POLITICS
CEC appointments approved
The legislature yesterday approved the appointment of five new commissioners to the Central Election Commission (CEC), paving the way for the commission to go ahead with preparations for the Jan. 14 presidential and legislative elections. Three of the five commissioners, Kuo Yu-ying (郭昱瑩), Duan Chung-min (段重民) and Chai Sung-lin (柴松林), are incumbents whose two-year terms had expired, while Lin Tsyr-ling (林慈玲) and Chen Wen-sheng (陳文生) are new appointments. Lin is currently deputy minister of the interior and Chen is a university professor. The new appointments bring the the number of commissioners to 11, in accordance with the law. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators left the legislative floor before the vote. However, prior to departure, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said most of the five appointees were “on the Chinese Nationalist Party’s [KMT] side” and the DPP would not bother to oppose the appointments.
MEDIA
Fake bloggers to be fined
The government plans to fine bloggers who make false claims or exaggerate the effectiveness of products on behalf of companies as the number of consumer disputes soars, authorities said yesterday. The legislature on Monday started revising a law to make it possible to fine bloggers and other reviewers up to 10 times the payment they receive for engaging in false advertising, the Fair Trade Commission said. Media said some bloggers are paid up to NT$70,000 per review, which are often disguised as simple journal entries, while in fact they talk up products and services to lure customers. One recent dispute involved a blogger who received an average of 140,000 hits a day and fabricated photographs to exaggerate the effect of beauty products, reports said.
SOCIETY
Go’s Hsieh wins Honinbo
Taiwanese go prodigy Hsieh Yi-min (謝依旻) captured the title at the 30th Women’s Honinbo tournament on Monday to become the first female go player to win the event five years in a row and be awarded an Honorary Honinbo. Hsieh said in January that she would try to win 10 consecutive titles at the Honinbo. In Monday’s final, Hsieh defended her title with a 3-1 victory over challenger Mukai Chiaki, whom she also defeated in the Honinbo finals last year. Hsieh, who lives in Japan, has been the Honinbo champion since 2007. Her victory this year made her the first female go player to receive an Honorary Honinbo title, which is given to players for winning five consecutive tournaments.
SOCIETY
Teens walk for orphans
Twenty-two high-school students from three continents joined local students in Changhua County on Monday to walk 100km to raise funds for orphans in Africa. The students from Japan, the US, Canada, Kenya and Swaziland joined 75 Taiwanese to complete the walk, organized by the International High School Youth Leadership Conference at Changhua High School. The trek includes trips to local temples to ask for donations from the public. Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) pledged to donate NT$10,000 if the students reach their goal. Janine Maxwell, the founder of Heart for Africa — a nonprofit organization that brings sustainable technologies to rural African villages — is one of those joining the project and she described the good will of the students as priceless.
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
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