A group of 20 young professionals from around the world yesterday finished a government-sponsored visit, saying they are eager to relate their experiences when they return to their home countries.
The young adults from Mongolia, Israel, Russia and Ukraine said that during their eight-day trip they learned about Taiwan’s rich culture, technology and cuisine, which they will introduce to people at home.
“Both Taiwan’s traditions and modernity have created this unique twist that I haven’t seen in many places,” Hadas Grinvalde from Israel said.
The 33-year-old also lauded the friendliness and hospitality of Taiwanese, saying that her group was made to feel welcome by people they encountered everywhere, from the streets to institutions.
Russian Maxim Chkham, 25, said he was most impressed by Taiwanese food, in particular the spicy seafood.
From April 28 to yesterday, the group visited several places in northern Taiwan, including the Development Center for Biotechnology in New Taipei City (新北市) and a recycling park set up by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation to promote the nation’s environmental protection education.
The annual program, which was launched in 2009, is aimed at increasing the understanding of Taiwan among young people throughout the world, as part of the government’s efforts to promote the nation’s image abroad, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), which organized the program.
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