INTERNET
NCC handles over 700 cases
The government has handled 729 complaints and criminal cases, mostly about online material deemed obscene, since opening a service for reporting inappropriate Web content and online crimes on Aug. 2, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said on Saturday. In a report, the commission said 54 percent of the complaints were about pornography, 19 percent about online crime and 15 percent about inappropriate advertising content. Since the report system opened, authorities have removed or imposed restrictions on 234 Web sites that were reportedly involved in online crime or carrying material deemed obscene or otherwise inappropriate, the commission report said.
HEALTH
DOH promotes dialogue
This year’s Patient Safety Awareness Week will center on building an interactive partnership between doctors and patients, the Department of Health (DOH) said. The event, an annual healthcare safety education campaign, began on Sunday and runs through Saturday. It features seminars and activities in Taipei and seven other municipalities for both patients and physicians. Wang Tsung-hsi (王宗曦), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Medical Affairs, said most patients are too shy to speak to doctors when they should be talking about their symptoms and telling doctors of any possible mistakes. “It is proven in Western countries that patient awareness campaigns can efficiently reduce false diagnoses, death rates and reinfection rates,” Wang said. Throughout the year, 50 hospitals nationwide will work to improve communication between patients and doctors, he said. Patient awareness is also one of the factors in hospital evaluations, Wang said.
DESIGN
Local firms go to Shanghai
Eleven Taiwanese design firms are scheduled to take part in Interior Lifestyle China — one of China’s leading consumer goods fairs — scheduled to take place from tomorrow through Saturday in Shanghai, the Council for Cultural Affairs said yesterday. Under the banner “Bravo Taiwan,” the group will display the cream of the latest products from Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry, a council official said. Taiwan will have a 56m2 pavilion at the exhibition, displaying the latest designs in areas including ceramics, lighting, furniture and interior decor, with an “oriental chic” theme. The council organized a similar group that attended last month’s 100% Design London — one of the world’s most important contemporary interior design exhibitions — where the Taiwanese designers won high acclaim for their products.
CULTURE
First lady flies out for troupe
First lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) departed for Germany on Sunday in her capacity as honorary director of the Taiwanese opera troupe Ming Hwa Yuan (明華園), which has begun its European tour. Chow was all smiles when she arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The troupe will start its tour with its most popular production, The Living Buddha, in Berlin, and then visit six other cities — Prague, Vienna, Paris, London, Edinburgh and Amsterdam. Aside from nine performances, the troupe will also hold workshops at universities to introduce the traditional Taiwanese art form to European audiences, the troupe said in a statement.
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
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
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