Wed, Dec 18, 2024
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday called for less confrontation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, even as Beijing continues to send warships and fighter jets to intimidate Taiwan.“More dialogue and less confrontation; more olive branches of peace and less sour grapes of conflict.
FELINE DATABASE: The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that cat owners from Jan. 1 would have a one-year window to register their pets or face a fine A slew of new measures are scheduled to take effect starting on Jan. 1, including expanding the Ministry of Culture’s Culture Points (文化幣) program to include people aged 13 to 15.Culture Points are a cash handout program intended to pass culture on to the next generation by encouraging young people
A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu yesterday, smashing buildings in the capital, Port Vila, including one used by foreign embassies, with a witness telling of bodies lying in the city.The magnitude 7.3 quake struck at a depth of 57km, about 30km off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu’s
The head of the Russian army’s chemical weapons division was killed yesterday in a brazen attack in Moscow claimed by Kyiv — the most senior military figure assassinated in Russia yet as the Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine drags on.Igor Kirillov was killed along with his assistant when an explosive de
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday.“In the past two months
‘BULLYING’: The DPP secretary-general said that KMT Chairman Eric Chu and Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu must take responsibility for ‘this new martial law tactic’ Scuffles broke out at the legislature yesterday between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers ahead of an Internal Administration Committee meeting to review draft amendments to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).At the beginning of the
CROSS-STRAIT TOURISM: China allows its Fujian residents to visit Matsu and Kinmen counties, and it might also allow people in Shanghai to visit Taiwan The government’s position of welcoming Chinese tourists remains unchanged, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, following Shanghai Deputy Mayor Hua Yuan’s (華源) comments that the city administration would promote group tours to Taiwan. “People across the Taiwan Strait are a family. The more f
‘NEW NORMAL’: A Japanese official said the drills show that the PLA can carry out large maneuvers without announcement, ‘leaving all of us struggling to respond’ Beijing’s recent naval exercises have left Taiwan and the US “struggling” for a response as the two nations drew different conclusions about the implications of the Chinese military drills, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sunday.Taiwan has been bracing for China to hold military drills to retal
The Legislative Yuan yesterday confirmed the appointment of Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲) and Hsu Shu-hsiang (許舒翔) as the new president and vice president of the Examination Yuan respectively. Lawmakers also approved the appointment of six members of the Examination Yuan, which is responsible for administer
The Ministry of Labor is soliciting public input on possible procedures to allow undocumented migrant workers to re-enter the labor force legally, Deputy Minister of Labor Chen Ming-jen (陳明仁) said on Thursday last week.On Monday last week, General Chamber of Commerce chairman Paul Hsu (許舒博) said tha
CONNECTED: A survey of students from third grade to university seniors showed that 80% had cellphones, spending on average 37.27 hours per week on them Line users in Taiwan made an average of 100 million voice or video calls each day this year, while “like/thumbs up” was the most frequently used emoji in reaction to a message on the service, the Tokyo-based operator of the messaging app said yesterday.The app’s ability to adjust the quality of vide
BEHAVIORAL CHANGES: Police found videos of a sexually explicit nature on the phone of the coach and identified at least 25 children in them, a city official said A baseball coach at a Taichung elementary school has been fired and an investigation launched over the alleged molestation of dozens of children under his care, local authorities said yesterday.The allegations were made public at a news conference yesterday morning attended by Taichung City Councilo
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Monday pledged to limit the number of households that would be asked to relocate if a high-speed rail (HSR) extension line to Pingtung County goes through downtown Kaohsiung.Lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee aske
A Changhua man has been fined NT$12,000 in a civil suit for calling a woman an “idiot.”The man, surnamed Chen (陳), last year was involved in a quarrel with a woman surnamed Liu (劉) over right of way in a parking lot at a hypermarket in Taichung, the Changhua District Court said in its ruling on Frid
Middle-aged women face heightened risk of otosclerosis, abnormal bone growth of the middle ear that can lead to hearing loss, doctors said.Otosclerosis is a condition caused by abnormal growth of sponge-like bone in the middle ear, which can harden and prevent the regular vibration of the ear bones
CHIP SUBSIDY: The US funding would help alleviate the financial pressure from building two fabs in the US and should lift gross margins in 2026, the company said GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), the world’s third-largest silicon wafer supplier, yesterday said it is to receive US$406 million in subsidies from the US Department of Commerce for two new US fabs under the CHIPS and Science Act, with the first batch of the funds likely coming next year.The grant represents
HOT REAL ESTATE: The central bank has asked banks to lower their ratio of mortgages to deposits and debentures, forcing lenders to seek more funds The nation’s biggest banks are stepping up efforts to draw deposits from individuals and companies, responding to regulator demands for them to reduce a key ratio tracking their exposure to the nation’s hot housing market. Multiple bank employees told Bloomberg News that domestic lenders are aggress
Taiwan’s social protection expenditure (SPE) last year picked up 3.1 percent to NT$2.63 trillion (US$80.89 billion), with social benefits comprising 98.6 percent, as the population ages, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said on Monday.Social protection, or social security
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday hosted the 15th Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum in Taipei. The annual event is supposed to facilitate exchanges, understanding and cooperation, and promote peace and goodwill — especially in these particularly tense times. Life is never that simple, and thi
The year’s end is in sight, but the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not lessened its military activities. Following President William Lai’s (賴清德) first overseas trip to visit the nation’s diplomatic allies in the South Pacific, analysts said the CCP could launch a “Joint Sword-2024C” mili
US president-elect Donald Trump’s return has sparked discussions about the future of Taiwan-US relations, while the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) remains relatively overlooked. His second term is expected to spark significant shifts in the AI landscape, balancing innovation with managing AI’
RENAISSANCE MAN: After the Pistons’ Cunningham recorded his sixth triple-double of the season, he said he always dreamed of being a guy that could do everything Cade Cunningham on Monday night delivered a triple-double and Tim Hardaway Jr came up big in overtime as the Detroit Pistons held off Miami 125-124 in an NBA thriller that snapped the Heat’s four-game winning streak.It was just one of the nail-biting finishes on a night that saw Nikola Jokic post hi
Tomoyuki Sugano is headed to the major leagues at last, after the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night agreed to a US$13 million, one-year contract with the star Japanese right-hander.Sugano is coming off a Most Valuable Player (MVP) season — his third — in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League
Tim Southee said he would never forget his “incredible journey” after the New Zealand great yesterday confirmed he had retired fully from international cricket.Southee said he would “fade out” a happy man after taking two wickets in his 107th and final Test, a 423-run drubbing of England in Hamilton
Inter are hot on the heels of Serie A leaders Atalanta BC after crushing SS Lazio 6-0 in Rome on Monday to demolish one of the division’s form teams and send a message to the rest of the league.Reigning champions Inter came through what was supposed to be a tough test at the Stadio Olimpico with fly
TRUDEAU IN TROUBLE: US president-elect Donald Trump reacted to Chrystia Freeland’s departure, saying: ‘Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday quit in a surprise move after disagreeing with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over US president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.The resignation of Freeland, 56, who also stepped down as finance minister, marked the first open dis
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon on Monday said that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region.Those are the first reported casualties since the US and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to
FEB. 23 ELECTIONS: Although the chancellor is to continue in a caretaker role and with a minority in parliament, the political turmoil potentially threatens months of paralysis German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday lost a confidence vote, spelling the effective end of his troubled government and putting Europe’s biggest economy on the path to elections on Feb. 23.Scholz had called the vote, expecting to lose it, weeks after his coalition collapsed. Later on Monday, he as
Popeye can punch without permission and Tintin can roam freely starting next year. The two classic comic characters who first appeared in 1929 are among the intellectual properties becoming public domain in the US on Jan. 1. That means they can be used and repurposed without permission or payment to
As Britain’s new Labor government bids to reset long-fraught ties with China amid a suspected spy scandal, another issue could mar relations: Beijing’s controversial plans to open the largest embassy in the UK. China has for several years been trying to relocate its embassy, currently in the British
The latest military exercises conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) last week did not follow the standard Chinese Communist Party (CCP) formula. The US and Taiwan also had different explanations for the war games. Previously the CCP would plan out their large-scale military exercises and w
The vast ocean stages countless miracles of life, but none are quite as awe-inspiring as the phenomenon of a “whale fall.” When a giant whale reaches the end of its life, its immense body gently descends and eventually lands in the inky abyss. This moment, which might seem like the end, ignites a bu
Global coffee prices have soared to their highest in nearly 50 years due to poor weather in Brazil and Vietnam, forcing roasters such as Nestle to raise prices and consumers to hunt for cheaper brews amid the cost of living crisis.Spiking prices will benefit farmers with the crop this year, but chal
對話 Dialogue清清：華華，你知不知道台灣有很多觀光工廠都很有意思？Qīngqing: Huáhua, nǐ zhī bù zhīdào Táiwān yǒu hěnduō guānguāng gōngchǎng dōu hěn yǒuyìsi?華華：我常在社群媒體看到一些人分享去觀光工廠玩的照片，有的的確非常漂亮。Huáhua: Wǒ cháng zài shèqún méitǐ kàndào yìxiē rén fēnxiǎng qù guānguāng gōngchǎng wán de zhàopiàn, yǒude díquè fēicháng piàoliàng.清清：不只是
It is dangerous to engage in business in China now, and those considering engaging with it should pay close attention to the example Taiwanese businesspeople are setting. Though way down from the heady days of Taiwanese investments in China two decades ago, a few hundred thousand Taiwanese continue to live, work and study there, but the numbers have been declining fast. As President William Lai (賴清德) pointed out approvingly to a visiting American Senate delegation, China accounted for 80 percent of the total overseas investment in 2011, but was reduced to just 11.4 percent last year. That is a big drop. The entrepreneurs are savvy on China, and many have returned to Taiwan or moved to other countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand and Mexico. NOT SAFE Any company that has three or more members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are required to form a cell, which can interfere with its business. The government also requires any and all company information to be handed over if asked. CCP cells and employees are essentially spies, so keeping intellectual property safe is difficult. A common pattern is that once the Chinese have the intellectual property mastered and can compete, the original foreign company is frozen out or undercut by firms engaging in corruption. This is the same with imports from Taiwan: once they have a Taiwan-developed varietal of fruit or can successfully breed Taiwanese fish varieties, the Chinese will ban imports of those products under any pretext. For example, over 1,000 products were banned in the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s visit in August, 2022. Though it appears that some processes and intellectual property rights are still maintained by Tesla in-house, they have handed over quite a bit of know-how to domestic suppliers, which combined with subsidies and support from the government has contributed to a
Dec. 9 to Dec. 15 When architect Lee Chung-yao (李重耀) heard that the Xinbeitou Train Station was to be demolished in 1988 for the MRT’s Tamsui line, he immediately reached out to the owner of Taiwan Folk Village (台灣民俗村). Lee had been advising Shih Chin-shan (施金山) on his pet project, a 52-hectare theme park in Changhua County that aimed to showcase traditional Taiwanese architecture, crafts and culture. Shih had wanted to build all the structures from scratch, but Lee convinced him to acquire historic properties and move them to the park grounds. Although the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法) was passed in 1982, there was still little awareness regarding the value of historic architecture. Private structures were too often demolished to make way for high-rise apartments, and Lee saw this as a way to save them. Lee facilitated the relocation of several other buildings to the park: Madou Lin Ancestral House (麻豆林厝), Chiayi Liao Clinic (嘉義廖診所), Liuying Liu Mansion (柳營劉氏洋樓) and the Douliu Tsai House (斗六蔡氏一條龍). The CT273 “Queen” locomotive was also housed there. The park thrived until 1999, then entered a steep decline. The Shih family sold it in 2007, and in 2020 the new owners began demolishing the site without warning or official approval. Three registered historic buildings were saved, but the rest of the site now lies in ruins. SAVIOR OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS Shih spent years planning the theme park in a bid to promote Taiwanese culture, finally opening it on Dec. 11, 1993. The main entrance and showpiece, “Qingfeng Gate” (慶豐門), was based on the Qing era west gate of Changhua City. It attracted more than 60,000 visitors on the first day. “Around the world, even less developed countries in Southeast Asia have folk villages. Only Taiwan does not,” states the theme park’s
| New Taipei City | 14-23 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu County | 14-22 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 14-22 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 14-22 | 10% | |
| Miaoli County | 12-22 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 14-22 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 15-21 | 10% |
| Yunlin County | 14-24 | 0% | |
| Taichung City | 14-24 | 0% | |
| Nantou County | 14-24 | 0% | |
| Changhua County | 14-23 | 0% |
| Chiayi County | 13-24 | 0% | |
| Chiayi City | 14-25 | 0% | |
| Tainan City | 15-22 | 0% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 17-23 | 0% | |
| Pingtung County | 16-25 | 0% |
| Yilan County | 14-22 | 10% | |
| Hualien County | 16-22 | 10% | |
| Taitung County | 17-23 | 10% |
| Kinmen County | 11-18 | 0% | |
| Penghu County | 17-20 | 0% | |
| Lienchiang County | 10-13 | 10% |