■ POLITICS
Official’s pension may drop
Former justice minister Morley Shih (施茂林) is likely to lose an approximate NT$200,000 (US$6,600) on his pension after Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) rejected his request to retire as a prosecutor. “His request is not appropriate and not good” Wang said yesterday. By law, a prosecutor’s position is a life-time position unless he or she resigns. Shih was a prosecutor-general of the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office prior to his ministerial post. “We must maintain the independence that belongs to prosecutors so they will not be interfered with or affected by other political facts,” Wang said, without elaborating. Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) said the difference between retiring as a prosecutor and retiring as a regular government officer was an additional NT$200,384 in pension money.
■DEFENSE
Minister makes base gaffe
Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) was criticized yesterday for being unfamiliar with the nation’s military bases. On Wednesday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) asked during the legislature’s Diplomacy and National Defense Committee meeting whether it would be possible to relocate the military base at Songshan Airport to Taoyuan Airport, to which Chen replied there was no military airport there. It was later pointed out that there is a military facility there. Chen, formerly an Air Force commander-in-chief, later admitted his mistake. KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-min (帥化民) said Chen had left the military a while before he took up the minister’s office, urging the public to have patience.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
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