■ CRIME
Kinmen fights vote-buying
The Kinmen District Prosecutors Office inaugurated its new "Investigation Coordination Center" yesterday as it kicked off a campaign against vote-buying in the run-up to the legislative and presidential elections in January and March respectively. A ceremony was held at the office to mark the opening of the new facility intended as a base for efforts to combat vote-buying, with prosecutors tasked to look into any allegations of illegal election activity, said Wu Wen-cheng (吳文政), head prosecutor of the office. Legislative candidacy registration began today. Wu said that the prosecutors' office on Kinmen had so far received more than 20 reports of alleged vote-buying.
■ EDUCATION
Teachers skeptical of policy
A majority of teachers think the nation is not ready for a 12-year compulsory education system, a Taiwan Provincial Education Association survey released yesterday said. More than 60 percent of the teachers polled said the education system was not prepared to extend compulsory education from nine years to 12, while 83 percent of respondents said the government had not taken important steps to facilitate the change. The survey was carried out from June 1 to June 30, with 16,927 elementary and high school school teachers surveyed. Huang Kuang-kuo (黃光國), a psychology professor at National Taiwan University, said the outcome highlighted the faults of the nation's education reforms. Huang said reform aimed at ensuring that all students have access to senior high school and higher education did not help students develop their potential.
■ culture
Square may be renamed
The Ministry of Education said yesterday that a proposal to rename the square in front of the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall had been submitted to the Council of Cultural Affairs for approval. Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) told lawmakers during a legislative meeting yesterday that the square and the inscription on the front gate of the hall would be changed from dazhong zhizheng (大中至正), meaning justice, to "Liberty Square." Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department Commissioner Lee Yong-ping (李永萍) threatened the ministry with a fine if any part of the hall is removed or renovated. "If they dare do it, we will fine them," she told a press conference. Chuang Kuo-jung (莊國榮), a ministry official, told the Taipei Times that the proposal had been submitted to the council, but nothing would be changed until the council approves it, adding that the bronze statue of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) would not be removed. "It's too early to say what will happen as we have just submitted the proposal," he said.
■ AGRICULTURE
Fund to protect farmers
The Council of Agriculture announced yesterday that it plans to create a fund worth NT$2 billion (US$62 million) within three years to set up a quota management system for the poultry industry and stabilize product prices in case of sharp market fluctuations. Officials said the council and local poultry industry have come to an agreement that beginning next year, each side will contribute NT$1 billion to set up the joint fund within three years to tackle imbalances in demand and supply in line with a quota-based management system scheduled to be fully implemented by 2009.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
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