Tue, Oct 08, 2024
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to travel to the Czech Republic on Saturday to attend the Forum 2000 Conference, an annual event in Prague, Tsai’s office confirmed yesterday.Local Chinese-language news media yesterday reported that Tsai visited President William Lai (賴清德) at the presidential
A review committee established by the government yesterday recommended setting a basic carbon fee rate of NT$300 (US$9.34) per tonne of carbon emissions.In addition to the basic rate, preferential rates of NT$50 and NT$100 per tonne were also recommended for companies that meet defined emissions red
US SCANDAL: Wellington Koo also briefed lawmakers about RTX being found to have engaged in price gouging, saying that Taiwan was among the buyers affected The Ministry of National Defense is to procure next-generation fighter jets from overseas rather than developing them by itself, as certain key technologies have yet to reach maturity, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday agreed to boost defense cooperation as their nations elevated ties to a strategic partnership amid growing security challenges in the region.The two leaders discussed a range of issues including tensions in t
The sounds of helicopters and artillery fire echoed from nearby Gaza as families yesterday lit candles at a memorial service in southern Israel to mark the first anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.The reverberations from the ongoing fighting served as an immediate and painful reminder of the wars
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference.Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government
FRIENDLY VISIT: The visit by three US lawmakers shows the US Congress’ firm support for Taiwan and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed delegations and foreign dignitaries set to attend Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei this week, adding that the visits highlighted their support for Taiwan and cross-strait peace and stability.The guests include a delegation of th
PAVING THE WAY: Three AI centers would help educate doctors about AI, aid in the certification of AI products and help formulate NHI pricing standards, an official said The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday announced the establishment of three artificial intelligence (AI) centers to help achieve its smart medicine (e-health) goals, adding that 16 “indicator hospitals” have been selected to test and demonstrate the technology.The centers include the center fo
WORKERS’ RIGHTS: Despite a labor shortage, employers tend to cut costs, while pressuring the government to let them hire more migrant workers, a TLF official said The low organization rate of trade unions has led to unbalanced labor-management relations and a lack of democracy in workplaces, the Taiwan Labor Front (TLF) said yesterday, urging the government to uphold the values of “decent work” in line with global trends.The group issued the remarks at a news
Foreign workers are two to three times more likely to be involved in workplace accidents than their Taiwanese counterparts, a non-governmental organization (NGO) said on Sunday, urging employers to improve workplace safety.The Taiwan International Workers’ Association called on employers to ensure e
The funding for a Ministry of Education program to deliver fresh milk to schools is set to rise to NT$1.5 billion (US$46.7 million) next year, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said yesterday.Cheng made the remarks in a report on the progress of the policy at the Legislative Yuan’s Educatio
ON THE ALERT: Most of the attacks were DDoS, which did not affect the companies’ internal systems, the ministry said, adding that it has a full grasp of the situation Several private companies reported that their Web sites had experienced cyberattacks from overseas, but they did not sustain any substantial damages, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said yesterday. Minister of Digital Affairs Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男) made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said.China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s
A visiting delegation in Taipei yesterday said that support for Taiwan is a consensus across party lines in the US, and that the Taiwan Strait is vital for regional and international peace. The delegation, led by US Representative Debbi Lesko, included US representatives Andy Biggs and Carol Miller,
The Judicial Yuan’s Disciplinary Court has fined former representative to Thailand Chuang Suo-hang (莊碩漢) NT$300,000 and barred him from serving in public office for two years, after finding him guilty of sexually harassing a female subordinate while he served in Bangkok.In its recently released ruli
Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) has become the nation’s youngest ambassador without portfolio as she received a certificate of appointment from President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office yesterday.Handing out certificates of appointment to 27 presidential advisers, 76 national
PROPOSAL: One Shin Kong share would be traded for 0.672 Taishin common shares and 0.175 Taishin preferred shares, with Taishin Financial being the surviving entity Taishin Financial Holding Co (台新金控) and Shin Kong Financial Co (新光金控) yesterday jointly said they were confident their proposed merger would win approvals at their respective shareholders’ meetings tomorrow, ushering in a new era for both entities.Taishin Financial president Welch Lin (林維俊) and Shin
Foreign investors are sitting on billions of dollars of cash in Taiwan, an encouraging sign for equity bulls predicting that a recent market decline would be short-lived.Global funds sold US$16.9 billion of shares on a net basis on the Taiwan Stock Exchange between January and last month, but they s
The world-beating rally in Chinese stocks is failing to convince many global fund managers and strategists.Invesco Ltd, JPMorgan Asset Management, HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth, and Nomura Holdings Inc are among those viewing the recent rebound with skepticism and waiting for Beijing to bac
China late last month announced a series of stimulus measures to revive economic growth, but concerns still linger about the world’s second-largest economy, such as how quickly the new measures would start making a difference and whether their effects would be sustained over the long term. The worri
Disinformation — the deliberate spreading of false or biased news to manipulate minds — is gaining ground around the world. As China and Russia sink into authoritarianism and export their methods of censorship and media control, democracies find themselves overwhelmed by an incessant flow of propaga
Since the end of the Cold War, the US-China espionage battle has arguably become the largest on Earth. Spying on China is vital for the US, as China’s growing military and technological capabilities pose direct challenges to its interests, especially in defending Taiwan and maintaining security in t
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris
Coco Gauff overpowered Karolina Muchova in straight sets to win the China Open on Sunday for her second title of the year and eighth overall. The 20-year-old American and last year’s US Open champion stormed to victory 6-1, 6-3 in one hour, 16 minutes in Beijing. After a disappointing few months by
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns
J.J. Redick knows his personal intensity would always turn him into his own harshest critic if he is not careful, so he vowed to give himself some grace in his self-evaluation as the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach. One game into the preseason, Redick is already testing his tolerance for his own
SUICIDE BOMBER: The Chinese embassy said that Chinese working at Port Qasim Electric Power Co were in the convoy when it came under attack at about 11pm on Sunday night A Pakistani separatist group claimed responsibility for a late-night bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside the nation’s largest airport, killing two workers from China and wounding eight people, officials and the insurgent group said yesterday.The attack by the Baloch Liberat
Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine on Monday for their discovery of microRNA, tiny bits of genetic material that serve as on and off switches inside cells that help control what the cells do and when they do it.If scientists can better understand how they work and how to ma
LOW TURNOUT: Only 27.7 percent of voters cast their ballots — more than 58 percent were men, and 65 percent were aged between 36 and 60 Tunisian President Kais Saied was set to win the nation’s presidential election with 89.2 percent support despite a low turnout, according to exit polls broadcast on national television on Sunday after the polls closed.Saied, 66, is expected to win by a landslide, routing his challengers — imprisone
From a Brooklyn studio that looks like a cross between a ransacked Toys R Us and a serial killer’s lair, the artist David Henry Nobody Jr is planning the first survey of his career. Held by a headless dummy strung by its heels from the ceiling are a set of photographs from the turn of the century of
There’s an old saying that the perfect walk has “something to see, somewhere to pee, and somewhere to get a cup of tea.” While those things do indeed make for a respectable hike, scientists have discovered that aspects of nature will turn a good walk into a great one, in intriguing ways.Over recent
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that
Online retailer eBay has scrapped fees for private sellers across almost all of its categories as it attempts to keep fast-growing rivals such as Depop and Vinted at arm’s length.The move means eBay’s UK sellers no longer have to pay transaction fees, except for cars, motorcycles and other vehicles.
對話 Dialogue清清:國慶日就要到了,今年有哪些慶祝活動呢?Qīngqing: Guóqìng rì jiù yào dàole, jīnnián yǒu nǎxiē qìngzhù huódòng ne?華華:你忘啦?前幾天已經辦過國慶晚會了,在台北大巨蛋,開唱的都是大明星,超精彩的!Huáhua: Nǐ wàng la? Qián jǐ tiān yǐjīng bànguò guóqìng wǎnhuì le, zài Táiběi Dàjùdàn, kāichàng de dōu shì dà míngxīng, chā jīngcǎi de!清清:那國慶煙火呢?今年在哪裡舉行?Q
臨床表現 (clinical picture)、咳嗽有痰 (productive cough) 與不實消息 (misinformation/ disinformation)有些醫學用語,如:「咳嗽有痰」,中文一目了然,但對應的英文 productive cough,可能就較難從字面理解。澳洲的 myDr.com.au 解釋 productive cough 如下:A productive (wet) cough is when you have a cough that produces mucus(黏液) or phlegm (痰).因此 productive cough(咳嗽有痰),就是
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% |