Read News 2021.01.28 — Global Focus and Trending Topics

A daily roundup of trending global news topics for January 28, 2021 (ROC year 110), covering technology, life, travel, transportation, industry and finance, business, companies, stocks, foreign exchange, investment, real estate, automobiles, breaking news, art, design, politics, society, Taiwan, mainland China, cross-strait affairs, weather, natural disasters, and current events.

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, letting you see the threads of social trends through the flow of quickly listed news events.

Global Focus Topics for January 28, 2021

• International & Society
• Science & Technology
• Business & Investment
• Nature & Medicine
• Travel & Leisure

Trending keywords: Lien Sheng-wu, Kao Min-lin, Taipei Game Show, World Health Organization, quarantine, Joe Biden, CNN, Chen Shih-chung, the Republic of China’s recall system, Taiwan

International & Society

Uncovering the Shih Mu-chin case, which once made Wang Chien-shien so angry his heart raced irregularly — should the Control Yuan still be abolished?: On August 14 last year, the Control Yuan held a press conference announcing that it had passed an impeachment against former Chairman of the Commission on the Disciplinary Measures of Public Functionaries Shih Mu-chin, lifting the veil on a major judicial scandal whose aftershocks are still spreading. In addition to a “long string of implicated figures” in the judicial world, it was even reported that senior figures in the Presidential Office and Executive Yuan and other politicians had once been guests at the banquets of the wealthy businessman Weng Mao-chung.

After opening up ractopamine pork, mainland China announces: Taiwan meat products strictly banned: The mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office held its regular press conference on the 27th, where spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said the mainland strictly bans the import of meat products containing ractopamine (lean meat powder). Because Taiwan this year opened up imports of American pork containing ractopamine and American beef from cattle over 30 months of age, Zhu Fenglian said, “In view of the epidemic situations such as highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Taiwan region, and to prevent the risk of the epidemic being introduced, the mainland strictly bans the import of meat products produced in or transshipped through the Taiwan region.”

Saying “Wuhan pneumonia” again counts as xenophobia? Biden issues memorandum against anti-Asian discrimination: U.S. President Biden issued a memorandum on the 26th condemning and combating racial discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, stressing that such acts are “unacceptable.” The memorandum also mentioned that “referring to the novel coronavirus pandemic by its geographic origin” fuels xenophobic sentiment.

CNA reports that a female Taiwan Railways conductor had visited a hospital with a confirmed case; Taiwan Railways strengthens train disinfection: A female train conductor of Taiwan Railways had visited a hospital with a confirmed Wuhan pneumonia case and received a quarantine notice from health authorities last night. Taiwan Railways has traced the conductor’s movements over the past four days, and trains will also be more thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

Heping Hospital lockdown unexpectedly sparks a battle; Shen Fu-hsiung blasts “manipulating hatred”: I look down on these politicians: The cluster infection at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Taoyuan Hospital continues to spread, and it has unexpectedly made the 2003 SARS-era Heping Hospital lockdown controversy a focus of blue-green political attack and defense once again. Former legislator Shen Fu-hsiung harshly criticized on the 26th that he looks down on politicians who manipulate the Heping Hospital lockdown issue, saying they are “full of resentment, full of hatred,” and that they should deal with the current problems first, and that bringing up the Heping Hospital lockdown again is “truly shameful.”

18-year-old woman dies in quarantine after being hospitalized at Taoyuan Hospital; Taoyuan Health Bureau preliminarily judges it unrelated to infection: An 18-year-old woman surnamed Chiu under home quarantine in Guanyin District, Taoyuan City, suddenly lost heartbeat and breathing at home this morning. After her family called 119, paramedics arrived and gave emergency treatment, but after it proved ineffective they gave up resuscitation. The Taoyuan City Health Bureau pointed out that the woman had been hospitalized at Taoyuan Hospital and was therefore included in the expanded home quarantine list. It is preliminarily understood that this is unrelated to infection, and she had no suspected COVID-19 symptoms when seeking medical care, but the cause of death still awaits clarification by prosecutors and police.

Science & Technology

Sony’s camera black technology strikes! The new-generation flagship Alpha 1 makes a stunning debut: The Alpha 1, which continues to use the E-mount, can be said to be an industry first in many specifications. Combining high pixel count with high-speed continuous shooting, it features a full-frame 50.1 megapixels, 30fps continuous shooting, 15 stops of dynamic range, and ISO 100-32000 (expandable to 50–102400), thanks to the all-new Exmor RS stacked sensor and Bionz XR image processor (8 times faster than BIONZ X), capable of 120 autofocus/exposure calculations per second while shooting at 30fps.

LINE Pay reported to have problems; a Taipei woman is stunned by a sudden deduction notice: LINE Pay is very convenient for payments — just scan a QR Code with your phone and you can pay without carrying a credit card, and many people use LINE Pay when shopping. However, a female netizen in Taipei complained to EBC News, revealing that during work today (the 27th) she received a LINE Pay deduction notice, with the transaction record showing a NT$100 purchase at 7-Eleven. Chinatrust responded that this was an internal company system connection issue with LINE Pay.

Business & Investment

Taiwan Product Insurance’s epidemic policy won’t pay out? FSC: only two possibilities: First, the application date is later than the receipt of the quarantine or isolation notice from the Ministry of Health and Welfare; second, the relevant supplementary documents could not be completed within a certain period, so Taiwan Product Insurance cannot underwrite. Otherwise, as long as the public’s policy was received by Taiwan Product Insurance before 5 p.m. on the 25th, the policy takes effect on the 26th.

Novel coronavirus detected on packaging; CP’s parent company Charoen Pokphand removes 1,437 tons of goods in Heilongjiang: Heilongjiang CP’s nine…