Category: General

Brokerage firms that hire foreign translators and chefs to work in Taiwan now have the option to file their employment-related applications online, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Thursday.

The available online applications include those for employment permits and extensions, and employment renewal, but only for those two categories of foreign workers, the ministry said.

Job brokers can also file online applications for a change of employer, data change, and departure of an employee, in the two employment categories, the MOL said.

The online option is now also available to private manpower agencies that hire transnational workers in the two categories, the ministry said.

Previously, documents could only be filed online for the employment of certain other categories of foreign white-collar and blue-collar workers.

The labor ministry, however, has rescinded a regulation that required brokers to first obtain a recruitment permit before hiring foreign translators and chefs, which has cleared the way for online submission of employment documents in the two categories.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported eight new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) on Thursday, including a 7-month-old boy, the youngest individual to have been diagnosed with the condition to date.

The 7-month-old boy has no chronic illnesses, and began displaying symptoms of MIS-C including a fever, cough, runny nose, bloodshot eyes, vomiting, and a rash on June 20, Lo Yi-chun (???), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said at a press briefing.

The boy was taken to a hospital two days later, where he tested positive for COVID-19. As the test results indicated that he had contracted COVID-19 some time ago, doctors concluded that his symptoms were likely a result of MIS-C, Lo said.

MIS-C is a rare but potentially serious inflammatory reaction that affects children – typically those in the 6-12 age group – two to six weeks after they contract COVID-19. The inflammation can affect different body parts, including the lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal organs.

The boy’s condition has since improved and he was discharged from hospital on June 27, Lo said.

The other seven new MIS-C cases reported Thursday included two still in hospital, while the rest have recovered and been discharged, according to Lo.

The two still hospitalized are 1-year-old girls. One of the girls, who has a congenital thyroid disorder, tested positive for COVID-19 on May 6.

She developed a cough on June 15, followed by other symptoms including diarrhea, bloody stool, rash, fever, and diffculty breathing over the next few days. She was admitted to hospital on June 20, where she is still being treated, Lo said.

The other girl, who has no chronic illnesses, tested positive for COVID-19 on May 29 and began to have a fever and decreased appetite on June 23.

She later developed bloodshot eyes and a rash and was taken to hospital on June 26. She is now receiving treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU), as doctors found that she had enlarged arteries, Lo said.

To date, 78 children aged 12 and under have developed severe illnesses after contracting COVID-19, including 23 MIS-C cases, 21 cases of encephalitis, 15 with pneumonia, eight with croup, three with sepsis, two who had other comorbidities, and six who had passed away before being admitted to hospital.

Twenty of the 78 children have died, according to Lo.

Of the 3,699,185 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 6,781 have been classified as severe infections and 9,002 as moderate, accounting for 0.18 percent and 0.24 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of June 29.

In all other cases, the infected individuals were either asymptomatic or had mild infections, the CECC said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 3,767,283 COVID-19 cases and 6,651 deaths from the disease.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan shares closed down 199.79 points, or 1.29 percent, at 15,240.13 Wednesday on turnover of NT$243.47 billion (US$8.2 billion).

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan will maintain its mask mandate through the month of July, in light of the current domestic COVID-19 situation and the rising number of imported cases of the newest Omicron subvariants, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.

Under the existing mandate, people are required to wear a mask at all times when they are outside their homes, except in certain situations, according to the CECC.

The exemptions apply when people are eating, participating in water-related activities, taking individual or group photos, traveling alone or with family members in a private car, or are traversing wide outdoor spaces such as fields and forests, the CECC said.

People are also exempt from wearing masks when exercising, unless it is in a gym, the CECC said.

The Sports Administration has stipulated that only individuals who have received three COVID-19 vaccine shots can exercise mask-free in a gym.

The CECC said Wednesday that other COVID-19 protocols will remain in place throughout July, including a ban on table to table toasting at banquets.

People will still be allowed, however, to eat on trains, intercity buses, ferries, and domestic flights, and to sample food at markets, the CECC said.

The mask mandate is being retained because domestic COVID-19 case numbers are still high, and imported cases of the Omicron BA. 4 and BA.5 variants are on the rise, the CECC said.

As of June 27, Taiwan had recorded 126 cases of the newest subvariants — 107 BA.5 and 19 BA.4 infections — all imported, according to the CECC.

The two subvariants can evade immunity from prior infections and appear to be more transmissible than earlier versions of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the CECC said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan reported 42,204 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, all but 92 of which were domestic infections, and 85 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

It was the second time in June that daily deaths fell below 100, CECC data showed.

The 85 patients whose deaths were reported Wednesday ranged in age from their 30s to 90s. They included 81 individuals who had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases and 35 who were unvaccinated, the CECC said.

Severe, moderate infections

The CECC also said that 80 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 147 other individuals had developed moderate symptoms.

Of the 3,657,252 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 6,638 have been classified as severe infections and 8,855 as moderate, accounting for 0.18 percent and 0.24 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of June 28.

In all other cases, the infected individuals were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, the CECC said.

Regional breakdown

On Wednesday, Taichung recorded the highest number of domestic cases, with 6,117, followed by New Taipei with 5,747, and Kaohsiung with 5,139.

Taoyuan reported 4,040 cases, Tainan 3,910, Taipei 3,314, Changhua County 2,794, Pingtung County 1,770, Yunlin County 1,154, and Miaoli County 1,028.

Hsinchu County recorded 981 cases, Hsinchu City 895, Nantou County 870, Chiayi County 847, Yilan County 812, Hualien County 701, Chiayi City 587, Keelung 540, Taitung County 521, Penghu County 198, Kinmen County 124, and the Matsu Islands 23.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 3,728,363 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 3,713,788 domestic infections.

With the 85 deaths reported Wednesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 6,533.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Two people were killed and one woman seriously injured in an early morning fire that broke out at a three-story private residence in New Taipei, police said Wednesday.

A man surnamed Yeh (?), 57, along with his 27-year-old daughter and her 6-year-old son, were rescued from the third floor of the building in Sanchong District by firefighters, who had rushed to the scene after receiving a report at around 00:13 a.m., police said.

Police said all three individuals were found without vital signs by firefighters on the third floor and were immediately taken to hospitals in Taipei and New Taipei.

Yeh and his grandson were pronounced dead on arrival at Shin Kong Wu Ho-su Memorial Hospital and Mackay Memorial Hospital, respectively, while Yeh’s daughter regained a pulse after treatment and is currently being treated at an intensive care unit in Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

The fire, which was brought under control at around 00:30 a.m., is thought to have originated on the second floor, police said, adding that the cause of the fire was still being investigated.

Yeh’s wife, who was sleeping on the building’s first floor at the time of the fire, escaped the fire unscathed, police said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Several shipments of fried chicken and rice cake sauces and instant noodles from South Korea were blocked by Customs recently after being found to contain excessive amounts of preservatives or banned pesticide residue, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.

The FDA released on Tuesday a list of 16 items of food and containers that had failed its latest Customs inspections and were stopped at the border.

The products included a 1,141-kg shipment of spicy cream chicken sauce, honey oligosaccaride chicken sauce, and rice cake chicken sauce imported from South Korea by Kaohsiung-based TMT Enterprise Co.

All problematic products were either returned to their country of origin or destroyed, according to the FDA.

The vinegar and soy sauce contained in the sauce are allowed to contain preservatives according to relevant regulations, but higher than permitted amounts of preservatives were found in the products, FDA Northern Center head Chen Ching-yu (???) said, adding this is the first time the company has violated the regulations.

In addition, a 1,695-kg batch of seafood flavor instant noodles from South Korea was rejected by Customs because of excessive amounts of the banned pesticide ethylene oxide, according to the FDA.

The border inspections also found other substandard imports, including a shipment of Regent Mochi Ube, a Japanese-style glutinous rice cake, from the Philippines, after they were found to be non-compliant with Taiwan’s food preservatives regulation for containing dehydrated acetic acid, Chen said.

Dehydrated acetic acid is currently only allowed to be used in cheese, cream, and similar products but cannot be used in biscuits, cookies, and cakes, according to Chen.

In addition, a batch of hericium erinaceus, also known as lion’s mane (monkey head) mushroom, imported from China, was also found to be contaminated with excessive levels of pesticide residue, Chen said.

It was the 15th time in six months that imports of the mushroom product from China had failed inspections, according to Chen.

The FDA began batch-by-batch inspections of the product from China on May 2.

The agency on June 21 said it had asked the Chinese supplier to provide a written explanation by Aug. 3 on why excessive pesticide residues were frequently detected in its shipments of the product to Taiwan.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan’s weather was unusual in May this year, as the average daily hours of sunshine were at a record low, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Tuesday.

Typically, Taiwan experiences an average 4.8 hours of sunshine per day in the month of May, but this year it was almost half of that number, at a record 2.5 hours, Lu Kuo-chen (???), head of CWB’s Weather Forecast Center, said at a news conference.

In total, there was sunshine for only 78.5 hours in Taiwan in May this year, compared to the average 148.8 hours for that month, Lu said.

Not only were the skies over Taiwan duller this May, but the weather was also cooler and wetter than usual for that month, he said in a review of the country’s weather for the first half of the year.

The average temperature in Taiwan was 26.2 degrees Celsius in May, the lowest recorded since 2000 and the fifth-lowest of all time, he said, adding that last year it averaged 28.1 degrees for the same month.

In terms of precipitation, it rained on 18.6 days in May, and the total rainfall was 347.9 millimeters, which were the fourth and sixth highest numbers, respectively, on record for that month, Lu said.

However, temperatures and precipitation levels have returned to normal in June, he said, forecasting that three or four typhoons will make landfall in Taiwan in the second half of the year.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Shares in Taiwan closed lower Tuesday as overnight losses in the U.S. prompted local investors to lock in profits gained during a rally in the previous day’s session.

Amid lingering concerns over a rate-hike cycle by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the bellwether electronics sector came under pressure, leading the broader market to trend lower as rising bond yields continued to dwarf dividends.

The Taiex, the weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), ended down 108.09 points, or 0.70 percent, at 15,439.92, after moving between 15,375.65 and 15,533.34. Turnover totaled NT$233.28 billion (US$7.86 billion).

The market opened down 0.18 percent and selling increased as investors took cues from a retreat on the U.S. markets overnight.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index lost 0.72 percent after the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose amid continued rate-hike speculation.

U.S. tech-led sell-off

Led by the losses suffered by tech stocks on the U.S. markets, Taiwan’s semiconductor stocks gave up gains from Monday, and selling soon spread to old economy and financial stocks, moving the Taiex below the previous session’s closing mark by the end of trading Tuesday.

The electronics sector lost 0.74 percent with the semiconductor subindex down 0.82 percent.

“The U.S. markets remain unstable so it was no surprise that Taiwan fell back from Monday’s gains [of 1.60 percent],” Mega International Investment Service Corp. analyst Alex Huang said.

“Markets around the world remain rattled by the Fed’s tightening, which is expected to hurt global economic growth,” Huang said.

The consensus among traders Tuesday was that investors had simply removed their funds from the equity markets and parked the money in the bond markets.

Huang said the electronics sector, in particular large semiconductor stocks, became the target of the selling throughout Tuesday.

Local tech stocks

Among the falling semiconductor stocks, United Microelectronics Corp., a smaller rival to contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), lost 2.45 percent to close at NT$41.85, while TSMC dropped only 0.20 percent to end at NT$497.50 after hitting a high of NT$500.00.

“Fortunately, TSMC remained resilient or the Taiex would have fallen further today,” Huang said. “The world’s largest contract chipmaker has no problems in fundamentals but the stock’s performance is still tied to falling liquidity levels in the wake of the Fed’s rate increases.”

With the global smartphone market facing a slowdown, smartphone IC designer MediaTek Inc. shed 3.98 percent to close at NT$651.00, while dynamic random access memory chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp. dropped 1.51 percent to end at NT$58.90 and rival Winbond Electronics Corp. lost 2.32 percent to close at NT$23.20 after DRAM stocks’ target prices were lowered by American brokerages due to weaker demand.

Outperformers

Bucking the downturn, power management IC designer Silergy Corp. rose by 5.74 percent to end at NT$2,670.00, with the company announcing it would start a four-for-one stock split on July 13.

Also in the tech sector, iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. rose 0.90 percent to close at NT$112.00, and flat-panel maker AU Optronics Corp. gained 0.60 percent to end at NT$16.85.

While the electronics sector remained in the doldrums, investors rushed to pick defensive telecom stocks, Huang said. Chunghwa Telecom Co. rose 0.39 percent to close at NT$129.00, and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. gained 1.19 percent to end at NT$85.00.

“Shipping stocks largely moved in consolidation today,” Huang said. “Yesterday’s rally led by Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. was technical in nature as there have been rising worries over demand in the second half of this year.”

Following a 10 percent surge Monday, Yang Ming Marine Transport rose 6.50 percent to close at NT$91.70 Tuesday after going ex-dividend a session earlier. Rivals Evergreen Marine Corp., the largest container cargo shipper in Taiwan, and Wan Hai Lines Ltd. ended unchanged at NT$108.50 and NT$128.00.

Cement, financial companies

Elsewhere in the old economy sector, Taiwan Cement Corp. lost 0.50 percent to close at NT$39.60, and Asia Cement Corp. dropped 0.80 percent to end at NT$43.65.

In the financial sector, which lost 0.72 percent, CTBC Financial Holding Co. lost 1.53 percent to close at NT$25.80, and Yuanta Financial Holding Co. shed 4.13 percent to end at NT$20.90. But, Cathay Financial Holding Co. rose 0.56 percent to close at NT$53.80.

“Today’s turnover remained moderate, indicating that many investors were reluctant to buy the dips despite the fall in the Taiex,” Huang said. “Caution toward depleting liquidity is expected to push down the main board and it is possible for the index to threaten the 15,100-point mark soon.”

According to the TWSE, foreign institutional investors sold a net NT$10.59 billion worth of shares on the main board Tuesday.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

A one-year-old boy has been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), becoming the youngest such case in Taiwan to date, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The child, who has no history of chronic illness, tested positive for COVID-19 on May 28, Lo Yi-chun (???), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said at a press briefing Tuesday.

On June 17, the boy developed symptoms such as a fever, rash and diarrhea and was taken to the hospital emergency room three days later, Lo said.

The boy was admitted to hospital and during that time was found to have a high level of inflammation in his body and mild dilation of the coronary artery, Lo said.

The child was later diagnosed with MIS-C — an inflammatory reaction that can develop two to six weeks after a COVID-19 infection, according to Lo.

After being treated with steroids and immunoglobin therapy, the boy’s condition improved, and on Monday he was discharged from hospital, Lo said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded a total of 70 severe COVID-19 infections in children aged 12 and under, 20 of which have resulted in death.

Of the severe cases, 21 patients developed encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, while 15 had pneumonia, and 15 were diagnosed with MIS-C, CECC statistics show.

Of the 3,597,619 COVID-19 cases reported in Taiwan since the start of this year, 99.58 percent have been mild or asymptomatic infections, according to CECC data valid as of June 27.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel