Mon, May 06, 2024
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena has pledged to continue enhancing cooperation with Taiwan, as he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait using force, Japanese media reported on Saturday.Kishida yesterday comp
SOME FAMILIAR FACES: In addition to the deputy ministers taking office later this month under the new administration, eleven officials are to stay in office The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced 15 new deputy ministers, with premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) saying he expects the ministries to work together to build a technologically innovative and public interest-focused administration.Although the list did not include names for
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open.Paparo made the rem
Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim yesterday, as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled out, while Jerusalem said it would shut down al-Jazeera’s operations in Israel over its c
As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia yesterday launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine’s east and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting.The Ukrainian Air Force yesterday said that Russia had launched 24 Shahed drones, of which 23 had been shot
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week.“We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with
LOOK FOR THE SIGNS: The guidelines include checklists for inspectors to look for indicators of abuse or if a child might be at risk in a caregiver’s home The Ministry of Health and Welfare has rolled out revised guidelines for inspecting in-home childcare providers, including general principles, the frequency of home visits and key points for social workers to look for.The guidelines, which took effect immediately, were issued to local governments on
SOVEREIGNTY: A military aviation law would provide air defense units with rules for handling unidentified aircraft outside Taiwan’s airspace, an expert said Taiwan should create a military aviation law to give legal protection to its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in counteracting Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) drones, National Defense University associate professor of law and military officer Lee Yen-chang (李彥璋) said on Saturday.The PLA
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday.Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday.US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebutted allegations of dishonest handling of donations, after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) said on Thursday last week that the ministry had been dishonest about its cooperation with Lithuania and the Czech Republic in offering assis
A judge in Hsinchu handed down prison sentences ranging from four to six months to three Taiwanese, which were commuted to fines, for their involvement in the poaching of engineers for China’s Xiaomi Corp (小米). Beijing Tianmi Technology Co’s Taiwan office technical director Pan Chi-kuei (潘積桂) was se
Taiwan moved up eight positions to 27th in the latest World Press Freedom Index released Friday by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international non-profit organization that focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information.The index’s top three spots went to Norway, Denmark and Sw
SUPPORT: Of the NT$1.231 billion provided by the government to boost tourism after last month’s earthquake struck, NT$851 million is to be spent in the county The Tourism Administration on the weekend said it aims to implement next month a plan to boost tourism in Hualien County and shelter residents there after it was struck by a massive earthquake on April 3, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, and aftershocks.The plan, which was announced by the Execut
AUTONOMY OR GROOMING? Women’s rights groups have described the practice of ‘sugar daddies’ paying women for companionship or sex as glorified prostitution A sugar dating Web site that was launched in Taiwan in October last year claims to have attracted more than 50,000 members in less than six months. Although the number might be exaggerated, it provides a glimpse into the size of the market, and demonstrates the risk of child and youth sex exploitati
The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine last week warned the public not to touch wild animals after the Veterinary Research Institute found type-2 Lyssavirus in a Chinese noctule bat that flew into a residence in Jhonghe District (中和) last month. While Lyssavirus is not defin
BUSINESS UPDATE: he iPhone assembler said operations outlook is expected to show quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year growth for the second quarter Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday reported strong growth in sales last month, potentially raising expectations for iPhone sales while artificial intelligence (AI)-related business booms.The company, which assembles the majority of Apple Inc’s smartphones, reported a 19.03 percent rise i
TOP HOLDING: Buffet praised Apple, some shares of which Berkshire sold, saying it is an ‘even better’ business than American Express and Coca-Cola Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s cash pile hit yet another record as billionaire investor Warren Buffett confronted a dearth of big-ticket deals. Operating earnings also rose, buoyed by his collection of insurance businesses.The firm’s hoard increased to US$189 billion at the end of the first quarter, toppi
Taiwanese financial holding companies increased their overall overseas exposure — including lending, investments and interbank transactions — to NT$27.38 trillion (US$845.69 billion) in the first quarter, data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Commission showed yesterday.The 15 financial holding
The Legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee on Wednesday finished a preliminary review of amendments to the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例), but left some key issues for cross-party negotiations.The amendments were proposed after entertainer
Last month marked a redesign of the security architecture in the Western Pacific. The US significantly tightened its regional network of bilateral treaties with allies Japan, the Republic of the Philippines (RP), Australia and the United Kingdom. That network is called a “lattice” in Washington. But
The Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute has been crying for help, as the Taipei City Government has incessantly toyed with the original intent of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), and is being self-centered.The contract signed between the city and the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research
‘INCREDIBLE’: Girona ensured Real Madrid’s title win with a dramatic victory over Barcelona, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in history Real Madrid on Saturday earned what manager Carlo Ancelotti said was a “deserved” La Liga title after beating Cadiz 3-0 and Girona sealed it with a stunning 4-2 victory over Barcelona.Ancelotti’s side did their homework by beating Cadiz and after last season’s champions stumbled against Girona, Los
Brian Hernandez Jr will need a minute to digest his signature victory in the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Maybe even more time since the milestone derby capped the best weekend of a jockey career spent mostly under the radar.The Louisiana native rode Mystik Dan to an epic win at Churchill Downs
England’s Kyren Wilson on Saturday cruised into his second World Snooker Championship final and revealed his success at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre has been helped by sessions with a hypnotherapist.Wilson claimed a 17-11 victory against qualifier David Gilbert after taking three of the four frames
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital.Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving th
UNDER INVESTIGATION: Members of the local Muslim community had raised concerns with the police about the boy, who officials said might have been radicalized online A 16-year-old boy armed with a knife was shot dead by police after he stabbed a man in the Australian west coast city of Perth, officials said yesterday.The incident occurred in the parking lot of a hardware store in suburban Willetton on Saturday night.The teen attacked the man and then rushed at p
WAVE OF UNREST: At Princeton, students started a hunger strike, demanding that administrators meet with them and grant students amnesty from protest charges Twenty-five people were arrested on Saturday for trespassing at the University of Virginia after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to remove tents from campus, while demonstrators at the University of Michigan chanted anti-war messages and waved flags during commencement cer
An Indonesian volunteer returns from a dangerous rescue mission to a remote island where a volcano recently unleashed huge eruptions, cradling an abandoned, emaciated dog covered in burn blisters.Mount Ruang in Indonesia’s northernmost region has erupted more than half a dozen times since April 16,
Last week the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released a set of very strange numbers on Taiwan’s wealth distribution. Duly quoted in the Taipei Times, the report said that “The Gini coefficient for Taiwanese households… was 0.606 at the end of 2021, lower than Austra
May 6 to May 12Those who follow the Chinese-language news may have noticed the usage of the term zhuge (豬哥, literally ‘pig brother,’ a male pig raised for breeding purposes) in reports concerning the ongoing #Metoo scandal in the entertainment industry. The term’s modern connotations can range from
Sipping champagne and nibbling fried dumplings, Shanghai’s rich and influential posed by Louis Vuitton signs at a runway afterparty — a lavish affair designed to win customers in China’s crucial market.China is the world’s biggest spender in the luxury sector, accounting for half of global sales. Bu
Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, wh
On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper’s voice echoed through the streets of New York City. This marked the birth of a new era in communication with the first-ever cellphone call. Cooper held a device the size of a brick. He called his rival, Bell Labs’ Joel Engel, to declare that his Motorola team had bui
Jumping rope has long been considered an excellent form of exercise. It not only burns calories but also improves cardiovascular health and __1__ core muscles. Anyone who has used a traditional jump rope, though, knows that it requires a certain level of skill and coordination. However, with the dev
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% |