December 31, 2020 (ROC year 109), a daily real-time online roundup of trending global news topics, covering technology, life, travel, transportation, industry and finance, business, corporations, stocks, foreign exchange markets, investment, real estate, automobiles, breaking news, art, design, politics, society, Taiwan, mainland China, cross-strait relations, weather, natural disasters, current affairs, and many other aspects.
The “Read News” section collects the headline events and brief summaries of the most important key news from around the world that deserve your attention in recent days, revealing the trajectory of social trends through the flow of quickly listed news events.
Global Focus Topics on December 31, 2020
- International and Social Focus
- Science and Technology
- Business and Investment
- Nature and Medicine
- Travel and Leisure
International and Social Focus
Lin Shu-fen and 2 other DPP legislators’ defection case: caucus suspends them for 3 years: DPP legislators Lin Shu-fen, Liu Chien-kuo, and Chiang Yung-chang abstained when the Legislative Yuan plenary session voted on ractopamine pork-related bills and administrative orders. The DPP caucus referred the matter to the caucus disciplinary committee. After the DPP caucus held a meeting yesterday to discuss, it resolved to suspend Lin Shu-fen and the other two for three years, during which they cannot choose committees or serve as caucus cadres, and the matter will also be simultaneously sent to the DPP Central Review Committee for discussion and handling.
Telling the truth angered the higher-ups? Council of Agriculture executive removed: Ractopamine pork imports open tomorrow. Although the Council of Agriculture vigorously promotes the “Taiwan Pork Mark,” various pork stickers have appeared on the market, sparking mark chaos. At this time, the Council of Agriculture swiftly replaced Central Trust of Animal Husbandry executive director Wang Chung-shu. The personnel document took effect on December 16, and Wang Chung-shu should return to the Council of Agriculture on January 15 and be transferred to a non-supervisory position. Wang Chung-shu had been in office for only half a year, becoming the shortest-serving executive director of the Central Trust of Animal Husbandry.
Next year’s NHI premium rate: Executive Yuan settles on 5.17%: Next year’s NHI premium rate will rise. It is understood that the Executive Yuan has decided that next year’s NHI premium rate will be raised from the current 4.69% to 5.17%, and employers’ statutory burden will increase.
Executive Yuan: Local self-governance ordinances stipulating “zero detection of ractopamine” are unconstitutional, invalid, and not approved: The Executive Yuan today announced unified central-local regulations and principles for ractopamine pork policy. Minister without Portfolio Lo Ping-cheng said that any relevant local food safety self-governance ordinance stipulating that “beta-agonists must not be detected at all” violates the Constitution and conflicts with central regulations. Starting January 1 next year, “existing ones are declared invalid by letter / new ones are not approved,” mainly because local self-governance ordinances are illegal, unreasonable, and unfeasible.
Tsai Ing-wen specially appoints cousin’s husband as Supreme Administrative Court President — Taiwan Jury Association: Triggers a constitutional collapse crisis: President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent special appointment of her cousin’s husband Wu Ming-hung as President of the Supreme Administrative Court has sparked public criticism. The Taiwan Jury Association also held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan today (the 31st), pointing out that this matter may trigger a crisis of “the President overstepping constitutional boundaries.”
29 Taiwanese telecom fraud suspects heavily sentenced by China to 4.5 to 14 years: The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court said that Kuo Cheng-huang gathered Wu Tai-hua, Tsai Chun-wei, and others to form a fraud criminal group in Spain from June to December 2016, using telecom network technology to make voice mass calls to Chinese residents living in mainland China and Hong Kong, impersonating staff of the mainland’s Exit-Entry Administration, Public Security Bureau, and Procuratorate, fabricating facts such as victims being suspected of crimes due to personal information leaks, and under the pretext of needing to undergo review and asset preservation, defrauded 14 victims of a total of more than RMB 6.17 million (about NT$26.5 million).
Science and Technology
Sony launches lightweight high-end cinema camera Cinema FX6, E-mount, weighing only 890g: Sony Taiwan announced the new Sony Cinema series cinema-grade digital camera FX6, model ILME-FX6V. It features a 10.2-megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, and also features the advanced BIONZ XR image processor used in the α7S III camera, inheriting the α series’ autofocus capability. In terms of lens support, it uses the Sony E-Mount, allowing use of a large number of E-mount lenses. The FX6 uses professional cinema camera-grade S-Cinetone cinematic color science technology, making captured images more vivid, becoming a powerful recording tool for film production and video creators. Suggested retail price NT$239,980 (body only).
Apple loses lawsuit! Virtual iPhone does not infringe; Android devices can also legally use iOS: US District Judge Rodney Smith in West Palm Beach, Florida, ruled on December 29 local time that Corellium’s business conduct falls within the scope of copyright law, because the company merely created a virtualization platform based on Apple’s iOS system, adding security research features that iOS devices do not have. The software mainly improves the product security of iPhone users and does not create a consumer product competing with the iPhone, so it does not infringe Apple’s copyright.
Mainland China strictly censors online activity! Apple removes 46,000 apps in one day: Marketing executive Todd Kuhns, who helps overseas companies publish apps in mainland China, said that mainland China requires paid games to obtain official licenses, and coupled with the Chinese government opening only a few overseas mobile games for listing this year, these factors will force game developers to change mainland China versions of apps to ad-supported business models rather than requiring users to pay.
Business and Investment
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