Business and Economy

Taiwan’s KYMCO teams up with Harley Davidson in new electric motorcycle company

Livewire motorcycle and company brands
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

American motorcycle company Harley Davidson will spin off its electric vehicle division, and form a new company with two partners, including Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturer KYMCO, the company announced today, December 13. LiveWire will be the first publicly traded electric motorcycle company in the USA, said Harley Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz. The new brand will build on Harley Davidson’s 118 year lineage with a mission to be the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world. LiveWire will also benefit from

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Blackouts in Taipei after substation fire, explosion

smoke seen rising in Wenshan District, Taipei City
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

Power and water outages were reported in districts of Taipei this morning after a fire at an electrical substation in Wenshan District. Electricity supplier Taipower was alerted to a sudden drop in electricity consumption at 9:50 am, indicating a problem somewhere in the power grid. Power outages were reported in Wenshan, Yonghe, Banqiao, and Xindian districts. Residents of Wenshan District reported hearing an explosion at the Wanlong Substation on Jinglong Road, before seeing flames and a pall of black smoke.

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Teen pilot to land in Taiwan on next leg of record-breaking flight

composite image of rough flight path and Shark Aero ultralight aircraft.
Aviation 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments ,

A 19-year-old pilot is scheduled to land at Taipei Songshan Airport, Tuesday, on the next leg of her quest to break several aviation records, including youngest female to fly solo around the world. Zara Rutherford departed from Belgium, August 18, on the planned 51,000-kilometer journey spanning five continents and 52 countries. Today, Saturday, December 12, Rutherford landed her Shark Aero ultralight airplane at Gimpo Airport in South Korea, marking the beginning of the Asian leg of her round-the-world quest. After

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NT$8 purchase wins NT$10 million in Taiwan’s free invoice lottery

receipts issued at stores in Taiwan
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance announced the list of winners of the September/October Uniform Invoice Lottery today, revealing that one of the winners of the Special Prize of NT$10 million (US$360,415) had spent just NT$8 (US$0.29) to get the winning ticket. The Uniform Invoice winning numbers were issued on November 25, with 13 people winning the special prize of NT$10 million each, after being issued the receipt number 14872301 (the number also has a two-letter alphabetic code unique to the business

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Express train hit by steel rail raises spectre of past disaster

taroko train at scene of accident
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A windscreen was damaged, but no injuries were reported, after a steel rail from a trackside construction project fell onto the tracks and hit a train in New Taipei City this morning, Tuesday, December 1. Taiwan Rail Administration (TRA) reported that the Taroko class express train was hit by a steel rail at 8:52 am between Dali and Fulong stations, causing the windscreen to be cracked. The steel rail fell from a slope stabilization project around 7-8 meters away from

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Frequent nasal swabs on pilots causing nosebleeds: a flight safety issue

Aviation Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Subjecting pilots to frequent nasal swabs to test for COVID-19 has led to severe nosebleeds while pilots are on duty, and it may affect flight safety, according to the Civil Aviation Administration and pilot unions. According to current epidemic prevention regulations, flight crew must be subject to three PCR tests within 14 days of entry, and it is stipulated that these must be in the form of nasopharyngeal swabs. However, many flight crew members have reported that this method causes

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Taiwan aims to attract 100,000 foreign professionals by 2030

National Development Council Foreign Recruitment seminar
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

The government of Taiwan aims to increase the number of foreign professionals working and residing in Taiwan to 100,000 by 2030, according to the National Development Council. Speaking at a seminar on the 2021 amendments to the Act for Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, yesterday, November 8, NDC Deputy Minister Shih Keh-her said that it hopes to improve the recruitment laws and related supporting facilities in order to meet the goal of recruiting 10,000 foreign professionals by the end

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Elon Musk world’s richest man: Chinese companies rush to register his name as trademark

Elon Musk China flag composite picture
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Following Tesla Motors trillion-dollar valuation, and the rise of Elon Musk to title of “world’s richest man,” companies in China have rushed to register the Chinese version of his name as a trademark for products ranging from t-shirts to educational services. Chinese tech media outlet IT Home reported, October 26, that a search of trademark registrations revealed that at least 273 companies had registered the name “馬斯克.” IT Home noted that the registrations involved companies dealing in clothing, shoes, hats,

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Air France plane turns back to Beijing after “bang,” burning smell in cabin

passengers aboard Air France AF393
Aviation Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

An Air France flight from Beijing to Paris returned to Beijing shortly after takeoff this morning due to what the airline describes as a “technical fault,” but Chinese media outlets are saying was an explosion and fire in the passenger cabin. Air France said that the crew of flight AF393 flying from Beijing Capital International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport September 18, 2021 decided to return to Beijing according to the aircraft manufacturer’s operating instructions and the company’s

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World’s biggest container ship makes maiden Suez Canal passage

Evergreen Marine Ever Ace Suez Canal
Business and Economy Marine and Fisheries 
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Taiwan shipping company Evergreen Marine’s newest container ship “Ever Ace” successfully passed through the Suez Canal yesterday, breaking a record for the largest container ship to pass through the waterway. At 400 meters long, 61.5 meters wide, and weighing 235,000 tons, the 23,992 TEU container ship became the world’s largest when it was launched at South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard last month. The Ever Ace traversed the Suez Canal on its maiden voyage to Europe en route to the

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Taiwan space startup to launch from Australia later this year

Hapith 1 rocket tiSpace
Business and Economy 
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Taiwanese space technology company TiSpace will conduct test launches from a base in Australia after getting a green light from Australian regulators, according to press releases issued by the Australian government and TiSpace, Monday, August 23. TiSpace will conduct test flights of its 10 meter-long, two-stage, sub-orbital rocket, Hapith I, from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in South Australia. The launch complex is operated by Southern Launch. Minister for Industry, Science, and Technology Christian Porter said that the agreement

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