Thu, Mar 28, 2024
The government is to test a medium Earth orbit satellite system on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) at the end of next month and aims to activate the low Earth orbit system OneWeb in the first half of this year, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday.Tests of two satellite systems are pa
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pen
Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is vital for the growth of the global economy, the leader of a delegation of Members of the European Parliament said yesterday, while calling Taiwan a trusted partner for enhanced cooperation with European countries in areas such as semiconductors.With the ma
Authorities in Baltimore were yesterday focusing on expanding recovery efforts after a cargo ship slammed into a major bridge, causing it to collapse and leaving six people presumed dead.All six were members of a construction crew repairing potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city whe
Japanese authorities yesterday ordered drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to recall three dietary supplement products containing red yeast rice, or “beni-koji,” after they were linked to two deaths and more than 100 hospitalizations, while in Taipei, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recall
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes.The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-to
TOUGHER STANCE: The UK should have the courage to make clear that it has taken note of the ‘one China’ principle, but does not acknowledge it, a lawmaker said Threatening acts by Beijing are “not the conduct of a responsible international actor,” British Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan said yesterday in a display of support for Taiwan.She made the comment after lawmaker Stewart McDonald during a debate in the House of Commons i
JUST A NAME? The party’s chairman said the visit would hopefully help stabilize cross-strait relations, and China’s TAO said it hoped ‘Mr Ma’s’ trip would be productive The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) applauded former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) planned visit to China from Monday next week to April 11, and would be glad if Ma happens to meet with “old friend” Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), KMT Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) told a meeting of the KMT’s
NOT GIVING UP: Eighteen Taiwanese are still in Haiti, and the embassy would continue to maintain operations there, despite unrest and violence in the country, MOFA said Five Taiwanese nationals have arrived in the Dominican Republic after being airlifted out of Haiti amid escalating unrest in the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.The five Taiwanese left Haiti, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, at 8am on Tuesday with the help of “like-minded
The military remains on alert following comments made online that China was simulating a military strategy aimed at removing Taiwan’s leadership, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said yesterday.Military enthusiast Joseph Wen (溫約瑟) yesterday wrote online that a bombing range in Alxa
Private banks from next month could apply to acquire their own short message service (SMS) codes amid an increase in fraudulent messages sent by people pretending to be from financial institutions, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday. The commission recently met with Taiwan’s
POOR PREPARATION: Cultures can form on food that is out of refrigeration for too long and cooking does not reliably neutralize their toxins, an epidemiologist said Medical professionals yesterday said that suspected food poisoning deaths revolving around a restaurant at Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 Store in Taipei could have been caused by one of several types of bacterium.Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉), an epidemiologist at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biomed
‘CHALLENGING’: The organization said that its decision was primarily a result of a shortage of social workers and difficulties in recruiting families to foster children World Vision Taiwan on Tuesday said that it would cease providing foster care services on behalf of local governments after 33 years.World Vision Taiwan’s decision to pull out of the sector comes amid scrutiny over the death of a one-year-old boy in December last year.The boy was placed by the Child
Taiwanese visited public libraries more than 100 million times last year, an increase of 22.06 million from 2022, the National Central Library said in a report yesterday.National Central Library Director-General Wang Han-ching (王涵青) at a news conference in Taipei presented the findings of the Annual
The British Council in Taiwan should increase wages to match current standards or its teachers would go on strike, the Taiwan Higher Education Union and teachers said on Tuesday.The groups also said they did not rule out directly contacting parents to make their situation known.Union researcher Chen
The Taipei High Administrative Court on Tuesday upheld fines issues to seven snorkeling companies on Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) for conspiring to increase prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.The court said that it upheld the penalties issued by the Fair Trade Commission following an appeal by seven o
BOJ TO STEP UP? An analyst said ‘intervention concerns’ had capped the slide, but risks of further depreciation remain, such as the yen’s sizeable yield disadvantage The yen hit a 34-year low against the US dollar yesterday, just over a week after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) announced a much-anticipated interest rate hike in a shift away from years of ultra-loose monetary policy.The Japanese currency weakened to ¥151.97 per US dollar, its lowest level since 1990, be
The government’s business climate monitor last month flashed “green” for the second straight month, as the nation’s export-focused economy steadily gained traction thanks to improving outbound shipments and industrial production, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday.The total score
Machinery maker Hiwin Technologies Co (上銀科技) expects its business to resume growth from next quarter after hitting a trough this quarter, with revenue expected to grow by a double-digit percentage this year, as demand has shown signs of recovery, company chairman Chuo Wen-heng (卓文恒) said yesterday.T
Hong Kong lawmakers on Tuesday last week passed an amendment to Article 23 of the Basic Law, which grants the government more power to quash dissent. The new national security legislation is the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019.When Hong Kong
The prevalence of uncertainty about managing a strong balance of power in favor of the post-Cold War liberal regional order has propelled several countries to reinvent their efforts to improve ties with others to protect their national interests, and contribute to securing a free and open Indo-Pacif
It has been reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has triggered a battle for water between Chiayi and Yunlin counties, as the company is planning to build a factory in Chiayi County, but it has to transfer water from the Hushan Reservoir (湖山水庫) in Yunlin County, which has led to
EMOTIONAL DAY: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised Ukraine for inspiring their country, while Georgia qualified for a major tournament for the first time Ukraine came from behind on Tuesday to beat Iceland in a playoff to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, while Poland secured their place at the finals with a penalty shoot-out victory over Wales and Georgia qualified for a first-ever major tournament.The Ukrainians were aiming to qualify for their first tou
Adam Fox on Tuesday scored 36 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 following a wild third period.Alexis Lafreniere had two goals and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves for the Rangers, who lead t
Defending Miami Open champion Daniil Medvedev and top seed Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday marched into the quarter-finals of the tournament with convincing victories.Medvedev earned a 7-6 (7/5), 6-0 win over Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, while Alcaraz took care of Italian Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-3, 6-3 win
Australian Rules football yesterday said it was reviewing its illicit drugs policy after a whistle-blower aired claims of widespread cocaine use among players. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie said the Australian Football League (AFL) was “secretly” manipulating drug tests.Wilkie said that players
LONG TIME COMING: Advocates have struggled for years to pass a marriage equality law, which if passed in the Senate would make the kingdom the third in Asia to do so Lawmakers in the Thai House of Representatives yesterday overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender.The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 of the 415 members
Former US president Donald Trump was on Tuesday issued a judge’s gag order barring him from publicly commenting about witnesses and court staff ahead of his April 15 criminal trial involving hush money paid to a porn star.New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan granted a request by the office of
INTERNET AGE: While the number of those who said they engaged in physical fighting remained stable, those who said they participated in cyberbullying increased About 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said yesterday.“This report is a wake-up call for all of us to address bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens,” WHO Regional Director fo
Taiwan’s post-World War II architecture, “practical, cheap and temporary,” not to mention “rather forgettable.” This was a characterization recently given by Taiwan-based historian John Ross on his Formosa Files podcast. Yet the 1960s and 1970s were, in fact, the period of Taiwan’s foundational buil
For three decades Joe Lau has tied his racehorse training career to the rising and falling fortunes of the Macau Jockey Club, but in a few days it will all be over.On April 1, horse racing in the southern Chinese casino hub will be consigned to history after the club’s concession from the government
The book 32 New Takes on Taiwan Cinema includes film reviews by 29 contributors. The collection of critical articles begins with an overview by the three editors then proceeds to present the articles in chronological order. The films, the editors tell us, have been selected for their ability to arou
A: Wow, YouTuber Xander 73’s channel “73_Tricking” now has over 10 million subscribers, making him Taiwan’s first 10-million YTR.B: Cool! But what’s “tricking?”A: Basically, it’s a sport derived from extreme martial arts.B: Xander 73’s income is as high as NT$600,000 per month. What’s the secret
Have you ever wished for an extra hour to prepare for exams or finish homework? In some countries, people actually adjust their clocks to gain or lose an hour, all for the sake of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Specifically, clocks are set forward by an hour in March and then set back in November. One
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time
It’s certainly been a pleasure watching the presidential campaign launch of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) lurch painfully about like a wounded pachyderm in search of an elephant graveyard. Hou’s fall to third place in some polls last week appears early, and it might still be recoverable. But grumbling in his party about replacing him has already begun. Indeed, all indications are that the party that twice gave us Lien Chan (連戰), the most despised politician in Taiwan, as a presidential candidate and later offered voters Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), is arcing along its normal descending trajectory, the North Korean missile test of electoral politics. A KIND OF POLICY PLATFORM Last week the KMT doubled down on this path with Hou’s calls for nuclear power and more death penalty executions, standard KMT fare for decades (the latter is unnecessary since so many potential criminals are likely to die in traffic accidents long before they harm anyone). Apparently KMT policy institutions are not echo chambers so much as mausoleums where dead ideas are embalmed and then periodically put on display. The lack of public policy imagination is obvious. A less obvious facet of KMT ineptitude: with years of speculation that Hou would be their man in 2024, neither Hou nor the party insisted on interesting or experimental public policies to showcase Hou’s greatness in preparation for the showdown. Of course, that is even more true of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Hou’s slide and the media buzz surrounding it are obscuring the truly urgent problem the pro-Taiwan side faces: DPP presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) has not expanded his voter support beyond the party base. In most polls he remains below 40 percent. Independent voters are staying away in droves, and for the moment the young are turning to
July 17 to July 23 When Yeh Ken-chuang (葉根壯) came of age, the traditional skills of architecture and carpentry that had been in his family for four generations were disappearing. After helping his uncle Yeh Teh-ling (葉得令) construct ships, residences and temples for more than a decade, Yeh struck out on his own at the age of 28 in 1960 as a damusi (大木司, chief carpenter), earning his lifelong title “Chief Chuang” (壯司). Around this time, builders in his homeland of Penghu were increasingly using reinforced concrete instead of wood, due to the humid climate. The period also saw a frenzy in temple construction as the economy improved, meaning there was plenty of work for Yeh. Adept in non-structural techniques such as doors, windows and furniture, as well as the intricate carvings and detailed decorations that adorned the structures, Yeh was able to adapt his skills, leading the reconstruction of the historic Hsiliao Daitian Temple (西寮代天宮) on Penghu’s main island in 1963. According to the book Crossing Traditions in Yeh Ken-chuang’s Large-scale Carpentry Skills (宮廟巧藝 :跨越傳統的葉根壯大木作技術), it was Penghu’s first temple that used a purely reinforced concrete structure. Before his life was cut short, Yeh created more than 70 temples and related structures across the various islands of Penghu and left behind more than 230 building plans. Although Yeh could have built temples and other structures on Taiwan proper, he only worked on a handful of projects outside of Penghu because he wanted to be close to his family. CLAN OF CARPENTERS The Yeh family’s woodworking tradition began with Yeh Ma-li (葉媽利), who learned the architecture and carpentry trade from an unknown master on Kinmen. The Yehs trace their roots to Kinmen, although this branch had been living in Penghu since the early 1600s. Yeh Ma-li was Penghu’s chief temple builder between 1860 and
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% |