CRIME
Cybercrime affects 4 million
Close to 4 million Taiwanese were victims of cybercrime last year, including those who inadvertently downloaded viruses or malicious software, according to an online security report released on Tuesday. Total losses from cybercrime in the nation reached more than NT$34.6 billion (US$1.04 billion) last year, meaning that each victim on average suffered a loss of NT$8,886, the report conducted by research firm Edelman Berland and commissioned by a division of Symantec Corp said. The report also showed that 47 percent of parents were afraid that their children might reveal too much personal information to strangers online, and 47 percent were worried that their children would be tricked online into meeting strangers in person. The report, carried out last month, surveyed 1,022 parents aged 18 and above.
SOCIETY
Taipei holding photo contest
The Taipei City Government is holding a photo contest to commemorate the demolition of a ramp connection to Zhongxiao Bridge that blocked the view of the historical North Gate. The contest is open to all, regardless of age or nationality, and entries will be accepted from March 15 to April 15, the city’s Public Works Department said. The results will be announced a week later. Three first-place winners will each be awarded NT$50,000 in cash, three second-place winners NT$30,000 and three third-place winners NT$20,000. Fifty contestants will be honored for outstanding performance, with each receiving between NT$2,000 and NT$5,000.
TRAVEL
Saskatchewan signs MOU
Taiwan and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) allowing driver’s license holders from the two sides to apply for licenses without having to take local tests, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. The measure took effect on Tuesday, making Saskatchewan the eighth Canadian province to sign a reciprocal driver’s license agreement with Taiwan, following the provinces of Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, the ministry said. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are the only two Canadian provinces that do not have such an agreement with Taiwan. Drivers in Taiwan who have had a license for at least 18 months and who are residents of Saskatchewan can apply for a Class 5 driver’s license, the ministry said. Likewise, drivers from Saskatchewan who have had their licenses for at least 18 months and have obtained residence permits in Taiwan can apply for a local driver’s license.
INTERNET
IDEAS show planned for July
An annual show featuring Internet-based start-ups will be held in Taipei in July, with the aim of matching entrepreneurs and innovators with venture capitalists and angel investors, the organizers said yesterday. The IDEAS Show, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and now in its ninth year, has become the most important platform of its kind in the nation and has gained the recognition of APEC members. Over the past eight years, the show, a matchmaking platform for emerging companies that offers related forums and seminars, has incubated more than 226 start-ups and helped 168 domestic start-ups to attract total combined investment of NT$6.12 billion through cooperation with international Internet start-up platforms.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai