to first meet with the FDA and directly thereafter to resubmit the BLA. The FDA has indicated that the existing toripalimab clinical data are supportive of the BLA submission, and we eagerly await scheduling and completion of the required inspections in China that have been impeded to date by COVID-related travel restrictions. We believe toripalimab addresses an important unmet need for patients with NPC for whom there are currently no approved immunotherapies in the United States, and the FDA has stated that this indication warrants regulatory flexibility with respect to the sufficiency of single country clinical data.”

“Junshi Biosciences is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative new drugs on a global scale,” said Dr. Ning Li, CEO of Junshi Biosciences. “Toripalimab, our PD-1 inhibitor, has demonstrated a compelling clinical profile in studies across multiple tumor types and is currently approved in China for four indications. We fully support our partner, Coherus, in its efforts to seek toripalimab approval in the United States for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, as well as in the subsequent commercial launch, if approved. Our respective teams are working diligently together in a well coordinated effort to achieve these goals as partners.”

About Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC)
NPC is a type of aggressive cancer that starts in the nasopharynx, the upper part of the throat behind the nose and near the base of skull. Due to the location of the primary tumor, surgery is rarely an option, and patients with localized disease are treated primarily with radiation and chemotherapy. In the United States, there are presently no immunotherapies approved for the treatment of NPC.

About Toripalimab
Toripalimab is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody developed for its ability to block PD-1 interactions with its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, and for enhanced receptor internalization (endocytosis function). Blocking PD-1 interactions with PD-L1 and PD-L2 promotes the immune system’s ability to attack and kill tumor cells.

More than thirty company-sponsored toripalimab clinical studies covering more than fifteen indications have been conducted globally by Junshi Biosciences, including in China, the United States, Southeast Asia, and European countries. Ongoing or completed pivotal clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of toripalimab cover a broad range of tumor types including cancers of the lung, nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, bladder, breast, liver, kidney and skin.

In China, toripalimab was the first domestic anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody approved for marketing (approved in China as TUOYI®). Currently, there are four approved indications for toripalimab in China:

  1. unresectable or metastatic melanoma after failure of standard systemic therapy;
  2. recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma NPC after failure of at least two lines of prior systemic therapy;
  3. locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that failed platinum-containing chemotherapy or progressed within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant platinum-containing chemotherapy;
  4. in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine as the first-line treatment for patients with locally recurrent or metastatic NPC.

The first three indications have been included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (“NRDL”) (2021 Edition). Toripalimab is the only anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody included in the NRDL for melanoma and NPC.

In addition, two supplemental New Drug Applications (“NDAs”) for toripalimab are currently under review by the National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”) in China:

  • in combination with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC.
  • in combination with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC without EGFR or ALK mutations.

In the United States, the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for toripalimab in combination with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC as well as for toripalimab monotherapy in the second or third-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC. Junshi Biosciences and Coherus plan to resubmit a BLA for toripalimab for advanced NPC by mid-summer 2022. Additionally, the FDA has granted Fast Track designation for toripalimab for the treatment of mucosal melanoma and Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of esophageal cancer, NPC, mucosal melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and SCLC. In 2021, Coherus in-licensed rights to develop and commercialize toripalimab in the United States and Canada. Junshi Biosciences and Coherus plan to file additional toripalimab BLAs with the FDA over the next several years for multiple other cancer types.

About Junshi Biosciences
Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. The company has established a diversified R & D pipeline comprising over 50 drug candidates, with five therapeutic focus areas covering cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases. Junshi Biosciences was the first Chinese pharmaceutical company that obtained marketing approval for anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in China. Its first-in-human anti-BTLA monoclonal antibody for tumors was the first in the world to be approved for clinical trials by the FDA and NMPA and has since entered Phase Ib/II trials in both China and the US. Its anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody was the first in China to be approved for clinical trials by the NMPA.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Junshi Biosciences responded swiftly and strongly, joining forces with Chinese and international scientific research institutions and enterprises to develop an arsenal of drug candidates to combat COVID-19, taking the initiative to shoulder the social responsibility of Chinese pharmaceutical companies by prioritizing and accelerating COVID-19 R&D. Among the many drug candidates is JS016 (etesevimab), China’s first neutralizing fully human monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 and the result of the combined efforts of Junshi Biosciences, the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Science and Lilly. JS016 administered with bamlanivimab has been granted Emergency Use Authorizations (“EUA”) in over 15 countries and regions worldwide. Meanwhile, VV116, a new oral nucleoside analog anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug designed to hinder virus replication, is in global Phase III clinical trials. The JS016 and VV116 programs are a part of the company’s continuous innovation for disease control and prevention of the global pandemic.

Junshi Biosciences has more than 2,800 employees in the United States (San Francisco and Maryland) and China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou). For more information, please visit: http://junshipharma.com.

About Coherus BioSciences
Coherus is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company building a leading immuno-oncology franchise funded with cash generated by its commercial biosimilar business. In 2021, Coherus in-licensed toripalimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in the United States and Canada. Coherus plans to resubmit a BLA for toripalimab for the treatment of advanced NPC by mid-summer 2022. Toripalimab is also being evaluated in pivotal clinical trials for the treatment of rare and highly prevalent cancers.

Coherus markets UDENYCA® (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), a biosimilar of Neulasta® in the United States, and expects to launch the FDA-approved Humira® biosimilar YUSIMRY™ (adalimumab-aqvh) in the United States in 2023. The FDA is currently reviewing the biologics license application for CHS-201, a biosimilar of Lucentis® (ranibizumab), with a target action date of August 2022. Coherus is also developing CHS-305, a biosimilar of Avastin® (bevacizumab).

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Coherus’ ability to build its immuno-oncology franchise to achieve a leading market position; Coherus’ ability to generate cash; Coherus’ investment plans; Coherus’ expectations for the launch date of YUSIMRY™ and other products; Coherus’ plans to file additional BLAs for toripalimab; beliefs about toripalimab’s ability to enhance treatment of patients in combination with chemotherapy; expectations about the success and timing of the toripalimab BLA resubmission and the associated BLA review; and Coherus’ expectations about being able to overcome COVID-19-related travel restrictions to finish required onsite inspections for toripalimab.

Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause Coherus’ actual results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risks and uncertainties inherent in the clinical drug development process; risks relating to the COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to our existing and potential collaboration partners; risks of the drug development position of Coherus’ competitors; the risks and uncertainties of the regulatory approval process, including the speed of regulatory review, international aspects of Coherus’ business, the need to schedule inspections in China and the timing of Coherus’ regulatory filings; the risk of FDA review issues; the risk of Coherus’ execution of its change in strategy from a focus on biosimilars to a strategy using cash from its portfolio to fund an immuno-oncology franchise; the risk that Coherus is unable to complete commercial transactions and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of Coherus’ drug candidates; and the risks and uncertainties of possible litigation. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Coherus undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to Coherus’ business in general, see Coherus’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 23, 2022, including the section therein captioned “Risk Factors” and in other documents Coherus files with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

UDENYCA® and YUSIMRY™, whether or not appearing in large print or with the trademark symbol, are trademarks of Coherus, its affiliates, related companies or its licensors or joint venture partners, unless otherwise noted. Trademarks and trade names of other companies appearing in this press release are, to the knowledge of Coherus, the property of their respective owners.

Junshi Biosciences Contact Information
IR Team:
Junshi Biosciences
info@junshipharma.com
+ 86 021-2250 0300

Goby Global
Bob Ai
bai@gobyglobal.com
+ 1 646-389-6658

PR Team:
Junshi Biosciences
Zhi Li
zhi_li@junshipharma.com
+ 86 021-6105 8800

Coherus Contact Information:
IR Contact:
McDavid Stilwell
Chief Financial Officer
Coherus BioSciences, Inc.
IR@coherus.com

Media Contact:
Brian Grancagnolo
Brian.Grancagnolo@hkstrategies.com
+1 (212) 885-0449

This Golden Week: At Home And Around Tokyo For May 2-8

Published by
Savvy Tokyo

Great news for everyone staying in Tokyo during this 10-day-long Golden Week: there are plenty of events to keep you entertained no matter what your hobbies are. From stunning flower festivals to musicals and classical ballet to all-you-can-eat food and sweets events and international festivals, Tokyo will be steaming hot over the holidays! Here are our 10 picks of the best events for the whole Golden Week! Run With The WorldOnline Event: Wings For LifeDownload the Wings for Life World Run App and start running with thousands of people around the world at the exact same time. You’ll run as far… Continue reading “This Golden Week: At Home And Around Tokyo For May 2-8”

Taiwan archers rise up world rankings following world cup

Taiwan is currently No. 1 in the men’s team recurve bow and No. 9 in the women’s team recurve bow, according to the latest world rankings published by the World Archery Federation.

Taiwan climbed four spots from fifth to first place in the men’s team recurve bow with a total of 363.75 points, 112.5 of which were earned during the Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Antalya, Turkey, in April.

At the event, the Taiwan team, consisting of Olympians Tang Chih-chun (???) and Wei Chun-heng (???) alongside newcomer Su Yu-yang (???), won the gold medal in the recurve men’s team event after first defeating Switzerland, followed by the United States and the Netherlands in the semifinals before whitewashing Italy in the final 6:0.

The Taiwanese archers totaled 10 bullseyes in the final.

Meanwhile, Olympian Lei Chien-ying (???) led archers Peng Chia-mao (???) and Kuo Tzu-ying (???) to win the bronze medal in the recurve women’s team event in the Antalya Hyundai Archery World Cup.

The win by the Taiwanese women increased their world ranking points to 240.25, moving up one spot from 10th to ninth place.

Following their wins at Antalya, the Taiwanese archery teams remained in Turkey to train and prepare for the second stage of the Archery World Cup that is held on May 16 in Gwangju, South Korea.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan scientists discover new form of cell division

Scientists at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica have identified a new form of cell division that occurs without the replication of DNA, challenging the scientific consensus on one of the most basic biological processes.

Since the 19th century, scientists have known of only two main types of cell division in animals — meiosis in germ cells (sperm or egg cells) and mitosis in somatic cells, which comprise all other cells in the body.

In a new paper published in the British scientific journal Nature, however, an Academia Sinica team described a previously unknown form of cell division which, unlike mitosis, does not involve the duplication of DNA.

The team, led by Chen Chen-hui (???), assistant research fellow at the academy’s Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, held a press conference on Monday to explain their findings.

To conduct its research, Chen’s team used a custom-made computer tagging system to color, and then track, individual cells on zebrafish larvae as they developed.

In order to do so, the researchers had to catch and anaesthetize the 0.5-centimeter fish every 12 hours, and then photograph them under a high-powered microscope.

They discovered that during a specific stage in the fishes’ growth, some of the outer layers of their skin cells underwent up to two rounds of cell division (one cell becoming four cells) by splitting, rather than duplicating, their DNA.

The team believes this phenomenon, called asynthetic fission, is a temporary measure used to expand the coverage of epithelial cells, or outer skin cells, during a period of rapid growth, Chen said.

According to a video produced by Nature, the process happens so quickly that cells even appeared to make “mistakes,” such as not cleanly separating the DNA between the new cells.

Within a few weeks, however, the zebrafish had gotten rid of the unusual cells and replaced them with regular cells containing normal amounts of DNA, the video noted.

While Chen’s team said they were still in the early stages of understanding the process, they speculated that this mode of cell proliferation could occur in contexts other than zebrafish skin expansion.

The team’s article, titled “Skin cells undergo asynthetic fission to expand body surfaces in zebrafish,” was published in Nature on April 27.

The journal’s video on the research, “A new kind of cell division,” was released on Sunday.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

CORONAVIRUS/Symptomless people to face restrictions in getting PCR test

As huge numbers of people flock to hospitals seeking polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests amid a spike in domestic COVID-19 cases, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Monday that people who do not have COVID-like symptoms cannot get a PCR test unless they first test positive using a rapid test.

At a daily briefing, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???), who also heads the CECC, said the large number of people rushing to hospital emergency rooms for PCR tests has squeezed the country’s medical care capacity.

As a result, the CECC has imposed new restrictions on who is be allowed to take PCR tests, focusing specifically on people who do not present any COVID-like symptoms and have not taken a rapid test, Chen said.

The CECC is urging local governments and hospitals to abide by the new rules, Chen added.

However, whether people in quarantine and showing no symptoms will be allowed to take PCR tests will be subject to local government regulations, according to the CECC.

For instance, in Taipei and New Taipei, the two cities with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, only those in isolation without symptoms who test positive using rapid tests are eligible for PCR tests.

Chen said he hoped local governments will open new testing stations to provide services to more people by taking into account how fast COVID-19 cases in their cities and counties are growing.

The minister also suggested hospitals designated to provide emergency treatment should start outpatient services for those who develop a fever or who are asymptomatic but return a positive COVID-19 rapid test.

At present, cities and counties around Taiwan operate a total of 344 community testing stations, while 104 hospitals designated for COVID-19 treatment already have outpatient services, according to the CECC.

Hospitals need to come up with flexible measures to reduce their burden, while also allocating sufficient manpower for testing, new case reporting and bed control, at a time when the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases is exploding, Chen said.

When local governments operate community testing stations, the health authorities should assign doctors to the stations in a bid to make better judgments as to whether people testing positive are likely to develop severe symptoms, the CECC said.

In addition, doctors at testing stations should also prescribe medicine to people who have tested positive using rapid tests and had mild symptoms before their PCR results come back, the CECC added.

Community testing stations should dispatch nurses to give medical instructions to people who test positive, according to the CECC.

On Monday, Taiwan reported 17,858 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths from the disease, the fifth consecutive day the single-day total exceeded 10,000 cases, according to the CECC.

The new cases consisted of 17,801 domestically transmitted infections and 57 cases contracted abroad, the CECC said.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed 150,808 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 139,311 domestically transmitted infections.

With three deaths reported Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country reached 871, of which 18 have been recorded this year.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Yamaha leads electrification charge

Published by
The Bangkok Post

Yamaha is playing a different game in the Thai market with the E01 Electric Scooter. The motorcycle industry’s move towards electrification has us all wondering what the next generation of popular models will look like. A few of Yamaha’s electric scooters have already been showcased in the past, giving us a sneak peek into the company’s electric future. Now it’s back with yet another electric motorcycle — the E01. Yamaha’s new electric concept will be tested in the real world later this year in Europe, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Yamaha claims that the E01’s usability is o… Continue reading “Yamaha leads electrification charge”

Japan eyes classifying defense guidelines amid China, Russia threats

Published by
Kyodo News

The idea of partially classifying Japan’s national defense guidelines, under a major policy review into the country’s security by year-end, is being floated to better deal with increased regional security threats by China and Russia, government sources said Saturday. Making the revised version of the National Defense Program Guidelines, a 10-year defense buildup policy, confidential would be in line with the mostly classified U.S. National Defense Strategy and enable Japan to be more specific in its strategy toward contingencies also involving North Korea, the sources said. The guidelines, whi… Continue reading “Japan eyes classifying defense guidelines amid China, Russia threats”

FEATURE/Taiwan film preservationists face battle against time & space

“This is a reel of film that is deteriorated and brittle. It will never be brought back to life.”

At the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), Tony Lan (???), the institute’s chair, holds a canister from a collection of over 18,000 Taiwanese movies aloft, to let visiting lawmakers grasp the race against time faced to find a new home for the institute’s film archive center.

Lan and his staff have for years been collecting and preserving copies of films made by Taiwanese directors from around the world to hold in their archives.

But with the institute’s hotchpotch of storage spaces already reaching capacity, there is a pressing need for a proposed purpose-built facility in New Taipei to come to fruition.

Many films were in very poor condition when they were sent to TFAI’s Film Archive Center because most people had no idea how to properly preserve them, according to Tsai Meng-chun (???), the head of the center’s Film Digital Restoration section.

At the archive center, films are permanently kept in temperature-controlled rooms at either 5 or 18 degrees Celsius with humidity at 40-50 percent.

If a film is kept in a very warm and humid environment, cellulose acetate, a material used as a support of the film, will absorb moisture in the air and release acetic acid. These chemical reactions will cause the film to shrink and warp, thus giving rise to the brittle and deteriorated reel shown to the lawmakers by the TFAI chairman.

An acidic-like smell of vinegar permeates the storage rooms, proof that many of the film archives have deteriorated.

Tsai said it is similar to human beings growing old and getting wrinkles, adding that a moving picture on a deteriorated film would discolor and contain scratches.

A pressing need for more space

While the deterioration of film archives remains a problem, the biggest challenge facing the TFAI in its efforts to preserve films is a lack of space.

Since 1989, the TFAI has collected over 18,000 copies of films. These films, together with hundreds and thousands of movie posters, costumes, and props, are currently stored at what TFAI Director Wang Chun-chi (???) called a “stopgap” archive center located in an industrial cluster in New Taipei City’s Shulin District.

The center refers to 16 offices — each measuring roughly 330 square meters — dispersed in an area packed with factories producing products ranging from wooden furniture to home appliances.

This arrangement is only temporary as all but three of the offices are rented, Wang said. “We have nowhere else to go.”

Before moving to its current location in Shulin, the film archive center was in another industrial cluster in Xindian District. The TFAI was forced to relocate the center because the property owner had decided to take back the spaces, said Tsai, who began working on film archives at the TFAI in 2015.

The same concern continues to loom. “Every year we are worried about the property owners taking back their spaces. If they do not want to renew our leases, what are we going to do?”

At the same time, the TFAI has expanded in accordance with the government’s policy. After decades of focusing on the preservation of Taiwan’s films, the TFAI is now also tasked with collecting and handling the archives from the television and radio industries.

All the offices at the archive center are almost filled to capacity, Tsai said, and insufficient space has been problematic. “Without enough space, I cannot fetch films even if I know there are many out there.”

In 2020, Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) pledged to pour in over NT$5 billion (US$171.08 million) to build the country’s first cinema museum near the TFAI building in Xinzhuang District. The proposed museum will include a new permanent film archive center that the institute has pitched.

“We really hope to have a permanent base designed and built for the film archives,” the TFAI director said.

A permanent base will enable the TFAI to better preserve film archives, and it will also allow the institute to bring in more manpower and equipment to expedite the digitization and restoration of films, Wang added.

Two years later, however, there has been little progress on the proposed project. The central government and the New Taipei City government have even exchanged words over the issue, blaming one another for stalling the plan.

At a TFAI press conference in January, New Taipei Mayor Ho Yu-ih (???) urged the Cabinet to soon approve the Ministry of Culture’s proposal to build the museum, while Su responded by saying the city government had not committed to providing the land needed for the proposed construction.

The Ministry of Culture told CNA this week that it had recently reached a deal with the New Taipei City Government to collaborate on the planned museum.

Nevertheless, the ministry said that the proposal was still being reviewed by the Cabinet and that the plan, after being given the go-ahead, would take an estimated seven years to come to fruition.

The current TFAI office, which was officially inaugurated in January, began its construction in 2018. Before that, talks about moving the TFAI from a mixed-used building in Taipei City to its current base had lasted approximately a decade.

Digital preservation of film archives

The problem with a lack of space has also hampered the institute’s efforts to bring in more staff and equipment. The section that Tsai is in charge of began working on film digitization and digital restoration in 2013. To date, however, it has only digitized about 300 films and restored less than 100.

Both digitization and digital restoration are “manual work,” Tsai said. Before putting a roll of film into a scanner, his team must check it inch by inch to make sure that dust is removed and broken parts are repaired. This process takes about two weeks to one month for a 90-minute movie depending on its preservation condition, according to Tsai.

Restoration is even more time-consuming, as one staffer is only capable of processing 10 minutes of a film on a monthly basis, Tsai said.

“Lawmakers and the public often ask why we cannot do more, as we have more than 18,000 films at the archive center,” Tsai said. His 17-strong team has aimed to digitize 60 films and restore at least nine movies in 2022.

“With our current manpower and equipment, we are not going to finish that in 100 years.”

Although the TFAI began converting its archives into digitals in 2013, it remains dedicated to preserving films, Tsai noted.

Films as a medium of storing movies can stand the test of time, Tsai said. The films produced by the Lumière brothers in their time can still be screened today, he said, referring to Auguste and Louis Lumière, whose “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory” in 1895 is considered the first motion picture in the world.

On the other hand, a digital cinema package (DCP) disk, a common tool in the industry to store films in a digital format, may not be read in 5 or 10 years if it is not preserved properly, he added.

Preserving history through film

In addition, these films are not just works of art, they presented Taiwan’s film industry, Tsai said. They reveal valuable information about Taiwan’s history and the country’s social and cultural transformation, he said.

Some 55.5 percent of the film archives at the TFAI are dramas, and the rest include documentaries, footage of historical events, as well as government publicity.

One of its earliest archives is black-and-white footage about flocks of people with luggage pouring to a port in Keelung in 1946 and waiting to board a ship bound for Japan.

That film about the repatriation of Japanese people from Taiwan after WWII documents a very important moment in the history of Taiwan that texts alone cannot accurately capture, Tsai said.

These films should be preserved so that people in future generations will be able to know what has happened in Taiwan, he said. “To preserve these films is to preserve history.”

Wang, the TFAI director, said film archives were part of the collective memory of Taiwanese society. People face a serious existential crisis if the society they live in is deprived of shared memory, Wang said.

Under this situation, whatever they picture for their future will be mismatched and disconnected from their identity, she added.

Amnesia is a popular theme for melodramas, in which a protagonist experiences chaos and struggles with their life due to memory loss, Wang said.

“If you don’t know why you have come to your current state because you don’t remember or know the past, you will not know where you should go next.”

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

CORONAVIRUS/Taipei, New Taipei limit walk-in COVID-19 PCR tests

The mayors of Taipei and New Taipei both told residents of their respective cities to only go to a COVID-19 testing site to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test if they have already taken a rapid test and tested positive.

During a daily press briefing on COVID-19 on Sunday, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (???) said that starting from Tuesday, the 31 testing sites in the city will only offer PCR tests to people who have had a positive rapid test or are experiencing symptoms.

The 31 testing sites, according to Hou, include 18 hospitals in the city and 13 sites set up by the city government.

The restriction is meant to preserve the city’s testing capacity, so people who want to take a PCR test without a positive rapid test result or showing symptoms should book one online before going to a testing site, Hou said.

New Taipei has been reporting the highest daily number of new domestic cases in Taiwan since April 1, when the country saw daily locally transmitted cases exceed 100 for the first time this year.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (???) also expressed concerns about his city’s PCR testing capacity during the Taipei City government’s press briefing Sunday, urging local residents not to go to one of Taipei’s seven testing sites unless they have had a positive rapid test result.

To preserve the city’s testing capacity, Ko said the seven testing sites will only offer a PCR test to people who have either gotten a positive rapid test result or have made an appointment in advance.

He also asked local residents not to take a rapid test unless they experience symptoms or have been listed as close contacts of infected individuals, and said people who go to a testing site actually expose themselves to higher risks of getting infected.

The Tri-Service General Hospital, which has four branches in Taipei, has agreed to adopt the PCR test restrictions from Monday, while the city government has contacted the National Taiwan University Hospital and the Taipei Veterans General Hospital about this, Ko said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel