As a result of the “Year of the Dragon” effect, the number of newborn babies has reached a historic high, the Ministry of the Interior has estimated, though it added that it was worried that the figure may decrease next year because fewer couples opted not to marry this year.
While the nation’s birthrate has been declining continuously over the past decade, it has increased 14.5 percent from January with last month compared with the same period last year, the latest figures from the ministry showed.
Since the beginning of the year, around 163,000 babies have been born and the ministry estimates that the annual number of births could surpass 220,000 by the end of the year.
In a press release, the ministry attributed the increasing birthrate to the “Year of the Dragon” effect.
In traditional Chinese beliefs, children born during the Year of the Dragon are believed to be lucky and Chinese emperors were thought to be dragons in human form.
However, the ministry also has some worries.
“Compared with the same period [January to September] last year, the number of couples getting married has dropped by 7,060 — or 6.7 percent,” the ministry said. “It remains to be seen whether the childbirth fever will continue.”
Last year — the centenary of the Republic of China — was a popular year for couples to marry because it was seen as symbolic.
The ministry said the number of childbirths from binational couples has also been on the rise in recent years.
“On average, 9 percent of newborn babies are born from couples in which the father or the mother are of Hong Kong, Macanese, Chinese or other origin,” the ministry said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS