■ EDUCATION
TOEFL tests canceled
Hundreds of Taiwanese students were unable to take their TOEFL tests when the US test administering company, Educational Testing Service (ETS), canceled four test sessions in Taipei and Tainan on Saturday with only a few days' notice. Many students were angry and complained that the company's service was not worth the NT$5,000 fee they had to pay to take the test. Some students said the delay would mean that their applications for schools in the US could not be submitted on time. Many US schools require international students to submit TOEFL scores as part of the application process. ETS did not give any reason for the cancelations, saying only that those who had registered for the tests could take tests at a later date or opt for a refund.
■ WELFARE
Ministry applauds center
The domestic and sexual violence prevention center in Kaohsiung County has been recognized by the Ministry of the Interior for its outstanding service over the past year. Citing statistics compiled by the center, officials at the social affairs bureau said that NT$12.1 million (US$370,000) in aid was distributed in the first 10 months of the year. During the January to October period, 4,580 cases of domestic violence were reported to the center, 216 more than in the same period of last year, the tallies showed. The number of teen abuse cases increased most, by 170, and there were also 31 more cases involving senior citizens. Officials said the public should not hesitate to contact the county's social affairs bureau or police if friends or relatives are assaulted.
■ BUSINESS
Telecom deal signed
Chunghwa Telecom, the nation's largest telecom operator, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Palau National Communications Corp (PNCC) in Taipei to help PNCC enhance its technology and services. Chunghwa Telecom chairman Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) made the announcement after inking the MOU on Friday with PNCC chairwoman Leilani Reklai, who came to Taiwan to take part in an international travel fair in Taipei. Ho said the MOU was the result of a visit he made to Palau's state-run PNCC last month. During the visit, Ho said he discovered that the PNCC had earned significant revenues from its Internet, mobile phone and cable TV services. However, there is still a lot of room for growth in the penetration rates within these services, Ho said.
■ POLITICS
Gamzou defends Tzu Chi
Israeli Representative to Taiwan Raphael Gamzou has defended the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation's relief work in China, saying that the resources the foundation uses in China go toward humanitarian projects. In an interview with the Central News Agency, Gamzou, who assumed his position in Taipei in September last year, took issue with recent criticism that Tzu Chi should not have used local resources to help people in China -- a hostile neighbor. Gamzou said he became a Tzu Chi volunteer because he was moved by the foundation's humanitarian projects throughout the world. Israel's de facto ambassador in Taipei said the Tzu Chi spirit of helping people all over the world, irrespective of race, religion, culture or geography, was one of Taiwan's greatest achievements.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
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