TSMC’s US fab yield reportedly surpasses Taiwanese fabs

TSMC’s US fab yield reportedly surpasses Taiwanese fabs

2024-10-25

Great news from TSMC Arizona! During a webinar, TSMC Arizona CEO Rick Cassidy reportedly told the audience that the Arizona plant’s initial production yield exceeded that of a comparable Taiwan fab by four percentage points.

However, TSMC’s headquarters did not confirm nor deny Cassidy’s claim. Instead they cited TSMC CEO C. C. Wei’s remarks during the Q3 earnings call. Wei said that the Arizona plant began its production of 4nm chips back in April with satisfactory results.

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彭博曝台積電美國廠良率突破　超越台灣同級晶圓廠

2024-10-25

台積電位於美國亞利桑那州的第一座晶圓廠報喜，台積電美國分公司總裁卡西迪，在線上研討會上告訴聽眾，"初期良率"高過台灣同類型的工廠4個百分點，是台積電於美國擴廠計畫後的最新進展。

對此，台積電沒有正面回應卡西迪言論，但提到總裁魏哲家日前在法說會上的發言:美國第一座廠，4月採用4奈米製程進行工程晶圓生產，結果令人非常滿意，展現了台積電強大的製造能力和執行力。

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Hotels design spooky but tasty treats for Halloween

Halloween is right around the corner. Many hotels across Taiwan are offering Halloween themed desserts and events. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look!

This cake was inspired by a Halloween storybook. It is made of chocolate sponge cake, walnut buttercream frosting, and premium chocolate. The chocolate mousse is stacked in layers. The outer layer is covered with an orange cover made of fondant and chocolate, and then decorated with bat, spider-web and ghost-shaped chocolate chips. It was designed by the executive chef of this hotel, Delcourt Laurent.

Delcourt Laurent
Hotel executive chef
We tried to get the idea from a movie. From a cartoon movie. And then, we tried to get the special character of the face. That is why we have different Frankenstein and mummy. And then, because it is a story, we tried to make a book. The book is all about dark chocolate. You have different textures from the sponge, from the crispy, from the soft, and from the mousse. People who love chocolate, you can go for this one.

Other Halloween-themed desserts on offer are a pumpkin patch cake, Frankenstein cake, and skull-shaped bread. Laurent said the production process was quite laborious, especially for the Frankenstein cake.

Delcourt Laurent
Hotel executive chef
For the Frankenstein, it has many steps actually. You do the cake, and then after you have to give the shape for the eyes, and you have to give the shape for the hair. Inside is tiramisu with chestnut flavor. Outside is a kind of chocolate. They are mixed with a bit of cocoa butter to make it a bit more sweet. After, the finishing decoration is the chocolate paste for the hair.

A hotel in Taichung is offering a fairy tale castle-themed room and parade.

Lai Ying-liang
Hotelier
The most popular ones are probably the princess and prince costumes because our main priority is a fairy tale castle-themed room.

Regent Hotel Taipei is offering Halloween-themed desserts such as Halloween storybooks, pumpkin patches, and skull-shaped bread. Hotel Metropolitan Premier Taipei is offering a special Halloween-themed afternoon tea set for two, offering witch’s finger cookies, ghost macarons, and more. The Lotus Park Leisure Agricultural Area is holding a pumpkin festival, which will feature a haunted house. Nearby farms are also decorated and there will be workshops on how to make pumpkin-shaped veggie buns. Get ready for a spooky feast this Halloween season!

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Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-10-25

Court rules against opposition moves to give legislature investigative power

The constitutional court on Friday came out with a long anticipated ruling on the constitutionality of granting the legislature sweeping investigative powers. This has been backed by opposition lawmakers, who have used their legislative majority to ram the measures through parliament. However, the court struck down nearly all of them on the grounds they were unconstitutional. This included allowing the legislature to impose penalties on people who give false testimony or refuse to hand over information or attend hearings. A requirement for the president to give a state-of-the-nation address on the legislative floor and take questions from lawmakers was also struck down. Let’s hear what ruling party and opposition politicians had to say.

Huang Kuo-chang
TPP caucus whip
This is regrettable to the extreme and it gives the utmost protection to officials from the administration.

Lin Szu-ming
Lawmaker (KMT)
We must be brave and give criticisms that our grand justices are really hired thugs of the ruling party. They gave an extremely restrictive interpretation of our investigation rights.

Ker Chien-ming
DPP caucus whip
All the TPP and KMT press conferences are still just engaging in political manipulation or attacks. When a constitutional interpretation from the grand justices comes out, there are no so-called winners and losers.

Rosalia Wu
Lawmaker (DPP)
For the part that involves investigative powers, so many items were ruled unconstitutional today. TSMC no longer needs to be worried and ordinary people no longer need to be afraid.

The constitutional court ruled that special investigative task forces in the legislature, as the opposition parties had pushed for, were unconstitutional. They were also not allowed to assert investigative powers for cases that were already in litigation. In addition, legislators were not allowed to directly investigate cases that were already being investigated by other government agencies. In addition, a requirement that ordinary people or NGOs provide the legislature with information or get slapped with a fine of up to NT$100,000 is unconstitutional.

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Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2024-10-25

China’s suppressing Taiwan’s international space: European Parliament

Friday marks the 53rd anniversary of the passage of UN Resolution 2758, which states the world body would recognize the PRC as the only legitimate representative of China. On Thursday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted on a resolution in support of Taiwan, saying that the UN resolution in question had no bearing on Taiwan’s participation in the UN and that China was trying to “distort history and international law” to suppress Taiwan. The resolution also condemned China’s military provocations of Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te in response has tweeted his thanks on X.

Javi López Fernández
EP plenary chair
On the People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of the United Nations Resolution 2758 and its continued military provocations around Taiwan.

The latest session of the European Parliament passed a resolution supporting Taiwan with an overwhelming majority of 432 votes in favor and only 60 votes against. The resolution strongly rejects China’s attempts to distort UN Resolution 2758 so that Taiwan is forcibly “represented” by Beijing. It also calls on EU member states to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, such as the WHO, and condemns China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan. It is the clearest stance the EU has taken on the historic UN resolution so far.

Miriam Lexmann
MEP
The resolution is an important step in communicating clearly that we will not tolerate the distortion of international law.

The European Parliament resolution puts forward 21 propositions supporting Taiwan. It reiterates that Taiwan is a key partner of the EU, and requires the EU and its member states to further cultivate exchanges with Taiwan in various fields. It also welcomes Taiwan’s former and current politicians to visit Europe and requires the European Commission to arrange for various agreements with Taiwan, such as a bilateral investment pact.

François Wu
Deputy foreign minister
This shows that Taiwan’s current relationship with Europe has really improved significantly. They now care very much about the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

In recent years, international support for Taiwan has increased significantly. The US House of Representatives, Australian Senate and Dutch House of Representatives have all successively passed motions stating that UN Resolution 2758 has no bearing on Taiwan. Now the European Parliament has joined their ranks, and has given Taiwan’s global visibility a boost.

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2024-10-25

Taiwan-France relations warm amid Chinese diplomatic pressure

Taiwan-France relations have taken a significant step forward, says Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu. Wu was speaking on the sidelines of a “European Week” promotion from a retailer in New Taipei, where he had been invited as a guest. Symbolizing the new closeness was former President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent visit to France. In the past, Taiwanese considered it difficult for former Taiwanese leaders to visit European countries owing to Chinese diplomatic pressure. Wu said it was particularly meaningful that the French government gave Tsai’s tour the green light.

A European Week promotion has begun at a retailer in New Taipei. The invited guests included the French de facto Ambassador Franck Paris and Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu, who previously had served as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in France.

François Wu
Deputy foreign minister
I had been an ambassador in France for more than six years. Over these past six years, relations between Taiwan, France and Europe have improved significantly. Of course, we made a lot of European friends.

In addition to making friends through wine and food businesses, exchanges between Taiwan and France have also expanded from business and economics to culture and technology.

Franck Paris
French Office in Taipei director
We have already very important connections regarding culture. We are moving more and more towards more scientific cooperation between France and Taiwan. And also lately more economic connections

Warming relations between Taiwan and France are not just empty talk. The second stop of former President Tsai Ing-wen’s tour of Europe was France.

Tsai visited the Louvre Museum and the French Senate. Her groundbreaking visit proved that bilateral relations had reached a new milestone. François Wu, who helped to organize the visit behind the scenes, said he had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

François Wu
Deputy foreign minister
You need to understand that this was not an easy matter. As this year was the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China, Xi Jinping had just been in France this year, so for France to make this kind of political decision shows that France is now very much looking forward to developing all kinds of relationships with Taiwan.

Even if China exerts more pressure, the trend for France to support Taiwan is likely to continue, showing that more and more democracies are willing to stand with Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-10-25

President Lai marks 75th anniversary of watershed battle

2024-10-25

US and allies monitors sanctions on North Korea

The United States and its allies are pressing ahead with efforts to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea, despite what they describe as a lack of cooperation from Russia and China. Voice of America’s Bill Gallo joined a Canadian military flight on the frontlines of those efforts, and reports from the East China Sea.

The Canadian Air Force is patrolling the waters off China’s coast, a hotspot for sanctions evasion. This is where ships move oil to North Korea, defying UN Security Council resolutions. This Canadian crew is part of a broader sanctions-enforcement effort by the US and 10 of its allies. Major Doug Publicover is the commander of the Canadian crew.

Doug Publicover
Royal Canadian Air Force
Prevent some of the illegal ship-to-ship transfers which bring petroleum products into North Korea.

When a suspicious ship is spotted, the crew flies low, gathering evidence that could lead to ships being de-flagged or seized. It’s the kind of quiet operation that’s been happening for years.

Bill Gallo
VOA News
Most of the time, flights like this one occur without attracting big headlines. One country that is definitely noticing, though, is China.

Soon after the mission begins, Chinese fighter jets appear, shadowing us for hours. These may be international waters, but we’re in China’s backyard. It is a backyard US officials say is not adequately monitored, allowing North Korea to exceed its UN-mandated energy caps every year. China insists it is enforcing the sanctions, but also says they should be lifted. Russia, too, has grown closer to North Korea, restoring a mutual defense agreement and vetoing the renewal of a UN panel that monitored sanctions enforcement on Pyongyang. The US and its allies announced a new body to replace the panel, but it won’t have UN support, raising questions about its effectiveness.

Peter Ward
Research Fellow, Sejong Institute
There is no way that the US and its allies on their own could enforce UN sanctions so long as China and Russia are not willing to go along with such a process. But nonetheless, it can be a very useful mechanism by which to name and shame.

Doing that relies on these flights, which gather information that governments can then use to impose more sanctions. How well it can work without help from China and Russia is another question. But for now, the US and its allies are trying to uphold these UN sanctions alone.

Bill Gallo. VOA News. Over the East China Sea.

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2024-10-25

Taiwanese buyer behind pricey purchase of “Record-breaking” baseball

2024-10-25

Rehab after a stroke works wonders for ‘Father of Marathon-Running’

Every year, 30,000 people in Taiwan have a stroke. It can be a devastating experience that leaves patients in a vulnerable condition. But doctors stress that with suitable rehab treatment, it’s possible to recover mobility and find a new lease of life. A perfect example is Lu Ruei-shan, widely known as the “Father of Marathon-running.” After the famous runner had a stroke in April, he was confined to a hospital ward, and struggled with speech and mobility. But after several months of rehab, he was up and walking again, well on the road to recovery.

Famous marathon winner Lu Ruei-shan has run over 40 marathons. But after a table tennis game in April, he had a stroke.

Lu Ruei-shan
Marathon runner
That day, I had been exercising, and after I got back, I said to my wife that my head hurt. And then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was on a bed in the hospital. My wife said I’d had a stroke. I said, “How can that be? My stamina is great! I used to be one of the top three marathon runners in Taiwan!”

At 68, Lu is known as “The Father of Marathon-running.” His personal best clocks in at under 2.5 hours. He founded the Chinese Taipei Road Running Association, which has held more than 600 marathons. But after the stroke, he lost control of his mouth and throat, and was unable to speak; he couldn’t even use the toilet without assistance.

Lu Ruei-shan
Marathon runner
I couldn’t move my left arm or leg. I had to support my left side with my right arm and leg.

Tu Ya-wen
Sijhih Cathay General Hospital
We use tracheostomy tubes, nasogastric tubes and urinary catheters. Our team works hard to come up with training methods. For patients, being able to eat nice food is often an excellent motivator! So we often use that as an incentive.

Doctors emphasize that a stroke does not mean you’ll never walk again. Through the step-by-step progress of regular rehabilitation, Lu managed to put away the tubes and rediscover his marathon-winning willpower. Four months after the stroke, he was able to walk without assistance and was discharged from the hospital.

Lu Ruei-shan
Marathon runner
I will organise marathons again, for the country.

Doctors note that about 30,000 people have a stroke in Taiwan every year. But with dedicated rehab treatment, patients can recover agency and mobility after a stroke, just like “the Father of Marathon-running.”

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-10-25

Tropical depression near Guam develops into tropical storm

2024-10-25