■POLITICS
New ministers sworn in
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday presided over a ceremony formally installing 10 new Cabinet members, including Vice Premier Sean Chen (陳冲). Other Cabinet members sworn in at the Presidential Office event were Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫), Examination Yuan Secretary-General Hwang Yea-baang (黃雅榜), Council for Economic Planning and Development Chairperson Christina Liu (劉憶如), Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Chen Yu-chang (陳裕璋), Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming (黃世銘), National Security Council deputy secretaries-general Ke Kuang-yeh (葛光越) and Liu Chih-kung (劉志攻), Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌) and National Security Bureau Deputy Director-General Chang Kuang-yuan (張光遠).
■POLITICS
Chen denies run in Tainan
Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) office yesterday dismissed a report that he planned to run for a legislative seat in a Tainan City by-election if the incumbent, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator William Lai (賴清德), wins the Greater Tainan mayoral race in the year-end special municipal elections. Chen has been in custody at the Tucheng Detention Center since December 2008. Last week he was given a 20-year prison sentence and a fine of NT$170 million (US$5.27 million) by the Taiwan High Court. The KMT, meanwhile, dismissed allegation that it spread the rumors about Chen.
■CULTURE
Film festival entries rise
This year’s biennial Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) has received more than twice the number of entries compared with the last festival in 2008, organizers said yesterday. The festival is aimed at promoting dialogue between international and local documentary filmmakers, as well as introducing the “Taiwanese spirit” to the world. Festival director Angelika Wang said 1,468 films from 93 countries were submitted this year, compared with 618 films in 2008. Wang said the increase showed there was global recognition of Taiwan’s efforts to stimulate exchanges of perspectives. The festival would also help broaden the horizons of local audiences, she said. “A nation without documentaries is like a family without photo albums,” Wang said. The TIDF is the second-largest documentary festival in Asia, showing about 120 works and attracting about 60,000 people. This year’s festival will be held from Oct. 22 to Oct. 31 in Taichung.
■EDUCATION
Idiom dictionary upgraded
The Ministry of Education said yesterday that it had added an English function to its online idiom dictionary (dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw) and it would expand the content for English users in the near future. The Dictionary of Chinese Idioms, which was launched online five years ago, now allows users to search for idioms by entering key words in either Chinese or English. “Although the English search function is limited at the moment, we are planning to provide English translations for all the Chinese idioms in the dictionary,” said Chen I-mei, a member of the ministry’s National Language Committee. The ministry has been testing that function and hopes it will be ready for public use later this year, she said. The online dictionary contains about 25,000 Chinese idioms and the ministry plans to add more gradually, she said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
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