EMPLOYMENT
Job vacancies increase
The number of jobs have increased while unemployment has dropped this year, Council of Labor Affairs Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) said yesterday. Wang said the number of job seekers, which increased after the global financial crisis in 2008, has now declined, indicating that the economy is recovering. In the past, the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings was 1 to 0.6, but that figure is now 1 to 1.7, she added. She said the council would convene a committee during the third quarter to consider raising the minimum wage by at least 3 percent. The number of unfilled job vacancies, meanwhile, reached 235,000 as of the end of February, up 3.36 percent from the same period last year, the highest level in 13 years, Wang said.
ENTERTAINMENT
Fans prepare for Gaga
US pop star Lady Gaga arrived in Taipei yesterday evening, flying in from the Japan leg of her promotional tour on a charter flight. The 25-year-old singer will meet fans in Greater Taichung tomorrow. Her “little monsters” — as she calls her fans — were getting ready to meet their idol, with some going to extraordinary lengths. One of her fans, surnamed Chang (張), waited anxiously outside the Regent Taipei, where Lady Gaga will stay. Chang said she left her office early so she could meet the singer. She said she would shroud her face in red fabric and shout “Gaga” to attract the singer’s attention. Another fan, surnamed Lee (李), went on Twitter to get inspired. He told his friends to write something special for the singer’s first visit to Taiwan. He printed out all the best wishes from Twitter users on a piece of cardboard, which he said he hoped to present to her.
ENVIRONMENT
Air conditioners set too low
A pressure group yesterday accused public places in Taipei of setting their air conditioners too cold, which it said runs counter to energy-saving and cutting carbon emissions. The Homemakers’ Union and Foundation released the results of an investigation it conducted last month that showed that 75 percent of Taipei workplaces, stores and public transport stations set their air conditioners lower than a government-mandated limit. The foundation inspected a total of 99 public places and found that 17 offices, 50 business operations, including convenience stores, and eight buses and MRT trains had set their air conditioning units lower than 26oC. In response, the city government said it regularly inspects major electricity users around the city and has found that 80 percent of them have not violated the regulations. Convenience stores, however, are not included on the inspection list.
DIPLOMACY
Eric Chu visits Baltimore
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) visited Baltimore County in the US, which has sisterhood ties with New Taipei City, on Thursday to promote bilateral ties. Baltimore County Chief Kevin Kamenetz announced a “New Taipei City Day” in Baltimore County and inked a memorandum of understanding with Chu to establish liaison contacts on both sides to further cement business, educational and cultural exchanges between the two entities. For his part, Chu said Baltimore County and New Taipei City have many aspects in common, including diverse geographical areas, important harbors and challenges with urban renewal and transition. After visiting Baltimore, Chu and his group was scheduled to head for Los Angeles on the west coast, another of New Taipei City’s sister cities.
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
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
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