NATIONAL SECURITY
NIA inks pact with US school
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) signed an agreement with a US university yesterday to cooperate on research into counter-terrorism and other security issues. The agreement was signed by agency Director-General Hsieh Li-kung (謝立功) and University of Houston-Downtown president William Flores during a video conference. The two sides will cooperate on studies of counter-terrorism, homeland security, criminal justice, human trafficking, immigration affairs and other issues, Hsieh said in a statement. The two parties will also attend conferences, seminars and speeches and carry out research at each other’s institutes, the agency said. The agreement will allow the two parties to share research on security issues, it said.
SOCIETY
Artists join project in Japan
A group of Taiwanese artists has teamed up with Japanese counterparts to launch a “white house” art project aimed at boosting the morale of victims of Japan’s March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Between Wednesday and Sunday next week, 36 Taiwanese and Japanese artists will create paintings on a white building that they have constructed from canvases in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, said the Formosa Wall Painting Group, which initiated the project. Around 40 paintings will be created, while children from the disaster area will be invited to paint stones and exhibit their own artwork, the Kaohsiung-based group said. The paintings will be on display in Ishinomaki until July, after which the portable “white house” exhibit will be moved to Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, and then to Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Otsuchi was heavily damaged by the 2011 quake, while Kobe was devastated by a massive quake in 1995.
AGRICULTURE
Carnation prices doubled
Wholesale prices for carnations have been doubled from a year earlier in the run-up to Mother’s Day, due to lower production, the Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) said yesterday. The average wholesale price was NT$65 (US$2.20) per bunch of 10 flowers, double the price for the same period of last year, AFA Deputy Director Huang Mei-hua (黃美華) said. About 3.42 million dozen carnations were grown nationwide this year, down from the 3.84 million dozen stems produced last year, largely as a result of inclement weather, she added. She said this year’s production of the flower traditionally given on Mother’s Day, which falls on May 12 this year, covered 67 hectares, with 55 hectares given over to the crop in Changhua County alone.
ASTRONOMY
Stargazing event to be held
A stargazing event to look at the Crux constellation will take place in Pingtung County tomorrow in an effort to promote astronomy, the event’s organizers said. About 2,000 stargazers, including 1,200 students from local schools, are expected to attend the event in Maobitou Park, a popular location for local astronomy enthusiasts. Visible to skywatchers south of the Tropic of Cancer, Crux can only be seen in certain counties — including Pingtung — said Jiayi Elementary School Principal Shih Shih-chih (施世治), one of the organizers. Pingtung has been promoting astronomy since last year by designating four local schools and 70 teachers to promote related programs. The event is to take place from 4:30pm to 10pm. More information is available at http://familystar.org.tw/events/event.php?events_id=168.
A total lunar eclipse coinciding with the Lantern Festival on March 3 would be Taiwan’s most notable celestial event this year, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said, urging skywatchers not to miss it. There would be four eclipses worldwide this year — two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses — the museum’s Web site says. Taiwan would be able to observe one of the lunar eclipses in its entirety on March 3. The eclipse would be visible as the moon rises at 5:50pm, already partly shaded by the Earth’s shadow, the museum said. It would peak at about 7:30pm, when the moon would
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
DEFENSE: The US should cancel the US visas or green cards of relatives of KMT and TPP lawmakers who have been blocking the budget, Grant Newsham said A retired US Marine Corps officer has suggested canceling the US green cards and visas of relatives of opposition Taiwanese lawmakers who have been stalling the review of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget. The Executive Yuan has proposed the budget for major weapons purchases over eight years, from this year to 2033. However, opposition lawmakers have refused to review the proposal, demanding that President William Lai (賴清德) first appear before the Legislative Yuan to answer questions about the proposed budget. On Thursday last week, 37 bipartisan US lawmakers sent a letter to Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the heads
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan. Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wreckage of the aircraft inside a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, police and fire officials said. The helicopter went missing on Jan. 20 and was later found on a steep slope inside the Nakadake No. 1 Crater, about 50m below the rim. Authorities said that conditions at the site made survival highly unlikely, and ruled
RSS