Home / Taiwan News
DPP legislators urge PRC policy debate
By Chris Wang
A group of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday said they would initiate a proposal calling for a China policy debate to build a party consensus on the direction of future cross-strait engagement at the party’s congress tomorrow. “China policy will inevitably be a major issueFULL STORY
Minister urges public not to spread rumors
By Loa Iok-sin
After it was revealed that allegations that some Filipinos had been refused service at a bakery were fabrications, Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) yesterday urged the public to verify their information and refrain from spreading rumors on the Internet, adding that police wouldFULL STORY
Hung family turns down donation
By Yeh Yung-chien and Jake Chung
Money sent by the Chinese community in the Philippines to the family of the Taiwanese fisherman who was killed by Philippine Coast Guard personnel earlier this month was refused by the victim’s family and the money was instead donated to the National Fishermen’s Association’s maritimeFULL STORY
Japan detains third Taiwanese fishing boat in 10 days
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The third Taiwanese fishing boat in 10 days was detained yesterday by the Japan Coast Guard in waters surrounding the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, and released after paying a fine of more than ¥4 million (US$39,344). James Sha (沙志一), director-general of the Fisheries Agency, yesterday calledFULL STORY
Military officers to get unjust benefits, TSU legislator says
By Chris Wang
The current regulations and the government’s pension reform plan have given serving and retired high-ranking military officials unjust benefits, which is not only unfair to other military personnel, but also to the general public, lawmakers said yesterday. As the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) beganFULL STORY
Minister apologizes for fighter crashes, urges public support
Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) apologized yesterday for the crashes of two air force fighter jets within five days of each other earlier this month, but added that pilots need public support to regain their confidence as soon as possible. Kao was responding toFULL STORY
Don’t lose heart due to frustration, Jiang tells Cabinet
By Shih Hsiu-chuan, Ling Mei-hsueh and Jason Pan
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday offered words of encouragement to Cabinet members, saying they should not lose heart in the face of frustration. Executive Yuan spokesperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) quoted Jiang as saying at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday that it is inevitable that ministers getFULL STORY
Phone addiction high among youngsters: poll
By Chen Yi-ching, Rachel Lin and Stacy Hsu
Young people are getting increasingly addicted to cellphones, with 70 percent of respondents in a survey saying they use their mobile devices before sleep, and 65 percent saying they get anxious when their phones’ battery runs out or if they leave their phones at home.FULL STORY
Rocks for lessons: Father helps son achieve dream
By Tang Shih-ming and Jason Pan
A father in Changhua County has settled on an unusual and special way of paying for his son’s piano lessons for the past three years: Instead of cash, he gives the piano teacher ornamental rocks. Lai Jung-yu (賴榮裕) takes pride in his son, Lai Hsu-tungFULL STORY
Bureau launches scheme to lure US tourists in Hawaii
The Tourism Bureau on Wednesday launched a campaign in Hawaii to promote the country’s summer landscape, particularly around the Tropic of Cancer, which bisects the island. Taiwan, like Hawaii, is one of 16 countries in the world bisected by the Tropic of Cancer at latitudeFULL STORY
Three Taipei movie houses fail safety, sanitary inspection
By Mo Yan-chih
Three movie houses in Taipei failed fire safety or sanitary regulations in the city government’s latest inspection of 17 major movie theaters, while public complaints about several movie houses’ ban on bringing in food purchased outside continued. The in89 Digital Cinemax in Ximending was found toFULL STORY
I-Mei donates NT$1.5m over food flap
I-Mei Food said on Wednesday it was donating NT$1.5 million (US$50,000) to consumer advocacy groups as a gesture of apology for negligence after the firm was found to have used expired ingredients in one of its products. The donation is meant “to echo consumers’ concern overFULL STORY
Protesters march on Executive Yuan
By Loa Iok-sin
Protesters yesterday clashed with police outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei as they called on Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) to halt the forced demolition of houses in the city’s Huaguang Community (華光社區) and to stop fining residents whose houses are being torn down. “No toFULL STORY
Ministry mulling schools shake-up
By Rachel Lin
and Jake Chung
The Ministry of Education is considering integrating six national universities into three by August next year, while mulling plans to aid the transition of schools with fewer than 2,000 students into smaller schools or dissolving them completely, Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) said yesterday. AccordingFULL STORY
Cabinet approves bill to limit ‘cooling-off’ period
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The Cabinet yesterday approved an amendment to the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法) to allow the exception of certain products from the seven-day “cooling-off” period enshrined in the legislation. Under the amendment, product vendors can request that the cooling-off period not be applied to certain products, withFULL STORY
Mother guilty of spreading sex photos
By Lin Chia-tung,
Chang Yi-ling and Stacy Hsu
A mother was sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for two years, after sending sexually explicit photographs of her daughter and her boyfriend to a relative and their friends in an attempt to “save her daughter from going down the wrong path.” The daughter,FULL STORY
International film program aims to promote dialogue
A touring international film program started on Wednesday, with the aim of fostering dialogue and promoting cross-cultural understanding, its organizers said. The “Film Forward” program, initiated by the Sundance Institute and US cultural agencies, features seven international films on topics covering climate change, interracial marriage, theFULL STORY
Women main users of app on screening depression: group
By Alison Hsiao



