■ SOCIETY
New national holiday touted
Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said yesterday that Children’s Day on April 4 would be reinstated as a national holiday in 2011, if a related provision was approved by the legislature. He said government agencies reached a consensus on the matter in November after holding several meetings over the previous months. While Taiwan observes Women and Children’s Day on April 4, it is not a national holiday. Jiang said it was decided at the November meeting to separate Women’s Day from Children’s Day because reinstating Women’s Day as a national holiday required more deliberation, given its potential impact on the economy. Children’s Day and Women’s Day were separate national holidays in Taiwan until 1993, when the government combined the two holidays into Women and Children’s Day on April 4. In 1998, when two-day weekends became the norm in Taiwan, the government said Women and Children’s Day would no longer be a national holiday.
■ ANIMALS
Neutering plan starts soon
Starting on Monday, the Kaohsiung City Government will begin accepting applications for subsidies for neutering cats and dogs, a city government official said yesterday. Chu Chia-te (朱家德), director of Kaohsiung Municipal Institute for Animal Health, said the stipend would be earmarked for 1,000 animals, with NT$1,000 per female and NT$500 per male. Only adults who have household registration in the city are entitled to the subsidy, Chu said, adding that each applicant can apply for a maximum of three pets. Animals receiving subsidized neutering will also have to receive a rabies shot and an ID chip, which will also be covered by the government, Chu said.
■ HEALTH
DOH monitors doctor-drain
The Department of Health (DOC) said yesterday it would closely monitor whether medical manpower in Taiwan will be affected by a decision to allow health personnel to practice in China. Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), director-general of the department’s Bureau of Medical Affairs, said qualified Taiwanese pharmacists and nurses will soon be permitted to practice in China without an additional license. The department will have to evaluate whether this measure will have an adverse impact on Taiwan’s supply of such personnel, he said. At present, medical doctors and dentists are allowed to practice in China once they obtain a certificate of good standing issued by the department to prove they have not violated healthcare laws, Shih said. To date, about 100 people have applied for the certificates, he said. Taiwan has 40,000 doctors and 120,000 nurses, while China has 40,000 doctors and 50,000 nurses to serve its population of about 1.3 billion.
■ OBITUARY
Hung Yi-feng dies at 82
Well-known local crooner Hung Yi-feng (洪一峰) passed away yesterday at Taipei Medical University Hospital, aged 82. In December, Hung, who was known for his Taiwanese songs and considered a national treasure, contracted a fever that developed into pneumonia and breathing difficulties. After being sent to hospital, Hung was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With Hung in a coma, his family remained at his side day and night, constantly playing the song Love Always Joyful (愛常常喜樂). Hung wrote the song to the text of a prayer he often read when he was hospitalized two years ago after suffering a bad fall.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS