■DIPLOMACY
US optimistic on visa waiver
An official of the US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday expressed optimism about Taiwan being included on the US visa-waiver country list. Robert Perez, US Customs and Border Protection New York operations director, also praised Taiwan’s issuing of electronic passports since late 2008. Airports in the greater New York area report several cases of suspects using forged Republic of China passports every year, Perez said, and the new passport could mitigate the problem. The e-passport, or chip passport, is the same as a regular passport, but includes a small integrated circuit (computer chip) embedded in the back cover. Perez made the remarks during a meeting with Kao Jen-chuan (高振群), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, to exchange views on a range of issues including assisting Taiwanese in clearing customs, airport security, prevention of human trafficking, and sea and air cargo safety.
■SOCIETY
Firecracker rules approved
The Cabinet on Thursday approved an amendment to the Firework and Firecracker Management Act (爆竹煙火管理條例) that would increase penalties for those responsible for illegal firecracker production. The current Act states that persons responsible for producing firecrackers without permission face a three-year sentence or a maximum fine of NT$3 million (US$94,489). If the amendment passes the legislature, producers of illegal firecrackers will face a prison term of three to 10 years or a fine of between NT$2 million and NT$10 million if there is an incident involving casualties in connection with the firecrackers.
■ECONOMY
Task force to fix prices
The Executive Yuan’s task force on price stabilization will resume operations next week because of food and commodity price increases in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said yesterday. This year’s Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 14. Su said Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had instructed Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫), leader of the task force, to monitor unusual fluctuations in everyday goods and make sure there was sufficient supply during the holiday period. Wu gave the instructions in the wake of reported hikes in the price of dried goods, delicacies, candies and other commodities.
■POLITICS
Two KMT members expelled
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday expelled Jhongli Deputy Mayor Lin Hsiang-mei (林香美) and Taoyuan County Councilor Wu Yu-tung (吳餘東) for violating party regulations by deciding to run in the Feb. 27 legislative by-election in Taoyuan County. The KMT nominated former KMT legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) as its nominee for the election even though he placed third in a KMT opinion poll, following Jhongli Mayor Ye Bu-liang (葉步樑) and Lin. Wu placed fourth. Both Lin and Wu accused the KMT of failing to follow its nomination process and refused to drop out of the race. Juan Kang-meng (阮剛猛), director of the KMT Disciplinary Committee, said the party’s Taoyuan branch had revoked their party memberships and the headquarters approved the local branch’s decision. KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) said the party would take disciplinary action against any member who violates party regulations.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
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