Read News 2021.04.16 — Global Focus and Trending Topics

A daily roundup of trending global news topics for April 16, 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 April 15, 2021

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

Trending keywords: Biden, stocks, TSMC, novel coronavirus, Taroko Express, nuclear wastewater, Japan, donations, nuclear power plant, Olympics, AZ vaccine, blood clots, investment, Chunghwa Telecom

International & Society

“Seven fairies” exposed private parts in a private room to please male customers; judge: no penalty. In January this year, the Taitung Police Precinct caught seven women stripping and accompanying drinks in a certain “snack bar,” exposing their private parts to please male customers, and referred the case to the Taitung District Court under the Social Order Maintenance Act. But the judge held that the place where the stripping occurred was inside a private room and did not count as a public place, and ruled that all seven were exempt from penalty.

Taroko donations finally raised NT$1.06 billion; if split evenly, each victim’s family would receive only NT$7.21 million. The Taiwan Railways Taroko Express accident caused 49 deaths and 218 injuries. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s disaster relief account closed at 23:59 yesterday (4/14), finally raising NT$1,060,298,386. If, per the committee’s resolution, at least one-third is distributed to the victims’ families, that is about NT$350 million; if split evenly, each household could receive NT$7.21 million.

Biden visits Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects to fallen service members. Biden formally announced the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan: “It is time to end this, the longest war in American history.” Biden announced that troops would be fully withdrawn from Afghanistan before September 11, formally ending this costly 20-year war. Over the 20 years, nearly 2,400 U.S. soldiers stationed in Afghanistan died and more than 20,000 were injured.

A civil servant in Heilongjiang, repeatedly harassed via WeChat by a superior, whacked his face hard with a mop in the office. The on-site video sparked heated discussion in China, with many netizens believing that in a country with limited protection against workplace sexual harassment, being able to resist authority like this is truly rare. Chinese state media confirmed that the man was a local deputy director of a poverty alleviation office, now removed from his post, while the woman involved was not punished because she suffers from a “mental illness.”

Denmark strips some Syrian refugees of their asylum permits. Denmark is the first EU country to take such a measure. The United Nations says most of Syria remains unstable and that refugees returning home would face security risks. Many Syrians taking refuge in Denmark also say they do not want to return home. Activists say this policy will split many families.

Ko Wen-je stresses opposing the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant but says it can’t be just for cheering: does the Tsai government really want to generate power with love? Regarding his view on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant referendum, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je posted a video on Facebook tonight, stressing that he basically opposes the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, but energy issues are not for cheering, and asked whether the Tsai government can clearly state that there will be no power shortage in the period ahead, and whether it really wants to generate power with love.

Praising Biden for sending a close friend to Taiwan, Jerome Cohen: shows a diplomatic touch of “substance over name”. U.S. President Biden tapped his old friend, former Senator Chris Dodd, to lead a delegation to Taiwan to convey the United States’ firm commitment. Renowned American China-law expert Jerome Cohen believes this visit demonstrates a new diplomatic touch — “not emphasizing state relations and names, but focusing on substance” — which can advance bilateral relations without provoking, and he hopes this trend continues.

Tokyo Olympics may be canceled! Not willing to gamble… a senior Japanese official admits: if the pandemic worsens again, “we can only give up”. Japan’s pandemic has once again reached a peak, and rumors even suggest a third state of emergency may be declared. Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said earlier on a program that if the COVID-19 pandemic continues to expand and thereby affects the holding of the Tokyo Olympics, “cancellation will be considered.” In other words, the Tokyo Olympics may be postponed again or simply canceled. On the other hand, there are less than 100 days left until the Tokyo Olympics opening.

U.S. climate envoy Kerry visits China; Rubio: Biden’s green energy plan is a big gift to Beijing. Rubio wrote in Fox News on the 12th that the core of Biden’s climate plan is a call to convert broad energy infrastructure to “clean energy,” meaning buying millions of solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and other expensive green infrastructure — industries that China dominates in producing.

Science & Technology

Nonsense about Taiwan’s nuclear power plants also discharging wastewater; Hsieh Chang-ting blasted as shameless. The Japanese government decided to release the nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the sea. Taiwan’s representative to Japan, Hsieh Chang-ting, posted on Facebook on both April 9 and 13, and was blasted by the Kuomintang for shielding Japan, even spreading false information and using Taiwan’s nuclear power plants’ deformed fish as a “scapegoat” for the Fukushima nuclear plant, which is both despicable and shameless. Huang Tzu-che, deputy director of the KMT’s Cultural and Communications Committee, said outsiders say Hsieh Chang-ting looks like “Suneo,” and called on Hsieh to protect Nobita like Doraemon, not bully Nobita like Suneo helping Gian (Takeshi).

Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Aso says nuclear wastewater is fine to drink; Yu Tzu-hsiang: Japanese could drink it all at 500ml a year. Japan will, starting in 2023, discharge the radioactive wastewater currently stored at the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, raising doubts, yet Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said “the nuclear wastewater is fine even if you drink it.” Shih Hsin University professor of speech communication Yu Tzu-hsiang mocked on Facebook tonight that by Aso’s standard, Japanese people drinking less than 500 milliliters of nuclear…