■ VISAS
US visas NT$100 cheaper
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced yesterday that it will reduce its non-immigrant visa processing fee from NT$3,400 to NT$3,300, effective next Monday. The AIT said the reduction was the result of recent shifts in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the NT dollar. Because the adjustment is being made on the basis of exchange rate shifts and not changes to underlying visa processing costs or fee structures, the AIT said there would be no refunds for the extra NT$100 before next Monday.
■ AVIATION
No change to air subsidies
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) announced yesterday that it would continue to subsidize domestic airlines that provide regular flights for passengers who are registered residents of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu. According to the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), airlines can receive a subsidy equivalent to 20 percent of the ticket price for each Kinmen, Matsu or Penghu resident they carry. The announcement came after the administration said last week that it was considering canceling or reducing the subsidies, as some airlines were offering their passengers 50 percent ticket discounts. A statement issued by the CAA yesterday said that the administration would continue to monitor price changes closely and check to see if the deals fall within the legally acceptable range.
■ POLITICS
Tuoh pans former legislator
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) yesterday lambasted former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) for calling on the public to vote against DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) if the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) wins 60 percent of the legislative seats in January. Shen, who has been vocal about his disappointment with his former party, said Taiwan would succumb to another eight years of "chaos" if the KMT party wins a majority in the legislature and the DPP wins the presidential office. Wang called Shen's statement illogical and called KMT presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a liar and a poor leader. Wang said Ma had been indoctrinated by his late father, a KMT pro-unification stalwart, and would never work toward security and prosperity for Taiwan.
■ SOCIETY
Chen plugs policy
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that building an environment that is suited to the needs of the handicapped and protecting the rights of the mentally and physically challenged had always been a priority of his administration. In a speech delivered at the 18th Asian Conference on Mental Retardation yesterday morning at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Chen said there was still room for improvement despite what had been achieved. Chen said it was the goal of his administration to defend the welfare of the mentally and physically challenged and promote opportunities for participating in the wider community. Chen said that was the reason the Democratic Progressive Party had placed Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如), the deputy chairwoman of the Parents' Association for People with Intellectual Disability, at the top of its list of legislator-at-large candidates for the legislative elections in January.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
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