Tue, Apr 30, 2024
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) yesterday released the latest artificial intelligence (AI) language model in traditional Chinese embedded with Taiwanese cultural values.The council launched the Trustworthy AI Dialogue Engine (TAIDE) program in April last year to develop and train
The legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) that would allow members of the public to report five types of traffic offenses.The amendments were drafted by the Cabinet in response to mounting criticism o
Taiwan’s average wealth per household was NT$16.38 million (US$503,102) at the end of 2021, with about 71 percent of households coming in below the average, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.Median wealth per household was NT$8.94 million, said the a
GLOBAL CRISES: The French president expects talks to focus on Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as trade, science, culture and sports cooperation Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is due to make a state visit to France on Monday and Tuesday next week, Paris announced yesterday, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.The visit to France, which is to be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chin
Japan’s governing party, stung by an extensive slush funds scandal, lost all three seats in parliamentary by-elections on Sunday in a major setback for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in seeking re-election as his party’s leader in the autumn.The loss is considered punishment by voters for the
NO RECIPROCITY: Taipei has called for cross-strait group travel to resume fully, but Beijing is only allowing people from its Fujian Province to travel to Matsu, the MAC said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday criticized an announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism that it would lift a travel ban to Taiwan only for residents of China’s Fujian Province, saying that the policy does not meet the principles of reciprocity and openness. Chinese Dep
A visit to China by a group of 17 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers “is doing nothing regarding China’s continuing military intimidation against Taiwan,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said yesterday.Wang made the remarks as the Ministry of National Defense
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS: DPP legislators proposed updating rules to require lawmakers who visit China to report on meetings they have and their itineraries Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislators Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) and Puma Shen (沈伯洋) have proposed amendments to regulate lawmakers’ visits to China.Legislators and elected representatives who have access to high-level classified materials should be included with military and intelligence personnel
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi yesterday touted breakthroughs in his leading of a KMT delegation to Beijing, describing the visit as an “ice-breaker trip” that facilitated Chinese tourists being allowed to visit Taiwan again.At a news conference at the Legislative Yuan, Fu, w
‘BLACK-FACE’: Following the ruling, Tainan Speaker Chiu Li-li yesterday said that she is thankful for the acquittal ‘to restore my good name’ Tainan Council Speaker Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉), Deputy Speaker Lin Chih-chan (林志展) and three other city councilors were acquitted of charges of vote-buying by the Tainan District Court yesterday in a trial that opened in 2022. Chiu and Lin, both of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), along with Chinese
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has no legitimacy to host an event marking the 100th anniversary of the Whampoa Military Academy, Veterans Affairs Council Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said yesterday.The academy was established in 1924 in China’s Guangdong Province, with former president Chiang Ka
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers yesterday vowed to work together to oppose the nominees for new National Communications Commission (NCC) members after a media tycoon was said to have intervened in the nominating process.Chinese-language media reported that t
CONSENSUS: As legislators agree that amendments are required, the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee aims to finish a preliminary review this week Women’s rights groups and a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator yesterday called for the law to be changed to criminalize paying to watch, purchase or download sexual images featuring children, and implement harsher penalties for people who not only possess such images but also disseminate
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital.The first death was reported on March
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Sunday warned people about altering original works to create memes, as it is investigating whether recent incidents involving the unauthorized use of images of politicians and celebrities are in contravention of the Copyright Act (著作權法).One case involves me
Police on Saturday arrested a fugitive surnamed Chen (陳) on suspicion of heading a criminal ring based in Kaohsiung that allegedly assisted Vietnamese and Chinese in illegally entering Taiwan via ocean routes. Police apprehended Chen, 50, who had been on the run for seven years, in Hsinchu County’s
A NEW LOW: The sharp jump of about 2 percent came just a few hours after the yen tumbled to the weaker side of ¥160 per US dollar for the first time in 34 years The yen jumped sharply against its peers yesterday after it slid past ¥160 per US dollar earlier in the session, with traders citing US dollar-selling intervention by Japanese banks.The Japanese currency increased about 2 percent from the initial level of ¥159 per US dollar in a matter of a few minu
REPORT: The index plunged 10.14 points due to drastic corrections on the local bourse and the April 3 earthquake, reversing six consecutive months of upturn The consumer confidence index this month declined by 10.14 points to a five-year low of 63.37, dragged mainly by drastic corrections on the local bourse, a report released yesterday by National Central University showed.It was the steepest fall in history and reversed six straight months of upturn,
Royal Philips NV yesterday said that it had reached a US$1.1 billion deal to settle US lawsuits over faulty sleep machines that have dogged the Dutch medical device maker.The company’s shares soared more than 45 percent on news of the settlement, which was less onerous than feared by some shareholde
Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai’s (卓榮泰) selection of J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) as minister of economic affairs has surprised many observers. While some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators have criticized the selection over Kuo’s previous contraventions of the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) and alle
The absence of a formal security dialogue between Taiwan and Japan has been a salient subject of discussion, indicative of a significant void in the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region. The urgency of this matter was underscored in 2019 when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) addressed its ne
Under intense pressure from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲), the Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee has retained all 20 provisions of a controversial legislative reform bill. Motions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators
Chen Yi-tung (陳奕通) secured a historic Olympic berth on Sunday by winning the senior men’s foil event at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Fencing Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates.Chen defeated Samuel Elijah of Singapore 15-4 in the final in Dubai to secure the only wild card in the event, making
DRAMA IN DALLAS: The Clippers survived an epic Mavericks comeback bid, squandering a 31-point lead, but holding on for a win that tied the series 2-2 The Minnesota Timberwolves, powered by 40 points from Anthony Edwards, on Sunday swept Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns out of the NBA playoffs, reaching the second round for the first time in 20 years with a 122-116 victory in Game 4.The Timberwolves withstood a combined 72 points from Devin Booke
Aaron Judge on Sunday homered in the first inning and played a central role as a base runner during a seven-run rally in the sixth as the New York Yankees defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 15-5.Anthony Rizzo went four for four and hit his 300th career homer. Anthony Volpe added a three-run shot on his
Arsenal on Sunday survived a late scare at Tottenham Hotspur to stay narrowly ahead in the race for the English Premier League title.A 3-2 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ensured Mikel Arteta’s team remained at the top of the standings, ahead of defending champions Manchester City, who won 2-0
’HARASSMENT ’CAMPAIGN: Pedro Sanchez last week said he was considering stepping down amid allegations from the right that his wife was involved in corruption Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez yesterday said he would stay on as prime minister after threatening to stand down over what he has denounced as a campaign of political harassment by the right. “I have decided to stay,” he said in a highly-anticipated public address that drew a line under days o
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his pledge to replace India’s religion-based marriage and inheritance laws with a uniform civil code if he returns to office for a third term, a move that some minority groups have opposed.In an interview with the Times of India listing his agenda, Modi
‘TERRORIST ACT’: The four teens, aged 14 to 17, were part of a network that included a 16-year-old boy charged with stabbing an Orthodox bishop on April 15, police said Four teenagers plotted to buy guns and attack Jewish people days after a bishop was stabbed in a Sydney church, media reports citing police documents said yesterday.Five teens, aged 14 to 17, were charged in a Sydney court on Thursday last week with a range of offenses including conspiring to engage
Noa Kekuewa Lincoln remembers when he first encountered unique Hawaiian sugarcane varieties in 2004. The fresh stalks, bursting with color, might have sprouted from Willy Wonka’s imagination, not the soil.Lincoln, a kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) expert in Indigenous cropping systems and an assistan
Functional beverages — or drinks promoted as offering mental or physical benefits beyond hydration — are growing in popularity around the world. Hundreds of companies have jumped into the market, hoping to get some buzz with trendy and sometimes unfamiliar ingredients.Here are some of the latest one
Last week, Viola Zhou published a marvelous deep dive into the culture clash between Taiwanese boss mentality and American labor practices at the Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) plant in Arizona in Rest of World. “The American engineers complained of rigid, counterproductive hierarchies at the company,”
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures.On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life
對話 Dialogue清清:你怎麼了?幹嘛這麼生氣?Qīngqing: Nǐ zěnme le? Gàn má zhème shēngqì?華華:呴!我玩這個遊戲已經玩了快一個小時了,結果一直輸、一直輸,就沒有一次是贏的,真是氣死我了!Huáhua: Hōu! Wǒ wán zhège yóuxì yǐjīng wánle kuài yí ge xiǎoshí le, jiéguǒ yìzhí shū, yìzhí shū, jiù méiyǒu yí cì shì yíng de, zhēnshì qìsǐ wǒ le!清清:不過是玩個遊戲而已,何必這麼認真呢?Qīngqing: Búguò
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while i
It’s certainly been a pleasure watching the presidential campaign launch of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) lurch painfully about like a wounded pachyderm in search of an elephant graveyard. Hou’s fall to third place in some polls last week appears early, and it might still be recoverable. But grumbling in his party about replacing him has already begun. Indeed, all indications are that the party that twice gave us Lien Chan (連戰), the most despised politician in Taiwan, as a presidential candidate and later offered voters Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), is arcing along its normal descending trajectory, the North Korean missile test of electoral politics. A KIND OF POLICY PLATFORM Last week the KMT doubled down on this path with Hou’s calls for nuclear power and more death penalty executions, standard KMT fare for decades (the latter is unnecessary since so many potential criminals are likely to die in traffic accidents long before they harm anyone). Apparently KMT policy institutions are not echo chambers so much as mausoleums where dead ideas are embalmed and then periodically put on display. The lack of public policy imagination is obvious. A less obvious facet of KMT ineptitude: with years of speculation that Hou would be their man in 2024, neither Hou nor the party insisted on interesting or experimental public policies to showcase Hou’s greatness in preparation for the showdown. Of course, that is even more true of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Hou’s slide and the media buzz surrounding it are obscuring the truly urgent problem the pro-Taiwan side faces: DPP presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) has not expanded his voter support beyond the party base. In most polls he remains below 40 percent. Independent voters are staying away in droves, and for the moment the young are turning to
July 17 to July 23 When Yeh Ken-chuang (葉根壯) came of age, the traditional skills of architecture and carpentry that had been in his family for four generations were disappearing. After helping his uncle Yeh Teh-ling (葉得令) construct ships, residences and temples for more than a decade, Yeh struck out on his own at the age of 28 in 1960 as a damusi (大木司, chief carpenter), earning his lifelong title “Chief Chuang” (壯司). Around this time, builders in his homeland of Penghu were increasingly using reinforced concrete instead of wood, due to the humid climate. The period also saw a frenzy in temple construction as the economy improved, meaning there was plenty of work for Yeh. Adept in non-structural techniques such as doors, windows and furniture, as well as the intricate carvings and detailed decorations that adorned the structures, Yeh was able to adapt his skills, leading the reconstruction of the historic Hsiliao Daitian Temple (西寮代天宮) on Penghu’s main island in 1963. According to the book Crossing Traditions in Yeh Ken-chuang’s Large-scale Carpentry Skills (宮廟巧藝 :跨越傳統的葉根壯大木作技術), it was Penghu’s first temple that used a purely reinforced concrete structure. Before his life was cut short, Yeh created more than 70 temples and related structures across the various islands of Penghu and left behind more than 230 building plans. Although Yeh could have built temples and other structures on Taiwan proper, he only worked on a handful of projects outside of Penghu because he wanted to be close to his family. CLAN OF CARPENTERS The Yeh family’s woodworking tradition began with Yeh Ma-li (葉媽利), who learned the architecture and carpentry trade from an unknown master on Kinmen. The Yehs trace their roots to Kinmen, although this branch had been living in Penghu since the early 1600s. Yeh Ma-li was Penghu’s chief temple builder between 1860 and
New Taipei City | 14-23 | 10% | |
Hsinchu County | 14-22 | 10% | |
Hsinchu City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Taipei City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Miaoli County | 12-22 | 10% | |
Taoyuan City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Keelung City | 15-21 | 10% |
Yunlin County | 14-24 | 0% | |
Taichung City | 14-24 | 0% | |
Nantou County | 14-24 | 0% | |
Changhua County | 14-23 | 0% |
Chiayi County | 13-24 | 0% | |
Chiayi City | 14-25 | 0% | |
Tainan City | 15-22 | 0% | |
Kaohsiung City | 17-23 | 0% | |
Pingtung County | 16-25 | 0% |
Yilan County | 14-22 | 10% | |
Hualien County | 16-22 | 10% | |
Taitung County | 17-23 | 10% |
Kinmen County | 11-18 | 0% | |
Penghu County | 17-20 | 0% | |
Lienchiang County | 10-13 | 10% |