Tue, Mar 19, 2024
Describing China as the “largest fascist dictatorship” in the world, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart urged his country to expedite arms deliveries to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense, Voice of America (VOA) reported on Sunday.In an interview with VOA on Wednesday last week, the cochair of the US Co
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to build two new advanced chip packaging fabs in Chiayi County to address a supply scarcity driven by rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said yesterday in Chiayi County.TSMC is set t
Approval of a proposed cross-strait services trade agreement with China would have affected about 1.14 million service-sector enterprises, as well as the jobs and livelihoods of more than 5 million workers in Taiwan, rights advocates said yesterday as they marked the 10th anniversary of the Sunflowe
LANDSLIDE VICTORY: Western governments condemned the election as rigged and undemocratic, while Xi Jinping celebrated their ‘no limits’ partnership Western governments yesterday lined up to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s landslide election victory as unfair and undemocratic, while China and North Korea congratulated the veteran Russian leader on extending his rule by a further six years.The contrasting reactions underscored the geop
North Korea yesterday fired multiple ballistic missiles in a defiant show of force that coincided with a visit to Seoul by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a Summit for Democracy.North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward waters off its east coast that reached a maximum altitude of ab
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday.Hsiung Sheng missiles
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues.The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Gu
The percentage of students accepted under the “Multi-Star” university entrance program hit a record high this year, although the number of unfilled spots also reached a five-year high.The Multi-Star program, which allows students to be admitted to universities through a recommendation from their hig
About 77 percent of Americans view Taiwan favorably, while China is still considered the US’ greatest foe, a Gallup poll released on Monday showed.Taiwan ranked sixth in favorability behind only Canada, Japan, the UK, Germany and France.Asked who is the US’ “greatest enemy today,” 41 percent said Ch
CHINA ANGERED: Video footage of the digital affairs minister was also screened in 2021 at the conference, which is one of US President Joe Biden’s initiatives Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) yesterday delivered an unannounced video message at a US-backed democracy summit in Seoul.Tang told the third Summit for Democracy that Taiwan has suffered disproportionately from concerted cyberattacks and that the nation was willing and able to work wit
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION: Taiwanese should be proud of the outcome of the projects, which have helped thousands of Ukrainians, Tomas Kopecny said Cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic over the past few months has provided more than 130,000 Ukrainians with clean drinking water and more than 100,000 with heating, Czech Governmental Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Tomas Kopecny said yesterday.Kopecny arrived in Taiwan yesterd
The Legislative Yuan yesterday inaugurated a parliamentary friendship group with the Czech Republic and Austria, and announced that the National Palace Museum might exhibit in the Czech Republic next year.The Republic of China-Czech and Austrian Parliamentary Amity Association was initiated by Chine
Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini yesterday arrived in Taiwan to look for investors and discuss the details of a fuel storage facility Taiwan is helping to build in the African kingdom, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.“Our trip is basically to strengthen the long-existing relationship bet
A decade after the 2014 Sunflower movement, the young people who participated in the student-led demonstration have grown up, but many still carry the memories of what happened during the nearly 23-day occupation of Taiwan’s legislative chamber.On March 18, 2014, hundreds of students and activists s
SETBACK: The agency blamed global inflation and difficulties in recruiting a contractor for its downsizing of the project, which would be delayed until 2028 The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday confirmed that the length of an undersea cable it plans to build off southern Taiwan would be reduced from 800km to 200km due to a funding shortfall caused by inflation, adding that decreasing the project’s scale would cut earthquake and tsunami war
CONFUSION: A meeting in the legislature descended into disorder after its chair was called unfit, because she had until recently been a board member of CWLF The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday apologized and announced plans to improve the nation’s adoption system after a one-year-old boy in foster care died after allegedly being abused by his caregiver.In remarks to the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, Minister
’SWARM OF BEES’: Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long last week described the enthusiasm for exchange-traded funds as a “herding effect” in the market A record rally in Taiwanese stocks is luring retail investors to pile into exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as local regulators stepped up warnings on the herding behavior.Two new stock ETFs this month raised a combined NT$223.1 billion (US$7.05 billion), with the latest one which ended subscriptions o
SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT: Apple is preparing its own AI models for its iPhone iOS 18, but it has been slower in rolling out generative AI, and is seeking a partnership with Google Apple Inc is in talks to build Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) engine into the iPhone, according to sources familiar with the situation, setting the stage for a blockbuster agreement that would shake up the AI industry.The two companies are in negotiations to let Apple license Gemini, G
Cathay United Bank (CUB, 國泰世華銀行) kick-started the new year with good news from its private banking business. CUB Private Banking has been named “Best Domestic Private Bank (Taiwan)” by Asian Private Banker for the fifth year in a row, the only financial institution in Taiwan to achieve this great fe
Taiwan clinched another victory in deepening trade ties with India through its semiconductor diplomacy. Last week, the Indian government started the construction of three new chip manufacturing facilities in Gujarat and Assam, including a fab to be built with the assistance of Taiwan’s Powerchip Sem
In the case of Kai Kai (剴剴) — a one-year-old boy who died, allegedly from abuse by a Taipei nanny surnamed Liu (劉) — a Child Welfare League Foundation (兒福聯盟) social worker was handcuffed and detained by police for falsifying home visit records and failing to detect the abuse at an early stage. Meanw
The number of babies born in China has been declining year-on-year since 2017. In response, Chinese central and local governments have launched a series of pro-natalist policies to encourage childbirth and help arrest the decline. Among them, the 2022 guidelines issued by the Chinese National Develo
WORLD NO. 1 CRUISES: Iga Swiatek’s precise serving and speedy defense proved too much for Maria Sakkari as she won the final eight games of the women’s final Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday overcame a sluggish start and finished with a flourish to successfully defend his Indian Wells men’s singles crown with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 win over Daniil Medvedev.The win ends a title drought for the world No. 2 that stretched back to last year’s Wimbledon and makes him the f
Amad Diallo on Sunday scored deep in extra-time after Marcus Rashford made amends for a bad miss to lift Manchester United to a breathless 4-3 victory over archrivals Liverpool and into the FA Cup semi-finals.United’s victory at Old Trafford kept alive their only hope of silverware this season and s
Florian Wirtz on Sunday scored after 84 seconds as Bayer 04 Leverkusen made it 38 games unbeaten in all competitions with a 3-2 victory at SC Freiburg.Leverkusen’s seventh league win on the bounce kept them 10 points clear of serial champions Bayern Munich with eight games to play in their quest for
Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has renewed his contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League, the Taoyuan-based team announced yesterday.The former NBA player, nicknamed “Boogie,” initially played on a four-game contract with the Leopards in January.As No. 15 on the team’s roster,
‘VENGEANCE’: The attacks came within 24 hours after Pakistan’s president vowed to retaliate for the deaths of seven Pakistani soldiers in a suicide blast at a border town Pakistani airstrikes early yesterday targeted multiple suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan, killing at least eight people and drawing return fire from the Afghan Taliban, officials said.The latest escalation is likely to further increase tensions between Islamabad and Kabu
EXTERNAL FORCES? The president responded to the protests with warnings about the ‘enemies of the Revolution’ and ‘terrorists’ in the US encouraging dissent Cubans on Sunday staged rare street protests over food and electricity shortages, as the country suffered long outages that left parts of the island without power for up to 14 hours a day.“People were shouting ‘food and electricity,’” a 65-year-old resident, who asked not to be named, said by phone
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification yesterday added its voice to growing speculation around North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s succession plans, saying they have not “ruled out” that his daughter could be next in line to lead the nation.Pyongyang state media on Saturday referred to Kim’s teenage da
From a rocky perch a larger-than-life rendition of a female protester, clad in a hard hat and a gas mask, gazes over a city in turmoil. Known as Lady Liberty Hong Kong, the statue was hauled to the top of Lion Rock during the 2019 pro-democracy protests. It was meant to be her final resting place. B
It’s a task of grave importance, but there’s nothing to stop New Zealanders having a laugh as they work on DIY caskets in the country’s “coffin clubs.”Elderly club members meet for cups of tea, a bit of banter and to literally put the final nail in one-of-a-kind coffins that will carry them to their
In the mainstream view, the Philippines should be worried that a conflict over Taiwan between the superpowers will drag in Manila. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr observed in an interview in The Wall Street Journal last year, “I learned an African saying: When elephants fight, the only one that loses
European Union lawmakers gave final approval to the 27-nation bloc’s artificial intelligence law Wednesday last week, putting the world-leading rules on track to take effect later this year.Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Artificial Intelligence Act, five ye
對話 Dialogue清清:週末我去台北中正紀念堂看了哆啦A夢的展覽,好感動!你也喜歡哆啦A夢嗎?Qīngqing: Zhōumò wǒ qù Táiběi Zhōngzhèng JìniànTáng kàn le Duōlā Ē Mèng de zhǎnlǎn, hǎo gǎndòng! Nǐ yě xǐhuān Duōlā Ē Mèng ma?華華:喜歡啊!這部動畫已經紅了好幾十年了,深受大朋友、小朋友的喜愛。Huáhua: Xǐhuān a! Zhè bù dònghuà yǐjīng hóng le hǎojǐshí nián le, shēnshòu dàpéngyǒu, xiǎop
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan
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% |